Turkey: A Muslim Nation

Our guide to the best links on the predominantly Muslim nation that hopes to join the EU.

1. This Muslim country of some 68 million souls, lauded by some as a democracy that is quickly improving its human rights record, is very much on the consciences of Europe's leaders.

2. There are voices - mostly white Christian voices - who are opposed to Turkey ever been given the entry to the EU it so badly wants (it was told that its human rights progress would be reviewed in December 2004 but there was no early start to talks on membership). Germany and France are perceived as the main agents of prolonging the delay.

3. Then there are those who applaud the strides made by Recap Tayip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development party. Last summer the death penalty was lifted and draconian powers against the press curbed as well as Turkey's separatist minority, the Kurds, (who make up 20% of the population), being reached out to, although some would say not enough. Meanwhile, tales of police torture and brutality still persist and Human Rights Watch have recorded 55 such alleged cases since February alone.

4. Turkey, which borders the Balkans, the Middle East and the Caucasus, is already a member of Nato, the only one in the region. It would be strategically very important if the US leads a war against Iraq and Washington and London are vocal supporters in its European cause.

5. The earliest ancestors of the Turks are thought to have come from central Asia; by the tenth century, most people in Turkey followed Islam.

6. The vast Ottoman empire spanned six centuries between 1281 and 1922, partly because the flexible government allowed diverse languages, religions and cultures. Apparently an old Turkish aphorism states "eat sweetly and speak sweetly", and it was during the time of the Ottoman empire that Turkish delight, the famous sweet made from sugar syrup, flavourings, nuts and dried fruits, was created.

7. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a highly respected army general in the first world war, led the Turkish people in a successful war of independence (1919-1922) against allied occupiers, with the Republic of Turkey being established in 1923 as an explicitly secular state.

8. Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee describes the Turkey of today as being a place of "bazaars and Benettons, mosques and McDonalds" for which EU membership would be the climax of an 80-year ambition to be modern, democratic and western. The capital is Ankara, and Istanbul is a great draw for tourists with its mixture of modern and oriental influences.

9. One important political issue is the situation in Cyprus, the Mediterranean island to which Greece and Turkey both claim sovereignty. Cyprus is divided into two: the Republic of Cyprus covers the southern two-thirds of the country, while the northern portion is occupied by Turkey. The UN recently came up with a plan to settle the dispute.

10. Turkey has an improving football side and its national team got as far as the semifinals in this summer's World Cup, being vanquished by the eventual winners Brazil with a score of 2-1, but not before much celebratory bedlam from Turkish fans.