The Turkish peoples, when we first hear of them in history, were nomadic steppe peoples. Some of them migrated to Anatolia (modern Turkey) and eventually settled there, either displacing or merging with the locals. Some of them stayed in their traditional homelands on the steppe in places like modern Turkmenistan. Others migrated in different directions.

Over time these separate tribes developed local languages and customs. This is similar to how different parts of the old Roman Empire broke apart and developed local differences. And places like Spain, France, and Italy developed local languages and cultures.

This map shows where Turkish languages are spoken today. And it shows how widely and far the various Turkish tribes moved around. Modern Turkey is only the far western edge of modern speakers of Turkish languages.