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For printed copies contact:
World Movement for Democracy |
Fourth Assembly - Venue, Host City, and Country
Assembly VenueThe Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar Convention & Exhibition Centre is ideally located in the heart of the city's business, cultural and commercial districts and in walking distance of 16 hotels. The convenient location of the Center allows the traveler easy access to municipal, domestic and international transportation networks. It is only 23 km from Atatürk International Airport, 5 km from Sirkeci train station, terminal of the Orient Express, and 500m from Taksim Metro Station linked to the city's new underground system.
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| Istanbul Convention & Exhibition Centre (ICEC) |
Istanbul is a vibrant city with a long and rich history located in northwestern Turkey. It is a burgeoning city of over 9 million inhabitants, the largest in Turkey, and also serves as the capital of Istanbul Province. Because of its unique location, Istanbul has served both literally and figuratively as a bridge between Europe and Asia, connecting the two continents. The Bosphorus, a strait flowing between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, creates a natural north-south divide in Istanbul - European Istanbul comprises the bulk of the city to the west, while Asian Istanbul is to the east.
The origins of Istanbul go back to the 7th century BC, when the legendary Byzas from the Greek city of Megara, after consulting the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, founded a seaport for Byzantium at the entrance of the Black Sea. By the 1st century BC, the city had been absorbed into the empire of Ancient Rome. In the 4th century AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great moved his capital to Byzantium, renaming the city as Constantinople. After the split of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western halves in the late 4th century and the abdication of the last Western emperor, the Eastern or Byzantine Empire remained the sole imperial authority. Constantinople served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire until it was captured by the Ottomans in the 15th century and made the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans called the city Istanbul for centuries, but it was not until 1930, seven years after Turkey became a republic, that Istanbul became its official name. The former capital of three successive empires, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman, Istanbul today honors and preserves the legacy of its past while looking forward to a modern future.
- Istanbul Convention Center
- Istanbul Official City Guide
- Istanbul City Guide - provides tourist information about hotels, nightlight, restaurants, and entertainment.
- Istanbul Maps - map of Istanbul
- World Executive's Istanbul Hotels and City Guide
The Republic of Turkey is situated mainly in southwestern Asia (Asia Minor) with 5 percent of its territory in southeastern Europe. It is bordered to the east by Iran, Armenia, and Georgia, to the west by Greece and Bulgaria, to the south by Iraq and Syria, and to the north by the Black Sea. Anatolia, the Asian part of Turkey, is separated from Thrace (the European part) by the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles Strait.
Total Area: 780,580 sq. km Cities: Capital -- Ankara (pop. 3.7 million). Other cities -- Istanbul (9.2 million), Izmir (3.2 million), Bursa (1.9 million), Adana (1.7 million).
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain surrounds Anatolia, an inland plateau becomes increasingly rugged as it progresses eastward. Turkey includes one of the more earthquake-prone areas of the world.
Climate: Moderate in coastal areas, harsher temperatures inland.
People
Population: 69,660,559Government
Population growth rate: 1.09%
Population: Mainly Turkic, also Kurdish and other minorities (Abkhaz, Albanians, Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Bosniaks, Chaldeans, Circassians, Greeks, Georgians, Hamshenis, Jews, Laz, Levantines, Pomaks, Syriacs, and Zazas)
Religions: Prodominantly Muslim; others include Christian and Jewish
Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
Literacy: 86.5%.
Health: Infant mortality rate -- 41.04/1,000. Life expectancy -- 72.36 yrs.
Work force (25.3 million): Agriculture -- 39.9%. Industry and commerce -- 22.8%. Services -- 41.2%.
Type: Republican Parliamentarian Democracy (Succesor State to the Ottoman Empire)
Independence: October 29, 1923.
Constitution: November 7, 1982.
Branches: Executive -- president (chief of state), prime minister (head of government), Council of Ministers (cabinet -- appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister).
Legislative -- Grand National Assembly (550 members) chosen by national elections at least every 5 years.
