In research literature, "pan-Turkism" is used to describe the political, cultural and ethnic unity of all Turkic-speaking people.
Proponents use the latter as a point of comparison, since "Turkic" is more a linguistic and cultural distinction than a racial or ethnic description. This differentiates it from "Turkish", which is an ethnic term for people primarily residing in Turkey. Pan-Turkic ideas and reunification movements have been popular since the collapse of the Soviet Union in Central Asian and other Turkic countries.
Photo: Countries and regions where a Turkic language has official status
