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Turkey
The population of Turkey stood at 72.5 million with a growth rate of 1.45% per annum, based on the 2009 census.
It has an average population density of 92 persons per km?. The proportion of the population residing in urban areas is 75.5%. People within the 15?64 age group constitute 67% of the total population, the 0?14 age group corresponds 26% of the population, while 65 years and higher of age correspond to 7% of the total population.
Article 66 of the Turkish Constitution defines a "Turk" as "anyone who is bound to the Turkish state through the bond of citizenship"; therefore, the legal use of the term "Turkish" as a citizen of Turkey is different from the ethnic definition. However, the majority of the Turkish population are of Turkish ethnicity.
Other major ethnic groups (large portions of whom have been extensively Turkicized since the Seljuk and Ottoman periods) include the Abkhazians, Adjarians, Albanians, Arabs, Assyrians, Bosniaks, Circassians, Hamshenis, Kurds, Laz, Pomaks, Roma, Zazas and the three officially recognized minorities (per the Treaty of Lausanne), i.e. the Armenians, Greeks and Jews. Signed on January 30, 1923, a bilateral accord of population exchange between Greece and Turkey took effect in the 1920s, with close to 1.5 million Greeks moving from Turkey and some 500,000 Turks coming from Greece.
The Kurds, a distinct ethnic group concentrated mainly in the southeastern provinces of the country, are the largest non-Turkic ethnicity, estimated at about 18% of the population. Minorities other than the three officially recognized ones do not have any special group privileges, while the term "minority" itself remains a sensitive issue in Turkey. Reliable data on the exact ethnic repartition of the population is not available since the Turkish census figures do not include statistics on ethnicity.
Istanbul is the only city in the world that is situated on two continents. The western portion of the city in Europe and the eastern portion in Asia are separated by the spectacular Bosphorus. Historic settlements discovered by recent archeological investigations confirm that the city dates back to 6500 BC. In its long history, Istanbul has served as the capital city of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires and has acquired a reputation for being a cultural and ethnic melting pot. There are many historical mosques, churches, synagogues, palaces, castles and towers to visit in the city. Hagia Sophia built in the 6th century, Topkap? Palace and Maiden?s Tower are among the historical monuments that reflect the heart and soul of the city which draw millions of visitors every year.