1996 Edition

Description

red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening

Location

39 00 N, 35 00 E -- Southwestern Asia (that part west of the Bosporus is sometimes included with Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than Texas

land area

770,760 sq km

total area

780,580 sq km

Climate

temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Coastline

7,200 km

Environment

current issues

water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation

international agreements

party to - Air Pollution, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Desertification, Environmental Modification

natural hazards

very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van

Geographic coordinates

39 00 N, 35 00 E

Geographic note

strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas

International disputes

complex maritime, air and territorial disputes with Greece in Aegean Sea; Cyprus question; Hatay question with Syria; dispute with downstream riparians (Syria and Iraq) over water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Irrigated land

22,200 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 331 km, Syria 822 km

total

2,627 km

Land use

arable land

30%

forest and woodland

26%

meadows and pastures

12%

other

28%

permanent crops

4%

Location

Southwestern Asia (that part west of the Bosporus is sometimes included with Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

in Black Sea only - to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR

territorial sea

6 nm in the Aegean Sea,; 12 nm in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea

Natural resources

antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron ore

Terrain

mostly mountains; narrow coastal plain; high central plateau (Anatolia)

highest point

Mount Ararat 5,166 m

lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 32% (male 10,192,195; female 9,836,045) 15-64 years: 62% (male 19,859,717; female 19,187,769) 65 years and over: 6% (male 1,571,451; female 1,837,301) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

22.26 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

5.52 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%

Infant mortality rate

43.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.43 years (1996 est.)

male

69.53 years

total population

71.92 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

72.4%

male

91.7%

total population

82.3%

Nationality

adjective

Turkish

noun

Turk(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

62,484,478 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.67% (1996 est.)

Religions

Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (Christian and Jews)

Sex ratio

all ages

1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

2.58 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Administrative divisions

79 provinces (iller, singular - il); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyon, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gazi Antep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Icel, Iggdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahraman Maras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanli Urfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak

note

Karabuk, Kilis, and Yalova are three new Turkish provinces mentioned in the 24 December 1995 election results

Capital

Ankara

Constitution

7 November 1982

Data code

TU

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

1714 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

chief of mission

Ambassador Nuzhet KANDEMIR

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York

telephone

[1] (202) 659-8200

Executive branch

chief of state

President Suleyman DEMIREL (since 16 May 1993) was elected for a seven-year term by the National Assembly

head of government

Prime Minister Mesut YILMAZ (since 12 March 1996) and Deputy Prime Minister Nahit MENTESE (since 12 March 1996) were appointed by the president

FAX

[90] (312) 467-0019

consulate(s)

Adana

consulate(s) general

Istanbul

Flag

red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening

Grand National Assembly of Turkey

(Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi) elections last held 24 December 1995 (next to be held by December 2000); results - RP 21.38%, DYP 19.18%, ANAP 19.65%, DSP 14.64%, CHP 10.71%, independent 0.48%; seats - 550 total) RP 158, DYP 135, ANAP 133, DSP 75, CHP 49

note

seats held by various parties are subject to change due to defections, creation of new parties, and ouster or death of sitting deputies; current seats by party are as follows: RP 158, DYP 135, ANAP 126, DSP 75, CHP 49, BBP 7

Independence

29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)

International organization participation

AsDB, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, NATO, NEA, OECD, OIC, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court, judges appointed by the president; Court of Appeals, judges are elected by the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors

Legal system

derived from various continental legal systems; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form

Republic of Turkey

conventional short form

Turkey

local long form

Turkiye Cumhuriyeti

local short form

Turkiye

National holiday

Anniversary of the Declaration of the Republic, 29 October (1923)

National Security Council

advisory body to the president and the cabinet

cabinet

Council of Ministers was appointed by the president on nomination of the prime minister

Other political or pressure groups

Turkish Confederation of Labor (Turk-Is), Bayram MERAL; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions (DISK), Ridvan BUDAK; Moral Rights Workers Union (Hak-Is), Salim USLU; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD), Halis KOMILI; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Ali Osman ULUSOY; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions (TISK), Refik BAYDUR; Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD), Erol YARAR

Political parties and leaders

True Path Party (DYP), Tansu CILLER; Motherland Party (ANAP), Mesut YILMAZ; Welfare Party (RP), Necmettin ERBAKAN; Democratic Left Party (DSP), Bulent ECEVIT; Nationalist Action Party (MHP), Alparslan TURKES; New Party (YP), Yusuf Bozkurt OZAL; Republican People's Party (CHP), Deniz BAYKAL; Workers' Party (IP), Dogu PERINCEK; Nation Party (MP), Aykut EDIBALI; Democrat Party (DP), Murat UZMAN; Grand Unity Party (BBP), Muhsin YAZICIOGLU; Rebirth Party (YDP), Hasan Celal GUZEL; People's Democracy Party (HADEP), Murat BOZLAK; Main Path Party (ANAYOL), Gurcan BASER; Democratic Target Party (DHP), Abdulkadir Yasar TURK; Liberal Party (LP), Besim TIBUK; New Democracy Movement (YDH), Cem BOYNER; Labor Party (EP), Abdullah Levent TUZER; Democracy and Peace Party (DBP), Refik KARAKOC; Freedom and Solidarity Praty (ODP), Ufuk URAS

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

republican parliamentary democracy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador Marc GROSSMAN

embassy

110 Ataturk Boulevard, Ankara

mailing address

PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823

telephone

[90] (312) 468-6110

Agriculture

tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulses, citrus; livestock

Budget

expenditures

$35 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.8 billion (1995)

revenues

$30.2 billion

Currency

Turkish lira (TL)

Economic aid

note

aid for Gulf war efforts from coalition allies (1991), $4.1 billion; aid pledged for Turkish Defense Fund, $2.5 billion

recipient

ODA, $195 million (1993)

Economic overview

The Turkish economy consists of a mixture, on the one hand, of modern industry and commerce, and, on the other hand, of time-honored village agriculture and crafts. Since World War II, it has become increasingly integrated into the West European economic arena, for example, as a member of OECD. The economy has improved significantly since the 1994 crisis, when the economy experienced a sharp drop and inflation hit triple digits. The crisis - sparked by the downgrading in January 1994 of Turkey's international credit rating by two US rating agencies - stemmed from years of loose monetary and fiscal policies that had exacerbated inflation and allowed the public debt, money supply, and current account deficit to explode. In April 1994, then Prime Minister CILLER introduced a stabilization package that paved the way for a $950 million IMF standby loan. However, because the government missed key macroeconomic targets in 1995 and the December national election produced months of political wrangling, the IMF put the agreement - and release of remaining funds - on hold. The new center-right minority government that finally has emerged will find it difficult to balance the need for new austerity measures and tough structural reforms with the pressure for continued buoyant growth. Ankara is also likely to face internal opposition to policies it must implement as part of the Turkey-EU customs union agreement - which came into force on 1 January 1996 - because many industries are unfit for EU competition and much-needed revenues will decline with the elimination of import tariffs and surcharges. Meanwhile, Ankara's heavy debt repayment schedule in 1996 makes it necessary for Turkish leaders to bolster the confidence of both domestic and foreign investors.

Electricity

capacity

18,710,000 kW

consumption per capita

1,079 kWh (1993)

production

71 billion kWh

Exchange rates

Turkish liras (TL) per US$1 - 60,502.1 (January 1996), 45,845.1 (1995), 29,608.7 (1994), 10,984.6 (1993), 6,872.4 (1992), 4,171.8 (1991)

Exports

$20.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)

commodities

textiles and apparel 37%, steel products 12%, fruits and vegetables 11% (1994)

partners

Germany 22%, Russia 8%, US 8%, Italy 6% (1994)

External debt

$73.8 billion (1995 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $345.7 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

15.5%

industry

33.2%

services

51.3% (1994)

GDP per capita

$5,500 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

6.8% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

major transit route for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish to Western Europe and the US via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of Turkey as well as near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate

Imports

$32.6 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)

commodities

machinery 25%, fuels 17%, raw materials 11%, foodstuffs 5% (1994)

partners

Germany 16%, US 10%, Italy 9%, Russia 8% (1994)

Industrial production growth rate

8.8% (1995)

Industries

textiles, food processing, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

94% (1995)

Labor force

20.9 million

by occupation

agriculture 46%, services 31%, industry 23%

note

about 1.5 million Turks work abroad (1994)

Unemployment rate

10.2% (1995 est.)

Branches

Land Forces, Navy (includes Naval Air and Naval Infantry), Air Force, Coast Guard, Gendarmerie

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $6.0 billion, 4% of GDP (1995); note - figures do not include about $7 billion for the government's counterinsurgency effort against the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

16,937,828

males fit for military service

10,312,010

males reach military age (20) annually

637,456 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 15, FM 94, shortwave 0

Radios

9.4 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

fair domestic and international systems

domestic

trunk microwave radio relay network; limited open-wire network

international

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Atlantic Ocean regions); 1 submarine cable

Telephones

6.89 million (1990 est.)

Television broadcast stations

357

Televisions

10.53 million (1993 est.) Defense

Airports

total

104

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

12

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

19

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

18

with paved runways over 3 047 m

17

with paved runways under 914 m

28

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

2

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

8 (1995 est.)

Heliports

2 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

45,683 km (including 862 km of expressways)

total

386,704 km

unpaved

341,021 km (1992 est.)

Merchant marine

note

Turkey owns an additional 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 247,369 DWT operating under the registries of Malta, Panama, Libya, and Greece (1995 est.)

ships by type

bulk 139, cargo 212, chemical tanker 18, combination bulk 7, combination ore/oil 12, container 2, liquefied gas tanker 4, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 43, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 15, short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 2

total

465 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,509,741 GRT/9,494,434 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 1,738 km; petroleum products 2,321 km; natural gas 708 km

Ports

Gemlik, Hopa, Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Izmit, Mersin, Samsun, Trabzon

Railways

standard gauge

10,386 km 1.435-m gauge (1,088 km electrified)

total

10,386 km

Waterways

about 1,200 km