2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

81 provinces (iller, singular - il); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, 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, Icel (Mersin), Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, 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: 25.5% (male 9,133,226/female 8,800,070) 15-64 years: 67.7% (male 24,218,277/female 23,456,761) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 2,198,073/female 2,607,551) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

117 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 18

total

89

under 914 m

4 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

over 3,047 m

1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8

total

28

under 914 m

17 (2006)

Area

land

770,760 sq km

total

780,580 sq km

water

9,820 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Texas

Background

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey, mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy, enabling it to begin accession membership talks with the European Union. Geography Turkey

Birth rate

16.62 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$121.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

revenues

$112.3 billion

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

39 56 N, 32 52 E

name

Ankara

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 (code)

Turkish lira (YTL); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January 2005

Currency code

TRL, YTL

Current account balance

$-25.99 billion (2006 est.)

Death rate

5.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$193.6 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Ross WILSON

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

chancery

2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Nabi SENSOY

telephone

[1] (202) 612-6700

Disputes - international

complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh

Distribution of family income - Gini index

42 (2003)

Economic aid - recipient

ODA, $635.8 million (2002)

Economy - overview

Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still accounts for more than 35% 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 largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff competition in international markets with the end of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the automotive and electronics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. 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. The economy is turning around with the implementation of economic reforms, and 2004 GDP growth reached 9%, followed by roughly 5% annual growth in 2005-06. Inflation fell to 7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low, but climbed back to 9.8% in 2006. Despite the strong economic gains in 2002-06, which were largely due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still burdened by a high current account deficit and high debt. The public sector fiscal deficit exceeds 6% of GDP - due in large part to high interest payments, which accounted for about 37% of central government spending in 2004. Prior to 2005, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Turkey averaged less than $1 billion annually, but further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost FDI. Privatization sales are currently approaching $21 billion. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006, marking a major milestone that will bring up to 1 billion barrels per day from the Caspian to market.

Electricity - consumption

140.3 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports

1.1 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

500 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

143.3 billion kWh (2004)

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, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Environmental Modification

Ethnic groups

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Exchange rates

Turkish liras per US dollar - 1.44514 (2006), 1.3436 (2005), 1.4255 (2004), 1.5009 (2003), 1.5072 (2002), note, on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish Lira (TRL) was converted to new Turkish Lira (YTL) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 new Turkish Lira

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 single seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held May 2007); prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament

head of government

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March 2003)

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

$85.21 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment

Exports - partners

Germany 12.9%, UK 8.1%, Italy 7.6%, US 6.7%, France 5.2%, Spain 4.1% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 612-6744

[90] (312) 467-0019

consulate(s)

Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

consulate(s) general

Istanbul

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 - composition by sector

agriculture

11.2%

industry

29.4%

services

59.4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$8,900 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.2% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$358.2 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$627.2 billion (2006 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

18 (2006)

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%

30.7% (2000)

lowest 10%

2.3%

IDPs

1-1.2 million (fighting 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2006)

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 and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Imports

$120.9 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Germany 11.7%, Russia 11%, Italy 6.5%, China 5.9%, France 5%, US 4.6%, UK 4% (2005)

Independence

29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)

Industrial production growth rate

5.5% (2006 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

35.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

43.27 deaths/1,000 live births

total

39.69 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.8% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Internet country code

.tr

Internet hosts

1,313,135 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

50 (2001)

Internet users

16 million (2005) Transportation Turkey

Investment (gross fixed)

20.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

52,150 sq km (2003)

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court

Labor force

24.8 million

note

about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

35.9%

industry

22.8%

services

41.2% (3rd quarter)

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

29.81%

other

66.8% (2005)

permanent crops

3.39%

Languages

Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian

note

there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the Europe part of Turkey

Legal system

civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights

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%, GP 7.3%, Anavatan 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and other; seats by party - AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; seats by party as of 1 December 2006 - AKP 354, CHP 154, Anavatan 21, DYP 4, SHP 1, HYP 1, GP 1, independents 9, vacant 5

elections

last held 3 November 2002 (next is scheduled to be held 4 November 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 14 March 2003

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.18 years (2006 est.)

male

70.18 years

total population

72.62 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

Manpower available for military service

females age 20-49

16,051,706 (2005 est.)

males age 20-49

16,756,323

Manpower fit for military service

females age 20-49

13,335,812 (2005 est.)

males age 20-49

13,905,901

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 20-49

659,090 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

679,734

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

28.3 years (2006 est.)

male

27.9 years

total

28.1 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 109, cargo 239, chemical tanker 50, container 24, liquefied gas 6, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 50, petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 24, specialized tanker 2

foreign-owned

7 (Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Italy 3, Switzerland 1)

registered in other countries

411 (Albania 1, Antigua and Barbuda 8, Bahamas 8, Belize 11, Cambodia 26, Comoros 11, Dominica 3, Georgia 30, Isle of Man 3, North Korea 4, Liberia 1, Libya 2, Malta 123, Marshall Islands 20, Netherlands Antilles 9, Panama 42, Russia 63, Saint Kitts and Nevis 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 25, Slovakia 8, Tuvalu 2, UK 2, unknown 3) (2006)

total

545 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,772,864 GRT/7,313,070 DWT

Military - note

in the early 1990s, the Turkish Land Force was a large but badly equipped infantry force; there were 14 infantry divisions, but only one was mechanized, and out of 16 infantry brigades, only six were mechanized; the overhaul that has taken place since has produced highly mobile forces with greatly enhanced firepower in accordance with NATO's new strategic concept (2005) Transnational Issues Turkey

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$12.155 billion (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

5.3% (2003)

Military service age and obligation

20 years of age (2004)

National holiday

Republic Day, 29 October (1923)

Nationality

adjective

Turkish

noun

Turk(s)

Natural gas - consumption

22.6 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

21.73 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

688 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

715,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports

46,110 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

616,500 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

50,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

288.4 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 4,621 km; oil 3,543 km (2006)

Political parties and leaders

Anavatan Partisi (Motherland Party) or Anavatan [Erkan MUMCU]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic Society Party or DTP [Ahmet TURK]; Felicity Party (sometimes translated as Contentment Party) or SP [Recai KUTAN]; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP (sometimes translated as Nationalist Movement Party) [Devlet BAHCELI]; People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP [Yasar Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP [Mehmet AGAR]; Young Party or GP [Cem Cengiz UZAN]

note

the parties listed above are some of the more significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004

Political pressure groups and leaders

Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Ismail Hakki TOMBUL]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Tugurl KUDATGOBILIK]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]

Population

70,413,958 (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

20% (2002)

Population growth rate

1.06% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Aliaga, Ambarli, Eregli, Haydarpasa, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Toros Military Turkey

Public debt

64.7% of GDP (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001)

Radios

11.3 million (1997)

Railways

standard gauge

8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km electrified) (2005)

total

8,697 km

Religions

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$53.42 billion (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

177,550 km (including 1,892 km of expressways)

total

426,906 km

unpaved

249,356 km (2004)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 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

country code - 90; 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

18.978 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

43.609 million (2005)

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

1.92 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)

Land Forces, Turkish Naval Forces (Turk Deniz Kuvvetleri, TDK; includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Force (Turk Hava Kuvvetleri, THK) (2006)

Unemployment rate

10.2% plus underemployment of 4% (2006 est.)

Waterways

1,200 km (2005)