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Turks are a Turkic ethnic group primarily located in Turkey and other regions across Central Asia and the Middle East, sharing a common cultural heritage and language. They matter historically and geopolitically because of their significant influence on the Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey's role as a major regional power, and the widespread presence of Turkish-speaking communities across a large geographic area.
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Languages Turkish Religion Predominantly Islam (Sunnism, Alevism, non-denominational) Minority Irreligion Related ethnic groups Azerbaijanis, Turkmens, and other Turkic peoples Approximately 200,000 are Turkish Cypriots and the remainder are Turkish settlers. Turkish Cypriots form 300,000 to 400,000 of the Turkish-British population. Mainland Turks are the next largest group, followed by Turkish Bulgarians and Turkish Romanians. Turkish minorities have also settled from Iraq, Greece, etc. Turkish Australians include 200,000 mainland Turks, 120,000 Turkish Cypriots, and smaller Turkish groups from Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Syria, and Western Europe. These figures only include Turkish Meskhetians. Official censuses are considered unreliable because many Turks have incorrectly been registered as "Azeri", "Kazakh", "Kyrgyz", and "Uzbek". The Turkish Swedish community includes 150,000 mainland Turks, 30,000 Turkish Bulgarians, 5,000 Turkish Macedonians, and smaller groups from Iraq and Syria. Including 2,000–3,000 mainland Turks and 1,600 Turkish Cypriots. This includes the Turkish-speaking minority only (i.e. 30% of Syrian Turks). Estimates including the Arabized Turks range between 3.5 and 6 million. Includes the Kouloughlis who are descendants of the old Turkish ruling class. Includes 80,000 Turkish Lebanese and 200,000 recent refugees from Syria.
Turks (Turkish: Türkler), or Turkish people, are the largest Turkic ethnic group, comprising the majority of the population of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. They generally speak the various Turkish dialects. In addition, centuries-old ethnic Turkish communities still exist across other former territories of the Ottoman Empire. Article 66 of the Constitution of Turkey defines a Turk as anyone who is a citizen of the Turkish state. While the legal use of the term Turkish as it pertains to a citizen of Turkey is different from the term's ethnic definition, the majority of the Turkish population (an estimated 70 to 75 percent) are of Turkish ethnicity. The vast majority of Turks are Sunni Muslims, with a notable minority practicing Alevism.