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Communications

Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

24 (1999)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 16, FM 72, shortwave 6 (1998)

Radios [time series]

11.3 million (1997)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially cellular telephones 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 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, by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

17.244 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

3.2 million (1998)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

69 (plus 476 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions [time series]

20.9 million (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $45.2 billion expenditures: $66.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (1999)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Turkish lira (TL) = 100 kurus (theoretical)

Debt - external [time series]

$104 billion (1999)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

ODA, $195 million (1993)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Turkey has a dynamic economy that is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with traditional village agriculture and crafts. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. Its most important industry - and largest exporter - is textiles and clothing, which is almost entirely in private hands. The economic situation in recent years has been marked by erratic economic growth and serious imbalances. After a sharp drop in 1994, real GNP averaged 6.5% annual growth in 1995-98; it then fell about 5% in 1999 as Turkey was adversely affected by Russia's economic crisis and two major earthquakes. The already-large public sector fiscal deficit widened in 1999 to perhaps 14% of GDP - due in large part to the huge burden of interest payments which accounted for 42% of central grovernment spending. Despite the implementation in January 1996 of a customs union with the EU, foreign direct investment in the country remains low - less than $1 billion annually - perhaps because potential investors are concerned about economic and political stability. Prospects for the future are brighter - including prospects for foreign investment - because the ECEVIT government is implementing a major economic reform program, including a tighter budget, social security reform, banking reorganization, and greatly accelerated privatization.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

118.5 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports [time series]

209 million kWh (1999 est.)

Electricity - imports [time series]

2.3 billion kWh (1999 est.)

Electricity - production [time series]

116.5 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source [time series]

fossil fuel: 69.4% hydro: 30.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0.1% (1999 est.)

Exchange rates [time series]

Turkish liras (TL) per US$1 - 545,584 (January 2000), 418,783 (1999), 260,724 (1998), 151,865 (1997), 81,405 (1996), 45,845.1 (1995)

Exports [time series]

$26 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

apparel 28%, foodstuffs 17%, textiles 12%, metal manufactures 9% (1998)

Exports - partners [time series]

Germany 21%, US 9%, UK 7%, Italy 6%, France 6% (1999)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $409.4 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 18% industry: 29% services: 53% (1998)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $6,200 (1999 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

-5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports [time series]

$40 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

machinery 29%, semi-finished goods 16%, chemicals 14%, transport equipment 11%, fuels 8% (1998)

Imports - partners [time series]

Germany 14%, Italy 8%, US 8%, France 8%, Russia 6%, UK 5% (1999)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

-5.2% (1999 est.)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

65% (1999 est.)

Labor force [time series]

23.8 million (April 1999) note: about 1.5 million Turks work abroad (1994)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 45.8%, services 33.7%, industry 20.5% (April 1999)

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

7.3% plus underemployment of 6.9% (April 1999 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 780,580 sq km land: 770,760 sq km water: 9,820 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly larger than Texas

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

7,200 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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

Geographic coordinates [time series]

39 00 N, 35 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

36,740 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 2,627 km 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

Land use [time series]

arable land: 32% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 16% forests and woodland: 26% other: 22% (1993 est.)

Location [time series]

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 [time series]

Middle East

Maritime claims [time series]

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

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

80 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, Igdir, 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, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanli Urfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak note: Karabuk, Kilis, Osmaniye and Yalova are the four newest provinces (there may be a fifth - Duzce); the US Board on Geographic Names is awaiting an official Turkish administrative map for verification of the boundaries

Capital [time series]

Ankara

Constitution [time series]

7 November 1982

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Turkey conventional short form: Turkey local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti local short form: Turkiye

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert PEARSON embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Ankara mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823 telephone: [90] (312) 468-6110 FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019 consulate(s) general: Istanbul consulate(s): Adana

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Baki ILKIN chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Ahmed Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Bulent ECEVIT (since 11 January 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister note: there is also a National Security Council that serves as an advisory body to the president and the cabinet elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next scheduled to be held NA May 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 60%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

republican parliamentary democracy

Independence [time series]

29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)

International organization participation [time series]

AsDB, BIS, BSEC, CCC, 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, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch [time series]

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

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 18 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DSP 136, MHP 130, FP 110, DYP 86, ANAP 88; note - as of 7 March 2000 seating was DSP 136, MHP 127, FP 103, DYP 85, ANAP 88 independents 6, vacancies 5

National holiday [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Changing Turkey Party or DEPAR [Gokhan CAPOGLU]; Democracy and Peace Party or DBP [Yilmaz CAMLIBEL]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Bulent ECEVIT]; Democratic Party or DP [Korkut OZAL]; Democratic Turkey Party or DTP [Husamettin CINDORUK]; Enlightened Turkey Party or ATP [Tugrul TURKES]; Freedom and Solidarity Party or ODP [Ufuk URAS]; Grand Unity Party or BBP [Muhsin YAZICIOGLU]; Labor Party or EP [Ihsan CARALAN]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Besim TIBUK]; Motherland Party or ANAP [Mesut YILMAZ]; My Turkey Party or TP [Durmus Ali EKER]; Nation Party or MP [Aykut EDIBALI]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; New Democracy Movement or YDH [Huseyin ERGUN]; Peace Party or BP [Ali Haydar VEZIROGLU]; People's Democracy Party or HADEP [Turhan DEMIR]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Altan OYMEN]; Revolutionary People's Party [Meral KIDIR]; Socialist Power Party or SIP [leader NA]; True Path Party or DYP [Tansu CILLER]; Virtue Party or FP [Recai KUTAN]; Workers' Party or IP [Dogu PERINCEK] note: Welfare Party or RP [Necmettin ERBAKAN] was officially outlawed on 22 February 1998

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Ridvan BUDAK]; 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 Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [Fuat MIRAS]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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 1949 it became a member of NATO. Turkey occupied the northern portion of Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island; relations between the two countries remain strained. Periodic military offensives against Kurdish terrorists have dislocated part of the population in southeast Turkey and have drawn international condemnation.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$6.737 billion (FY97)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

4.3% (FY97)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 18,523,950 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 11,227,922 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age [time series]

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 664,024 (2000 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 29% (male 9,722,217; female 9,375,920) 15-64 years: 65% (male 21,671,638; female 20,966,110) 65 years and over: 6% (male 1,811,599; female 2,119,193) (2000 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

18.65 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate [time series]

5.96 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

48.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 70.97 years male: 68.63 years female: 73.41 years (2000 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82.3% male: 91.7% female: 72.4% (1995 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population [time series]

65,666,677 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.27% (2000 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 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 total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.16 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in Aegean Sea; Cyprus question with Greece; dispute with downstream riparian states (Syria and Iraq) over water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; traditional demands regarding former Armenian lands in Turkey have subsided

Illicit drugs [time series]

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 [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Transportation

Airports [time series]

118 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 82 over 3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 5 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 26 (1999 est.)

Heliports [time series]

2 (1999 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 382,397 km paved: 95,599 km (including 1,726 km of expressways) unpaved: 286,798 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 547 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,935,173 GRT/9,771,421 DWT ships by type: bulk 155, cargo 244, chemical tanker 37, combination bulk 5, combination ore/oil 6, container 20, liquified gas 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 35, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off 22, short-sea passenger 9, specialized tanker 5 (1999 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

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

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

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

Railways [time series]

total: 8,607 km standard gauge: 8,607 km 1.435-m gauge (1,524 km electrified) (1999)

Waterways [time series]

about 1,200 km