Turkey/ Türkiye

Hagia Sophia Mosque in Instanbul
map of Turkey

Quick Facts:

Official Name: Republic of Türkiye

Capital: Ankara

Population: 85 million (World Bank, 2023)

Area: 302, 535 square miles (783, 562 square kilometers)

Religion: Islam, mostly Hanafi Sunni, is the dominant religion, but there is no official state religion

Currency: Turkish Lira

Turkish Language

Turkish is a Turkic language spoken by over 80 million people all around the world, which makes it one of the most widely spoken languages of the globe. It is the official language of the Turkish Republic and is also spoken in Cyprus by Turkish Cypriots. Turkish speakers can also be found in the Balkans, primarily in Greece, Bulgaria, and the former Yugoslav countries.

Turkish uses the Latin alphabet, like English does, but with some special pronunciation markers called diacritics. The Turkish alphabet has 29 letters. Learn to pronounce the letters of the Turkish alphabet here or sing the Turkish alphabet song here.

Check out the Turkish Word of the Day series on the CREES Instagram account @KU_CREES

White and brown cat leaning on the street curb speaking Turkish
Hello! My name is Tombili Kedicik. Nice to meet you!

Turkish language Resources

Explore Turkish Culture

Explore Turkiye's culture through its art, music, holidays, food, history, and literature.

Thumbnail List

Turkish Flag and National Anthem

The Turkish national anthem is called "Independence March" (İstiklâl Marşı).
The Turkish flag has a white crescent moon and star on a red background. There are many myths associated with the flag's symbolism. The crescent moon and star are often associated with Islam, though the symbols predate Islam.
Turkish flag: red background, white crescent moon with star next to it

Turkish Money / Para

Turkiye uses a currency called the lira. There are lira like there are dollars, and kuruş, like there are cents. There are 100 kuruş in one lira. The number of lira that equal one US dollar changes. You can google the current exchange rate.

Turkish lira paper notes of various amounts including 10 and 50

Paper lira notes

front and back of 1 lira coin from 2005

1 Lira coin

Back of 2009 50 kuruş coin

50 kuruş coin

Ankara and Istanbul

Ankara

Ankara is the capital of Turkey. It became the capital city in 1923 after the Turkish War of Independence. The oldest settlements in and around the city center of Ankara date back to the Bronze Age.

Istanbul

Istanbul, formerly called Constantinople, was founded in the 7th century as Byzantium. It is the largest city in Turkey. It was the imperial capital for 1600 years during the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. The capital moved to Ankara in 1923 after the Turkish War of Independence. The city's name changed from Constantinople to Istanbul in 1930.