Background: Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire by reformer and national hero Mustafa KEMAL, known as Ataturk or 'Father of the Turks.' One-party rule ended in 1950, and periods of instability and military coups have since fractured the multiparty democracy, in 1960, 1971, 1980, 1997, and 2016. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and NATO in 1952. In 1963, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; it began accession talks with the EU in 2005. 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. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization, began a separatist insurgency in Turkey in 1984, and the struggle has long dominated the attention of Turkish security forces. In 2013, the Turkish Government and the PKK conducted negotiations aimed at ending the violence, but intense fighting resumed in 2015. The Turkish Government conducted a referendum in 2017 in which voters approved constitutional amendments changing Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system.

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

Land boundaries
Total: 2,816 km
Border countries (8): (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
Exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed on with the former USSR
Note: 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
Highest point: Mount Ararat 5,137 m
Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 1,132 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 50.1% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 26.3% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 4.8% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 19% (2023 est.)
Forest: 29.3% (2023 est.)
Other: 20.5% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 52,150 km² (2022)

Major rivers: Euphrates river source (shared with Syria, Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris river source (shared with Syria, Iran, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

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; the 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; Istanbul, which straddles the Bosporus, is the only metropolis in the world located on two continents; Mount Ararat, reputed to be the landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far-eastern part of the country

Population
Total: 84,119,531 (2024 est.)
Male: 42,247,430
Female: 41,872,101
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
Growth rate: 0.61% (2024 est.)

Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, other minority languages
Major-language sample(s): ; The World Factbook, temel bilgi edinmek için vazgeçilmez bir kaynak. (Turkish); ڕاستییەکانی جیهان، باشترین سەرچاوەیە بۆ زانیارییە بنەڕەتییەکان (Kurdish); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 21.7% (male 9,358,711/female 8,933,673)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 29,219,389/female 28,494,315)
65 years and over: 9.6% (2024 est.) (male 3,669,330/female 4,444,113)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45.8 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 31.7 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 14.1 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 7.1 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 34 years (2024 est.)
Male: 33.4 years
Female: 34.6 years

Population growth rate: 0.61% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 13.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

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: 77.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 15.848 million Istanbul, 5.397 million ANKARA (capital), 3.088 million Izmir, 2.086 million Bursa, 1.836 million Adana, 1.805 million Gaziantep (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 15 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 18.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 19.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 16.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.7 years (2024 est.)
Male: 74.4 years
Female: 79.2 years

Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 2.7% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 4% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 3% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 1.3% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1.5% (2018 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 8.5% (2024 est.); 9.4% (2023 est.); 10.5% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Ankara
Geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name probably derives from the Indo-European root word ang, meaning 'bend' and relating to the settlement's original location in a winding gorge; the city was referred to as Angora by the 13th century; the name was officially modified to Ankara in 1923 when the Republic of Turkey was founded

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

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

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 28 August 2014)
Head of government: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 9 July 2018)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)
Most recent election date: 14 May 2023, with a runoff on 28 May 2023
2023: Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN reelected president in second round - Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (AKP) 52.2%, Kemal KILICDAROGLU (CHP) 47.8%
2018: Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN reelected president in first round - Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (AKP) 52.6%, Muharrem INCE (CHP) 30.6%, Selahattin DEMIRTAS (HDP) 8.4%, Meral AKSENER (IYI) 7.3%, other 1.1%
Expected date of next election: 2,028

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi (T.B.M.M))
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 600 (all directly elected)
Electoral system: proportional representation
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 5 years
Most recent election date: 5/14/2023
Parties elected and seats per party: Justice and Development Party (Ak Party) (267); Republican People's Party (CHP) (130); Green and the Left Party of the Future (YSGP) (57); Nationalist Action Party (MHP) (50); Good Party (İyi Party) (44); Other (52)
Percentage of women in chamber: 19.9%
Expected date of next election: May 2,028

Flag description: red with a vertical white crescent moon and five-pointed white star centered just outside the crescent's opening

National anthem
Title: 'Istiklal Marsi' (The March of Independence)
Lyrics/music: Mehmet Akif ERSOY/Zeki UNGOR
History: lyrics adopted 1921, music adopted 1932; the anthem's original music was adopted in 1924

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 22 (20 cultural, 2 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 3.2% (2024 est.); 5.1% (2023 est.); 5.5% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 3.2% (2024 est.); 5.1% (2023 est.); 5.5% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 59.4% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 14.7% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 31% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: -5.5% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 28% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -27.8% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5.6% (2024 est.)
Industry: 25.9% (2024 est.)
Services: 56.8% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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

Industrial production growth rate: 2.2% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 36.081 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 8.5% (2024 est.); 9.4% (2023 est.); 10.5% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 8.5% (2024 est.); 9.4% (2023 est.); 10.5% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $330.21 billion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $382.998 billion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 18.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $372.756 billion (2024 est.); $357.588 billion (2023 est.); $346.602 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: garments, cars, gold, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $367.022 billion (2024 est.); $386.602 billion (2023 est.); $383.7 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: gold, refined petroleum, cars, plastics, natural gas (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 106.281 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 285.177 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 1.993 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 5.892 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 28.964 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 57.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 6.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 10.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 19.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 2.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 2.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 82.534 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 124.183 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 685,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 41.119 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 10.975 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 83,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 1.107 million bbl/day (2024 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 366 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 807.281 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 50.211 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 896.281 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 50.484 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 3.794 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 399.173 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 155.26 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 147.211 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 96.703 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 70.521 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 9.926 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 92.2 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 106 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 87% (2024 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 19.6 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 2.3% of GDP (2025 est.); 2.1% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.4% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.6% of GDP (2021 est.)

Airports: 116 (2025)

Heliports: 240 (2025)

Railways
Total: 11,497 km (2018)
Standard gauge: 11,497 km (2018) 1.435-m gauge (1.435 km high speed train)

Merchant marine
Total: 1,170 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 43, container ship 43, general cargo 223, oil tanker 134, other 727