WHERE ASIA MEETS EUROPE... Name: Republic of Turkey Extension: Approximately 780 thousand sq. kms
Approximately 1,600 kms East to West; 650 kms North to South Population: 67.84 million (October 2000 National Census) Capital: Ankara Language: Turkish Religion: 99% Muslim
1% Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Protestans and other. Turkey is a secular state where religious and state affairs are separated. National Anthem: Istiklal Marsi (“The Independence Hymn”) National Flag: White crescent moon and a star on a red background. Historical Outline: 1299: Establishment of the Ottoman Empire
1922: Fall of the Ottoman Empire
1923: Proclamation of the Republic of Turkey on October 29
First President: Mustafa Kemal ATATURK POLITICS Form of Government: Republic, parliament, democrat
Established on October 29, 1923, by Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK, founder of modern Turkey
Turkey has been holding freely contested multi-party elections since 1946. Head of State: President Ahmet Necdet SEZER (seven-year term, elected on 16 May 2000) Legislature: Unicameral system (550 seats / five-year term)
Last general elections held on November 3, 2002 Government: Justice and Development Party (AKP), absolute majority government Prime Minister: Recep Tayyip Erdogan (March 11, 2003) Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs: Abdullah Gul (March 11, 2003) ECONOMY Gross National Product: $489,7 billion (2002 forecast) (Purchasing Power Parity) Currency: Turkish Lira (TL) Per Capita Annual Income: Approximately $ 7,300 (Purchasing Power Parity) SOME OTHER FACTS ABOUT TURKEY • In terms of population, Turkey is the second largest country in Europe (after Germany), with 70 million people. In 2020, it is projected to be the most populous European country, with a population of 83 million.
• Four million Turks live abroad. Of that number, almost 2.5 million live in Germany.
• Geographically, Turkey straddles two continents, Europe in the west and Asia in the east.
• The two continents are divided by the Istanbul and Dardanelles straits, which are located in Turkey.
• Turkey is unique in being on the one hand Balkan and European, and on the other, Middle Eastern, Caucasian and Asian. It is also as much a Black Sea country as it is an Aegean and Mediterranean one.
• Another unique aspect of Turkey is the fact that it is the only democratic, secular country among the Muslim nations of the Middle East.
• In addition to being a pioneering country in the Islamic world, Turkey has also become fully integrated into Europe since 1923, when the Republic was established. She is a member of almost all European/European-related institutions, such as the Council of Europe, OSCE, NATO, OECD. Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union since 1963 and a candidate for full membership in the Union since 1999.
• Turkey has the second biggest Army in NATO after the United States.
• Turkey also entertains relations of strategic cooperation with the United States.
• Turkey lies in close proximity to 70 percent of the world's proven energy resources and is a prospective regional centre for storage and distribution of oil and natural gas.
• Turkey is among the world's 20 largest economies and she is a member of the Group of 20 countries.
• The Turkish economy has been identified as being one of the 10 significant emerging markets by U.S. sources.
• Turkey is a prominent producer and exporter of many commodities. Here are some examples:
• Turkey is the leading cement producer in Europe and the seventh-ranked producer in the world.
• Turkey is the second-ranked producer of glass-made items in Europe and fourth-ranked producer in the world.
• Turkey has 40% of the world marble reserves.
• Turkey is the second-ranked exporter of jewelry in the world.
• Turkey is the world's leading supplier of processed leather.
• Turkey is the second-ranked supplier of textiles and garments to the EU.
• Turkey is the fifth-ranked carpet exporter in Europe.
• Turkey is the sixth-ranked cotton producer in the world.
• Turkey is the world's principal supplier of hazelnuts, chickpeas, fresh and dried figs, and apricots.
• Turkey is the second-ranked supplier of cherry and watermelon in the world.
• Turkey is the second-ranked producer of pine tree honey in the world.
• Turkey is the second-ranked supplier of red lentils in the world.
• Turkey is the third-ranked producer of tomatoes and second-ranked producer of tomato paste in the world.
• Turkey is the third-ranked producer of olives and fourth-ranked producer and exporter of olive oil in the world.
