TURKEY IN BRIEF
Official Name: The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti)
Founder: Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK (1881-1938)
Location: Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two continents: Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia (Asia Minor).
Neigbouring Countries: Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast.
Area: 814 578 square kilometers (314 500 square miles), % 3 on the European continent, % 97 on the Asian continent.
Capital City: Ankara
Poplulation: 71.5 million (as of 2008)
Major Cities: (as of 2007)
Istanbul 12.6 million, Ankara 4.5 million, Izmir 3.8 million, Bursa 2.5 million, Konya 2.0 million, Adana 2.0 million, Antalya 1.8 million
Language: Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet)
Currency: Turkish Lira (1 USD = 1.5 TL, 1 Euro = 2.2 TL, as of November 2009)
Religion: % 99 of the population is Muslim. Turkey is the only country among Islamic countries, which has included secularism in her Constitution and guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.
Flag:
National Anthem
"Istiklal Marsi" (Independence March)
Lyrics by: Mehmet Akif Ersoy
Adopted as Turkey's National Anthem on March 12, 1921
Government
Turkey is democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; committed to the nationalism of Atatürk and based on the principle of the separation of powers;
Legislative power: The Turkish Grand National Assembly
Executive power: President and the Council of Ministers
Judicial power: Independent courts and supreme judiciary organs
Education System
Primary Education: Eight years; includes the education of children in the 6-14 age-group. Compulsory for all male and female citizens.
Secondary Education: Consists of general and vocational-technical high schools that offer at least three years of education.
Higher Education: Includes all educational institutions where an educational programme of at least two years over and above secondary education is implemented. These educate students at associate's, bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree levels.
Primary and secondary education is free of charge in public schools. Higher education institutions, however, charge a certain minimal tuition fee.
Coastline
8333 Km. (5000 miles). 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 theWest. In the northwest there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.
Geographical Regions
Turkey has 81 administrative provinces and seven geographical regions. The first four of the seven regions are given the names the seas which are adjacent to them: Black Sea Region, Marmara Region, Aegean Region, Mediterranean Region
The other three regions are named in accordance with their location in the whole of Anatolia.: Central Anatolia Region, Eastern Anatolia Region, Southeastern Anatolia Region.
Famous Landmarks
In Istanbul: Ayasofya, Topkapı Palace, Blue Mosque, Dolmabahçe Palace, Kariye Museum.
Elsewhere in Turkey: Ancient City of Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale, Göreme-Cappadocia, Mt.Nemrut, Safranbolu, Mevlevi Convent and Museum, Halil Rahman Mosque in Þanlý Urfa.
Istanbul, Safranbolu, Boðazköy-Hattushash, Mt. Nemrut Remains, Xanthos-Lethoon, Divriði Great Mosque and Hospital, Troy, Pamukkale and Göreme-Cappadocia are registered on the World Heritage List to help preserve them for future generations.
Composition of GNP (as of 2007)
Agriculture: 8.9 %, Industry : 30.8 %, Services : 59.3 %
GDP per capita (as of 2008): 10479 USD
Time: Local time is GMT + 2 hours.
Electricity: 220 volts a.c. all over Turkey
Weights and Measures: Metric system
Some Important Products
As of 2000, Turkey has the first place in the world in terms of hard-shell nuts, fig and apricot production, fourth in fresh vegetables, grape and tobacco production and seventh in wheat and cotton production. Turkish delight and helva are famous throughout the world.
Turkey is among the leading countries in the world in textiles and cothing production. The leather processing industry is also very developed in Turkey both in terms of technological level and production capacity and comes after textiles in terms of export figures.
High-quality handmade Turkish carpets are also one of the main export items of Turkey. Turkey is Europe's third largest ceramic producer.
Web Sites for More Info:
www.mfa.gov.tr (Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
www.turizm.gov.tr (Turkish Ministry of Tourism)
www.kultur.gov.tr (Turkish Ministry of Culture)
About Turkey
Mustafa Kemal University
Foreign Relations Office