Is Turkey Part of Europe?
Turkey is in the process of joining the European Union and is not formally considered to be part of Europe from a political standpoint, but geographically, this nation straddles the border between Europe and Asia, lending ambiguity to Turkey’s continental identity. Istanbul, the nation’s largest city, is actually situated in both Europe and Asia.”
Since the Treaty of Rome in 1958 was signed between various European nations, Turkey has been attempting to formally join the various iterations of what became the European Union. Turkey’s application for membership to the European Union was accepted in 1999 and official accession negotiations began in 2005. Political and cultural differences between Turkey and EU nations such as Germany have caused both popular and political opposition to Turkish accession to the union, and the future of Turkey’s bid for formal membership in the European community is unclear.
