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Data derived from World Economic Outlook Database. To see main macroeconomic indicator in graphs click here
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. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization, began a separatist insurgency in Turkey in 1984, and the struggle has long dominated the attention of Turkish security forces. In 2013, the Turkish Government and the PKK conducted negotiations aimed at ending the violence, but intense fighting resumed in 2015. The Turkish Government conducted a referendum in 2017 in which voters approved constitutional amendments changing Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system.
Area: 783,562 sq km km2
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
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)
Capital: Ankara
Government type: presidential republic
Chief of state: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 28 August 2014)
Head of government: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 9 July 2018)
Description: Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi (T.B.M.M)) - unicameral
upper-middle-income, diversified Middle Eastern economy; industrializing economy that maintains large agricultural base; key energy, tourism, and construction sectors; high inflation, interest rates, and foreign debt pose risk to financial stability
textiles, food processing, automobiles, electronics, mining (coal, chromate, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper
GDP by sector: Agriculture: 5.6% (2024 est.), Industry: 25.9% (2024 est.), Services: 56.8% (2024 est.)
Export partners: Germany 9%, USA 6%, UK 6%, UAE 5%, Iraq 5% (2023)
Export commodities: garments, cars, gold, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories (2023)
Import partners: China 13%, Russia 9%, Germany 9%, Switzerland 6%, USA 5% (2023)
Import commodities: gold, refined petroleum, cars, plastics, natural gas (2023)
Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria
Military expenditure: 2025: 2.3% of GDP (2025 est.)
Information derived from worldfactbook.io (Lupon Media), open successor to the CIA World Factbook. Data sourced from World Bank, IMF, UN and other international organizations.