History of Turkey in Timeline
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a transcontinental country spanning Anatolia in West Asia and East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It's bordered by the Black Sea, several countries to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the west. With a population exceeding 85 million, mainly ethnic Turks and a significant Kurdish minority, Turkey is officially secular with a Muslim-majority population. Ankara is the capital, while Istanbul serves as the largest city and economic hub. Other important cities include İzmir, Bursa, and Antalya.
1907: Swiss Civil Code
In 1926, Turkey adopted a civil law legal system, replacing Sharia-derived Ottoman law, with the Civil Code based on the Swiss Civil Code of 1907 and the Swiss Code of Obligations of 1911.
1911: Swiss Code of Obligations
In 1926, Turkey adopted a civil law legal system, replacing Sharia-derived Ottoman law, with the Civil Code based on the Swiss Civil Code of 1907 and the Swiss Code of Obligations of 1911.
1913: The Three Pashas take control of the Ottoman government
Following the 1913 coup d'état, the Three Pashas took control of the Ottoman government.
1913: Recovery of territory in Europe
In 1913, during the Second Balkan War, the Ottomans managed to recover some territory in Europe, such as Edirne.
1914: Percentage of Non-Muslims
In 1914, the percentage of non-Muslims in modern-day Turkey was 19.1%.
1915: Çanakkale Bridge
As of 2023, the Çanakkale 1915 Bridge on the Dardanelles strait is the longest suspension bridge in the world.
1918: Beginning of Turkish Architecture period
Since 1918, Turkish architecture can be divided into three parts, with the first one including the First National Architectural Movement period, which transitioned into modernist architecture.
1919: Occupation of İzmir
In 1919, the occupation of İzmir by the Allies in the aftermath of World War I initiated the Turkish National Movement.
April 1920: Turkish Provisional Government Declares Legitimacy
In April 1920, the Turkish Provisional Government in Ankara declared itself the legitimate government of the country.
1920: Allied Powers Seek Partition
In 1920, following the Armistice of Mudros in 1918, the victorious Allied Powers sought the partition of the Ottoman Empire through the Treaty of Sèvres.
1920: Treaty of Sèvres
In 1920, the Turkish War of Independence was waged with the aim of revoking the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres.
1921: Armed and diplomatic struggle
In 1921, the Ankara Government engaged in armed and diplomatic struggle.
1921: Türkiye in International Documents
In 1921, with the Treaty signed with Afghanistan, the name Türkiye entered international documents for the first time as Devlet-i Âliyye-i Türkiyye.
October 1922: Signing of the Armistice of Mudanya
In October 1922, the military advance and diplomatic success of the Ankara Government resulted in the signing of the Armistice of Mudanya.
November 1922: Abolition of the Sultanate
In November 1922, the Turkish Parliament in Ankara formally abolished the Sultanate, thus ending 623 years of monarchical Ottoman rule.
July 1923: Treaty of Lausanne
In July 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne led to the international recognition of the sovereignty of the new Turkish state.
October 1923: Allied Occupation Ends, Republic Proclaimed
In October 1923, the Allied occupation of Turkey ended, and the Turkish Republic was officially proclaimed in Ankara.
October 1923: Proclamation of the Republic
In October 1923, the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed, modeled on the reforms initiated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
1923: Atatürk's Reforms
After the proclamation of the republic in 1923, Atatürk instituted reforms such as the language reform and alphabet reform.
1923: Expulsion of armies
Between 1921 and 1923, the Armenian, Greek, French, and British armies had been expelled.
1923: End of the Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence lasted from 1919 to 1923, with the aim of revoking the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres (1920).
1925: Sheikh Said rebellion
In 1925, Atatürk's reforms caused discontent in some Kurdish and Zaza tribes leading to the Sheikh Said rebellion.
1926: Adoption of Civil Code
In 1926, Turkey adopted a civil law legal system, replacing Sharia-derived Ottoman law, with the Civil Code based on the Swiss Civil Code of 1907 and the Swiss Code of Obligations of 1911.
