Turkish Australian
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (59,402 (2006 census) Turkish citizens: 150,000 to 200,000 Turkish Cypriots: 40,000-60,000) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Melbourne, Sydney, Wollongong | |
| Languages | |
| Turkish (including the Cypriot Turkish dialect) and Australian English |
Turkish Australians or Australian Turks (Turkish: Avustralya Türkleri) are Turkish people who have immigrated to Australia. However, the term may also refer to Australian-born persons who have Turkish parents or who have a Turkish ancestral background.
Turks first began to emigrate to Australia from the island of Cyprus for work in the 1940s, and then again when Turkish Cypriots were forced to leave their homes during the Cyprus conflict between 1963 and 1974. Furthermore, a large scale of Turkish immigrants began to arrive in Australia once a bilateral agreement was signed between Turkey and Australia in 1967. Recently, smaller groups of Turks have begun to immigrate to Australia from Bulgaria, Greece, Iraq, and the Republic of Macedonia.
The presence of Turkish people in Australia dates back to the early 19th century, although at the time there were only about 20 Turkish settlers. Their number increased to 300 by the 1911 census. Their number declined during the First World War when Australia and Turkey fought on opposite sides.
A notable scale of Turkish Cypriot migration to Australia began in the late 1940s; they were the only Muslims acceptable under the White Australia Policy. Prior to 1940, the Australian Census recorded only three settlers from Cyprus that spoke Turkish as their primary language. A further 66 Turkish Cypriots arrived in Australia in the late 1940s, marking the beginning of a Turkish Cypriot immigration trend to Australia. By 1947-1956 there were 350 Turkish Cypriot settlers who were living in Australia.
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Wikipedia