Factbook
History of Turkey — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Turkey, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1923Independence: 29 October 1923 (republic proclaimed, succeeding the Ottoman Empire).
1923Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire by reformer and national hero Mustafa KEMAL, known as Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." One-party rule ended in 1950, and periods of instability and military coups have since fractured the multiparty democracy, in 1960, 1971, 1980, 1997, and 2016.
1945Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and NATO in 1952.
1963In 1963, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; it began accession talks with the EU in 2005.
1974Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes.
1984The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization, began a separatist insurgency in Turkey in 1984, and the struggle has long dominated the attention of Turkish security forces.
2013In 2013, the Turkish Government and the PKK conducted negotiations aimed at ending the violence, but intense fighting resumed in 2015.
2017The Turkish Government conducted a referendum in 2017 in which voters approved constitutional amendments changing Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 57.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 6.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 10.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 19.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 2.8% of total in Energy use: 70.521 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: textiles, food processing, automobiles, electronics, mining (coal, chromate, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper Agriculture: sugar beets, wheat, milk, tomatoes, barley, maize, potatoes, apples, grapes, watermelons (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, other minority languages Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews) Urban population: 77.5% of total population (2023).
2023Major urban areas: 15.848 million Istanbul, 5.397 million ANKARA (capital), 3.088 million Izmir, 2.086 million Bursa, 1.836 million Adana, 1.805 million Gaziantep (2023) upper-middle-income, diversified Middle Eastern economy; industrializing economy that maintains large agricultural base; key energy, tourism, and construction sectors; high inflation, interest rates, and foreign debt pose risk to financial stability Inflation: 58.5% (2024 est.).
2025Military spending: 2.3% of GDP (2025 est.).
2025Population: 84.6 million (2025 estimate).
