Turkey

Turkey

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Türkiye Cumhuriyeti/Republic of Turkey Area 779,500 sq km/300,964 sq mi Capital Ankara Language Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic Religion Sunni Muslim 99%; Orthodox, Armenian churches Time difference GMT +2 Major holidays 1 January, 23 April, 19 May, 30 August, 29 October; variable: Eid-ul-Adha (4 days), end of Ramadan (3 days)


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Istanbul, Izmir, Adana, Bursa, Gaziantep, Konya, Mersin, Antalya Major ports Istanbul and Izmir Physical features central plateau surrounded by mountains, partly in Europe (Thrace) and partly in Asia (Anatolia); Bosporus and Dardanelles; Mount Ararat (highest peak Great Ararat, 5,137 m/16,854 ft); Taurus Mountains in southwest (highest peak Kaldi Dag, 3,734 m/12,255 ft); sources of rivers Euphrates and Tigris in east Airports six international airports and 15 other domestic airports; total passengers carried: 10.7 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 10,992 km/6,787 mi; total passenger journeys: 110 million (1998) Roads total road network: 354,421 km/220,226 mi, of which 41.6% paved (2002 est); passenger cars: 90.2 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Ahmet Necdet Sezer from 2000 Head of government Recep Erdogan from 2003 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions 80 provinces Political parties Motherland Party (ANAP), Islamic, nationalist, right of centre; Republican People's Party (CHP), left of centre; True Path Party (DYP), right of centre, pro-Western; Virtue Party (FP), Islamic fundamentalist Death penalty abolished in 2004 Armed forces 514,900; plus 378,700 reservists and paramilitary forces of 102,200 (2006 est) Conscription 15 months Defence spend (% GDP) 3.2 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 3.6 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 5.4 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency new Turkish lira GDP (US$) 363.3 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 5 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 342.2 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 8,420 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 10.2% (2006 est) Unemployment 10.2% (2005 est) Labour force 29.5% agriculture, 24.7% industry, 45.8% services (2005) Foreign debt (US$) 170.6 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Germany, UK, Russia, USA, Italy, China, France, Iraq, EU25 Resources chromium, copper, mercury, antimony, borax, coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, salt Industries textiles, food processing, petroleum refining, coal, iron and steel, industrial chemicals, tourism Exports textiles and clothing, motor vehicles and parts, metals, mechanical machimery and equipment, leather, agricultural products and foodstuffs (including figs, nuts, and dried fruit). Principal market: Germany 12.9% (2005) Imports chemicals and products, crude petroleum and natural gas, metals, motor vehicles, consumer goods, mechanical machinery and equipment, fertilizer, livestock. Principal source: Germany 11.7% (2005) Arable land 29.8% (2006 est) Agricultural products barley, wheat, maize, sunflower and other oilseeds, sugar beet, potatoes, tea (world's fifth-largest producer), olives, fruits, tobacco


