Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." Under his leadership, the country adopted radical social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democrat Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of formal political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. A coup attempt was made in July 2016 by a faction of the Turkish Armed Forces.

Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization, has long dominated the attention of Turkish security forces and claimed more than 40,000 lives. In 2013, the Turkish Government and the PKK conducted negotiations aimed at ending the violence, however intense fighting resumed in 2015. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1963, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; it began accession talks with the EU in 2005. Over the past decade, economic reforms, coupled with some political reforms, have contributed to a growing economy, although economic growth slowed in recent years.

From 2015 and continuing through 2016, Turkey witnessed an uptick in terrorist violence, including major attacks in Ankara, Istanbul, and throughout the predominantly Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey. On 15 July 2016, elements of the Turkish Armed forces attempted a coup that ultimately failed following widespread popular resistance. More than 240 people were killed and over 2,000 injured when Turkish citizens took to the streets en masse to confront the coup forces. In response, Turkish Government authorities arrested, suspended, or dismissed more than 100,000 security personnel, journalists, judges, academics, and civil servants due to their alleged connection with the attempted coup. The government accused followers of an Islamic transnational religious and social movement for allegedly instigating the failed coup and designates the followers as terrorists. Following the failed coup, the Turkish Government instituted a State of Emergency in July 2016 that has been extended to July 2017. The Turkish Government conducted a referendum on 16 April 2017 that will, when implemented, change Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system.

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

39 00 N, 35 00 E

Middle East

slightly larger than Texas

7,200 km

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

high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges

highest point: Mount Ararat 5,137 m

coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower

arable land 26.7%; permanent crops 4%; permanent pasture 19%

52,150 sq km (2012)

the most densely populated area is found around the Bosporus in the northwest where 20% of the population lives in Istanbul; with the exception of Ankara, urban centers remain small and scattered throughout the interior of Anatolia; an overall pattern of peripheral development exists, particularly along the Aegean Sea coast in the west, and the Tigris and Euphrates River systems in the southeast

severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van; landslides; flooding

water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic

strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link the Black and Aegean Seas; the 3% of Turkish territory north of the Straits lies in Europe and goes by the names of European Turkey, Eastern Thrace, or Turkish Thrace; the 97% of the country in Asia is referred to as Anatolia; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country

80,845,215 (July 2017 est.)

Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 19%, other minorities 7-12% (2016 est.)

Turkish (official), Kurdish, other minority languages

Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)

0.52% (2017 est.)

15.7 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

6 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

-4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

the most densely populated area is found around the Bosporus in the northwest where 20% of the population lives in Istanbul; with the exception of Ankara, urban centers remain small and scattered throughout the interior of Anatolia; an overall pattern of peripheral development exists, particularly along the Aegean Sea coast in the west, and the Tigris and Euphrates River systems in the southeast

Istanbul 14.164 million; ANKARA (capital) 4.75 million; Izmir 3.04 million; Bursa 1.923 million; Adana 1.83 million; Gaziantep 1.528 million (2015)

22.3 years (2010 est.)

16 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2.01 children born/woman (2017 est.)

73.5% (2013)

5.4% of GDP (2014)

1.75 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

2.5 beds/1,000 population (2011)

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 98.3% of population

rural: 85.5% of population

total: 94.9% of population

urban: 1.7% of population

rural: 14.5% of population

total: 5.1% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

NA

32.1% (2016)

1.9% (2013)

4.8% of GDP (2013)

parliamentary republic

81 provinces (iller, singular - ili); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir (Smyrna), Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon (Trebizond), Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak

29 October 1923 (republic proclaimed succeeding the Ottoman Empire)

Republic Day, 29 October (1923)

civil law system based on various European legal systems, notably the Swiss civil code

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

Democrat Party or DP [Gultekin UYSAL]

Democratic Left Party or DSP [Onder AKSAKAL]

Felicity Party or SP [Temel KARAMOLLAOGLU]

Grand Unity Party or BBP [Mustafa DESTICI]

Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]

Nationalist Movement Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]

Patriotic Party or VP [Dogu PERINCEK]

People's Democratic Party or HDP [Selahattin DEMIRTAS and Serpil KEMALBAY]; note - DEMIRTAS was detained by Turkish authorities in November 2016 over his alleged links to the PKK

Republican People's Party or CHP [Kemal KILICDAROGLU]

True Path Party or DYP [Cetin OZACIRGOZ]

Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Lami OZGEN, Saziye KOSE]

Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Kani BEKO]

Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Nail OLPAK]

Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Mahmut ARSLAN]

Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations or TISK [Kudret ONEN]

