Turkey

turkey

1. a large gallinaceous bird, Meleagris gallopavo, of North America, having a bare wattled head and neck and a brownish iridescent plumage. The male is brighter and has a fan-shaped tail. A domestic variety is widely bred for its flesh

2. a similar and related bird, Agriocharis ocellata (ocellated turkey), of Central and N South America

3. any of various Australian birds considered to resemble the turkey, such as the bush turkey

4. Slang (in tenpin bowling) three strikes in a row

5. See cold turkey

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Turkey

a republic in W Asia and SE Europe, between the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Aegean: the centre of the Ottoman Empire; became a republic in 1923. The major Asian part, consisting mainly of an arid plateau, is separated from European Turkey by the Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, and Dardanelles. Official languages: Turkish; Kurdish and Arabic minority languages. Religion: Muslim majority. Currency: lira. Capital: Ankara. Pop.: 72 320 000 (2004 est.). Area: 780 576 sq. km (301 380 sq. miles)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

turkey

[′tər·kē]

(vertebrate zoology)

Either of two species of wild birds, and any of various derived domestic breeds, in the family Meleagrididae characterized by a bare head and neck, and in the male a large pendant wattle which hangs on one side from the base of the bill.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Turkey

Official name: Republic of Turkey

Capital city: Ankara

Internet country code: .tr

Flag description: Red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening

National anthem: “Istiklal Marsi” (The Independence March)

Geographical description: Southeastern Europe and south­western Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria

Total area: 314,500 sq. mi. (814,578 sq. km.)

Climate: Temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Nationality: noun: Turk(s); adjective: Turkish

Population: 71,158,647 (July 2007 CIA est.)

Ethnic groups: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Languages spoken: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian, Arabic, Armenian, Greek (note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the Euro­pean part of Turkey)

Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 99.8%, other (mostly Christians, Jews, and Baha’i) 0.2%

Legal Holidays:

Atatürk Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day	May 19
National Sovereignty and Children's Day	Apr 23
New Year's Day	Jan 1
Republic Day	Oct 29
Victory Day	Aug 30

Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, Fourth Edition. © 2010 by Omnigraphics, Inc.