Is Turkey in Europe or in Asia?

You know, sometimes Israel is concidered as Europe, even though it is a country in the south of Lebanon! So culture is a really important fact. The culture of Turkey is a bit different from Middle East and Asia. Especially traditional dances, music and cuisine is really similar to Greece and other Balkan countries. Also Turkish architecture is diffrent from Eastern, as you see Traditional Turkish Houses is similar to Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian houses. Middle Eastern houses are gnerally made of earth and doesn't have roof.
If you want to look geographically; first you have to know that Europe is not a continent, it is a peninsula. As you know Cyprus is concidered in Europe, which is in the west of Syria. Many people know that Europe is a green and cold place. If you look at the countries in Middle East, they are all deserts, but Turkey has a lot of green areas and it snows in Turkey. So its climate is also more similar to Europe. Also Turkey has a lot of mountains like Europe has, but not in Middle East.
Other ways, people in Western Turkey may be European and in Easternt Turkey may be more Middle Eastern. But that's not a fact which makes Turkey Middle Eastern, because as you know Russia is also thought as a European country but in its east people are probably more Asian. This is a geographical rule on human life. It doesn't make Russia a Asian country.
If you want to look at the religion fact, countries in South East like Bosnia and Herzegovina has a lot of Muslim population. And Muslims in Turkey are more modern than the ones in Middle East. And secular system in Turkey divides religion and state. And as you know, Europe is a secular community. Secular system is in the main law of Turkey and just France has this rule in other European countries. Also some European countries like United Kingdom adopted Christianity as a "State Religion".
Finally, remember that Turkish people coming from "Asia" doesn't mean they are "Asian" know. Europeans were also Asian many years ago. Especially nationalities like Bulgarian and Hungarian came from Middle Asia.
So think the facts that I listed and than choose the place for Turkey.

99% of Turkey is in Asia. Their culture is NOT European at all. They are muslims. They cover the head of women and Europe is not only a piece of land, it is the heart of the Christian, Greek-Roman culture. A culture that Turks have ALWAYS been enemies of. Turkey is Asia. Look it up in a map before they change them!

Most of the Turkish women doesn't wear headscarf.
But if it is being Muslim, then take Bosnia out too.
I thought you were secular, what happened to you know?
We don't make a pressure on you to be Muslim, we just want peace, that's all.
Turkish are not terrorist. Muslim terrorists come from Middle Eastern countries, who makes a bad image for Islam. That's because they are not educated.
But that's not the subject actually.

Europe for sure as 1) it is applying for eu membership 2) financial companies consider it part of europe 3) has part of its geography in europe
all the rest is politics... for people not agreeing geographically, may I ask why cyprus is considered europe when it is closer to...lebanon?? for people not agreeing historically may i ask what was then meant by the term "sick man of europe"

Give me a couple of days, and turkey will be in the oven.

Why would you put a sick man of Europe in your oven?

Do you discuss 'is Turkey lands in Europe' or 'are Turkishes European'?
If you discuss Turkey lands, i think all is in Europe. yes, all because; from west Greece is in Europe, from North Black Sea is an European sea, from East Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia lands considered Europe and from South Cyprus is an EU member and European. so Turkey lands are in Europe too.
If you discuss Turkishes, it's a little interesting. Everybody knows Turkishes came from Asia to Anatolia but the population was really small. They organized Great Seljuq Empire, after years this little Asian population mixed with Anatolians and disappeared. After, Anatolians organized Ottoman Empire and grown up into Balkans. Anatolians mixed with Balkan people too.
I'm a Greek girl and I live in Turkey. When we view Turkishes, they have a European looking. They are similar to Balkan nations. There's too much Turkishes with blonde or red hair. Also 'Turkey has the highest percentage of citizens who have green eyes.' It's a official information. Now Turkishes don't mean people who came from Asia, they mean a mix of Anatolians and Balkan people. Turkish genes are European.
Somebody says Turkey is Muslim and can't be European. What?? Religion and be European or Asian? That's unbelieveble. There are some Christian countries in Africa and religion doesn't make them European. Also Turkey isn't only Muslim in Europe. There's Albania and Bosnia too.
Finally Turkey isn't Islamic like Iran or Iraq. It's laic. I'm Christian and I can go to Church and can pray freely. That's problem for nobody.

We are not discussing what the Turks look like. but were the border between Europe and Asia is. There is the Near East and the Middle East - both in the continent of Asia, but that does not mean the people look like Asians.
The part of Turkey in Europe is 3-4% the rest is in Asia.

The part of Turkey that borders Greece and Bulgaria is considered to be in Europe. The rest in Asia. Although technically there is not official boundary of Europe/Asia, the one used the most goes from the Ural Mountains to the Ural River to the Caucasian mountains top the Bosporus.

