View Single Post
  #6  
Old September 22nd 07, 08:17 AM posted to rec.collecting.stamps.discuss
Victor Manta
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,256
Default Turkey. Was: Irish independence?

"A.E. Gelat" wrote in message
...

"Victor Manta" wrote in message
...
"A.E. Gelat" wrote in message
...

"Paul Herber" wrote in message
ell.net...
http://stamps.ebay.co.uk/

well, I thought Ireland was part of Europe.

You are right, but Turkey is not.

Tony


Isn't it?


No, it isn't. Without looking up the exact areas, I estimate that part of
Turkey in Europe at about 3%. That does not make it European. Spain has
five small exclaves in Africa, but that does not make it African.

Tony


Your estimation seems to be very good, congratulations! See:
"The Turks of even the Ottoman period had always their sights towards Europe
and their Western border extended up to Vienna in the sixteenth century
during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. Modern day Turkey has only a 3
per cent of its territory in Europe."
http://www.pakistanlink.com/hussaini/11152002.html

But is it relevant? Or, in other words, which proportion of a country should
be part of Europe in order to be considered European too? 5%, 10%, 100% or
even more? ;-)

It is obvious, at least to me, that the Spanish enclaves in Africa aren't
European just because they are Spanish. For example GB, Spain, Portugal,
France, The Netherlands, possesed colonies in America but this didn't make
them part of Europe either.

But a part of Turkey is on the European continent, and this a geographical
fact. Of course, this is not the main argument for the admission of Turkey
(or any other European countries, like the big Russia or Ukraina) in the EU,
but it helps a bit.

And last but not not least, a country can be in the very middle of Europe
and hasn't to be EU member, this by the wish of the majority of its
population. I speak of course about the country where I live, Switzerland.

--
Victor Manta

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philatelic Webmasters Organization: http://pwmo.org/
Art on Stamps: http://artonstamps.org/
Romania by Stamps: http://marci-postale.com/
Communism on Stamps: http://reds-on.postalstamps.biz/
Spanish North Africa: http://www.sna-on.postalstamps.biz/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ads