The Republic of Turkey

By: Thomas KosakowskiNovember 9, 2011

Period B

Government

•Turkey is a democracy•The highest position in the

Turkish government is the Prime Minister

•Turkey’s Prime Minister is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

• Born on February 26, 1954• He has been Prime Minister since

2003• He was a professional footballer

(soccer player)• He is the first Prime Minister to

ever be called by his first name

The Flag

• Established in 1936

• Its design is a red background along with a white crescent moon slightly to the left of center and a five-pointed star slightly right of the moon

Symbolizing

• The star and the moon are two symbols of the Tengrist beliefs towards sky-worshiping

• In Turkic Mythology four colors are associated with the four directions• "gok-blue" (east)• "aq-white" (west)• "al-red" (south)• "qara-black" (north)

• These colors signify the direction towards the zenith where the Tengri is dwelling in the sky

Symbolizing

• The red and white colors on the flag of Turkey represent the south-western branch of Turks called Oghuzes•They are included in being

named the founders of Turkey along with Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Gagauzia

The History of Turkey

• Turkey first became occupied during the sixth century

• In the tenth and eleventh centuries, the first dynasty came about in Turkey

• This dynasty was known as the Seljuk Dynasty

The Mongol Empire

• On June 23, 1243, the Seljuk armies were defeated by the Mongols

• The Mongols would rule until about 1453, when they were replaced by the Ottoman Dynasty

The Creation of Turkey

• The end of World War I brought an end to the Ottoman Dynasty

• Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Allies established the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

• He was a great military commander during the World War I era and the first President of Turkey

• He is named "Atatürk" by the Turkish people in 1934, which means Father of the Turks

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

World War II

• Turkey was neutral during most of World War II, but on February 23, 1945, it joined the side of the Allies

• Later that year in 1945, it became a charter member of the United Nations

Other Facts

• Turkey joined NATO in 1952• It is currently not part of the

European Union• The main religion found here is

Islam• The main language spoken here is

Turkish

Interesting Facts

• The only city in the world located on two continents is Istanbul, which has been the capital of three great empires, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman for more than 2000 years.

• The oldest known human settlement is in Catalhoyuk, Turkey (7500 BC).

Interesting Facts

• Temple of Artemis and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, two of the seven wonders of the ancient world, are in Turkey.

• Turks introduced coffee to Europe.• Turks gave the Dutch their famous

tulips.

Interesting Facts

• Anatolia is the origin of the names of Paris, Philadelphia and Europe.

• Anatolia is the location of the first known beauty contest, judged by Paris, with Aphrodite, Hera and Athena as leading participants.

Interesting Facts

• The last home of Virgin Mary is in Selcuk near ephesus(efes)

• The Famous Trojan Wars took place in western Turkey, around the site where a wooden statue of the Trojan Horse rests today.

• According to legend, Noah's Ark landed on Agri Dagi (Mount Ararat) in Eastern Turkey.

The End!