Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire by reformer and national hero Mustafa KEMAL, known as Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." One-party rule ended in 1950, and periods of instability and military coups have since fractured the multiparty democracy, in 1960, 1971, 1980, 1997, and 2016. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and NATO in 1952. In 1963, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; it began accession talks with the EU in 2005.
- Capital
- Ankara
- Government
- presidential republic
- Population
- 84,625,585
- Area
- 783,562 sq km
- Location
- Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, bet…
- Climate
- temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
- Natural resources
- coal; iron ore; copper; chromium; antimony; mercury…
- Languages
- Turkish (official); Kurdish; other minority languages
- Religions
- Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni); other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
- Independence
- 29 October 1923 (republic proclaimed, succeeding the Ottoman Empire)
- Administrative divisions
- 81 provinces (iller, singular - ili); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan,…
- Currency
- Turkish liras (TRY)
- Export partners
- Germany 9%; USA 6%; UK 6%; UAE 5%…
- Import partners
- China 13%; Russia 9%; Germany 9%; Switzerland 6%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain