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HIV/AIDS - deaths:

Nationality:

noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish

Ethnic groups:

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Religions:

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

Languages:

Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 95.3% female: 79.6% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 11 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4% of GDP (2004)

Government
Turkey

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Turkey conventional short form: Turkey local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti local short form: Turkiye

Government type:

republican parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Ankara geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

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, Icel (Mersin), Igdir,
Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir (Smyrna), 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 (Trebizond),
Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak

Independence:

29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 29 October (1923)

Constitution:

7 November 1982

Legal system:

civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Abdullah GUL (since 28 August 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 14 March 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Cemil CICEK (since 29 August 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Hayati YAZICI (since 29 August 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Nazim EKREN (since 29 August 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by the National Assembly for one seven-year terms; prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament election results: Abdullah GUL received 339 votes in the third round of voting on 28 August 2007, after failing to garner the two thirds vote required by law in the first two rounds note: president-elect must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third ballot

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) elections: last held on 22 July 2007 (next to be held on November 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 46.7%, CHP 20.8%, MHP 14.3%, independents 5.2%, and other 13.0%; seats by party - AKP 341, CHP 112, MHP 71, independents 26; note - seats by party as of 17 December 2007 - AKP 340, CHP 87, MHP 70, DTP 20, DSP 13, independents 6, other 12, vacant 2 (DTP entered parliament as independents; DSP entered parliament on CHP's party list); only parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court

Political parties and leaders:

Anavatan Partisi (Motherland Party) or Anavatan [Erkan MUMCU];
Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic Society
Party or DTP [Nurettin DEMIRTAS]; Felicity Party or SP [Recai KUTAN]
(sometimes translated as Contentment Party); Justice and Development
Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP
[Devlet BAHCELI] (sometimes translated as Nationalist Movement
Party); People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP [Yasar
Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL];
Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True
Path Party or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] (sometimes translated as Correct Way
Party); Young Party or GP [Cem Cengiz UZAN]
note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of
the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Ismail Hakki TOMBUL];
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 Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Tugurl
KUDATGOBILIK]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih
KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK
[Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's
Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union of Chambers of
Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN
(observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA,
UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 612-6700 FAX: (202) 612-6744 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ross WILSON embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823 telephone: (312) 455-5555 FAX: (312) 467-0019 consulate(s) general: Istanbul consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir

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

Economy
Turkey

Economy - overview:

Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still accounts for more than 35% 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 electronics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. 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. The economy is turning around with the implementation of economic reforms, and 2004 GDP growth reached 9%, followed by roughly 5% annual growth from 2005-07. Inflation fell to 7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low - but climbed back to 8.5% in 2007. Despite the strong economic gains from 2002-07, which were largely due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still burdened by a high current account deficit and high external debt. Further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost foreign direct investment. The stock value of FDI currently stands at about $85 billion. Privatization sales are currently approaching $21 billion. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006, marking a major milestone that will bring up to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. In 2007, Turkish financial markets weathered significant domestic political turmoil, including turbulence sparked by controversy over the selection of former Foreign Minister Abdullah GUL as Turkey's 11th president. Economic fundamentals are sound, marked by strong economic growth and foreign direct investment. Turkey's high current account deficit leaves the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence, however.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$853.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$663.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$12,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.9% industry: 28.3% services: 62.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

23.53 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 35.9% industry: 22.8% services: 41.2% (3rd quarter, 2004)

Unemployment rate:

9.9% plus underemployment of 4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

20% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 34.1% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

43.6 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $145.5 billion expenditures: $156.1 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

38.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

25% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$64.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$254.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$358.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock

Industries:

textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper

Industrial production growth rate:

5.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

181.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

141.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.576 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

863 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 79.3% hydro: 20.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

42,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

676,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

114,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

714,100 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

300 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

893 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

36.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

31 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

35.83 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$37.58 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$115.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment

Exports - partners:

Germany 11.2%, UK 8.1%, Italy 7%, France 5.6%, Russia 4.4%, Spain 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$162 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment

Imports - partners:

Russia 13.8%, Germany 10.3%, China 7.8%, Italy 5.9%, US 4.8%, France 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $464 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$76.51 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$247.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$106.4 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$11.35 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$162.4 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Turkish lira (TRY); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January 2005

Currency code: