Bourguiba’s foreign relations also provoked
some unrest. His foreign policy was generally
pro-Western; for example, during the Arab-Israeli
War of June 1967, Bourguiba declined to break off
relations with the United States, despite pressure
to do so. In 1987, after more than three decades
in power, Bourguiba was declared mentally unfit
to rule. Prime Minister Zine el Abidine Ben Ali
replaced him as president. Since then, Ben Ali has
been elected president four times, in 1989, 1994,
1999, and 2004.
Tunisia’s economy has shown steady growth,
with a diverse economy, healthy exports, renewed
growth in tourism, agricultural production, and
strong trade links with Europe. Industries include
petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and
iron ore), tourism, and textiles.
See also berber; colonialism; islamism; otto-
man dynasty; secUlarism.
Kate O’HalloranFurther reading: Francois Burgat and William Dowell,
The Islamic Movement in North Africa, 2d ed. (Austin:
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas
at Austin, 1997); Mohamed Elhachmi Hamdi, The
Politicization of Islam: A Case Study of Tunisia (Boulder,
Colo.: Westview Press, 2000); Kenneth Perkins, A His-
tory of Modern Tunisia (Cambridge: Cambridge Univer-
sity Press, 2004).
Turkey (Official name: Republic of Turkey)
Europeans have used forms of the name “Tur-
key” to refer to the dominant presence of Turkish
peoples and states in Anatolia since the time of
the crUsades; however, the Turkish form Türkiye
has been used officially only since the foundation
of the present Republic of Turkey in 1923. The
country today comprises the peninsula known
as Anatolia (Asia Minor) and the southeastern
tip of the Balkan Peninsula (Europe), which are
separated by the Bosphorus strait, on both sides
of which sits the city of istanbUl. It shares borders
in the northwest with Greece and Bulgaria; in the
east with Georgia, Armenia, and Iran; and in the
south-southeast with Syria and Iraq. Because of
its unique geographical position and the histori-
cal movement of peoples and ideas between Asia
and Europe, Turkey has often been called a bridge
between East and West.
Turkey occupies an area of 301,303 square
miles, which makes it comparable in size to Texas.
It is bordered by the Black Sea to the north; Bul-
garia and Greece to the northwest; the Aegean Sea
to the west; the Mediterranean Sea, Syria, and Iraq
to the south; Iran, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the
east; and Georgia to the northeast. Turkey’s popula-
tion was estimated at 71.9 million in 2008, and is
made up predominantly of those of Turkish ethnic-
ity, though there is a large Kurdish minority (est. 20
percent), as well as smaller numbers of Arabs, Laz,
Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and other ethnic groups.
The population is predominantly Muslim (mostly
Sunni, but with a substantial number of Alevis and
some Shiis), along with a small number of Chris-
tians and Jews. The official language is Turkish.
The influx of Turkish-speaking peoples into
Anatolia gained impetus after the Seljuk victory
over Byzantine forces at Manzikert in 1071. Their
dominance over the land was then ensured by
powerful states set up by the Seljuks and later by
the Ottomans. While the Ottomans subsequently
gained control over much of the Middle East and
the Balkans, Anatolia remained the heartland of
the Turkish population, though with large popu-
lations of Greek and Armenian Christians and
non-Turkish Muslims, such as the Kurds, also
inhabiting the area.
When the Ottoman Empire was dissolved after
World War I, a Turkish national movement led by
mUs taFa kemal atatUrk (d. 1938) succeeded in
founding the Republic of Turkey, the borders of
which were delineated by the Treaty of Lausanne
(1923). Through an exchange of populations with
Greece, there resulted an overwhelming Muslim
majority in Turkey, including the large Alevi
minority. In addition, the new republic’s nation-K 674 Turkey