Turkey
Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Republic of Turkey | |
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Coat of arms
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| Motto: Peace in the Homeland, Peace in the World (Turkish: Yurtta Barış, Dünyada Barış) | |
| Anthem: İstiklâl Marşı | |
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| Capital | Ankara |
| Largest city | Istanbul |
| Official languages | Turkish |
| Government | Republic |
| Formation | |
• Water (%) | 1.3 |
| Population | |
• 2005 estimate | 69,660,559 (17th) |
• 2000 census | N/A |
| GDP (PPP) | 2004 estimate |
• Total | $508,700 Billion (17th) |
• Per capita | $7,400 (65th) |
| Currency | New Turkish Lira (YTL) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Calling code | 90 |
| Internet TLD | .tr |
The Republic of Turkey or Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), is a bicontinental country that is located in the heart of civilisations, Anatolia. Its strategic location extends from the Middle East (Southwest Asia) to Southeast Europe. The Anatolian peninsula comprises most (97%) of its territory, and is situated between the Black Sea on the north and the Mediterranean Sea to south and west, with the Aegean Sea (and Marmara Sea) in between. 3% of the country's territory is situated in southeastern Europe, west of the Bosphorus straits.
Because of its position straddling the continents of Europe and Asia and surrounded by three seas, it has been a historical crossroads, the homeland of and battleground between great civilisations, and a centre of commerce. Turkey has eight European and Asian countries as neighbours: Bulgaria and Greece on the west; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan on the northeast; Iran (Persia) on the east; and Iraq and Syria on the south.
The Republic of Turkey is a democratic secular constitutional republic, whose political system was established in 1923. Turkey is a member state of the United Nations, NATO, OSCE, OECD, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the Council of Europe and in the process of accession to the European Union.
History
| History of the Ottoman Empire |
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| Historiography (Ghaza, Decline) |
Template:History of Republic of Turkey The Republic of Turkey was established on October 29, 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. The origins of modern Turkey can be traced back to the arrival of Turks in Anatolia in the 11th century under the Seljuks. They would be superseded by the Ottoman dynasty in the late 13th and early 14th centuries -- this empire would last until 1923. The historical richness of people and the land laid the foundations of the current republic. Even though official history of the state began on May 19, 1919, with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's onset of the Independence War, the issues and unique answers of the republic's history cannot be understood without the background on the Ottoman Empire, the spirit of people who fought to build the state, or the history of the land (Anatolia) that unites everything on it.
The war of liberation began in protest to the Mondros Armistice and the Treaty of Sevres, under the command of Mustafa Kemal Pasha. The war mobilised every available part of Turkish society -- this would become the foundation of the Turkish nation. This national movement against the victorious Allies of World War I revoked the terms of the treaty which sought to carve up the Ottoman Empire. By September 18th, 1922 the invading Entente armies were repelled and the country was liberated. This was followed by the abolition of the Sultans office by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on November 1, 1922, thus ending 631 years of Ottoman rule. In 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne recognised the sovereignty of a new Turkish Republic, Kemal was granted the name Atatürk (meaning father of Turks) by the National Assembly and would become the republic's first President. There are many different ways of classifying the history of Turkey. The least disputed classification is based on three global periods: the war of independence, the single-party period, and the multi-party period. Even if these periods have distinct characteristics, some issues do repeat in every period with subtle differences.
The war of independence had three distinct phases. In the first period, tens of small regional resistance organisations came to gather to build a national force. The second one was a jurisdictional conflict to decide whether the Grand National Assembly or Ottoman Empire was the true source of power. The conflict ended with the abolishment of the Empire by the Grand National Parliament. The Third one is the active fight against the Allies and the newly established Armenian Republic. The results of this war created the conditions of the peace granted through the Treaty of Lausanne.
The single-party period covers the initial reforms during the Atatürk's presidency, World War II and Milli Sef, while the multi-party period describes the three coups and social changes that occurred within the last 45 years.
Politics
Main Articles: Politics of Turkey, Constitution of Turkey
Turkey's political system is based on separation of powers. Its constitution is called 'Anayasa' (Main Law).
Head of State - The function of Head of State is performed by the President. A president is elected every seven years by the Grand National Assembly. The President does not have to be a member of parliament.
Executive power - Executive power rests in the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. The PM and Ministers have to be parliamentarians. The Prime Minister is elected by the parliament with a vote of trust to his government.
Parliament - Legislative power rests in the 550-seat Grand National Assembly "Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi", representing 81 provinces. The Grand National Assembly is elected every five years. To be represented in Parliament, a party must win at least 10% of the national vote in a national parliamentary election. Independent candidates may run. To be elected, they must win at least 10% of the vote in the province from which they are running.
Legal System
Please, refer to the article "foreign relations of Turkey" for details.
Military
Geography
- Main article: Geography of Turkey, Provinces of Turkey
Turkey is also prone to very severe earthquakes.
| File:27px-Turkey-Regions.png | Average Temp | High Temp | Low Temp | Average Hum. | Average Rain |
| Marmara Region | 13.5 | 44.6 | -27.8 | 71.2 | 564.3 |
| Egean Region | 15.4 | 48.5 | -45.6 | 60.9 | 706.0 |
| Mediteranian Region | 16.4 | 45.6 | -33.5 | 63.9 | 706.0 |
| Black Sea Region | 12.3 | 44.2 | -32.8 | 70.9 | 828.5 |
| Central Anatolia | 10.6 | 41.8 | -36.2 | 62.6 | 392.0 |
| East Anatolia | 9.7 | 44.4 | -45.6 | 60.9 | 569.0 |
| Southeast Anatolia | 16.5 | 48.4 | -24.3 | 53.4 | 584.5 |
Economy
Turkey's 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. Turkey has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. It is estimated that 50% of the population lives under the international standards of poverty, especially in the war torn south-east areas.
| Trading Partners | |
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| Imports (2005 est) | $105bn |
| Main Partners (2003) | Germany 13.6%, Russia 7.8%, USA 5.0%, UK 5.0%, France 6.0%, Italy 7.9%, Switzerland 4.3% |
| Exports (2005 est.) | $75bn |
| Main Partners (2003) | Germany 15.8%, USA 8.0%, UK 7.8%, France 6.0%, Italy 6.8% |
| Public Debt | 78.7% of GDP (2003) |
Society
Demographics
Gallery
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Ankara - View from Cankaya
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Istanbul - A view of over Asia and Europe
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Istanbul - Levent district
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İzmir - The clock tower in Konak Square -
Bursa - General view
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Antalya - Harbour
Miscellaneous Topics
External links
References
- ^ Atreya, Navita, McDowall, David, Ozbolat, "Asylum Seekers from Turkey: the Dangers They Flee", (Report of a mission to Turkey), Perihan, 28 February 2001)
- David McDowall, "The Kurds", Minority Rights Group International (MRG), September 1991
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