1927: Decline in Non-Muslim Population
By 1927, the percentage of non-Muslims in Turkey had fallen to 2.5%.
1934: Women Gained the right to vote
In 1934, women gained the right to vote nationally in Turkey.
1934: Universal Suffrage
Since 1934, universal suffrage for both sexes has been applied throughout Turkey.
1937: Dersim rebellion
In 1937, Atatürk's reforms caused discontent in some Kurdish and Zaza tribes leading to the Dersim rebellion.
1938: İsmet İnönü became the country's second president
In 1938, İsmet İnönü became the country's second president following Atatürk's death.
1939: Republic of Hatay joins Turkey
In 1939, the Republic of Hatay voted in favor of joining Turkey with a referendum.
February 1945: Turkey Enters World War II
In February 1945, Turkey entered World War II on the side of the Allies.
1950: Population in 1950
Between 1950 and 2020, Turkey's population more than quadrupled from 20.9 million to 83.6 million.
1950: Second part of Turkish Architecture period
From 1950 to 1980, the second part of Turkish architecture includes urbanization, modernization, and internationalization.
1950: Turkey Joins the Council of Europe
In 1950, Turkey became a member of the Council of Europe.
1952: Turkey Joins NATO
In 1952, Turkey joined NATO following threats from the Soviet Union.
1960: Military Coup
In 1960, Turkey experienced a military coup, complicating its transition to a democratic multiparty system.
1965: Last census with ethnicity data
Reliable data on the ethnic mix of the population is not available because census figures do not include statistics on ethnicity after the 1965 Turkish census.
1971: Military Memorandum
In 1971, Turkey experienced a military memorandum, complicating its transition to a democratic multiparty system.
1973: Turkey's first Nobel Prize in Literature nominee
In 1973 Memed, My Hawk by Yaşar Kemal was Turkey's first Nobel Prize in Literature nominee.
1974: Troops in Northern Cyprus
Since 1974, Turkey maintains a force of 36,000 troops in Northern Cyprus.
1980: Military Coup
In 1980, Turkey experienced a military coup, complicating its transition to a democratic multiparty system.
1980: Third part of Turkish Architecture period
Since 1980, the third part of Turkish architecture is defined by consumer habits and international trends, such as shopping malls and office towers.
1982: Adoption of the Current Constitution
In 1982, Turkey adopted its current constitution.
1987: Turkey applies for full membership of the EEC
In 1987, Turkey applied for full membership of the EEC.
1990: Study on Kurdish population
According to a 1990 study, Kurds made up around 12% of the population.
1993: Tansu Çiller Becomes Prime Minister
In 1993, Tansu Çiller became the first female prime minister of Turkey.
1995: Turkey Joins EU Customs Union
In 1995, Turkey joined the European Union Customs Union.
1997: Military Memorandum
In 1997, Turkey experienced a military memorandum, complicating its transition to a democratic multiparty system.
1999: İzmit and Düzce earthquakes
After the 1999 İzmit and 1999 Düzce earthquakes, North Anatolian Fault zone activity "is considered to be one of the most dangerous natural hazards in Turkey".
2000: Historical records in Anatolia
Around 2000 BC, Anatolia's historical records began with clay tablets found in Kültepe, belonging to an Assyrian trade colony, with languages including Hattian, Hurrian, Hittite, Luwian, and Palaic.
2000: Galatasaray wins UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup
In 2000, Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
2000: R&D Spending
Turkey's spending on research and development as a share of GDP has risen from 0.47% in 2000 to 1.40% in 2021.
2002: Changes in Civil Code
In 2002, the Civil Code underwent a number of changes, retaining much of the basis of the original Code.
2002: Turkey wins bronze medal at the FIFA World Cup
The Turkey national football team won the bronze medal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
2003: Inauguration of Istanbul Pride
In 2003, Turkey became the first Muslim-majority country to hold a gay pride march with the inauguration of Istanbul Pride.
2003: Universal Health Insurance System
Since 2003, the Ministry of Health has run a universal public healthcare system known as Universal Health Insurance (Genel Sağlık Sigortası).
