2404:4408:6395:B400:1116:21B0:C039:D9B1: Undid revision 1295467345 by 2404:4408:6395:B400:1116:21B0:C039:D9B1 (talk)

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Undid revision 1295467345 by 2404:4408:6395:B400:1116:21B0:C039:D9B1 (talk)

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{{Short description|Portion of Turkey that is located in South-eastern Europe}}
{{Redirect|European Turkey|the Ottoman lands historically known as "Turkey in Europe"|Rumelia}}

[[File:EstThraceWithinThrace.png|thumbnail|East Thrace (blue) within [[Thrace]] (yellow)]][[File:Източна Тракия на картата на Мармара, Турция.png|thumb|East Thrace (blue) within the [[Marmara Region]] of [[Turkey]]]]
[[File:EastTrace Landscape.jpg|thumb|East Thrace landscape in [[Edirne Province]], Turkey]]

'''East Thrace''' or '''Eastern Thrace''',{{efn|({{langx|tr|Doğu Trakya}} or simply ''Trakya''; {{langx|el|Ανατολική Θράκη|Anatolikí Thráki}}; {{langx|bg|Източна Тракия|Iztochna Trakiya}})}} also known as '''Turkish Thrace''' or '''European Turkey''', is the part of [[Turkey]] that is geographically in [[Southeast Europe]]. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gothraceturkiye.com/homepage|title=Thrace GoTürkiye Destinations|website=gothraceturkiye.com|accessdate=14 May 2023}}</ref> Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest city is [[Istanbul]], which straddles the [[Bosporus]] between Europe and Asia. East Thrace is of historic importance as it is next to a major sea trade corridor and constitutes what remains of the once-vast [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] region of [[Rumelia]]. It is currently also of specific [[geostrategy|geostrategic importance]] because the sea corridor, which includes [[Turkish straits|two narrow straits]], provides access to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] from the [[Black Sea]] for the navies of five countries: [[Russia]], [[Ukraine]], [[Romania]], [[Bulgaria]], and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. The region also serves as a future connector of existing Turkish, Bulgarian, and Greek [[high-speed rail]] networks.
Due to the guest worker agreement with Turkey and Germany, some [[Turks in Germany]] originally come from Eastern Thrace, mostly from the [[Kırklareli Province]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2011-10-25 |title=Selahattin Biner |url=https://www.bpb.de/themen/migration-integration/anwerbeabkommen/43191/selahattin-biner/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}</ref>

== Definition ==
East Thrace sometimes refers to the eastern part of the historical region of [[Thrace]]. It is also used for the part of Thrace that is inside [[Turkey]]. The area includes all the territories of the [[Provinces of Turkey|Turkish provinces]] of [[Edirne Province|Edirne]], [[Tekirdağ Province|Tekirdağ]] and [[Kırklareli Province|Kırklareli]], as well as those territories on the [[Continental Europe|European continent]] of the provinces of [[Çanakkale Province|Çanakkale]] and [[Istanbul]]. The land borders of East Thrace were defined by the [[Treaty of Constantinople (1913)]] and the [[Bulgarian-Ottoman convention (1915)]] and were reaffirmed by the [[Treaty of Lausanne]].

== Geography ==
East Thrace has an area of 23,757 km2 (9,172 sq mi), 3.1% of Turkey's internal area; the population density is around 515/km2, compared to about 98/km2 for Asiatic Turkey. The two continents are separated by the [[Dardanelles]], the [[Bosphorus]] (collectively known as the [[Turkish straits]]) and the [[Sea of Marmara]], a route of about {{convert|361|km|abbr=on}}. The southernmost part of eastern Thrace is called the [[Gallipoli]] peninsula. East Thrace is bordered on the west by [[Greece]] and on the north by [[Bulgaria]], with the [[Aegean Sea]] to the southwest and the [[Black Sea]] to the northeast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/t0377e/t0377e27.htm|title=Inland fisheries of Europe.|accessdate=14 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://countrystudies.us/turkey/18.htm|title=Turkey - Geography|website=countrystudies.us|accessdate=14 May 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Meriç Köprüsü ve Meriç Nehri.jpg|thumb|River [[Maritsa]] ({{langx|tr|Meriç}}), which forms the land border between [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]], also forms the natural border between [[Western Thrace]] and East Thrace.]]

