6 Mindblowing Facts About Turkey

Before going to any foreign country, it never hurts to learn a thing or to about the location. You should learn how to ask for help and where the toilet is, as well as the laws and how a respectable citizen is expected to dress and behave.

But you might also want to know a few random facts just because. So, if you happen to be planning a trip to Turkey anytime soon, why not use this article to brush up on your knowledge of the country?

Here are 6 mind blowing facts about Turkey.

1. The national sport is oil-wrestling.

In Turkey, the national sport is oil-wrestling. It’s also known as grease wrestling and involves both wrestlers dousing themselves in oil before beginning the match.

2. Half of the population is younger than 30.

23.4% of Turkey’s population is under 14 years old and a total of 30% is younger than 30. In contrast, only 8.5% is over the age over 65.

3. Turkey has the most mosques in the world.

When it comes to mosques, Turkey has the most in the world per capita. The county has more than 82,000 of them and the number continues to increase.

4. The Turkish delight was the inspiration for jelly beans.

Made of a starch gel and sugar, Turkish delight was created in 1777. It was introduced to the United States and became the inspiration for today’s jelly bean.

5. Turkey consumes the most tea annually.

Each year, the Turkish population consumes more tea than any other country in the world. That’s right — they manage to beat Britain, despite the stereotype that the British are tea fanatics.

6. There are more than 30 languages used in Turkey.

Of course Turkey speaks Turkish (70% of the population), but the population also speaks Zuzaki, Arabic, Kurmanji and many others.