Geography People Communications Transportation Related Articles   Geography Location: southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 35 00 E   Map references: Middle East   Area: total: 780,580 sq km land: 770,760 sq km water: 9,820 sq km   Area - comparative: slightly larger than Texas   Land boundaries: total: 2,627 km border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 331 km, Syria 822 km   Coastline: 7,200 km   Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea   Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior   Terrain: mostly mountains; narrow coastal plain; high central plateau (Anatolia)   Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m   Natural resources: antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron ore, arable land, hydropower   Land use: arable land: 32% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 16% forests and woodland: 26% other: 22% (1993 est.)   Irrigated land: 36,740 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van Environment - current issues: water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Environmental Modification Geography - note: strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas   [back to top]

Background: Turkey was created in 1923 from the Turkish remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Soon thereafter the country instituted secular laws to replace traditional religious fiats. In 1945 Turkey joined the UN and in 1949 it became a member of NATO. Turkey occupied the northern portion of Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island; relations between the two countries remain strained. Periodic military offensives against Kurdish terrorists have dislocated part of the population in southeast Turkey and have drawn international condemnation. People Population: 65,666,677 (July 2000 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 29% (male 9,722,217; female 9,375,920) 15-64 years: 65% (male 21,671,638; female 20,966,110) 65 years and over: 6% (male 1,811,599; female 2,119,193) (2000 est.) Population growth rate: 1.27% (2000 est.) Birth rate: 18.65 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death rate: 5.96 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2000 est.) Infant mortality rate: 48.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.97 years male: 68.63 years female: 73.41 years (2000 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.16 children born/woman (2000 est.) Nationality: noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish Ethnic groups: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%   Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (Christian and Jews) Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82.3% male: 91.7% female: 72.4% (1995 est.)   [back to top] Communications Telephones - main lines in use: 17.244 million (1998) Telephones - mobile cellular: 3.2 million (1998) Telephone system: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially cellular telephones domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile cellular telephone service is growing rapidly international: international service is provided by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia, by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 72, shortwave 6 (1998) Radios: 11.3 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 69 (plus 476 low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 20.9 million (1997) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 24 (1999)   [back to top] Transportation Railways: total: 8,607 km standard gauge: 8,607 km 1.435-m gauge (1,524 km electrified) (1999) Highways: total: 382,397 km paved: 95,599 km (including 1,726 km of expressways) unpaved: 286,798 km (1999 est.) Waterways: about 1,200 km Pipelines: crude oil 1,738 km; petroleum products 2,321 km; natural gas 708 km Ports and harbors: Gemlik, Hopa, Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Icel (Mersin), Samsun, Trabzon Merchant marine: total: 547 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,935,173 GRT/9,771,421 DWT ships by type: bulk 155, cargo 244, chemical tanker 37, combination bulk 5, combination ore/oil 6, container 20, liquified gas 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 35, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off 22, short-sea passenger 9, specialized tanker 5 (1999 est.) Airports: 118 (1999 est.) Airports - with paved runways: total: 82 over 3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 5 (1999 est.) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 26 (1999 est.) Heliports: 2 (1999 est.)