Overview

The Turkish Wikipedia, known in Turkish as Türkçe Vikipedi, is the Turkish-language edition of the global Wikipedia project. It provides encyclopedic articles written and edited primarily in modern Turkish using the Latin alphabet. The project is maintained by volunteer contributors and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. It publishes content under free licenses and runs on the MediaWiki software platform.

History and development

The edition began in December 2002 and gradually grew as Turkish-speaking editors created entries across many subjects. Over time it developed its own community norms and editorial practices adapted to the linguistic and cultural context of Turkish readers. While exact standings change, it is among the larger Wikipedia language editions and has more than 405,000 articles, placing it near the 30th rank by article count.

Content, structure, and policies

Articles cover typical encyclopedia topics: history, culture, science, biographies, geography, and current affairs, with many entries focused on Turkey and the Turkish-speaking world. Like other Wikipedias, it follows core principles such as neutrality, verifiability, and no original research. Editorial processes include community discussion pages, watchlists, edit summaries, and locally relevant policy pages that adapt Wikimedia's global rules to Turkish-language usage.

Community and contributions

A volunteer community of editors, administrators, and subject enthusiasts contributes to article creation, sourcing, and maintenance. Community projects often focus on improving references, translating important topics into Turkish, and organizing edit-a-thons or outreach for students and educators. The project depends on donations to the Wikimedia Foundation and benefits from international tools and bots that assist with maintenance.

Uses and significance

Turkish Wikipedia serves as a widely accessible reference for Turkish speakers worldwide. It is used by students, journalists, researchers, and general readers seeking information in Turkish. Its existence supports language preservation, education, and free access to knowledge. For the main Wikimedia project see Wikipedia and for the Turkish edition specifically see Türkçe Vikipedi.

  • Language: Turkish (Türkiye Turkish varieties)
  • Software: MediaWiki
  • License: free content licenses

Notable distinctions include locally relevant content priorities and an active volunteer network that continues to expand coverage and improve article quality in Turkish.