POPULATION

Population 74,174,900 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1.3% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 95 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 67 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 29%, 15–59 63%, 60+ 8% (2005 est) Ethnic groups over 90% of the population are Turks, although only about 5% are of Turkic or Western Mongoloid descent; most are descended from earlier conquerors, such as the Greeks; about 8% Kurds Life expectancy 68 (men); 72 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 32 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 94% (men); 79% (women) (2004 est) est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 12.4 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 2.6 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) <0.1 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 96 (urban); 87 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 25.9 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 59.6 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 487 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 537 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 5.1 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 21.9 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1st century BC Asia Minor became part of Roman Empire, later passing to Byzantine Empire. 6th century AD Turkic peoples spread from Mongolia into Turkestan, where they adopted Islam. 1055 Seljuk Turks captured Baghdad; their leader Tughrul took the title of sultan. 1071 Battle of Manzikert: Seljuk Turks defeated Byzantines and conquered Asia Minor. 13th century Ottoman Turks, driven west by Mongols, became vassals of Seljuk Turks. c. 1299 Osman I founded small Ottoman kingdom, which quickly displaced Seljuks to include all Asia Minor. 1354 Ottoman Turks captured Gallipoli and began their conquests in Europe. 1389 Battle of Kossovo: Turks defeated Serbs to take control of most of Balkan peninsula. 1453 Constantinople, capital of Byzantine Empire, fell to the Turks; became capital of Ottoman Empire as Istanbul. 16th century Ottoman Empire reached its zenith under Suleiman the Magnificent 1520–66; Turks conquered Egypt, Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Tripoli, Cyprus, and most of Hungary. 1683 Failure of Siege of Vienna marked the start of the decline of the Ottoman Empire. 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz: Turks forced out of Hungary by Austrians. 1774 Treaty of Kuchuk Kainarji: Russia drove Turks from Crimea and won the right to intervene on behalf of Christian subjects of the sultan. 19th century ‘The Eastern Question’: Ottoman weakness caused intense rivalry between powers to shape future of Near East. 1821–29 Greek war of independence: Greeks defeated Turks with help of Russia, Britain, and France. 1854–56 Crimean War: Britain and France fought to defend Ottoman Empire from further pressure by Russians. 1877–78 Russo-Turkish War ended with Treaty of Berlin and withdrawal of Turks from Bulgaria. 1908 Young Turk revolution forced sultan to grant constitution; start of political modernization. 1911–12 Italo-Turkish War: Turkey lost Tripoli (Libya). 1912–13 Balkan War: Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria expelled Turks from Macedonia and Albania. 1914 Ottoman Empire entered World War I on German side. 1919 Following Turkish defeat, Mustapha Kemal launched nationalist revolt to resist foreign encroachments. 1920 Treaty of Sèvres partitioned Ottoman Empire, leaving no part of Turkey fully independent. 1922 Kemal, having defied Allies, expelled Greeks, French, and Italians from Asia Minor; sultanate abolished. 1923 Treaty of Lausanne recognized Turkish independence; secular republic established by Kemal, who imposed rapid Westernization. 1935 Kemal adopted surname Atatürk (‘Father of the Turks’). 1938 Death of Kemal Atatürk; succeeded as president by Ismet Inönü. 1950 First free elections won by opposition Democratic Party; Adnan Menderes became prime minister. 1952 Turkey became a member of NATO. 1960 Military coup led by Gen Cemal Gürsel deposed Menderes, who was executed in 1961. 1961 Inönü returned as prime minister; politics dominated by the issue of Cyprus. 1965 Justice Party came to power under Suleyman Demirel. 1971–73 Prompted by strikes and student unrest, the army imposed military rule. 1974 Turkey invaded northern Cyprus. 1980–83 Political violence led to further military rule. 1984 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) began guerrilla war in quest for greater autonomy. 1989 Application to join European Community rejected. 1990–91 Turkey joined UN coalition against Iraq in Gulf War. 1995 Turkish offensives against Kurdish bases in northern Iraq; Islamicist Welfare Party won largest number of seats in general election. 1997 Plans agreed for curbing Muslim fundamentalism. Mesut Yilmaz appointed prime minister. Agreement reached with Greece on peaceful resolution of disputes. 1998 Islamic Welfare Party (RP) banned by Constitutional Court; regrouped as Virtue Party (FP). 1999 Bülent Ecevit became prime minister. Ecevit's ruling centre-left party won majority of seats in general election. Turkey suffered two devastating earthquakes, causing extensive loss of life and structural damage. At European Union (EU) summit, Turkey declared EU candidate; to become full member would first have to settle territorial dispute with Greece and satisfy EU human rights regulations. 2000 Ahmet Necdet Sezer inaugurated as president. He urged reform to push Turkey closer to EU membership; overruled decree that allowed government to dismiss bureaucrats deemed too pro-Kurdish or insufficiently secular. 2001 Stock market crash significantly devalued lira. 2002 Islamist-based Justice and Development Party (AK) won elections with landslide; Abdullah Gul appointed prime minister. 2003 Suicide bombings at two synagogues in Istanbul; at least 25 killed and over 300 injured. Suicide bombers also targeted British consulate and local headquarters of UK-based bank HSBC; 30 people (including British consul) killed and over 450 injured. Islamic extremists with links to al-Qaeda blamed. 2004 Death penalty banned; move welcomed by EU. State television broadcast first Kurdish-language programme. Four Kurdish activists released from prison. Turkey hosted NATO summit. Car bomb attack in town of Van killed three people; government blamed PKK; PKK denied involvement. Tougher measures to prevent torture and violence against women approved by parliament; proposed criminalization of adultery dropped. 2005 New lira currency introduced, stripping six zeroes from old lira. Six people killed in bomb attack in the east. Explosion in resort town of Kusadasi killed four; PKK blamed. After intense bargaining, EU membership negotiations began. Multi-billion-dollar Blue Stream pipeline opened in port of Samsun; Russian gas carried under Black Sea to Turkey. 2006 Clashes between Kurdish rebels and security forces led to at least 26 deaths. Gunman opened fire in country's highest court; prominent judge killed and four injured; thousands took to streets to protest at suspected Islamic fundamentalist act. Parliament introduced new, harsher anti-terror law; EU worried by new law and human rights groups criticized it. Bombers belonging to shadowy rebel group, Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAC), targeted resorts and Istanbul. Turkey failed to open ports and airports to Cypriot traffic; EU decided to partially freeze membership talks. 2007 Armenian community leader and journalist Hrant Dink assassinated; provoked outrage in Armenia and Turkey. Supporters of secularism demonstrated in Ankara; tens of thousands called on Prime Minister Erdogan to refrain from running for president due to his Islamist background; he decided not to stand. Ruling AK Party put forward Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as candidate. Tension along border with Iraq mounted amid fears Turkey might launch offensive against Kurdish rebels. Parliamentary elections won by AK Party; Abdullah Gul elected president.


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