The lands of Turkey are located at a point where the three continents making up the old world. Asia, Africa and Europe are closest to each other, and straddle the point where Europe and Asia meet. Geographically, the country is located in the northern half of the hemisphere at a point that is about halfway between the equator and the north pole, at a longitude of 36 degrees N to 42 degrees N and a latitude of 26 degrees E to 45 degrees E. Turkey is roughly rectangular in shape and is 1,660 kilometers wide.
Because of its geographical location the mainland of Anatolia has always found favour throughout history, and is the birthplace of many great civilizations. It has also been prominent as a centre of commerce because of its land connections to three continents and the sea surrounding it on three sides.
Area
The actual area of Turkey inclusive of its lakes, is 814,578 square kilometres, of which 790,200 are in Asia and 24,378 are located in Europe.
Boundaries
The land borders of Turkey are 2,573 kilometres in total, and coastlines (including islands) are another 8,333 kilometres, Turkey has two European and six Asian countries for neighbours along its land borders.
The land border to the northeast with the commonwealth of Independent States is 610 kilometres long; that with Iran, 454 kilometres long, and that with Iraq 331 kilometres long. In the south is the 877 kilometre-long border with Syria, which took its present form in 1939, when the Republic of Hatay joined Turkey. Turkey's borders on the European continent consist of a 212-kilometre frontier with Greece and a 269-kilometre border with Bulgaria. Turkey is generally divided into seven regions: the Black Sea region, the Marmara region, the Aegean, the Mediterranean, Central Anatolia, the East and Southeast Anatolia regions. The uneven north Anatolian terrain running along the Black Sea resembles a narrow but long belt. The land of this region is approximately 1/6 of Turkey's total land area.
The Marmara region covers the area encircling the Sea of Marmara, includes the entire European part of Turkey, as well as the northwest of the Anatolian plain. Whilst the region is the smallest of the regions of Turkey after the Southeast Anatolia region, it has the highest population density of all the regions.
The most important peak in the region is Uludag (2,543 metres), at the same time it is a major winter sports and tourist centre. In the Anatolian part of the region there are fertile plains running from east to west.
The Aegean region extends from the Aegean coast to the inner parts of western Anatolia. There are significant differences between the coastal areas and those inland, in terms of both geographical features and economic and social aspects.
In general, the mountains in the region fall perpendicularly into the sea. and the plains run from east to west. The plains through which Gediz, Kücük Menderes and Bakircay rivers flow carry the same names as these rivers.
In the Mediterranean region , located in the south of Turkey, the western and central Taurus Mountains suddenly rise up behind the coastline. The Amanos mountain range is also in the area.
The Central Anatolian region is exactly in the middle of Turkey and gives the appearance of being less mountainous compared with the other regions. The main peaks of the region are Karadag, Karacadag, Hasandag and Erciyes (3.917 metres).
The Eastern Anatolia region is Turkey's largest and highest region. About three fourths of it is at an altitude of 1,500-2,000 metres. Eastern Anatolia is composed of individual mountains as well as of whole mountain ranges, with vast plateaus and plains. The mountains: There are numerous inactive volcanoes in the region, including Nemrut, Suphan, Tendurek and Turkey's highest peak, Mount Agri (Ararat), which is 5,165 metres high.
At the same time, several plains extended along the course of the River Murat, a tributary of the Firat (Euphrates). These are the plains of Malazgirt, Mus, Capakcur, Uluova and Malatya.
The Southeast Anatolia region is notable for the uniformity of its landscape, although the eastern part of the region is comparatively more uneven than its western areas.
Coastlines
Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, by the Black Sea in the north, the Mediterranean in the south and the Aegean Sea in the west. In the northwest there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, important waterways that connect the Black Sea with the rest of the world.
Because the mountains in the Black Sea region run parallel to the coastline, the coasts are fairly smooth, without too many indentations or projections. The length of the Black Sea coastline in Turkey is 1,595 kilometres, and the salinity of the sea is 17%. The Mediterranean coastline runs for 1,577 kilometres and here too the mountain ranges are parallel to the coastline.
