Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks (Turkish: Kıbrıs Türkleri or Kıbrıslı Türkler; Greek: Τουρκοκύπριοι, romanized: Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land once they arrived in Cyprus. Additionally, many of the island's local Christians converted to Islam during the early years of Ottoman rule. Nonetheless, the influx of mainly Muslim settlers to Cyprus continued intermittently until the end of the Ottoman period. Today, while Northern Cyprus is home to a significant part of the Turkish Cypriot population, the majority of Turkish Cypriots live abroad, forming the Turkish Cypriot diaspora. This diaspora came into existence after the Ottoman Empire transferred the control of the island to the British Empire, as many Turkish Cypriots emigrated primarily to Turkey and the United Kingdom for political and economic reasons.
Kıbrıslı Türkler | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| Total unknown (see also Turkish Cypriot diaspora) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Northern Cyprus | est. 150,000 |
| Turkey | 300,000 to over 650,000 (Higher estimate includes descendants of the early twentieth century muhacirs) |
| United Kingdom | 130,000 (TRNC nationals only – excludes British born and dual heritage children) 300,000 to 400,000 (including descendants) |
| Australia | 30,000 (Turkish Cypriot immigrants in 1993) est.40,000 to 120,000 |
| Canada | 6,000 (Turkish Cypriot immigrants in 1993) |
| United States | 6,000 (Turkish Cypriot immigrants in 1993) |
| Cyprus (south) | 1,128 (2011 Cyprus census) est.2,000 |
| Other countries | 5,000 (2001 TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimate), particularly in Western Europe, New Zealand, South Africa |
| Languages | |
| Turkish language (Cypriot Turkish · Istanbul Turkish) | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
a This figure does not include Turkish settlers from Turkey. | |
Standard Turkish is the official language of Northern Cyprus. The vernacular spoken by Turkish Cypriots is Cypriot Turkish, which has been influenced by Cypriot Greek, as well as English.