{| class="wikitable" {{right}}
! Province (part) !! Area km2 !! Population (2022) !! Density /km2
|-
| {{left}} [[Çanakkale Province|Çanakkale]] (Europe) || 1,528 || 63,016 || 41
|-
| {{left}} [[Edirne Province|Edirne]] || 6,074 || 414,714 || 68
|-
| {{left}} [[Istanbul]] (Europe) || 3,563 || 10,241,510 || 2,874
|-
| {{left}} [[Kırklareli Province|Kırklareli]] || 6,278 || 369,347 || 59
|-
| {{left}} [[Tekirdağ Province|Tekirdağ]] || 6,313 || 1,142,451 || 181
|-
| {{left}} ''East Thrace'' || 23,757 || 12,231,038 || 515
|-
| {{left}} '''% of national''' || 3.1% || 14.3% || 452%
|}

* Source: [http://www.citypopulation.de/en/turkey/admin/ Citypopulation.de] mirroring data from: State Institute of Statistics, Republic of Turkey (web).

== Climate ==
The area has a hybrid [[mediterranean climate]]/[[humid subtropical climate]] on the Aegean Sea coast and the Marmara Sea coast, and an [[oceanic climate]] on the Black Sea coast. Summers are warm to hot, humid and moderately dry whereas winters are cold and wet and sometimes snowy. The coastal climate keeps the temperatures relatively mild.

== History ==
{{See also|History of Thrace|History of Western Thrace}}

East Thrace was the setting for several important events in history and legend, including:

* In 1000 BCE, Thracian tribes found the settlements of Lygos and Semistra; Plinius mentions the founding of Semistra in his histories and traces of Lygos remain near Seraglio Point.
* The Greek myth of [[Hero and Leander]] takes place in the ancient city of [[Sestus]].
* [[Aeneas]] founded the city of [[Enez|Aenus]] while trying to find new lands during his mythological travels.
* After the death of [[Alexander the Great]], in the period called the [[Diadochi]], Alexander's general [[Lysimachus]] (360-281 BC) became king of Thrace and established his capital in [[Lysimachia (Thrace)|Lysimachia]].
* The [[Battle of Adrianople]] in 378 was an important turning point in the decline of the Roman Empire.
* [[Çimpe Castle]] was the first European territory held by the [[Ottoman Empire]], dating back to 1352.
* [[Edirne]] was the second capital of the Ottoman Empire after [[Bursa]].
* The [[Gallipoli Campaign]], one of the most important campaigns of the [[First World War]], was fought on the [[Gallipoli peninsula]].

During the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]] and the [[Balkan Wars]] (1912–1913), Muslim [[Muhacir]] of various ethnic groups from the former Ottoman territories in the Balkans, were forced to flee toward eastern Thrace through [[Persecution of Muslims during Ottoman contraction|expulsions]], violence and [[Massacres of the Turkish population during the Russo-Turkish War|massacres]], followed by further emigration caused by the 1923-24 [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/europe-on-the-road/forced-ethnic-migration/berna-pekesen-expulsion-and-emigration-of-the-muslims-from-the-balkans?set_language=en&-C=|title=Expulsion and Emigration of the Muslims from the Balkans|website=EGO(http://www.ieg-ego.eu)|accessdate=14 May 2023}}</ref>