Turkish Confederation of Labor Unions or Turk-Is [Ergun ATALAY]

Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Bendevi PALANDOKEN]

Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Erol BILECIK]

Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]

ADB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN (observer), CICA, CPLP (associate observer), D-8, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (candidate country), FAO, FATF, G-20, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club (associate), PCA, PIF (partner), SCO (dialogue member), SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

red with a vertical white crescent moon (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening; the flag colors and designs closely resemble those on the banner of the Ottoman Empire, which preceded modern-day Turkey; the crescent moon and star serve as insignia for Turkic peoples; according to one interpretation, the flag represents the reflection of the moon and a star in a pool of blood of Turkish warriors

star and crescent; national colors: red, white

Turkey's largely free-market economy is driven by its industry and, increasingly, service sectors, although its traditional agriculture sector still accounts for about 25% of employment. The automotive, petrochemical, and electronics industries have risen in importance and surpassed the traditional textiles and clothing sectors within Turkey's export mix. However, the recent period of political stability and economic dynamism has given way to domestic uncertainty and security concerns, which are generating financial market volatility and weighing on Turkey’s economic outlook.

Current government policies emphasize populist spending measures and credit breaks, while implementation of structural economic reforms has slowed. The government is playing a more active role in some strategic sectors and has used economic institutions and regulators to target political opponents, undermining private sector confidence in the judicial system. Between July 2016 and March 2017, three credit ratings agencies downgraded Turkey’s sovereign credit ratings, citing concerns about the rule of law and the pace of economic reforms.

Turkey remains highly dependent on imported oil and gas but is pursuing energy relationships with a broader set of international partners and taking steps to increase use of domestic energy sources including renewables, nuclear, and coal. The joint Turkish-Azerbaijani Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline is moving forward to increase transport of Caspian gas to Turkey and Europe, and when completed will help diversify Turkey's sources of imported gas.

After Turkey experienced a severe financial crisis in 2001, Ankara adopted financial and fiscal reforms as part of an IMF program. The reforms strengthened the country's economic fundamentals and ushered in an era of strong growth averaging more than 6% annually until 2008. An aggressive privatization program also reduced state involvement in basic industry, banking, transport, power generation, and communication. Global economic conditions and tighter fiscal policy caused GDP to contract in 2009, but Turkey's well-regulated financial markets and banking system helped the country weather the global financial crisis, and GDP growth rebounded to around 9% in 2010 and 2011, as exports and investment recovered following the crisis.

Since 2014, productivity and growth has slowed to reveal persistent underlying imbalances in the Turkish economy. In particular, Turkey’s low domestic savings and large current account deficit means it must rely on external investment inflows to finance growth, leaving the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence. The economy contracted in the third quarter of 2016 for the first time since 2009, in part due to a sharp decline in the tourism sector, and growth is likely to remain below potential in 2017. Other troublesome trends include rising unemployment and elevated inflation, which is likely to increase in 2017 given the Turkish lira’s recent depreciation against the dollar. Although government debt remains low at about 32% of GDP, bank and corporate borrowing has almost tripled as a percent of GDP during the past decade, outpacing its emerging-market peers and prompting investor concerns about its long-term sustainability.

$1.994 trillion (2016 est.)

$1.908 trillion (2015 est.)

$1.78 trillion (2014 est.)

$863.4 billion (2016 est.)

3.2% (2016 est.)

6.1% (2015 est.)

5.2% (2014 est.)

$25,000 (2016 est.)

$24,500 (2015 est.)

$23,400 (2014 est.)

24.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

24.8% of GDP (2015 est.)

24.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, hazelnuts, pulses, citrus; livestock

textiles, food processing, automobiles, electronics, mining (coal, chromate, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper

5.2% (2016 est.)

30.55 million

10.9% (2016 est.)

10.3% (2015 est.)

21.9% (2015 est.)

40.2 (2010)

43.6 (2003)

21.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

-1.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

29.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

29.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

7.8% (2016 est.)

7.7% (2015 est.)

5.25% (31 December 2011)

15% (22 December 2009)

14.74% (31 December 2016 est.)

13.67% (31 December 2015 est.)

$108.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$107.1 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$399.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$408.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$549.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$581.8 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$188.9 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$219.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$195.7 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$-32.61 billion (2016 est.)

$-32.12 billion (2015 est.)

$150.2 billion (2016 est.)

$152 billion (2015 est.)

apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment

Germany 9.8%, UK 8.2%, Iraq 5.4%, Italy 5.3%, US 4.7%, France 4.2% (2016)

$191 billion (2016 est.)

