Here is a timeline of major earthquakes in Turkey since World War Two. December 26, 1939 - Around 32,700 people die in the eastern city of Erzincan after a quake of 7.8 magnitude. December 20, 1942 - About 1,100 people are killed and 5,000 buildings are destroyed or damaged in the Erbaa-Niksar area by a quake measuring 7.3.
November 26, 1943 - About 75 percent of houses are destroyed or damaged in the Ladik-Vezirkopru area and nearly 4,000 people die in a quake measuring 7.6. February 1, 1944 - 2,790 people are killed and 50,000 houses destroyed or heavily damaged in the North Anatolian Fault Zone from Bolu through Gerede to Kursunlu in am earthquake of 7.4 magnitude. May 31, 1946 - A 5.9 quake hits Ustrukan, killing 1,300.
March 18, 1953 - A quake strikes the Can-Yenice-Gonen area. The 7.3 magnitude quake is felt throughout the Aegean Islands and in much of mainland Greece, and kills 1,070 people. August 19, 1966 - A quake of 6.8 magnitude hits the southeastern town of Varto, killing 2,529 people.
March 28, 1970 - 1,086 people are killed and 3,000 injured when an earthquake strikes the town of Gediz in western Anatolia. The quake measures 6.9. May 22, 1971 - A 6.9 earthquake strikes 410 miles southeast of Ankara. The city of Bingol is nearly destroyed. A thousand or more people are killed, 90 percent of Bingol's structures destroyed, and 15,000 of its inhabitants made homeless.
September 6, 1975 - An earthquake devastates the town of Lice and surrounding villages. It measures 6.7. At least 2,350 people are killed and 3,000 injured. November 24, 1976 - A quake of 7.3 magnitude hits Van Province, killing 5,291. The town of Muradiye and hundreds of villages are destroyed.
October 30, 1983 - About 1,340 people are killed and 530 people injured when an earthquake hits the Turkish city of Erzurum in the northeast. Measuring 6.9, 50 villages are completely destroyed in the provinces of Erzurum and Kars.
August 17, 1999 - A quake measuring 7.6 strikes the western Turkish city of Izmit, 90 km (55 miles) southeast of Istanbul, killing at least 17,118 people with nearly 50,000 injured, about 500,000 people homeless and an estimated $3-6.5 billion in damage in Istanbul, Kocaeli and Sakarya Provinces.
Oct 23, 2011 - A 7.2 magnitude quake batters the city of Van and town of Ercis, some 100 km (60 miles) to the north, killing at least 264 people with hundreds more missing.