Map of Turkey | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background:


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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

Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N 35 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 783,562 km²
Land: 769,632 km²
Water: 13,930 km²
Rank: 38
Comparative: slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 2,816 km
Border countries: (8) Armenia 311 km; Azerbaijan 17 km; Bulgaria 223 km; Georgia 273 km; Greece 192 km; Iran 534 km; Iraq 367 km; Syria 899 km

Coastline: 7,200 km

Maritime claims
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

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

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

Elevation
Mean elevation: 1132 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m: highest point: Mount Ararat 5,137 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 49.7%
Forest: 14.9%
Other: 35.4%

Irrigated land: 52,150 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: severe earthquakes especially in northern Turkey along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van; landslides; flooding
Volcanism: limited volcanic activity; its three historically active volcanoes; Ararat Nemrut Dagi and Tendurek Dagi have not erupted since the 19th century or earlier

Geography
Note: strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus Sea of Marmara Dardanelles) that link the Black and Aegean Seas; the 3% of Turkish territory north of the Straits lies in Europe and goes by the names of European Turkey Eastern Thrace or Turkish Thrace; the 97% of the country in Asia is referred to as Anatolia; Mount Ararat the legendary landing place of Noah's ark is in the far eastern portion of the country


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Population
Distribution: the most densely populated area is found around the Bosporus in the northwest where 20% of the population lives in Istanbul; with the exception of Ankara urban centers remain small and scattered throughout the interior of Anatolia; an overall pattern of peripheral development exists particularly along the Aegean Sea coast in the west and the Tigris and Euphrates River systems in the southeast: 80,845,215 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 18
Growth rate: 0.52% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 158

Nationality
Noun: Turk
Adjective: Turkish

Ethnic groups: Turkish 70-75% Kurdish 19% other minorities 7-12% (2016 est.)

Languages: Turkish (official) Kurdish other minority languages

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.68%
15-24 years: 15.99%
25-54 years: 43.21%
55-64 years: 8.58%
65 years and over: 7.53% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.1
Youth dependency ratio: 38.4
Elderly dependency ratio: 11.7
Potential support ratio: 8.5

Median age
Total: 30.9 years
Male: 30.5 years
Female: 31.4 years
Rank: 110

Population growth rate: 0.52% (2017 est.)
Rank: 158

Birth rate: 15.7 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 119

Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 165

Net migration rate: -4.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 187

Population distribution: the most densely populated area is found around the Bosporus in the northwest where 20% of the population lives in Istanbul; with the exception of Ankara urban centers remain small and scattered throughout the interior of Anatolia; an overall pattern of peripheral development exists particularly along the Aegean Sea coast in the west and the Tigris and Euphrates River systems in the southeast

Urbanization
Urban population: 74.4% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.54% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: Istanbul 14.164 million; ANKARA (capital) 4.75 million; Izmir 3.04 million; Bursa 1.923 million; Adana 1.83 million; Gaziantep 1.528 million (2015)

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
International agreements party to: Air Pollution Antarctic Treaty Biodiversity Climate Change Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 22.3 years (2010 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 17.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 18.8 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 16.3 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 91

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75 years
Male: 72.7 years
Female: 77.5 years
Rank: 113

Total fertility rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 118

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 73.5% (2013)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.75 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 2.5 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 32.1% (2016)
Rank: 17

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1.9% (2013)
Rank: 123

Education expenditures: 4.8% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 142

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95.6%
Male: 98.6%
Female: 92.6%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 17 years
Female: 16 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Turkey
Conventional short form: Turkey
Local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti
Local short form: Turkiye
Etymology: the name means 'Land of the Turks'

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Ankara
Geographic coordinates: 39 56 N 32 52 E
Time difference: UTC+2

Administrative divisions: 81 provinces (iller singular - ili); 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 (Smyrna) 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 (Trebizond) Tunceli Usak Van Yalova Yozgat Zonguldak

Dependent areas

Independence: 29 October 1923 (republic proclaimed succeeding the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Republic Day 29 October (1923)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest ratified 9 November 1982
Amendments: proposed by written consent of at least one-third of Grand National Assembly members; adoption of draft amendments requires two debates in plenary GNA session and three-fifths majority vote of all GNA members; the president of the republic can request GNA reconsideration of the amendment and if readopted by two-thirds majority GNA vote the president may submit the amendment to a referendum; passage by referendum requires absolute majority vote; amended several times last in 2017 (2017)

Legal system: civil law system based on various European legal systems notably the Swiss civil code

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Turkey
Dual citizenship recognized: yes but requires prior permission from the government
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN
Head of government: Prime Minister Binali YILDIRIM ; Deputy Prime Ministers Nurettin CANIKLI (since 24 May 2016) Veysi KAYNAK (since 24 May 2016) Mehmet SIMSEK (since 24 November 2015) Tugrul TURKES (since 29 August 2014) Numan KURTULMUS (since 29 August 2014)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term ; prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament; note - a 2007 constitutional amendment changed the presidential electoral process to direct popular vote; prime minister appointed by the president from among members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey
Election results: Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN elected president; Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN 51.8% Ekmeleddin IHSANOGLU (independent) 38.4% Selahattin DEMIRTAS (HDP) 9.8%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi ; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 1 November 2015
Election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 49.5% CHP 25.3% MHP 11.9% HDP 10.8% other 2.5%; seats by party - AKP 317 CHP 134 HDP 59 MHP 40 ; note - only parties surpassing the 10% threshold can win parliamentary seats

