2003 Edition

Administrative divisions

81 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, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak

Age structure

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 9,422,242; female 9,082,840) 15-64 years: 66.4% (male 22,978,251; female 22,243,477) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 2,013,926; female 2,368,733) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

120 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 16

total

86

under 914 m

5 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19

Airports - with unpaved runways

over 3,047 m

1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

total

34

under 914 m

24 (2002) 914 to 1,523 m: 8

Area

land

770,760 sq km

total

780,580 sq km

water

9,820 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Texas

Background

Present-day Turkey was created in 1923 from the Turkish remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Soon thereafter, the country instituted secular laws to replace traditional religious fiats. In 1945 Turkey joined the UN, and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to protect Turkish Cypriots and prevent a Greek takeover of the island; the northern 37 percent of the island remains under Turkish Cypriot control. Relations between the two countries remain strained, but have begun to improve over the past few years. In 1984, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Marxist-Leninist, separatist group, initiated an insurgency in southeast Turkey, often using terrorist tactics to try to attain its goal of an independent Kurdistan. The group - whose leader, Abdullah OCALAN, was captured in Kenya in February 1999 - has observed a unilateral cease-fire since September 1999, although there have been occasional clashes between Turkish military units and some of the 4,000-5,000 armed PKK militants, most of whom currently are encamped in northern Iraq. The PKK changed its name to the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) in April 2002. Geography Turkey

Birth rate

17.59 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$69.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)

revenues

$42.4 billion

Capital

Ankara

Climate

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

Coastline

7,200 km

Constitution

7 November 1982

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Turkey

conventional short form

Turkey

local long form

Turkiye Cumhuriyeti

local short form

Turkiye

Currency

Turkish lira (TRL)

Currency code

TRL

Death rate

5.95 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$118.3 billion (Yearend 2001)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Eric S. EDELMAN

embassy

110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara

mailing address

PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823

telephone

[90] (312) 455-5555

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Dr. Osman Faruk LOGOGLU

Disputes - international

complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question remains with Greece; Syria and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey is quick to rebuff any perceived Syrian claim to Hatay province; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh

Distribution of family income - Gini index

41.5 (1994)

Economic aid - recipient

ODA, $300 million (2000)

Economy - overview

Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that in 2001 still accounted for 40% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The most important industry - and largest exporter - is textiles and clothing, which is almost entirely in private hands. In recent years the economic situation has been marked by erratic economic growth and serious imbalances. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. Meanwhile, the public sector fiscal deficit has regularly exceeded 10% of GDP - due in large part to the huge burden of interest payments, which account for more than 50% of central government spending. Inflation, in recent years in the high double-digit range, fell to 26% in 2003. Perhaps because of these problems, foreign direct investment in Turkey remains low - less than $1 billion annually. In late 2000 and early 2001 a growing trade deficit and serious weaknesses in the banking sector plunged the economy into crisis - forcing Turkey to float the lira and pushing the country into recession. Results in 2002-03 were much better, because of strong financial support from the IMF and tighter fiscal policy. Continued slow global growth and serious political tensions in the Middle East could result in negative growth in 2004.

Electricity - consumption

112.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

433 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

4.579 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

116.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

79.3%

hydro

20.4%

nuclear

0%

other

0.3% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Ararat 5,166 m

lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Environmental Modification

Ethnic groups

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Exchange rates

NA (2002), 1,225,590 (2001), 625,218 (2000), 418,783 (1999), 260,724 (1998), 151,865 (1997)

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

President Ahmet Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000)

election results

Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60%

elections

president elected by the National Assembly for a seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2007); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March 2003); note - Abdullah GUL resigned 11 March 2003; Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN was given a mandate to form a new government

note

a National Security Council serves as an advisory body to the government composed of top military and cabinet officials and presided over by the president

note

president must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third ballot

Exports

$35.1 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities

apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment

Exports - partners

Germany 16.6%, US 9.2%, UK 8.5%, Italy 6.4%, France 6% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 612-6744

