| 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 (or Asia Minor) |
| AREA |
814 578 square kilometers (314 500 square miles)
% 3 on the European continent
% 97 on the Asian continent |
| CAPITAL |
ANKARA |
| POPULATION |
67.8 million (as of 2002) |
| LITERACY RATE |
1935 % 19.25
2001 % 86.60 |
MAJOR CITIES
(as of 2002) |
Istanbul 10 million
Ankara 4 million
Izmir 3.4 million
Bursa 2.1 million
Konya 2.2 million
Adana 1.8 million |
| LANGUAGE |
Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet) |
| CURRENCY |
Turkish Lira |
| 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 |
Red background with a white crescent and star in the middle. |
| 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 80 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 Ýstanbul: Ayasofya, Topkapý 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.
Ýstanbul, 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 2001) |
Agriculture: 12.9 %
Industry : 25.3 %
Services : 61.8 % |
| 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 ready to wear clothing production. The exports of this
sector constitute 37 percent of total industrial exports.
The leather processing industry is also very developed in
Turkey both in terms of technological level and high 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 the most famous and finest pure
silk carpets of the world are produced in the small town
of Hereke, 60 km east of Ýstanbul.
Turkey is Europe's third largest ceramic producer. |
| OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION |
| TIME |
Local time is equal to GMT + 2 hours. Same time zone all over
the country(seven hours ahead of U.S. -eastern standard time-) |
| ELECTRICITY |
220 volts a.c. all over Turkey |
| WEIGHTS AND MEASURES |
Metric and Kilo system |
| WEB SITES FOR MORE INFORMATION |
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) |
