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

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Background: Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the 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 leadership, the country adopted radical 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 Democrat Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of formal 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. A coup attempt was made in July 2016 by a faction of the Turkish Armed Forces.


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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

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: 0 m
Note: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea

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% (2011 est.)
Forest: 14.9% (2011 est.)
Other: 35.4% (2011 est.)

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; floodingvolcanism: 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: 81,257,239 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 18
Growth rate: 0.49% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 155
Below poverty line: 21.9% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Turk(s)
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: 24.26% (male 10,085,558 /female 9,627,967)
15-24 years: 15.88% (male 6,589,039 /female 6,311,113)
25-54 years: 43.26% (male 17,798,864 /female 17,349,228)
55-64 years: 8.82% (male 3,557,329 /female 3,606,120)
65 years and over: 7.79% (male 2,825,738 /female 3,506,283) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.1 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 38.4 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 11.7 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 8.5 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 31.4 years
Male: 30.9 years
Female: 31.9 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 110

Population growth rate: 0.49% (2018 est.)
Rank: 155

Birth rate: 15.4 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 119

Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 165

Net migration rate: -4.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 185

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: 75.1% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.04% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 14.751 million Istanbul, 4.919 million ANKARA (capital), 2.937 million Izmir, 1.916 million Bursa, 1.73 million Adana, 1.632 million Gaziantep (2018)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; land degradation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic; conservation of biodiversity
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(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

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

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 16.9 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 18.1 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 15.7 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 92

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.3 years (2018 est.)
Male: 72.9 years (2018 est.)
Female: 77.7 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 109

Total fertility rate: 2 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 118

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 73.5% (2013)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.75 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 2.7 beds/1000 population (2013)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 1.7% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 14.5% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 5.1% of population (2015 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: 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: 113

Education expenditures: 4.4% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 99

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Total population: 95.6% (2015 est.)
Male: 98.6% (2015 est.)
Female: 92.6% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years (2013)
Male: 17 years (2013)
Female: 16 years (2013)

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

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 (2018)
Amendments: proposed by written consent of at least one-third of Grand National Assembly (GNA) 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 (2018)

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 (since 10 August 2014); Vice President Fuat OKTAY (since 9 July 2018)
Head of government: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 10 August 2014); note - a 2017 constitutional referendum eliminated the post of prime minister after the 2018 general election
Cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, appointed by the president (until the next parliamentary or presidential election following the April 2017 referendum)
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second 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 last held on 24 June 2018 (next to be held in June 2022)
Election results: Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN reelected president in the first round; Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (AKP) 52.6%, Muharrem INCE (CHP) 30.6%, Salahattin DIMIRTAS (HDP) 8.4%, Meral AKSENER (IYI) 7.3%, other 1.1%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (600 seats - increased from 560 seats beginning with June 2018 election; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms - increased from 4 to 5 years beginning with June 2018 election)
Elections: last held on 24 June 2018 (next to be held on June 2023)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Peoples Alliance (AKP and MHP) 53.7%, National Alliance (CHP, SP, IVI) 33.9%, HDP 11.7%, other 0.7%; seats by party - Peoples Alliance 344, National Alliance 189, HDP 67; composition - men 496, women 104, percent of women 17.3%; note - only parties surpassing a 10% threshold can win parliamentary seats

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Constitutional Court or Anayasa Mahkemesi (consists of the president, 2 vice presidents, and 12 judges); 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 12 by the president of the republic; court president and 2 deputy court presidents appointed from among its members for 4-year terms; judges serve 12-year, nonrenewable terms with mandatory retirement at age 65; Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Board of Judges and Prosecutors, a 13-member body of judicial officials; Court of Cassation judges seve until retirement at age 65; Council of State members appointed by the Board and by the president of the republic; members serve renewable, 4-year terms
Subordinate courts: regional appeals courts; basic (first instance) courts; peace courts; military courts; state security courts; specialized courts, including administrative and audit; note - a constitutional amendment in 2017 abolished military courts unless established to investigate military personnel actions during war conditions

