TURKEY

Government Type

republican parliamentary democracy

Capital

Ankara

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

Area

total: 780,580 sq km
land: 770,760 sq km
water: 9,820 sq km

Boundaries

total: 2,648 km
border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km

Administrative Divisions

81 provinces (iller, singular - il); 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

Major Language

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

Major Religion

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

Population

71,158,647 (July 2007 est.)

Ethnic groups

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Population Growth Rate

1.04% (2007 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 years: 24.9% (male 9,034,731/female 8,703,624)
15-64 years: 68.1% (male 24,627,270/female 23,857,507)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 2,253,383/female 2,682,132) (2007 est.)

Unemployment Rate

10.2% plus underemployment of 4% (2006 est.)

Inflation Rate

9.8% (2006 est.)

GDP Per Capita

$8,900 (2006 est.)

Main Exports

apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment

Monetary Unit

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

UN exchange rate: 1 USD = 1.32  SKK (June 2007)

Press

Current Weather

Turkey