2003: Turkey wins bronze medal at the FIFA Confederations Cup
The Turkey national football team won the bronze medal at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.
2005: Accession Negotiations with the EU
In 2005, Turkey started accession negotiations with the European Union.
2005: Replacement of the Criminal Code
In 2005, the Criminal Code, originally based on the Italian Criminal Code, was replaced by a Code with principles similar to the German Penal Code and German law generally.
2006: KONDA's ethnic estimation
Based on a survey, KONDA's estimation was 76% in 2006, with 78% of adult citizens self-identifying their ethnic background as Turk.
2006: KONDA ethnic minorities estimation
In 2006, KONDA estimated that non-Kurdish and non-Zaza ethnic minorities constituted 8.2% of the population.
2006: KONDA's Estimate for Muslims
In 2006, KONDA's estimate for Muslims in Turkey was 99.4%.
2006: KONDA Estimate for Non-Islam Religions
In 2006, KONDA's estimate was 0.18% for people with non-Islam religions in Turkey.
2006: KONDA's Estimate for those with no religion
In 2006, KONDA's estimate was 0.47% for those in Turkey with no religion.
2006: Interethnic marriages
In 2006, an estimated 2.7 million ethnic Turks and Kurds were related from interethnic marriages.
2006: Orhan Pamuk wins Nobel Prize in Literature
Orhan Pamuk won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature.
2007: Poverty rate decline begins
Between 2007 and 2021, the share of the population below the PPP-$6.85 per day international poverty threshold declined from 20% to 7.6%.
2007: Peak in foreign direct investment
Foreign direct investment in Turkey peaked at $22.05 billion in 2007.
2009: Inaugural Contemporary Turkish Art Sale
The inaugural contemporary Turkish art sale by Sotheby's London was in 2009.
2011: Share of citizens who identified as unbeliever
According to KONDA, in 2011, 2% of adult citizens identified as unbelievers.
2011: Start of Syrian Civil War
Before the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the estimated number of Arabs in Turkey varied from 1 million to more than 2 million.
2011: Improvements in education access
From 2011 to 2021, Turkey experienced "one of the largest increases in educational attainment for 25-34 year-olds at upper secondary non-tertiary or tertiary education".
2013: Assyrian minority rights
In 2013, the Ankara 13th Circuit Administrative Court ruled that the minority provisions of the Lausanne Treaty should also apply to Assyrians in Turkey and the Syriac language.
2013: Gezi Park Protests
In 2013, widespread anti-government protests began, triggered by a plan to demolish Gezi Park.
2013: City Hospitals Plan
Since 2013, the Turkish government planned several hospital complexes, known as city hospitals, to be constructed.
2013: Doubts About Independence of Turkish Judiciary
Since 2013, there have been growing doubts about the independence and integrity of the Turkish judiciary due to political interference.
2013: EuroLeague Women basketball championship final
The final of the 2013–14 EuroLeague Women basketball championship was played between two Turkish teams, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, and won by Galatasaray.
2014: Erdoğan Wins Presidential Election
In 2014, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won Turkey's first direct presidential election.
2015: Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague
In 2015–2016 Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague.
2015: Government denies permission for Pride parades
Since 2015, the government has denied permission for parades at Taksim Square and İstiklal Avenue, citing security concerns.
May 2016: Parliament strips members of immunity
On May 2016, the Turkish parliament removed immunity from prosecution for almost a quarter of its members.
July 2016: Unsuccessful Coup Attempt
On July 15, 2016, an unsuccessful coup attempt tried to oust the government.
2016: Turkish shows aired in South and Central American countries
After sweeping the Middle East's television market over the past decade, Turkish shows have aired in more than a dozen South and Central American countries in 2016.
2016: Diplomatic relations with Israel normalized
Diplomatic relations with Israel were damaged after the Gaza flotilla raid, normalized in 2016, and cut again following the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
2016: Turkey assists Peshmerga and Somali Armed Forces
In 2016, Turkey assisted Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq and the Somali Armed Forces with security and training.
