A distance learning portal launched a year ago by Turkey's Yunus Emre Institute has taught Turkish to nearly 100,000 students from 159 countries around the globe.

"The language portal started broadcasting in February 2017 and has reached approximately 100,000 users from 159 countries today, and this number is increasing every day," Yunus Emre Institute Chairman Şeref Ateş told Anadolu Agency.

"Students from one corner of the world to the other can now communicate with each other in Turkish," Ateş added.

Most of the portal users are from Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Algeria, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Yemen, the U.S. or Germany, according to the university.

About 58 percent of the portals users are male, with 42 percent female. About 76 percent of portal users are between the ages 18-34.

"Through the internet, we are able to spread our Turkish language and culture," Ates said.

The Yunus Emre Institute is a nonprofit organization created by the Turkish government in 2007 to promote Turkish culture, arts and language around the world.