$200.1 billion (2015 est.)

machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment

China 12.8%, Germany 10.8%, Russia 7.6%, US 5.5%, Italy 5.2% (2016)

$106.1 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$110.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$404.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$397.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$133.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$150.1 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$38.31 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$35.15 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Turkish liras (TRY) per US dollar -

3.0201 (2016 est.)

3.0201 (2015 est.)

2.72 (2014 est.)

2.1885 (2013 est.)

1.8 (2012 est.)

245.8 billion kWh (2015 est.)

213.2 billion kWh (2015 est.)

1.442 billion kWh (2016 est.)

6.4 billion kWh (2016 est.)

73.15 million kW (2015 est.)

56.8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

35.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

11.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

49,500 bbl/day (2016 est.)

0 bbl/day (2016 est.)

506,300 bbl/day (2016 est.)

388.5 million bbl (1 January 2017 es)

618,300 bbl/day (2016 est.)

943,700 bbl/day (2016 est.)

134,900 bbl/day (2016 est.)

527,700 bbl/day (2016 est.)

381 million cu m (2015 est.)

81.35 billion cu m (2015 est.)

624 million cu m (2015 est.)

48.43 billion cu m (2015 est.)

18.49 billion cu m (1 January 2017 es)

319 million Mt (2013 est.)

Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) operates multiple TV and radio networks and stations; multiple privately owned national television stations and up to 300 private regional and local television stations; multi-channel cable TV subscriptions available; more than 1,000 private radio broadcast stations (2009)

.tr

TC (2016)

98 (2013)

20 (2013)

gas 12,603 km; oil 3,038 km (2016)

1,200 km (2010)

1.73% of GDP (2016)

1.85% of GDP (2015)

1.9% of GDP (2014)

1.96% of GDP (2013)

2.05% of GDP (2012)

Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Turkish Land Forces (Turk Kara Kuvvetleri), Turkish Naval Forces (Turk Deniz Kuvvetleri; includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Forces (Turk Hava Kuvvetleri) (2013)

21-41 years of age for male compulsory military service (in case of mobilization, up to 65 years of age); 18 years of age for voluntary service; 12-month conscript obligation for non-university graduates, 6-12 months for university graduates (graduates of higher education may perform 6 months of military service as short-term privates, or 12 months as reserve officers); conscripts are called to register at age 20, for service at 21; women serve in the Turkish Armed Forces only as officers; reserve obligation to age 41; Turkish citizens with a residence or work permit who have worked abroad for at least 3 years (1095 days) can be exempt from military service in exchange for 6,000 EUR or its equivalent in foreign currencies; a law passed in December 2014 introduced a one-time payment scheme which exempted Turkish citizens 27 and older from conscription in exchange for a payment of $8,150 (2013)

the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has actively pursued the goal of asserting civilian control over the military since first taking power in 2002; the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) role in internal security has been significantly reduced; the TSK leadership continues to be an influential institution within Turkey, but plays a much smaller role in politics; the Turkish military remains focused on the threats emanating from the Syrian civil war, Russia's actions in Ukraine, and the PKK insurgency; primary domestic threats are listed as fundamentalism (with the definition in some dispute with the civilian government), separatism (Kurdish discontent), and the extreme left wing; Ankara strongly opposed establishment of an autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq; an overhaul of the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) taking place under the "Force 2014" program is to produce 20-30% smaller, more highly trained forces characterized by greater mobility and firepower and capable of joint and combined operations; the TLFC has taken on increasing international peacekeeping responsibilities including in Afghanistan; the Turkish Navy is a regional naval power that wants to develop the capability to project power beyond Turkey's coastal waters; the Navy is heavily involved in NATO, multinational, and UN operations; its roles include control of territorial waters and security for sea lines of communications; the Turkish Air Force adopted an "Aerospace and Missile Defense Concept" in 2002 and has initiated project work on an integrated missile defense system; Air Force priorities include attaining a modern deployable, survivable, and sustainable force structure, and establishing a sustainable command and control system; Turkey is a NATO ally and hosts NATO's Land Forces Command in Izmir, as well as the AN/TPY-2 radar as part of NATO Missile Defense (2014)

complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq; in 2009, Swiss mediators facilitated an accord reestablishing diplomatic ties between Armenia and Turkey, but neither side has ratified the agreement and the rapprochement effort has faltered; Turkish authorities have complained that blasting from quarries in Armenia might be damaging the medieval ruins of Ani, on the other side of the Arpacay valley

key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and, to a lesser extent, the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin exist in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and over output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls