Country

Republic of Turkey

Population

70.7 million

Area

total:  780,580 sq km

land:  770,760 sq km

water:  9,820 sq km

President

Ahmet Necdet Sezer

Capital

Ankara

Government type

Republican Parliamentary Democracy

Language

Turkish (official)

Legal system:

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

Executive branch

chief of state:  President Ahmed Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000)
head of government:  Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
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 scheduled to be held NA May 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
election results:  Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third ballot; percent of National Assembly vote – 60%

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)

Judicial branch

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

Land boundaries

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

Coast line

7,200 km

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

Administrative divisions

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, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Icel, 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;

Terrain

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

Elevation extremes

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

Biggest cities

Istanbul , Izmir , Bursa , Konya , Adana , Antalya

Religions

Muslim 99% (mostly Sunni), other 1 % (Christian and Jews)

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

Independence day

29 October 1923

International organization participation

AsDB, Australia Group, 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, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Population growth

1.7 %

Average life expectation

68.7 (2003)

Unemployment rate:

9.5 % (2004)

Inflation rate (consumer prices

10.6 % (2004)

Growth rate

9.8 % (2004)

GDP/capita

4.112 USD (2004 est.) .

GDP/industry

Services 64.7%, industry 21.9%, manufacturing 13.3 % and agriculture 13.4% (2003)

Time

+2 hrs (GMT)

Currency

New Turkish Lira

Literacy

88.3 %

Volume of Foreign Trade

Total: 160 billions USD (2004 est)

Export:63 billions USD

Custom and Tariffs

Turkey has a Customs Union with the European Union, hence applies Common External Tariffs of the EU in trade with third countries outside the EU, which is a fairly low rate of about 4-5% on average. Turkey and the EU have abolished customs tariffs on industrial trade, also substantially reduced duties on agriculture

Tourism and Incomes

17.5 million tourists and 16 billions USD (2004 appr.)

Railways

8,607 km

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

Highways

382,059 km

paved:  106,976 km (including 1,726 km of expressways)
unpaved:  275,083 km (1999 est.)

Waterways

1,200 km (approximately)

Ports and harbors

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

Airports

121 (2000 est.)

Pipelines

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