Turkey is more in asia , only a small percentage of it is in europe .

1)You are discussing it as "%3-4 of Turkey is in Europe" but Europe is more of a PENINSULA than a CONTINENT, the divide is all cultural, because British people didn't want to be from the same place with Korean.
2)If you still want to look it geographically, Asia mostly have smooth boundary, but Europe is always intricate and Anatolia is suitable for these term. Also nearly the whole Middle East is desert, however forests in Turkey, especially in North.
3)"Turkey is not in Europe, cause it has border with Iran." So yes Turkey is Asia, then look at Greece which has border with Turkey, which is in Asia. What will you say know? Look at Russia, considered mostly as Europe but it has border with China.
4)Valentines Day, New Year, April Fool etc. are celebrated in Turkey.
5)Turkey's folk music, architecture and cuisine is mostly similar to Balkan countries, especially with Greece. Even in a thousand year ago, the architecture of the Seljuk Empire was inspired from Byzantine Empire.
6)"Turkey can't be Europe, we were always fighting them". Then England is not Europe, they were fighting with France for "Hundreds" of years.
7)"Turkey isn't developed enough." Then why did you let Bulgaria and Romania join the EU. (I don't say this because I belittle them)

PS: @MadamG - r - eek, thank you for your reply. I am a Greek fan Turkish but I wasn't waiting a Greek to write these words.

this comment is utterly true, i agree with it (= you know your history/geography

i am TURKISH.. i was born in turkey and i am MUSLIM.. but very modernized.. my family we all have blonde hair with green eyes. i guess it depends where your from and what part

btw your so lucky you live there.. wish i can go live thereee!!!!!!!!!!!!! its AMAZINGG THERE

lol.... dont say its not in europe, when it clearly is...TURKEY is geographically mostly in asia ( but were not chinks) , europe ( like antalya, part of istanbul. didim) i was born there i went to school here and this is what i learned.. it is also middle east ( only country that has these 3 ) get your facts straight i hate when uneducated people talk without knowing anything... LOOKING AT A MAP WONT DO YOU GOOD.. RESEARCH DUMBASS

yeapp! were more european, but geographically we are more on asia side ( but that is not what we look like ) i agree with you

i think you are from a country that turks ruled:D turkey is for sure european and most of the turks don't use scarves, the most religious ones in turkey are mainly kurds. turkey is a secular state and the parts of turkey which are in europe are bigger than many smal european countries turkey was the owner of eastern europe more than 500 years and turks are lighter than greeks, italians, maltese, portugueses etc. turkey is the country who has the most green eyed people in world , also there r many blue eyed, blonde haired people in turkey actually when i was in turkey i felt like they have more slavic look than mediterrenean . mainly kurdiss, jew and armenian originated people in turkey are dark not turks

Geographically, about 97% of its territory is in Asia. Stating that it is in Euroasia but not Asia is ridiculous, as Euroasia covers the entire territory of both Asia and Europe. Eastern Thrace, constituting about 3% of its territory is in Europe.
Politically, let's make a comparison to make a logical outcome: Cyprus is now in the EU territory as a country (despite the fact that it is geographically anywhere but Europe - one could argue it is in Asia or even Africa), and is in fact located below the "Belly of Asia Minor", slightly south of Asia Minor. However, considering their 'undisputed accession' into the EU and a huge portion of Turkish territory being more in the west than Cyprus, Turkey is, in fact, in Europe. Furthermore, Turkey was in fact officially recognized as a "European State" during the establishment of the Council of Europe (it being one of the few states that were actually invited for membership).
In response to the Turkish people coming from Asia and therefore not being European - Hungarian people, who are considered to be the descendants of the Huns (which are also originally an Asian tribe), are considered European. Therefore, it is clear that this is not an accurate argument for rejecting a premise that Turks are not European.
Cultural diversity is debatable, of course.

Turks has in fact been seen as enemies of Europe for centuries, but then again, you sound like Christians in Europe have never fought against one another. Compared to the inner grudge that the European tribes have had for each other, Turkish people do not constitute an exception. They simply had their own share of enemies. In fact, France was one of arch-allies of the Ottoman Empire for centuries (you can indeed discuss the sincerity, but diplomatically speaking, that is the fact).
Turkey is predominantly muslim, but it is not a muslim state. It is a secular state with none of the religions or beliefs being praised, but equally protected. Wearing headscarves is not prohibited (provided that it is not in public places and in schools), but definitely not forced upon anyone.

My view is that Turkey wouln't be a candidate for the European Union if it wasn't a European country.