2016: Foreign Students in Turkey
In 2016, Turkey had 795,962 foreign students, marking it as a hub for foreign students.
2016: Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague
In 2016–2017 Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague.
2016: Survey on LGBT rights
In a 2016 survey, 33% of respondents believed LGBT people should have equal rights.
2016: Presidential Appointment of University Rectors
Since 2016, the president of Turkey directly appoints all rectors of all state and private universities.
2017: Fossil fuel subsidies
As of 2017, while the government had invested in low carbon energy transition, fossil fuels were still subsidized.
2017: Fenerbahçe became the European champions
In 2017, Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague and became the European champions.
2017: Referendum Replaces Parliamentary Republic
In 2017, a referendum replaced the parliamentary republic with an executive presidential system in Turkey.
2018: Survey on homosexual neighbors
A 2018 survey showed that 55% of people would not want a homosexual neighbor.
2018: Health expenditure as a share of GDP
Despite the universal health care, total expenditure on health as a share of GDP in 2018 was the lowest among OECD countries at 6.3% of GDP.
2018: Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague
In 2017–2018 Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague.
2018: Military Operation in Syria
In 2018, the Turkish military and Turkish-backed forces began an operation in Syria aimed at ousting US-backed YPG from Afrin.
2018: Ideal children number survey
In a 2018 health survey, the ideal children number was 2.8 children per woman, rising to 3 per married woman.
2019: Istanbul Metro ridership
In 2019, Istanbul Metro had around 704 million annual ridership.
2019: Electricity production from renewable sources
In 2019, Turkey produced 43.8% of its electricity from renewable sources.
2019: Decrease in unwillingness for homosexual neighbors
In 2019, the proportion of people who would not want a homosexual neighbor decreased to 47%.
April 2020: Turkey hosts largest number of refugees
As of April 2020, Turkey hosted the largest number of refugees in the world, with the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency managing the refugee crisis.
November 2020: Syrian Refugees in Turkey
In November 2020, there were 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, including Syrian Kurds and Syrian Turkmens.
2020: Percentage of Generation Z identifying as irreligious
A 2020 Gezici Araştırma poll found that 28.5% of the Generation Z in Turkey identify as irreligious.
2020: Population in 2020
Between 1950 and 2020, Turkey's population more than quadrupled from 20.9 million to 83.6 million.
2020: Increase in support for LGBT rights
In 2020, a survey indicated that 45% of respondents said that LGBT people should have equal rights.
December 2021: Erdoğan calls for expanded usage of Türkiye
In December 2021, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for expanded official usage of Türkiye, stating that it "represents and expresses the culture, civilization, and values of the Turkish nation in the best way".
2021: Increased share of citizens who identified as unbeliever
According to KONDA, in 2021, 6% of adult citizens identified as unbelievers.
2021: Quadrupling of pre-school institutions
From 2011 to 2021, improvements in education access in Turkey included the quadrupling of pre-school institutions.
2021: Increase in Russian migration to Turkey
From 2021 to 2022, there was an increase of more than 218% in Russian migration to Turkey.
2021: Poverty and social exclusion rate
In 2021, 34% of the population were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, using the Eurostat definition.
2021: Survey on non-Turk, non-Kurd identity
In 2021, 4% of adult citizens identified as non-ethnic Turk or non-ethnic Kurd in a survey.
2021: Survey on ethnic identity
In 2021, 77% of adult citizens identified as ethnic Turks in a survey.
2021: Türkiye Scholarships applications
In 2021, Türkiye Scholarships, a government-funded program, received 165,000 applications from prospective students in 178 countries.
2021: Religious Identification Survey
In a survey in 2021, 4% of adult citizens in Turkey identified as Alevi, while 88% identified as Sunni.
2021: R&D Spending
Turkey's spending on research and development as a share of GDP has risen from 0.47% in 2000 to 1.40% in 2021.