Prior to that the distribution of ethnoreligious groups in the local ''sanjaks'' was as follows:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- bgcolor=#DDDDDD
| colspan=8 | Ottoman Official Statistics, 1910<ref>{{cite book | last= Pentzopoulos|first= Dimitri | title= The Balkan exchange of minorities and its impact on Greece | publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers | year=2002|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PDc-WW6YhqEC&pg=PA28 |isbn=978-1-85065-702-6 |pages=31–32}}</ref>
|-
! Sanjak
! Turks
! Greeks
! Bulgarians
! Others
! Total
|-
| [[Edirne]] || 128,000|| 113,500 || 31,500 || 14,700 || 287,700
|-
| [[Kırk Kilise]] || 53,000|| 77,000|| 28,500|| 1,150 || 159,650
|-
| [[Tekirdağ]] || 63,500 || 56,000|| 3,000 || 21,800 || 144,300
|-
| [[Gelibolu]] || 31,500 || 70,500 || 2,000 || 3,200 || 107,200
|-
| [[Çatalca]] || 18,000 || 48,500 || {{NA}} || 2,340 || 68,840
|-
| [[Istanbul]] || 450,000 || 260,000 || 6,000 || 130,000 || 846,000
|-
|- bgcolor=#f0f0f0
| Total %|| 744,000 46.11% || 625,500 38.76% || 71,000 4.40% || 173,190 10.74% || 1,613,690
|- bgcolor=#DDDDDD
| colspan=8 | Ecumenical Patriarchate Statistics, 1912
|- bgcolor=#f0f0f0
| Total % || 604,500 36.20%|| 655,600 39.27% || 71,800 4.30% || 337,600 20.22% || 1,669,500
|-
|}
The Muslim ''[[Millet (Ottoman Empire)|millet]]'' was recorded as Turkish, while the church members of the Ecumenical Patriarchate were recorded as [[Rum millet|Greek]].

In the past century, modern East Thrace was the main component of the territory of the [[Adrianople Vilayet]], which excluded the [[Constantinople Vilayet]], but included [[West Thrace]] and parts of the [[Rhodopes]] and [[Sakar Mountain|Sakar]]. A publication from December 21, 1912, in the Belgian magazine ''Ons Volk Ontwaakt'' (‘Our Nation Awakes’) estimated 1,006,500 inhabitants in the vilayet:<ref name="skynet">Published on December 21, 1912 in the Belgian magazine ''Ons Volk Ontwaakt'' (Our Nation Awakes) - view the table of Vilajet Manastir: [http://users.skynet.be/ovo/GodsdBalkan.html Skynet GodsdBalkan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831151609/http://users.skynet.be/ovo/GodsdBalkan.html |date=2012-08-31 }}</ref>

{| cellpadding="10"
|- valign="top"
|
* Orthodox [[Bulgarians]] – 370,000
* Orthodox [[Greeks]] – 220,000
* Orthodox [[Armenians]] – 30,000
* Orthodox [[Albanians]] – 3,500
* Orthodox Turks – 3,000
||
* Muslim [[Turkish people|Turks]] – 250,000
* [[Pomaks]] – 115,000
* Muslim [[Muslim Romani people|Romani]] – 15,000
|}

21st century East Thrace constitutes what remains of Turkish [[Rumelia]], which once stretched as far north as Hungary and as far west as Bosnia. Rumelia was lost piecemeal from 1699 onwards, until in 1912 the bulk of it was lost in the [[First Balkan War]]. Some small regains were made during the [[Second Balkan War]]. The current borders were set forth in the [[Treaty of Constantinople (1913)]] and the [[Bulgarian–Ottoman convention (1915)]], and were reaffirmed in the [[Treaty of Lausanne]].

== Demographics ==
Huge chunk of the population are descendants of the [[Muhacir]], such as [[Balkan Turks]], [[Bulgarian Turks in Turkey]], [[Amuca tribe]], [[Albanians in Turkey]], [[Bosniaks in Turkey]], [[Gajal]], [[Pomaks in Turkey]], [[Megleno-Romanians]], [[Vallahades]], [[Crimean Tatars in Turkey]], [[Circassians in Turkey]], and [[Romani people in Turkey]] live there.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trakya Halkları - trakyanet |url=https://www.trakyanet.com/trakya/edirne/uzunkopru.html?catid=0&id=284 |accessdate=14 May 2023 |archive-date=21 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921101448/https://www.trakyanet.com/trakya/edirne/uzunkopru.html?catid=0&id=284 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Attractions and festivals ==
Some tourist attractions are the [[Edirne Museum]], [[Complex of Sultan Bayezid II Health Museum]], [[Treaty of Lausanne Monument and Museum]], [[Kırklareli Museum]], and the [[Edirne Palace]]. There are several historical religious buildings, such as the [[Selimiye Mosque, Edirne|Selimiye Mosque]], [[Üç Şerefeli Mosque]], [[Old Mosque, Edirne|Old Mosque]], [[Muradiye Mosque, Edirne|Muradiye Mosque]], and the [[Grand Synagogue of Edirne]]. There are also historical bridges, such as the [[Fatih Bridge]], [[Meriç Bridge]], and [[Uzunköprü Bridge]].

