Turks in the Balkans
The Balkan Turks or Rumelian Turks (Turkish: Balkan Türkleri) are the Turkish people who have been living in the Balkans since the Ottoman rule as well as their descendants who still live in the region today. The Turks are officially recognized as a minority in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Romania; in Greece the Turkish minority is recognized as "Greek Muslims". Furthermore, the Turkish language has minority language status in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Romania. The Ottoman Empire conquered parts of the Balkans between the 14th and 16th century.
| Turkish communities in the Balkans | |||||||
| State or region | Community | Current status | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnian Turks | The 1991 Bosnian census found that there was a minority of 267 Turks, while the census of 2013 gave a number of 1,108. | |||||
| Bulgaria | Bulgarian Turks | In the 2011 Bulgarian census, which did not receive a response regarding ethnicity from the total population, 588,318 people, or 8.8% of the self-appointed responders, determined their ethnicity as Turkish; while the latest census which provided answers from the entire population, the 2001 census, recorded 746,664 Turks, or 9.4% of the population. Other estimates suggests that there are 750,000. | |||||
| Albania | Albanian Turks | In the 2011 census in Albania, more than 800 people registered Turkish as their first language. | |||||
| Croatia | Croatian Turks | According to the 2001 Croatian census the Turkish minority numbered 300. More recent estimates have suggested that there are 2,000 Turks in Croatia. | |||||
| Rhodes (in Greece) Kos (in Greece) | Dodecanese Turks | Some 5,000 Turks live in the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes and Kos. | |||||
| Kosovo | Kosovan Turks | There are approximately 30,000 Kosovar Turks living in Kosovo, mostly in Mamusha, Prizren, and Pristina. | |||||
| North Macedonia | Macedonian Turks | The 2002 Macedonian census stated that there were 77,959 Macedonian Turks, forming about 4% of the total population and constituting a majority in Centar Župa and Plasnica. However, academic estimates suggest that they actually number between 170,000 and 200,000. Furthermore, about 200,000 Macedonian Turks migrated to Turkey during World War I and World War II due to persecutions and discrimination. | |||||
| Serbia | Serbian Turks | There were 647 Serbian Turks living in the country according to the 2011 census. | |||||
| Montenegro | Montenegrin Turks | There were 104 Montenegrin Turks according to the 2011 census. The majority left their homes and migrated to Turkey in the 1900s. | |||||
| Northern Dobruja (in Romania) | Romanian Turks | There were 28,226 Romanian Turks living in the country according to the 2011 Romanian census. However, academic estimates suggest that the community numbers between 55,000 and 80,000. | |||||
| Western Thrace (in Greece) | Western Thrace Turks | The Greek government refers to the community as "Greek Muslims" or "Hellenic Muslims" and does not specifically mention the ethnicity of the Muslims (including Turks) in Western Thrace. Traditionally, academics have suggested that the Western Thrace Turks number about 120,000–130,000, although more recent estimates suggest that the community numbers 150,000. Between 300,000 and 400,000 immigrated to Turkey since 1923. | |||||
Historically, from the Ottoman conquest up to and including the 19th century, ethnically non-Turkish, especially South Slavic Muslims of the Balkans were referred to in the local languages as Turks (term for Muslims). This usage is common in literature, for example in the works of Ivan Mažuranić and Petar II Petrović-Njegoš. However, during the 20th century it gradually fell out of favour. Today, the largest mainly Muslim Slavic ethnic group is known as the Bosniaks.