Judicial branch
Highest court: Constitutional Court or Anayasa Mahkemesi ; Court of Cassation (consists of about 390 judges and is organized into civil and penal chambers); Council of State (organized into 15 divisions - 14 judicial and 1 consultative - each with a division head and at least 5 members)
Judge selection and term of office: Constitutional Court members - 3 appointed by the Grand National Assembly and 14 by the president of the republic from among candidates nominated by the plenary assemblies of the high courts the Higher Education Council and from among senior government administrators lawyers judges and prosecutors and Constitutional Court rapporteurs; court president and 2 deputy presidents appointed from among its members for 4-year terms; judges appointed for 12-year nonrenewable terms with mandatory retirement at age 65; Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Supreme Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors (SCJP) a 22-member body of judicial officials; Court of Cassation judges appointed until retirement at age 65; Council of State members appointed by the SCJP and by the president of the republic; members appointed for renewable 4-year terms
Subordinate courts: regional appeals courts; basic courts peace courts; military courts; state security courts; specialized courts including administrative and audit

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products

Industries

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force

Unemployment rate

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports

Imports

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Imports rank: 7
Proven reserves: 18.49 billion m³ (1 January 2017 es)
Proven reserves rank: 77

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 319 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 20

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 11,077,559
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14
Fixed lines rank: 19
Mobile cellular total: 75,061,699
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 94
Mobile cellular rank: 21

Telephone system
General assessment: comprehensive telecommunications network undergoing rapid modernization and expansion especially in mobile-cellular services
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; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 105 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 90; international service is provided by the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable and by submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas that link Turkey with Italy Greece Israel Bulgaria Romania and Russia; satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat; mobile satellite terminals - 328 in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems

Broadcast media: Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) operates multiple TV and radio networks and stations; multiple privately owned national television stations and up to 300 private regional and local television stations; multi-channel cable TV subscriptions available; more than 1000 private radio broadcast stations (2009)

Internet
Country code: .tr
Users total: 46,838,412
Users percent of population: 58.3%
Users rank: 19

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 35

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 21-41 years of age for male compulsory military service (in case of mobilization up to 65 years of age); 18 years of age for voluntary service; 12-month conscript obligation for non-university graduates 6-12 months for university graduates (graduates of higher education may perform 6 months of military service as short-term privates or 12 months as reserve officers); conscripts are called to register at age 20 for service at 21; women serve in the Turkish Armed Forces only as officers; reserve obligation to age 41; Turkish citizens with a residence or work permit who have worked abroad for at least 3 years (1095 days) can be exempt from military service in exchange for 6,000 EUR or its equivalent in foreign currencies; a law passed in December 2014 introduced a one-time payment scheme which exempted Turkish citizens 27 and older from conscription in exchange for a payment of $8,150 (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 15
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 531
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 96,604,665
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 2,882 million mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: TC (2016)

Airports: 98 (2013)
Rank: 58
With paved runways total: 91
With paved runways over 3047 m: 16
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 38
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 17
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 16
With paved runways under 914 m: 4
With unpaved runways total: 7
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2

Heliports: 20 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 12,603 km; oil 3,038 km (2016)

Railways
Total: 12,008 km
Standard gauge: 12,008 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 20

Roadways
Total: 385,754 km
Paved: 352,268 km
Unpaved: 33,486 km
Rank: 19

Waterways: 1200 km (2010)
Rank: 59

Merchant marine
Total: 629
By type: bulk carrier 102 cargo 281 chemical tanker 80 container 42 liquefied gas 6 passenger 2 passenger/cargo 60 petroleum tanker 25 refrigerated cargo 1 roll on/roll off 29 specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: 1
Registered in other countries: 645 (2010)
Rank: 19

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Aliaga Ambarli Diliskelesi Eregli Izmir Kocaeli Mersin (Icel) Limani Yarimca
Container port: Ambarli (3,062,000) Mersin (Icel) (1,428,000) (2015)
LNG terminal: Izmir Aliaga Marmara Ereglisi


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Disputes international: complex maritime air and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq; in 2009 Swiss mediators facilitated an accord reestablishing diplomatic ties between Armenia and Turkey but neither side has ratified the agreement and the rapprochement effort has faltered; Turkish authorities have complained that blasting from quarries in Armenia might be damaging the medieval ruins of Ani on the other side of the Arpacay valley

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 3,285,533 (Syria); 145,000 (Afghanistan); 140,000 (Iraq); 32,000 (Iran) (2017)
IDPs: 1.108 million (2016)
Stateless persons: 780

Illicit drugs
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons: key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and to a lesser extent the US - via air land and sea routes; major Turkish and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin exist in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and over output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls