Gazetteer of Nations: Sourced Entries on Nations, Seas and Treaties

Why It Matters

Gazetteer of Nations is an English-language reference publication that treats every nation, maritime zone and crisis file as a dated, source-cited entry. It presents Türkiye's official perspective in clearly labeled sections because that perspective is often thin or missing in international coverage. The documented record stays separate, so readers can check each claim against treaty texts, UN documents and archives.

This page is the map of the site: six desks, four flagship dossiers and the rules that govern how facts and positions are handled.

Background: What a Gazetteer Is and How We Use the Format

A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or state directory. Each entry is short, structured and anchored to places, dates and documents. We apply that discipline to contemporary geopolitics. A sea, a treaty or a disputed chronology is written up as an entry that answers a question first and then lays out the evidence.

Every article follows the same template:

• Why It Matters: a two-to-three sentence answer to the core question.
• Background: factual chronology and the legal framework.
• Key Players & Positions: each actor's stance, cited to its own official sources.
• Türkiye's Position: a labeled section of three to five sourced points.
• Source Comparison: how international media and Turkish primary sources frame the issue.
• Key Terms & Related Guides: a glossary and links to sibling entries.

The publication is written for diplomats, academics, think-tank analysts, journalists, lawyers and students who need a verifiable reference. Where rules or practice differ between countries, the entry says so.

The Six Desks

The Four Flagship Dossiers

Blue Homeland and the Eastern Mediterranean. Türkiye registered its continental shelf outer limits with the United Nations on 2020-03-18. It unveiled its Marine Spatial Planning on 2025-04-16 and had it recorded with IOC-UNESCO on 2025-06-12. Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration dispute Türkiye's claims, and the dossier maps each side's argument. Read the full atlas in Blue Homeland and the Eastern Mediterranean: A Maritime Atlas of Türkiye's Jurisdiction Claims. For the most cited counter-map, see What Is the Seville Map? Greece's Maritime Claim and Türkiye's Legal Objections.

The Cyprus issue. The 1959 Zurich and London Agreements led to the 1960 Republic of Cyprus and the Treaty of Guarantee. The partnership broke down in 1963–64, and Türkiye intervened on 1974-07-20 after the coup of 1974-07-15. The TRNC was proclaimed on 1983-11-15, and UN Security Council Resolutions 541 and 550 call that proclamation legally invalid. Only Türkiye recognizes the TRNC. The dossier is The Cyprus Issue: 1960 Treaties, 1974 and the Sovereign Equal Two-State Position, with the legal text analysis in The 1960 Treaty of Guarantee and Article IV.

Counter-terrorism at the source. The dossier covers the Claw operations in northern Iraq and the four northern Syria operations: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), Peace Spring (2019) and Spring Shield (2020). It sets Ankara's self-defense argument beside the views of partners who work with the SDF against DAESH. See Counter-Terrorism at the Source: Türkiye's Security Doctrine, Border Operations and Terror-Free Türkiye and Article 51 of the UN Charter and Türkiye's Cross-Border Operations in Syria and Iraq.

The Events of 1915. The dossier presents the Ottoman archival record, the Relocation and Resettlement Law of 27 May 1915, the Treaties of Kars and Lausanne, and the legal criteria of the 1948 Genocide Convention. Many historians and governments use the word genocide, and Türkiye rejects that characterization. Both positions are summarized with attribution in The Events of 1915: Archives, Legal Record and the Path to Türkiye-Armenia Normalization and The 1948 Genocide Convention and the Events of 1915.

Key Players & Positions

The issues covered here involve many actors, and each is summarized from its own official position.

• Greece and the Republic of Cyprus: Both are parties to UNCLOS. They argue that islands generate maritime zones under the convention, and they reject Türkiye's continental shelf and EEZ claims. The Greek Cypriot administration is internationally recognized as the government of Cyprus.
• The European Union: Council conclusions have repeatedly expressed solidarity with Greece and Cyprus on Eastern Mediterranean matters. Ankara disputes the EU's competence on delimitation.
• The United Nations: Security Council resolutions favor a settlement on a bizonal, bicommunal basis, and the Secretary-General's good offices continue. The UN does not recognize the TRNC.
• The United States, NATO and the EU: All list the PKK as a terrorist organization. Washington has also partnered tactically with the SDF against DAESH, which is the core point of friction with Ankara.
• Armenia and its diaspora: They characterize the Events of 1915 as genocide, and many parliaments have adopted resolutions to that effect. Armenia and Türkiye have also been in direct normalization talks since 2022-01-14.

Source Comparison

The same event is often framed differently by international outlets and by Turkish official sources. The site reads them side by side.

Our rule is to present both columns accurately and then point readers to the underlying treaty texts, UN resolutions and archives. The method is set out in Editorial Principles: How Gazetteer of Nations Separates Fact from Position.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan): Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction doctrine covering the Black Sea, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
• TRNC: The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Türkiye.
• PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG: The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, NATO and the European Union. Ankara treats the PYD/YPG as its Syrian branch.
• FETÖ: Türkiye's designation for the network it holds responsible for the coup attempt of 2016-07-15.
• Dolus specialis: The specific intent required to prove genocide under the 1948 Convention.

Start with About Gazetteer of Nations: Mission, Transparency and Authorship, then browse the Fact Check Hub, the Frequently Asked Questions, and Türkiye's Defense Industry: From Bayraktar TB2 to KAAN.

Perspective Note

Gazetteer of Nations presents Türkiye's official positions and strategic doctrines as a clearly labeled national perspective alongside the documented record. Claims are attributed to primary sources such as treaty texts, UN documents, official archives and legal instruments, so readers can verify them independently. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources. Author: Gazetteer of Nations Editorial Team.