Political parties and leaders: Democrat Party or DP [Gultekin UYSAL]Democratic Left Party or DSP [Onder AKSAKAL]Felicity Party or SP [Temel KARAMOLLAOGLU]Good Party or IYI [Meral AKSENER]Grand Unity Party or BBP [Mustafa DESTICI]Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]Nationalist Movement Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]Patriotic Party or VP [Dogu PERINCEK]People's Democratic Party or HDP [Selahattin DEMIRTAS and Serpil KEMALBAY]; note - DEMIRTAS was detained by Turkish authorities in November 2016 over his alleged links to the PKKRepublican People's Party or CHP [Kemal KILICDAROGLU]True Path Party or DYP [Cetin OZACIRGOZ]

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN (observer), CICA, CPLP (associate observer), D-8, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (candidate country), FAO, FATF, G-20, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club (associate), PCA, PIF (partner), SCO (dialogue member), SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Serdar KILIC (since 21 May 2014)
In the us chancery: 2,525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 612-6,700
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 612-6,744
In the us consulate: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge dAffairs Philip KOSNETT (since 16 October 2017)
From the us embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 6,100 Ankara
From the us mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5,000, APO AE 9,823
From the us telephone: [90] (312) 455-5,555
From the us FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019
From the us consulate:

Flag description: red with a vertical white crescent moon (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening; the flag colors and designs closely resemble those on the banner of the Ottoman Empire, which preceded modern-day Turkey; the crescent moon and star serve as insignia for Turkic peoples; according to one interpretation, the flag represents the reflection of the moon and a star in a pool of blood of Turkish warriors

National symbols: star and crescent; national colors: red, white

National anthem
Name: Istiklal Marsi (Independence March)
Lyricsmusic: Mehmet Akif ERSOY/Zeki UNGOR: note: lyrics adopted 1921, music adopted 1932; the anthem's original music was adopted in 1924; a new composition was agreed upon in 1932

National heritage


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Economy overview: Turkey's largely free-market economy is driven by its industry and, increasingly, service sectors, although its traditional agriculture sector still accounts for about 25% of employment. The automotive, petrochemical, and electronics industries have risen in importance and surpassed the traditional textiles and clothing sectors within Turkey's export mix. However, the recent period of political stability and economic dynamism has given way to domestic uncertainty and security concerns, which are generating financial market volatility and weighing on Turkey’s economic outlook.Current government policies emphasize populist spending measures and credit breaks, while implementation of structural economic reforms has slowed. The government is playing a more active role in some strategic sectors and has used economic institutions and regulators to target political opponents, undermining private sector confidence in the judicial system. Between July 2016 and March 2017, three credit ratings agencies downgraded Turkey’s sovereign credit ratings, citing concerns about the rule of law and the pace of economic reforms.Turkey remains highly dependent on imported oil and gas but is pursuing energy relationships with a broader set of international partners and taking steps to increase use of domestic energy sources including renewables, nuclear, and coal. The joint Turkish-Azerbaijani Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline is moving forward to increase transport of Caspian gas to Turkey and Europe, and when completed will help diversify Turkey's sources of imported gas.After Turkey experienced a severe financial crisis in 2001, Ankara adopted financial and fiscal reforms as part of an IMF program. The reforms strengthened the country's economic fundamentals and ushered in an era of strong growth, averaging more than 6% annually until 2008. An aggressive privatization program also reduced state involvement in basic industry, banking, transport, power generation, and communication. Global economic conditions and tighter fiscal policy caused GDP to contract in 2009, but Turkey's well-regulated financial markets and banking system helped the country weather the global financial crisis, and GDP growth rebounded to around 9% in 2010 and 2011, as exports and investment recovered following the crisis.The growth of Turkish GDP since 2016 has revealed the persistent underlying imbalances in the Turkish economy. In particular, Turkey’s large current account deficit means it must rely on external investment inflows to finance growth, leaving the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence. Other troublesome trends include rising unemployment and inflation, which increased in 2017, given the Turkish lira’s continuing depreciation against the dollar. Although government debt remains low at about 30% of GDP, bank and corporate borrowing has almost tripled as a percent of GDP during the past decade, outpacing its emerging-market peers and prompting investor concerns about its long-term sustainability.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 13

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 16

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 77

Gross national saving:
Rank: 57

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 59.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 14.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 29.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 24.9% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -29.4% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 32.3% (2017 est.)
Services: 60.7% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, hazelnuts, pulses, citrus; livestock

Industries: textiles, food processing, automobiles, electronics, mining (coal, chromate, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper

Industrial production growth rate: 9.1% (2017 est.)
Rank: 18

Labor force:
Rank: 19
By occupation agriculture: 18.4%
By occupation industry: 26.6%
By occupation services: 54.9% (2016)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 147

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 21.9% (2015 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 30.3% (2008)
Highest 10: 30.3% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 65

Budget
Revenues: 172.8 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 185.8 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -1.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 91

Taxes and other revenues: 20.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 151

Public debt:
Rank: 169

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 204

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 79

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 33

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 33

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 33

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 23

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 36

Current account balance:
Rank: 202

Exports:
Rank: 30
Partners: Germany 9.6%, UK 6.1%, UAE 5.9%, Iraq 5.8%, US 5.5%, Italy 5.4%, France 4.2%, Spain 4% (2017)
Commodities: apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment

Imports:
Rank: 22
Commodities: machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment
Partners: China 10%, Germany 9.1%, Russia 8.4%, US 5.1%, Italy 4.8% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 24

Debt external:
Rank: 26

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 35

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 45

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 261.9 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 16
Consumption: 231.1 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 18
Exports: 1.442 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 49
Imports: 6.33 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 31
Installed generating capacity: 78.5 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 15
Generation sources fossil fuels: 53% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 144
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 199
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 33% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 64
Generation sources other renewable sources: 14% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 64

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 245,000 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 32
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 208
Crude oil imports: 521,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 17
Crude oil proven reserves: 341.6 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 51

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 657,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 27
Products consumption: 989,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 21
Products exports: 141,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 37
Products imports: 560,000 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 16

Natural gas
Production: 368.1 million m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 75
Consumption: 53.6 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 15
Exports: 622.9 million m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 42
Imports: 55.13 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 6
Proven reserves: 5.097 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 92

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 379.5 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 17

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 11,308,444 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 17
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 77,800,170 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 96 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 21

Telephone system
General assessment: comprehensive telecommunications network undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially in mobile-cellular services (2016)
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 (2016)
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 (2016)

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 1,000 private radio broadcast stations (2009)

Internet
Country code: .tr
Users total: 46,838,412 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 58.3% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 15

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 11,924,905 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 15 (2017 est.)
Rank: 15


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 63

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
Home based Islamic State of Iraq and ashSham:
Home based Revolutionary Peoples Liberation PartyFront:
Foreign based alNusrah Front:
Foreign based alQaida:
Foreign based Kurdistan Workers Party:


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 15 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 531 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 96,604,665 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 2,882,162,000
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: TC (2016)

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

Heliports: 20 (2013)

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

Railways
Total: 12,008 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 12,008 km
Note: 1.435-m gauge (3,216 km electrified) (2014)
Rank: 21

Roadways
Total: 385,754 km (2012)
Paved: 352,268 km
Note: (includes 2,127 km of expressways) (2012)
Unpaved: 33,486 km (2012)
Rank: 19

Waterways: 1200 km (2010)
Rank: 60

Merchant marine
Total: 1285 (2017)
By type: bulk carrier 78, container ship 50, general cargo 432, oil tanker 121, other 604 (2017)
Rank: 22

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Aliaga, Ambarli, Diliskelesi, Eregli, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Mersin (Icel), Limani, Yarimca
Container port: Ambarli (2,803,133), Mersin (Icel) (1,453,000) (2016)
LNG terminal: Izmir Aliaga, Marmara Ereglisi


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Disputes international: complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Seastatus of north Cyprus question remainsTurkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraqin 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 falteredTurkish 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: 3,622,366 (Syria), 170,000 (Afghanistan), 142,000 (Iraq), 39,000 (Iran), 5,700 (Somalia) (2018)
IDPs: 1.113 million (displaced from 1984-2005 because of fighting between the Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs are Kurds from eastern and southeastern provinces; no information available on persons displaced by development projects) (2017)
Stateless persons: 117 (2017)

Illicit drugs: 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