Turks—Western Asia
The word "Turk" refers to the members of the great linguistic and cultural family of Turkic peoples extending from China to Europe. Today there are two main groups of Turkic peoples: the western and the eastern. The eastern group is made up of the Turkic peoples inhabiting the areas of present-day Central Asia and the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in China. The Turks of Turkey belong to the western group, which also includes the Turks of the Balkans, Anatolia, Cyprus, northern Iraq, and northwestern Iran and Azerbaijan. Almost nine-tenths of the population of Turkey claims Turkish as their first language. In present-day Turkey, however, the word implies not only ethnic, cultural, and linguistic aspects but also designates the politico-cultural group that includes everyone living in the territory of the Turkish state. According to the Turkish Constitution, Turkey is made up of all its citizens without distinction of race or religion.
A Turkish man with his two daughters in Kayseri, Turkey,
c. 1997. (DAVE BARTRUFF/CORBIS)Further Reading
Hotham, David. (1972) The Turks. London: John Murray. Lewis, Bernard. (1966) The Emergence of Modern Turkey.
London: Oxford University Press. McCarthy, Justine. (1997) The Ottoman Turks. London:
Longman.
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