Turkish minorities in the former Ottoman Empire
The Turkish minorities/communities in the former Ottoman Empire refers to ethnic Turks, who are the descendants of Ottoman-Turkish settlers from Anatolia and Eastern Thrace, living outside of the modern borders of the Republic of Turkey, and in the independent states which were formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. Thus, they are not considered part of Turkey's modern diaspora, rather, due to living for centuries in their respective regions, they are now considered "natives" or "locals" as they have been living in these countries prior to the independence and establishment of the modern-nation states.
Today, whilst the Turkish people form a majority in the Republic of Turkey and Northern Cyprus, they also form one of the "Two Communities" in the Republic of Cyprus, as well as significant minorities in the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Levant, and North Africa. Consequently, the Turkish ethnicity and/or language is officially recognised under the constitutional law of several states, particularly in the Balkans.
Turkish communities
Cyprus
According to the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus the Turkish Cypriots are recognised as one of the "Two Communities" of the republic. Hence, legally, they have equal power-sharing rights with the Greek Cypriots and are not defined as a "minority group", despite being fewer in numbers. The Turkish language is an official language of the republic, alongside the Greek language. However, due to the Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, followed by the Greek-led 1974 Cypriot coup d'état, and then the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriots declared their own state - the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - in 1983. Today it is populated mostly by Turkish Cypriots and recent Anatolian Turkish settlers. According to the 2011 TRNC census, the population of Northern Cyprus was 286,257. Other estimates suggests that there is between 300,000-500,000 Turkish Cypriots and Turkish settlers living in the north of the island.Turkish minorities
Balkans
Caucasus
Levant
In the Levant the Turks are scattered throughout the region. In Iraq and Syria the Turkish minorities are commonly referred to as "Turkmen", "Turkman" and "Turcoman"; these terms have historically been used to designate Turkic speakers in Arab areas, or Sunni Muslims in Shitte areas. Indeed, today, the majority of Iraqi Turkmen and Syrian Turkmen are the descendants of Ottoman Turkish settlers. and, therefore, share close cultural and linguistic ties with Turkey, particularly the Anatolian region. There is also Turkish minorities located in Jordan and Lebanon. In Lebanon, they live mainly in the villages of Aydamun and Kouachra in the Akkar District, as well as in Baalbek, Beirut, and Tripoli.| Country | Census figures | Alternate estimates | Legal recognition | Further information | Lists of Turks by country |
| 567,000 or 9% of the total Iraqi population | 3,000,000 | In 1925 the Turks were recognised as a constitutive entity of Iraq, alongside the Arabs and Kurds, however, the minority were later denied this status. In 1997 the Iraqi Turkoman Congress adopted a Declaration of Principles, Article Three of which states the following: "The official written language of the Turkomans is Istanbul Turkish, and its alphabet is the new Latin alphabet." | Iraqi Turkmens | List of Iraqi Turks | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Turks in Israel | ||
| N/A | Turkish minority: Palestinian-Turkish refugees: 55,000 in Irbid 5,000 near Amman 5,000 in El-Sahne 3,000 in El-Reyyan 2,500 in El-Bakaa 1,500 in El-Zerkaa 1,500 in Sahab | N/A | Turks in Jordan | List of Jordanian Turks | |
| N/A | 80,000 | N/A | Turks in Lebanon | List of Lebanese Turks | |
| N/A | est. West Bank: 35,000 to 40,000 total Palestinian-Turkish community: est.400,000 to 500,000 | N/A | Turks in Palestine | ||
| N/A | 500,000-3.5 million | N/A | Syrian Turkmens | List of Syrian Turks |
North Africa
In North Africa there is still a strong Turkish presence in the Maghreb, particularly in Algeria Libya, and Tunisia. They live mainly in the coastal cities. In these regions, people of partial Turkish origin have historically been referred to as Kouloughlis due to their mixed Turkish and central Maghrebi blood. Consequently, the terms "Turks" and "Kouloughlis" have traditionally been used to distinguish between those of full and partial Turkish ancestry. In addition, there is also a notable Turkish minority in Egypt. Prior to the Egyptian revolution in 1919, the ruling and upper classes were mainly Turkish, or of Turkish descent, which was part of the heritage from the Ottoman rule of Egypt.| Country | Census figures | Alternate estimates | Legal recognition | Further information | Lists of Turks by country |
| N/A | 5% to 25% of Algeria's population 600,000 to 2 million up to 9.5 million | N/A | Turks in Algeria | List of Algerian Turks | |
| N/A | 1.5 million to 25 million plus 100,000 Cretan Turks | N/A | Turks in Egypt | List of Egyptian Turks | |
| 35,062 or 4.7% of Libya's population | 1,500,000 plus 100,000 Cretan Turks | N/A | Turks in Libya | List of Libyan Turks | |
| N/A | up to 25% of Tunisia's population estimates: 500,000-2,000,000 | N/A | Turks in Tunisia | List of Tunisian Turks |