Turkey country profile

28 August 2006
by eub2 -- last modified 06 January 2008

Located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, Turkey has a rich cultural and ethnic diversity. Turkey is a candidate country for membership of the European Union.

Türkiye Cumhüriyeti

Located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, Turkey has a rich cultural and ethnic diversity. Its history stretches from ancient civilisations, such as the Hittites, through the Greek and Roman periods (when St Paul spread Christianity there) to Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire. The modern Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 as a western-style secular State. Nearly 98% of the population is Muslim. A considerable Kurdish population lives in the south-eastern part of the country.

In 330 AD, Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) which lies on the Bosphorus between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, became the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the eastern half of the Roman Empire.

Turkey’s architectural gems include the Selimiye and Suleymaniye mosques and the world-famous church of St Sophia, which became a mosque under the Ottomans and is now a museum. The country’s vast archaeological heritage is a major tourist attraction. At its height, the Ottoman Empire was the dominant power in the eastern and southern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

The Turkish cuisine is based on lamb, while goat’s milk yoghurt is also popular, especially when mixed with cucumber, garlic or mint. There is a long tradition of coffee drinking and coffee houses are a favourite meeting place.

Among the most famous Turks is the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Government: Parliamentary democracy with unicameral parliament
Head of State: President Abdullah Gul
Head of Government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Foreign Minister: Ali Babacn

Population: 72.9 million
Capital: Ankara
Area: 814 578 km2
Currency: 1 EUR = 1.75 New Turkish Lira (June 2007)

GDP in real terms: EUR 298.7 billion
GDP per capita: EUR 4,090
Economic growth: 6.1% (2006)

Main export markets: Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, USA
Main exports: textiles, automobiles, machinery, iron and steel, fruit and vegetables
Main source of imports: Germany, Russia, Italy, China
Main imports: machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, automobiles, gas, iron and steel, synthetic materials, textiles
Major economic sectors: services, industry (textiles, automobiles, chemicals, machinery, electronics), agriculture, tourism

Map of Turkey

Source: European Commission, Slovenia EU Presidency