February 2022: Standing Military Force in NATO
As of February 2022, Turkey had the second-largest standing military force in NATO, after the United States.
May 2022: UN Officially Uses Türkiye
In May 2022, the Turkish government requested the United Nations and other international organizations to officially use Türkiye in English, and the UN agreed.
2022: Rank in international tourist arrivals
In 2022, Turkey ranked fifth in the world in the number of international tourist arrivals with 50.5 million foreign tourists.
2022: Drop in foreign direct investment
In 2022, foreign direct investment in Turkey dropped to $13.09 billion.
2022: Russian Migration to Turkey
In 2022, nearly 100,000 Russian citizens migrated to Turkey, becoming the top group of foreigners moving to Turkey.
2022: Unemployment rate
In 2022, the unemployment rate in Turkey was 10.4%.
2022: Fenerbahçe won the Euroleague
In the 2022–23 season, Fenerbahçe won the Euroleague.
May 2023: Ukrainian Refugees Seek Refuge
As of May 2023, approximately 96,000 Ukrainian refugees from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine had sought refuge in Turkey.
August 2023: Decrease in Syrian Refugees
As of August 2023, the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey was estimated to be 3.3 million, a decrease of about 200,000 since the beginning of the year.
November 2023: Syrian Citizenship Granted
By November 2023, the Turkish government had granted citizenship to 238,000 Syrians.
2023: Istanbul is the most visited city
According to Euromonitor International report, Istanbul is the most visited city in the world, with more than 20.2 million foreign visitors in 2023.
2023: Population in 2023
According to the Address-Based Population Recording System, the country's population was 85,372,377 in 2023, excluding Syrians under temporary protection. The population growth rate was 0.1% in 2023 and the total fertility rate was 1.51 children per woman.
2023: Kilometers of highways
As of 2023, Turkey has 3,726 kilometers of controlled-access highways and 29,373 kilometers of divided highways.
2023: National at-risk-of-poverty rate
In 2023, 13.9% of the population was below the national at-risk-of-poverty rate.
2023: Fenerbahçe won the FIBA Europe SuperCup Women
In 2023, Fenerbahçe won the FIBA Europe SuperCup Women after two consecutive Euroleague wins.
2023: Foreign citizens in Turkey
In 2023, excluding Syrians under temporary protection, there were 1,570,543 foreign citizens in Turkey.
2023: Gas production begins in Sakarya gas field
In 2023, gas production began in the recently discovered Sakarya gas field.
2023: Last Parliamentary and Presidential Elections
In 2023, the last parliamentary and presidential elections were held in Turkey.
2023: European Commission criticizes Turkey
In its 2023 report, the European Commission criticized the functioning of democratic institutions in Turkey.
2023: Turkey-Syria earthquakes
The 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes were the deadliest in contemporary Turkish history.
2024: IMF estimates of GDP per capita
According to IMF estimates, in 2024 Turkey's GDP per capita by PPP is $40,283, while its nominal GDP per capita is $15,666.
2024: Times Higher Education ranking
According to the 2024 Times Higher Education ranking, the top universities in Turkey were Koç University, Middle East Technical University, Sabancı University, and Istanbul Technical University.
2024: Arrested or convicted people in jail
According to the Turkish government, there are 13,251 arrested or convicted people in jail as of 2024, related to the 2016 coup attempt.
2024: EU Accession Talks Frozen
As of 2024, Turkey's EU accession talks are frozen.
2024: TARLA becomes operational
As part of a planned particle accelerator center, an electron accelerator called TARLA became operational in 2024.
2024: Global Innovation Index
In 2024, Turkey ranked 37th in the world and 3rd among its upper-middle income group in the Global Innovation Index.
2024: Turkey stopped trading with Israel
In 2024, Turkey stopped trading with Israel.
2024: Planned launch of Türksat 6A
Turkey's first communication satellite manufactured domestically, Türksat 6A, will be launched in 2024.
2053: Net zero emissions target
By 2053, Turkey aims to have net zero emissions.
2053: Target for net zero emissions
Turkey aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2053.