Judicial -- Constitutional Court, Court of Cassation, Council of State, and other courts.
Political parties: There are over 49 political parties in Turkey. Some of the more significant ones include: Democratic Left Party (DSP); Democratic People's Party (DEHAP); Justice and Development Party (AKP); Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); Motherland Party (ANAP); Nationalist Action Party (MHP); Republican People's Party (CHP); Felicity Party (SP); Social Democratic People's Party (SHP); True Path Party (DYP)
Suffrage: Universal, 18 and older.
National holiday: Republic Day, October 29.
Flag: White crescent and star on a red field.
Brief History
Archeological evidence suggests the existence of a thriving Neolithic culture in Anatolia at least as early as the 7th millennium B.C. For centuries it has been the melting pot of culturally distinct groups. The incursion of the Turkic peoples from the east in the 11th century AD has had the most decisive influence on the region. The Seljuk Turkish Empire was the first to rule what is now Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. Seljuks were weakened by the Crusades and overrun by Mongols, but they remained in power until they were succeeded by the Ottomans. The Ottoman Empire was established in the 13th century by a tribe of Oghuz Turks and ruled by the Osmanli dynasty. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Ottomans continued gradually to conquer the territories of the Byzantine Empire. With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, they completed this conquest. By the end of the 16th century, at the height of its power and wealth, the Ottoman Empire included Anatolia, most of Southeastern Europe, a large portion of Hungary in Central Europe, and the bulk of the Middle East and North Africa. It was among the world’s most powerful political entities. Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent (1520-66) oversaw the apogee of the empire: new constructions in Constantinople, rebuilding of Jerusalem, and expansion of the Ottoman Empire to the gates of Vienna.
After the rule of Suleyman the Magnificent, the Empire stopped expanding. By 1718, Austria had driven the Turks out of Hungary and Russia had annexed the Crimea in 1783. In the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire lost control of Egypt and most of Southeastern Europe. During the late 19th century, the Ottoman authorities abandoned the millet system, under which religious and ethnic minorities could practice local autonomy, leading to growing unrest. The rise of nationalism impelled several ethnic groups to seek independence, leading to fragmentation of the empire. This process culminated in the disastrous Ottoman participation in World War I as an ally of Germany. The Ottoman Empire was defeated by the Allies and its territories were taken over by the victors. After the Turkish War of Independence (1918-1923), the Republic of Turkey was founded on October 29, 1923.
Mustafa Kemal, a national hero, who later was honored with the title “Ataturk” or “Father of Turks,” became the first president of the newly established republic. He radically reformed Tukey’s political, economic, and social systems. He promoted a new sense of national identity and secularized the institutions of Turkish society, abolishing the sultanate and caliphate, reducing the dominant role of Islam, and replacing Arabic script with a Latin one. During his rule, he sought to assert Turkey’s identity as a strong, modern, European state. His principles of government, known as Kemalism, remain the guiding principles for all Turkish governments, although they have been reinterpreted by successive generations of political leaders.
After Ataturk’s death in 1938, a parliamentary government and multiparty system gradually took root in Turkey. Since the first victory of an opposition party in 1950, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case resulted eventually in a return of political power to civilians. After the 1980 coup, the military, which considers itself the guardian of the principles of Kemalism, remained in power for three years, during which time it imposed martial law, dissolved political parties, and banned labor strikes. The military government also drew up a new constitution, which was approved by a national referendum in 1982. Turkey has been under civilian rule since 1983. Democratic reforms and increased respect for human rights have been goals of Turkish society as the country seeks to join the European Union (EU), negotiations for which are now underway. In recent years, Turkey has undertaken numerous reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy.
More info about Turkey:
- Library of Congress' A Country Study: Turkey - Contains general information on Turkish history and society.
- Euractiv.com - An up-to-date website that contains many articles about Turkey’s application for membership in the European Union
- Turkey - Wikipedia's informative entry on Turkey
- Lonely Planet: Turkey - a history of Turkey as well as travel information.
- Enjoyturkey.com - provides a comprehensive travel guide to Turkey
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