Country Profiles

Ankara

Basic Country Data

Land

Turkey lies between Asia and Europe, serving as a bridge geographically, culturally and economically. Its location on two continents plays a central part in Turkish history and gives the country a major advantage in serving the markets of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Turkey is situated between 260 and 450 E, in the temperate middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. In the west it borders on Greece and Bulgaria, in the east on Georgia, Armenia, Nakhichevan and Iran, and in the south on Iraq and Syria. The area of Turkey is 774,815 square kilometers. 97% of Turkey lies in Asia (the Anatolian Plateau) and 3% in Europe (Thrace). The seacoasts of Turkey stretch for 8,210 kilometers along the Mediterranean in the south, the Aegean in the west and the Black Sea in the north. In the northwest there is also the important inland Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, important waterways that connect the Black Sea with the rest of the world. The country is roughly rectangular in shape, measuring 1,600 kilometers from east to west, and 650 from north to south.

The high plateau region of Anatolia rises progressively towards the east and is divided by valleys formed by 15 rivers, including the Tigris and the Euphrates, which originate in eastern Anatolia and flow southward to the Persian Gulf through Syria and Iraq. The largest river entirely within Turkey is Kızılırmak, which flows northward past Ankara to the Black Sea. Among the numerous lakes there are some, such as Lake Van, which are as large as inland seas.

The topography is extremely varied and climatic conditions differ widely among regions. The major part of the country consists of highland plateaus surrounded by mountainous areas, which rise towards the east and are dominated by Mount Ararat with a height of 5,165 meters. In the east, winter temperatures may fall to -40ºC while in the southeast, summer temperatures may reach 45ºC.

With 81 administrative provinces, Turkey is divided into seven geographical regions: the Marmara Region, the Black Sea Region, the Mediterranean Region, the Eastern Anatolian Region, the Aegean Region and the Central Anatolian Region, each of which possesses unique climatic and ecological features.

Population

When one looks at Turkish society in the last quarter of the 20th century, one is first struck by the intense dynamism and youth of its population. More than 50% of Turkey's population is below the age of 25 and as a result of that youth, society is in a state of activity and change. This change is evident in the economic, social, physical, cultural and political dimensions. Opening up to the outside world, domestic and foreign population movements, changes in professional structure, increasing demands for the services provided to society are just a few of the areas in which this activity and mutability are to be seen.

According to the former general census conducted in 2000, the population of the country has become 67,8 million. Turkey's population density is 88 persons per sq. km. on the average. The density is greatest in the western coastal regions. However, nearly 35% of the population still lives in rural areas despite the significant migration into towns. The major cities and their population according to general census of 2000 are; İstanbul (10 million), Ankara the capital city which is situated in the center of the Anatolian plain (4 million), İzmir (3.4 million), Konya (2.2 million), Bursa (2.1 million), Adana (1.9 million), Antalya (1.7 million).

Of the economically active population, 35.4% is employed in the agricultural sector in 2001. Industry employs 18.3% of the working population. The service sector employs 46.3% of the working population.

99% of the population of Turkey is Moslem, the remaining being Jews and members of various Christian churches, including Greek Orthodox, Gregorian, and Syrian Orthodox. However, everyone in Turkey has freedom of religion and belief. Turkey is a secular state that guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Moslems.