Natural attractions include the [[Lake Gala National Park]], [[İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park]], [[Lake Saka Nature Reserve]], and [[Dupnisa Cave]].

Since 1360, the [[oil wrestling]] tournament [[Kırkpınar]] is held annually near Edirne; usually in late June. The [[Romani people in Turkey|Romani]] festival [[Kakava]] is held annually in Edirne and [[Kırklareli]].

==Politics==
In Eastern Thrace the [[Republican People's Party]] and [[Kemalism]] traditionally dominate.<ref>http://yoksis.bilkent.edu.tr/pdf/files/16316.pdf. {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ete |first=Hatem |date=2014-04-01 |title=The 2014 Local Elections in Turkey: A Victory for Identity Politics |url=https://www.insightturkey.com/articles/the-2014-local-elections-in-turkey-a-victory-for-identity-politics |journal=Insight Turkey |language=tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-04-01 |title=In the 2024 local elections, Edirne favors "Republican People's Party", the main opposition |url=https://edirneturkey.com/in-the-2024-local-elections-in-edirne-favors-republican-peoples-party-the-main-opposition/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Edirne, Turkey - History, Travel & Culture |language=tr}}</ref> A scandal in Turkey was triggered by the statement of CHP Büyükçekmece Council Member Eren Savaş in May 2023 that Eastern Thrace should be separated from Turkey.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=CHP'li isimden skandal çağrı: Trakya Türkiye'den ayrılsın! |url=https://www.haber7.com/siyaset/haber/3329155-chpli-isimden-skandal-cagri-trakya-turkiyeden-ayrilsin |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Haber7 |language=tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Şafak |first=Yeni |title=Erdoğan seçmenine hakaret eden CHP'li Eren Savaş'tan bölücü çıkış: Trakya Türkiye'den ayrılsın {{!}} Politika Haberleri |url=https://www.yenisafak.com/gundem/erdogan-secmenine-hakaret-eden-chpli-eren-savastan-bolucu-cikis-trakya-turkiyeden-ayrilsin-4535063 |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Yeni Şafak |language=tr-TR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-31 |title=CHP'li isimden skandal paylaşım: Trakya'yı Türkiye'den ayıralım! |url=https://www.trhaber.com/gundem/chpli-isimden-skandal-paylasim-trakyayi-turkiyeden-ayiralim-h474130.html |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=TRHaber |language=tr}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:Etty William Hero and Leander 1828.jpg|[[Hero and Leander]]
Image:LysimachusCoinWithHornedAlexander.jpg|Coin of [[Lysimachus]]
Image:Selimiye Mosque.png|[[Selimiye Mosque, Edirne|Selimiye Mosque]], [[Edirne]]
Image:V Beach Helles Gallipoli.jpg|[[Cape Helles]] during the [[Gallipoli Campaign]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of cities of Thrace]], with detailed list for Eastern Thrace
* [[Geography of Turkey]]
* [[Northern Thrace]]
* [[Upper Thracian Plain]]
* [[Western Thrace]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* ''The Yurta-Stroyno Archaeological Project. Studies on the Roman Rural Settlement in Thrace''. P. Tušlová – B. Weissová – S. Bakardzhiev (eds.). Prague: Charles University, Faculty of Arts, 2022. {{ISBN|978-80-7671-068-9}} (print), {{ISBN|978-80-7671-069-6}} (online: pdf)

{{Peninsulas of Turkey}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|41|9|13|N|27|22|0|E|dim:225000|display=title}}

[[Category:Eastern Thrace| ]]
[[Category:Geography of Turkey]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Turkey]]
[[Category:Geography of Europe]]
[[Category:Geography of the Middle East]]

East Thrace - Revision history

2404:4408:6395:B400:1116:21B0:C039:D9B1: Undid revision 1295467345 by 2404:4408:6395:B400:1116:21B0:C039:D9B1 (talk)