Introduction
Background
Reformer and national hero Mustafa KEMAL founded modern Turkey in 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and NATO in 1952, with EU accession talks beginning in 2005. Turkey shifted from a parliamentary to a presidential system in 2017.
Geography
Area
total : 783,562 sq km
land: 769,632 sq km
water: 13,930 sq km
Climate
temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Natural resources
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
People and Society
Population
total: 84,119,531
Ethnic groups
Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 19%, other minorities 6-11% (2016 est.)
Languages
Turkish (official), Kurdish, other minority languages
Religions
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Population growth rate
0.61% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
presidential republic
Capital
name: Ankara
Executive branch
chief of state: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (chief of state since 28 August 2014; head of government since 9 July 2018)
head of government: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (head of government since 9 July 2018; chief of state since 28 August 2014)
Legislative branch
summary: unicameral Grand National Assembly (600 seats)
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Sedat ÖNAL (since 17 June 2024)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffry Lane FLAKE (since 26 January 2022)
Economy
Economic overview
upper middle-income, diversified Middle Eastern economy; heightened inflation and currency depreciation triggered by expansionary monetary and fiscal policy ahead of 2023 elections, now being reversed; industrializing economy that maintains large agricultural base
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$2.936 trillion (2023 est.)
$2.81 trillion (2022 est.)
$2.662 trillion (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$34,400 (2023 est.)
$33,100 (2022 est.)
$31,600 (2021 est.)
Exports
$352.514 billion (2023 est.)
$346.369 billion (2022 est.)
$287.318 billion (2021 est.)
Exports - partners
Germany 8%, US 7%, Iraq 5%, UK 5%, Italy 5% (2022)
Exports - commodities
garments, refined petroleum, cars, jewelry, plastic products (2022)
Imports
$386.828 billion (2023 est.)
$383.02 billion (2022 est.)
$284.019 billion (2021 est.)
Imports - partners
China 13%, Germany 9%, Russia 8%, US 5%, Italy 5% (2022)
Imports - commodities
gold, refined petroleum, plastics, scrap iron, cars (2022)
Page last updated: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
