Country Facts - Turkey

The People

Nationality

Turk(s)

Ethnic Composition

Turkish	80%
Kurdish	20%

Religious Composition

Muslim (primarily Sunni)	99.8%
Other	0.2%

Languages Spoken

Turkish (official), Kurdish, and Arabic

Education and Literacy

The literacy rate is 85 percent. Though education is compulsory and free for children aged 6 to 14, only two-thirds of school-aged children receive an education. Among males the literacy rate is 94 percent, among females it is 77 percent.

Labor Force

Total: 23.8 million (2001 3rd quarter)
By occupation:

Agriculture	39.7%
Services	37.9%
Industry	22.4%

(2001 3rd quarter)
Note: There are approximately 1.2 million Turks work abroad.

Geography

Land Mass Total

301,383 sq mi (780,580 sq km)

Land

297,592 sq mi (770,760 sq km)

Water

3,791 sq mi (9,820 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 1,632 mi (2,627 km)

Border countries: Armenia 166 mi (268 km), Azerbaijan 5.5 mi (9 km), Bulgaria
149 mi (240 km), Georgia 156 mi (252 km), Greece 128 mi (206 km), Iran 310 mi (499 km), Iraq 205 mi (331 km), Syria 510 mi (822 km)

Coastline

4,473 mi (7,200 km)

Maritime claim

Exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former U.S.S.R.
Territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea

Climate/Weather

Temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior.

Terrain

Mostly mountains; narrow coastal plain; high central plateau (Anatolia).

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Mediterranean Sea 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Mount Ararat 16,948 ft (5,166 m)

Natural Resources

Antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron ore, arable land, hydropower

Land use

Arable land	35%
Permanent crops	3%
Other	62%

(1998)

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.

Geography Note

Strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country.

Demographics

Population

67,308,928 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	27.8%	Male: 9,520,030	Female: 9,178,423
15-64 years:	65.9%	Male: 22,552,253	Female: 21,827,002
65 years and over:	6.3%	Male: 1,946,523	Female: 2,284,697

(2002))

Growth Rate

1.2% (2002)

Life Expectancy

71.52 years (2002)
Female: 74.01 years
Male: 69.15 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$6,700 (2001)

Infant Mortality

45.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

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

(2002)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that in 2001 still accounted for 40% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The most important industry - and largest exporter - is textiles and clothing, which is almost entirely in private hands. In recent years the economic situation has been marked by erratic economic growth and serious imbalances. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6 percent in most years, but this strong expansion was interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. Meanwhile the public sector fiscal deficit has regularly exceeded 10 percent of GDP - due in large part to the huge burden of interest payments, which in 2001 accounted for more than 50 percent of central government spending - while inflation has remained in the high double-digit range. Perhaps because of these problems, foreign direct investment in Turkey remains low - less than $1 billion annually. In late 2000 and early 2001 a growing trade deficit and serious weaknesses in the banking sector plunged the economy into crisis - forcing Ankara to float the lira and pushing the country into recession. GDP in 2001 actually contracted (-7.4%). Prospects for 2002 proved much better due to strong financial support from the IMF, tighter fiscal policy, a major bank restructuring program, and the enactment of numerous other economic reforms. GDP growth bounced back and is expected to be 3.6 percent in 2003 and over 4 percent in 2004. The budget presented in March of 2003 predicts an additional US$5 billion on government revenue collections. Turkey is still aspiring to E.U. membership but has yet to be give a firm date for accession.

Unemployment

10.6% (plus underemployment of 6.1%) (2001 4th quarter)

Inflation Rate

69% (2001)

Industries

Textiles, food processing, autos, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper

Exports

US$33.8 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$39.7 billion (c.i.f., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$443 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

Germany 17.4%, US 10.2%, Italy 7.5%, UK 7.0%, France 6.1% (2001)

Top Import Partners

Germany 13.3%, Italy 8.6%, Russia 8.4%, US 8.1%, France 5.7%, UK 4.5% (2001)

Top Exports

Apparel 24.8%, foodstuffs 12.8%, textiles 12.7%, metal manufactures 8.8%, transport equipment 8.5% (2000)

Top Imports

Machinery 25.4%, chemicals 13.4%, semi-finished goods 13.7%, fuels 14.0%, transport equipment 12.4% (2000)

Debt - external

US$118.8 billion (September 2001)

Economic aid

ODA, $195 million (1993)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8:30a.m. to 12:30p.m., and 1:30p.m. to 5:30p.m.	Closed
Retail	9:30a.m. to 7p.m. Some shops in tourist areas close around midnight.	Saturday 9:30a.m. to 7p.m.
Banks	8:30a.m. to noon, and 1:30p.m. to 5p.m.	Closed Saturday and Sunday except in tourist areas, where they are open daily.
Government	8:30a.m. to 12:30p.m., and 1:30p.m. to 5:30p.m.	Closed

Note: Offices open and close one to two hours earlier during the hot summer months. Businesses also make allowances for Muslim prayer throughout the day and some may be closed for brief periods. Bazaars and shops, including the covered Bazaar in Istanbul, are closed on the first day of the three-day Seker and four-day Kurban religious holidays..

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Festival of Sacrifice (Kurban Bayram, Eid Al Adha)¹	February 12	February 2	January 21
National Sovereignty	April 23	April 23	April 23
Labor Day	May 1	May 1	May 1
Ataturk Commemoration	May 19	May 19	May 19
Republic Day	July 25	July 25	July 25
Victory Day	August 30	August 30	August 30
Independence Movement Day	September 3	September 3	September 3
Republic Day	October 29	October 29	October 29
Start of Ramadan²	October 27	October 15	October 4
End of Ramadan (Ramazan, Eid Al Fitr)³	November 26	November 14	November 3

¹	Culmination of the Hajj or Holy Pilgrimage.
²	Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country, depending on the first appearance of the moon.
³	Feasting that officially marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for three days.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press