[90] (312) 467-0019

chancery

2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

consulate(s)

Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York

consulate(s) general

Istanbul

telephone

[1] (202) 612-6700

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Turkey

Flag 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 Economy Turkey

GDP

purchasing power parity - $489.7 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

12.9%

industry

30.4%

services

56.7% (2001)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $7,300 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

7.8% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

39 00 N, 35 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country People Turkey

Government type

republican parliamentary democracy

Heliports

8 (2002) Military Turkey

Highways

paved

131,226 km (including 1,749 km of expressways)

total

385,960 km

unpaved

254,734 km (1999)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% - note

no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

32.3% (1994)

lowest 10%

2.3%

Illicit drugs

key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and - to a far lesser extent 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 This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

$50.8 billion c.i.f. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment

Imports - partners

Germany 13.7%, Italy 8.1%, Russia 7.6%, US 6%, France 5.9%, UK 4.8%, Switzerland 4.1% (2002)

Independence

29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)

Industrial production growth rate

8.5% (2002 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

40.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

47.91 deaths/1,000 live births

total

44.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

45.2% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Internet country code

.tr

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

50 (2001)

Internet users

2.5 million (2002) Transportation Turkey

Irrigated land

42,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

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

Labor force

23.8 million

note

about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2001 3rd quarter)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 39.7%, services 37.9%, industry 22.4% (3rd quarter, 2001)

Land boundaries

border countries

Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km

total

2,648 km

Land use

arable land

34.53%

other

62.11% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

3.36%

Languages

Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%, CHP 19.4%, DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, ANAP 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and others; seats by party - AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats

elections

last held 3 November 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); note - a special rerun of the General Election in the province of Siirt on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for becoming prime minister on 13 March 2003

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.3 years (2003 est.)

male

69.41 years

total population

71.8 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

78.7% (2003 est.) Government Turkey

male

94.3%

total population

86.5%

Location

southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of 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 Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea

Median age

female

27 years (2002)

male

26.7 years

total

26.8 years

Merchant marine

convenience

Belize 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 2, Greece 1, Italy 1, Thailand 1, UK 11 (2002 est.)

note

includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of

ships by type

bulk 125, cargo 229, chemical tanker 44, combination bulk 3, combination ore/oil 3, container 34, liquefied gas 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 35, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 26, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker 5

total

525 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,306,506 GRT/8,424,837 DWT

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$8.1 billion (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

4.5% (2002 est.) Transnational Issues Turkey

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

19,534,455 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

11,801,267 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

20 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

679,882 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Independence Day, 29 October (1923)

Nationality

adjective

Turkish

noun

Turk(s)

Natural gas - consumption

15.94 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

312 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

8.685 billion cu m (37257)

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron ore, arable land, hydropower

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

619,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

46,110 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

616,500 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

48,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

288.4 million bbl (37257)

Pipelines

gas 3,177 km; oil 3,562 km (2003)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Left Party or DSP [Bulent ECEVIT]; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayip ERDOGAN]; Motherland Party or ANAP [Ahmet Mesut YILMAZ]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; True Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP [Tansu CILLER]; Young Party or GP [Cem UZAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Erol YARAR]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Muharrem KAYHAN]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Refik BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Bayram MERAL]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]

Population

68,109,469 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

1.16% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Gemlik, Hopa, Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Icel (Mersin), Samsun, Trabzon

Radio broadcast stations

AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001)

Radios

11.3 million (1997)

Railways

standard gauge

8,607 km 1.435-m gauge (2,131 km electrified) (2002)

total

8,607 km

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.02 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile cellular telephone service is growing rapidly

general assessment

undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially with cellular telephones

international

international service is provided by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)

Telephones - main lines in use

19.5 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

17.1 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations

635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

20.9 million (1997)

Terrain

high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges

Total fertility rate

2.03 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

10.8% (plus underemployment of 6.1%) (2002 est.)

Waterways

1,200 km (approximately)