Turkish Cypriots
| Kıbrıs Türkleri | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| est. 978,200–1,100,000 (see also Turkish Cypriot diaspora) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Northern Cyprus
|
120,000–150,000a |
 Turkey
|
500,000 |
 United Kingdom
|
300,000–400,000 |
 Australia
|
40,000–120,000 |
 United States
|
5,000-10,000 |
 Palestine
|
4,000 b |
 Cyprus (south) |
2,000 |
 Germany
|
2,000 |
 Canada
|
1,800 |
 New Zealand
|
1,600 |
 Italy
|
1,000 |
 France
|
800 |
| Languages | |
| Cypriot Turkish | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Turkic peoples | |
|
a This figure does not include Turkish settlers from Turkey. b This figure only includes Turkish Cypriot women who were sold to Palestinians in the early twentieth century. The number of Turkish Cypriot descendants in Palestine is unknown. |
|
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks (Turkish: Kıbrıs Türkleri or Kıbrıslı Türkler; Greek: Τουρκοκύπριοι) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. 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 islanders 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. The fact that Turkish was the main language spoken by the Muslims of the island is a significant indicator that the majority of them were either Anatolian Turks or otherwise from a Turkic background which bequeathed a significant Turkish community, today's Turkish Cypriots.
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. The emigration was exacerbated by the intercommunal violence in the 1950s and 1960s, as Turkish Cypriots had to live in enclaves in Cyprus.
The vernacular of Turkish spoken by Turkish Cypriots is Cypriot Turkish, which has been strongly influenced by Cypriot Greek as well as English. The vast majority of Turkish Cypriots are Sunni Muslims.
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