TURKEY COUNTRY
BY RAÚL GARCÍA VALLEJO
TURKEY
Turkey, country that occupies a unique geographic position, lying partly
in Asia and partly in Europe. Turkey is situated at the crossroads of
the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, and eastern Mediterranean. It is
among the larger countries of the region in terms of territory and
population, and its land area is greater than that of any European
state. The capital is Ankara, and its largest city and seaport is Istanbul.
TURKEY
A long succession of political entities existed in Asia Minor over the
centuries. Turkmen tribes invaded Anatolia in the 11th century CE,
founding the Seljuq empire but the modern Turkish republic, founded
in 1923 after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, is a nationalist,
secular, parliamentary democracy. After a period of one-party rule
under its founder, Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), and his successor, Turkish
governments since the 1950 have been produced by multiparty
elections based on universal adult suffrage.
LAND
RELIEF
Turkey is a predominantly mountainous country, and true lowland is
confined to the coastal fringes. Steep slopes are common throughout
the country, and flat or gently sloping land makes up barely one-sixth of
the total area. The geology of Turkey is complex, with sedimentary
rocks ranging from Paleozoic to Quaternary, numerous intrusions, and
extensive areas of volcanic material.
DRAINAGE
RIVERS
Eight main drainage basins may be discerned, of which two cross the
country’s frontiers and six are entirely within Turkish territory. The
smallest, in the far east of the country, is that of the Aras River, which
rises south of Erzurum and flows east for some 250 miles to the frontier
with Azerbaijan, eventually reaching the Caspian Sea. The bulk of
eastern Turkey, however, is drained by the Euphrates (Fırat) and Tigris
rivers, which flow south for some 780 miles and 330 miles.
DRAINAGE
RIVERS
There are two basins of inland drainage. The main inland basin is in
west-central Anatolia; its two main centres are the Lake Tuz and Konya
basins. Several smaller, separate catchments in this basin contain lakes
such as Eğridir and Beyşehir. The remainder of the country drains to the
four surrounding seas Black, Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean and
can thus, in a sense, be considered a single system that eventually
drains to the Mediterranean.
LAKES
Turkey has about 50 lakes with areas larger than four square miles and
more than 200 smaller ones. By far the largest are Lakes Van and Tuz;
the latter is very shallow, expanding and contracting with the seasons.
Being centres of inland drainage, both are saline.
The largest freshwater lakes are those in the lake district on the north
side of the Taurus system, which include Lakes Akşehir, Eğridir, and
Beyşehir.
SOILS
Turkey’s relief features and climatic variations produce major contrasts
in soil types between the interior and the periphery. Seven main soil
groups may be distinguished, each containing several soil types.
CLIMATE
Turkey’s varied climate—generally a dry semicontinental Mediterranean
variant—is heavily influenced by the presence of the sea to the north,
south, and west and by the mountains that cover much of the country.
Several areas have the winter rainfall maximum typical of the
Mediterranean regime, and summer drought is widespread. However, the
elevation of the country ensures that winters are often much colder than is
common in Mediterranean climates.
PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE
VEGETATION
Patterns of natural vegetation are closely related to those of relief,
climate, and soils. There are two main types: steppe grasslands and
forest and woodland, which cover the remainder of the country. These
natural vegetation types have been greatly modified by human action,
both directly (through lumbering and clearance for agriculture) and
indirectly (through the activities of grazing animals).
PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE
FAUNA
Turkey is fairly rich in wild animals and game birds. Wolves, foxes,
boars, wildcats, beavers, martens, jackals, hyenas, bears, deer,
gazelles, and mountain goats are still found in secluded and wooded
regions. Domesticated animals include water buffalo, Angora goats, and
camels, as well as horses, donkeys, sheep, and cattle.
PEOPLE
ETHNIC GROUPS
According to the Turkish constitution, the word “Turk,” as a political term,
includes all citizens of the Republic of Turkey, without distinction of or
reference to race or religion; ethnic minorities have no official status.
Linguistic data show that a majority of the population claim Turkish as
their mother tongue; most of the remainder speak Kurdish and a small
minority Arabic as their first language.
PEOPLE
RELIGION
More than nine-tenths of the population is Muslim. Nevertheless, Turkey
is a secular country. In a 1928 constitutional amendment, Islam was
removed as the official state religion.
There also exist small populations of Jews and Christians; Christian
adherents are divided between Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox,
Roman Catholic, Protestant, and other denominations.
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
About three-fourths of the population lives in towns and cities. The
regional coastlands of the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, and the
Aegean Sea are the most densely settled regions; accounting for less
than two-fifths of the country’s land area, the regions together represent
more than half its population. The Anatolian interior and southeast,
occupying more than half the country’s territory but contain less than
two-fifths of Turkey’s population.
DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS
In 1927 the total population of the Turkish republic was about 13 million;
since then it has increased more than sixfold. Growth was particularly
rapid after World War II.
About half the population is under the age of 30. Life expectancy is 78
years for women and 73 years for men.
ECONOMY
Since its inception in 1923, Turkey has operated a mixed economy, in
which both state and private enterprise contribute to economic
development. The economy has been transformed from predominantly
agricultural to one in which industry and services are the most productive
and rapidly expanding sectors. A decade into the 21st century, the services
sector engaged about one-half of the workforce, while agriculture and
industry each occupied about one-fourth.
RESOURCES
Turkey has a great variety of natural resources. Apart from Iran, Turkey it is a
country with significant coal deposits. There is small-scale production of oil
from fields in the southeast of the country, as well as in the northwestern
Thrace region; Turkey is thus dependent on imported petroleum products.
The most important metallic ores are iron, mainly from Divriği in Sivas
province, and chromite, much of which is exported. There are significant
deposits of manganese, zinc, lead, copper, and bauxite.
AGRICULTURE
About one-third of Turkey’s land area is utilized for agricultura. A smaller
proportion of the cultivated land consists of vineyards, orchards, olive
groves, and vegetable gardens. The most important field crops are
cereals. A majority of the cereal land is sown in wheat, with smaller areas
of barley, rye, oats, corn (maize), and rice. Other important crops are
cotton, sugar beets, tobacco, and potatoes.
INDUSTRY
Manufacturing plants are widely distributed, with clusters of factories in all
sizable towns. The leading manufactures are chemicals; food, beverages,
and tobacco; and textiles, clothing, and footwear. Turkey, the Middle East’s
leading steel producer, supplies most of its own domestic needs.
TRADE
Foreign trade has played an increasing role in the Turkish economy since
World War II. The leading exports are textile fibres, yarns, fabrics, and
clothing, iron and steel, fruits and vegetables, livestock products, tobacco,
and machinery. Imports include machinery, chemicals, petroleum products,
transportation equipment, and consumer goods.
TRANSPORTATION
Coastal shipping routes are important freight carriers, particularly along the
Black Sea coast; the main international ports are Istanbul, İzmir, Mersin,
İskenderun, and İzmit. The state airline and several international carriers
provide air links through Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir.
GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY
CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
Multiparty democracy was instituted in 1950. Before the establishment of
the Republic of Turkey, Turkish civil law was linked to religion and was
administered by Sharīʿah courts. Following these changes, the
independence of the judiciary including the constitutional court and the
courts responsible for criminal, civil, and administrative matters has been
ensured by the constitution.
GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Turkey’s provinces are administered by governors, who are appointed by
the Council of Ministers, subject to the approval of the president.
Provinces are divided into districts and subdistricts. Villages are governed
by a headman and a council of elders, both elected by the village
residents.
GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY
SECURITY
Turkey’s armed forces were shaped significantly by its commitment to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which it joined in 1952 to
counter the perceived threat from the Soviet Union and the countries of the
Warsaw Pact. Of the NATO countries, it maintains the largest standing
army after the United States.
GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY
EDUCATION
The state education system involves five main sectors. Primary education,
which is free and compulsory, begins at age six and lasts eight years.
Secondary education, also compulsory, continues for another four years. It
may be completed at a general high school or at one of a large number of
technical and vocational schools.
GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY
HEALTH AND WELFARE
Health care is provided by both state and private health services. Turkey
has a sufficient number of doctors and other health workers, but facilities
are concentrated in urban areas. Pensions and other social security
programs are coordinated by various organizations within the Ministry of
Health and Social Assistance.
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