Communications
Internet country code [time series]
.tr
Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]
355,215 (2004)
Internet users [time series]
5.5 million (2003)
Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]
AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001)
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially with 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: 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 - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]
18,916,700 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
27,887,500 (2003)
Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]
635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995)
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]
tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock
Budget [time series]
revenues: $66.79 billion expenditures: $93.31 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]
Turkish lira (TRL)
Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]
TRL
Current account balance [time series]
$-6.806 billion (2003)
Debt - external [time series]
$147.3 billion (2003)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]
44 (2002)
Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]
ODA, $300 million (2000)
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
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 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 electonics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. 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 accounted for more than 40% of central government spending in 2003. Inflation, in recent years in the high double-digit range, fell to 11.3% in 2004. Perhaps because of these problems, foreign direct investment in Turkey remains low - less than $1 billion annually. Results in 2002-04 improved, because of strong financial support from the IMF and tighter fiscal policy. A major political and economic issue over the next decade is whether or not Turkey will become a member of the EU.
Electricity - consumption [time series]
112.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports [time series]
433 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports [time series]
4.579 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production [time series]
116.6 billion kWh (2001)
Exchange rates [time series]
Turkish liras per US dollar - NA (2003), 1,507,230 (2002), 1,225,590 (2001), 625,218 (2000), 418,783 (1999), 151,865 (1997)
Exports [time series]
$49.12 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities [time series]
apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment
Exports - partners [time series]
Germany 15.8%, US 8%, UK 7.8%, Italy 6.8%, France 6% (2003)
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]
purchasing power parity - $458.2 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]
agriculture: 11.7% industry: 29.8% services: 58.5% (2003 est.)
Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]
purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2003 est.)
Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]
5.8% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]
lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 32.3% (1994)
Imports [time series]
$62.43 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities [time series]
machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment
Imports - partners [time series]
Germany 13.6%, Italy 7.9%, Russia 7.8%, France 6%, UK 5%, US 5%, Switzerland 4.3% (2003)
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
8.5% (2003 est.)
Industries [time series]
textiles, food processing, autos, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
25.3% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed) [time series]
15.5% of GDP (2003)
Labor force [time series]
23.79 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2003)
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture 39.7%, industry 22.4%, services 37.9% (3rd quarter, 2001)
Natural gas - consumption [time series]
15.94 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports [time series]
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports [time series]
15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - production [time series]
312 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]
8.685 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Oil - consumption [time series]
619,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports [time series]
46,110 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports [time series]
616,500 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - production [time series]
48,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - proved reserves [time series]
288.4 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Population below poverty line [time series]
18% (2001)
Public debt [time series]
78.7% of GDP (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold (Reserves of foreign exchange & gold) [time series]
$35.55 billion (2003)
Unemployment rate [time series]
10.5% (plus underemployment of 6.1%) (2003 est.)
Geography
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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: 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; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country
Irrigated land [time series]
42,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 2,648 km 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
Land use [time series]
arable land: 30.93% permanent crops: 3.31% other: 65.76% (2001)
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]
territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR
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]
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
Terrain [time series]
high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
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, 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
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
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
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 FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019 consulate(s) general: Istanbul consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Osman Faruk LOGOGLU 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 Ahmet Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister 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 appointed by the president from among members of parliament election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60% 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
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, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Judicial branch [time series]
Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court
Legal system [time series]
civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; 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 [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 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 14 March 2003 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; seats by party as of 1 December 2004 - AKP 368, CHP 171, DYP 4, LDP 1, independents 5, vacant 1
National holiday [time series]
Republic Day, 29 October (1923)
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic People's Party or DEHAP [Tuncer BAKIRHAN]; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayip ERDOGAN]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Emin SIRIN]; Motherland Party or ANAP [leader NA]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; Republican People's Party or CHP (includes the New Turkey Party) [Deniz BAYKAL]; Felicity Party (sometimes translated as Contentment Party) or SP [Necmettin ERBEKAN]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004
Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]
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 [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Refik BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]
Suffrage [time series]
18 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background [time series]
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, but 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.
Military
Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Land Forces, Naval Forces Command (includes Naval Air and Naval Infantry), Air Force, Coast Guard Command, Gendarmerie (Jandarma)
Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]
$12.155 billion (2003)
Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]
5.3% (2003)
Military manpower - availability [time series]
males age 15-49: 19,828,702 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]
males age 15-49: 11,965,262 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - military age and obligation [time series]
20 years of age (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]
males: 680,673 (2004 est.)
People
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 26.6% (male 9,328,108; female 8,990,742) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 23,394,465; female 22,650,532) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 2,078,881; female 2,451,190) (2004 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
17.22 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate [time series]
5.95 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Ethnic groups [time series]
Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]
less than 0.1% - note: no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]
NA
Infant mortality rate [time series]
total: 42.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 46.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 38.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Languages [time series]
Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 72.08 years male: 69.68 years female: 74.61 years (2004 est.)
Literacy [time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 94.3% female: 78.7% (2003 est.)
Median age [time series]
total: 27.3 years male: 27.1 years female: 27.5 years (2004 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish
Net migration rate [time series]
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Population [time series]
68,893,918 (July 2004 est.)
Population growth rate [time series]
1.13% (2004 est.)
Religions [time series]
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians 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 (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
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 has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
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
Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]
IDPs: 350,000-1,000,000 (fighting from 1984-1999 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2004)
Transportation
Airports [time series]
120 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
total: 87 over 3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]
total: 32 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)
Heliports [time series]
14 (2003 est.)
Roadways (Highways) [time series]
total: 385,960 km paved: 131,226 km (including 1,749 km of expressways) unpaved: 254,734 km (1999)
Merchant marine [time series]
total: 508 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,666,895 GRT/7,311,504 DWT by type: bulk 111, cargo 229, chemical tanker 46, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 2, container 34, liquefied gas 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 26, short-sea/passenger 8, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: Belize 1, Cambodia 1, China 1, Cyprus 4, Greece 1, Italy 3, Liberia 1, Monaco 1, Switzerland 1, Thailand 1, United Kingdom 9 registered in other countries: 243 (2004 est.)
Pipelines [time series]
gas 3,177 km; oil 3,562 km (2004)
Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]
Gemlik, Hopa, Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Icel (Mersin), Samsun, Trabzon
Railways [time series]
total: 8,671 km standard gauge: 8,671 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km electrified) (2003)
Waterways [time series]
1,200 km (2003)