Chapter 7:

The Republic of Turkey

STUDY PRESENTATION
© 2020 Clairmont Press
Section 1: Geography of Turkey
Section 2:
A Brief History of Turkey
Section 3:
Government of Turkey
Section 4: Economy of Turkey
Section 5: U.S.-Turkey Relations
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 Section 1: Geography of
Turkey
●Essential Question:
• What impact does Turkey’s geography
and its span over two continents have on
the country’s economic system?

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 Section 1: Geography of
Turkey
● What terms do I need to know?
• Fertile Crescent
• reservoir

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 Location and Size of
Turkey
● Turkey is located in the Middle East
and is part of Southwest Asia.
● The part west of the Bosporus Strait is
in Europe, but the majority of Turkey is
in Southwest Asia.
● Most of Turkey is located on the
peninsula Asia Minor which connects
Europe and Asia.
● It’s bordered by the Black Sea, the
Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean
Sea.
• Over 4,400 miles of coastline
made Turkey the center of trade
routes for centuries. 5
Location and Size of
Turkey

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Location and Size of
Turkey

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 Physical Geography of
Turkey
● The part of Turkey in Europe is covered in
hills, but the majority of Turkey in Asia is
covered in high mountains, except the
narrow coastal plain.
• Agriculture is difficult in the
mountainous region due to terrain and
climate.
• The coastal plain has very fertile land.
● The Tigris and Euphrates are two major
rivers.
• Dams create water reservoirs, control
floods, and create hydroelectricity.
• The land between the Tigris and
Euphrates is known as Mesopotamia, or
the Fertile Crescent.
● The Bosporus Strait and Dardanelles Strait 8
 Climate of Turkey
● The climate of Turkey’s coastal
areas is temperate with hot, dry
summers and cool, rainy winters.
● Because of plateaus and mountains
in the interior of Turkey, the climate
is harsher, with severe winters and
very hot, very dry summers.
● Areas with milder climates tend to
have more agricultural activity.

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 Natural Resources of
Turkey
● Most of Turkey’s natural resources
are minerals like coal, iron ore,
copper, and many others.
● Turkey ranks 10th in the world for its
variety of minerals and 28th for
mining.
● Turkey has large amounts of natural
stone like marble and is first in the
world for marble exports.
● Turkey has small oil reserves, but
they are not enough to meet the
country’s needs.

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 Environmental Issues of
Turkey
● Air pollution is common in urban
areas.
● Deforestation also occurs in Turkey.
● The most significant environmental
issues involve water pollution from
the dumping of chemicals and
detergents into waterways.

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 People in Turkey
● Turkey’s population is over 80 million.
● Any citizen of Turkey is considered a “Turk,”
regardless of race or religion.
● About 75% of the population is Turkish; the
rest is made up of Kurds and other ethnic
groups.
● Turkish is the official language.
● Over 99% of the population practices Sunni
Islam.
• Unlike other countries in Southwest
Asia, religion and government are
separate in Turkey.
● Urban areas have high population densities,
as do coastal areas, while interior
mountainous areas have lower populations.
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 Section 2: A Brief History of
Turkey

● Essential Question:
• How did World War I help create
modern-day Turkey?

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 Section 2: A Brief History of
Turkey
● What terms do I need to know?
• Ottoman Empire
• Mudros Armistice
• Lausanne Peace Treaty
• coup

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 The Ottoman Empire
● Nomadic Turks arrived as raiders to the
area of modern Turkey from the east in
the 11th century.
● The Ottomans, a group of Turks, grew
in power until they had established the
Ottoman Empire by 1299.
● In 1453 the Ottomans took
Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul
and ruled until 1923.
● The Ottoman Empire began to decline
in the 16th century with the spread of
nationalism and the empire’s
reluctance to modernize.

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 World War I and the Ottoman
Empire
● During World War I, the Ottoman Empire
allied with Germany and the Austro-
Hungarian Empire.
● The Ottomans were no match for the
modernized and industrialized British and
French armies.
● The Ottoman Empire ended in 1918 when
they were defeated and signed the
Mudros Armistice, dividing their lands
between Britain, France, Russia, and
Greece.
● A nationalist movement began, and after the
Turkish National Liberation War (1919-1923),
Turkey gained its freedom from European
nations.
● The Lausanne Peace Treaty was signed 16
 Turkish Independence
● The Republic of Turkey began on October 29,
1923.
● Mustafa Kemal was elected the first
president and given the last name “Atatürk,”
meaning “Father of the Turks”.
● His reforms separated government and
religion, created new education systems,
changed the alphabet, and gave women
equal rights with men.
● Turkey joined the United Nations in 1945 and
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
in 1952.
● Turkey’s democracy has been relatively
stable except for military coups, or a sudden
overthrow of a government.

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 Present-Day Turkey
● There has been an increase in violence and
government instability recently.
• Several car bombings and gun attacks in
2015
• A terrorist attack on the airport in 2016
● An attempted coup in 2016 failed to overthrow
the government when citizens stopped the
military forces.
• The Turkish government blamed an
Islamic terrorist group for the attempted
coup.
● Turkey has been involved in the ongoing
conflicts in Southwest Asia, and supported the
U.S. in Afghanistan in 2001.
● Turkey has also been involved in the Syrian
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Civil War and is fighting against thenu ISIS (or
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 Section 3: Government of
Turkey

● Essential Question:
• How do the people of Turkey participate
in their country’s government?

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 Section 3: Government of
Turkey
● What terms do I need to know?
• parliamentary democracy
• presidential republic
• secular
• Grand National Assembly
• Constitutional Court

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 Type and Branches of
Government
● Turkey was a parliamentary democracy
from 1923 to 2017, when it became a
presidential republic.
• The national government is made up of
three sections: executive, legislative,
and judicial.
● Turkey has a secular government.
● The people of Turkey do not have complete
freedom of speech.
● The Legislative branch has one house
called the Grand National Assembly. It
has 550 seats and members are elected
directly by the people.
● The judicial branch is led by the
Constitutional Court, the CourtReturn
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Cassation, and the Council of State. 21
Section 4: Economy of
Turkey
● Essential question:
• What factors have caused
Turkey’s economy to struggle
in recent years?

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 Section 4: Economy of
Turkey
● What terms do I need to know?
• lira
• subsidy

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 Turkey’s Economic
System
● Turkey leans toward a market economy, but
the government controls several aspects of
the economy.
● Turkey has attempted reforms to reduce
government control in several areas of the
economy.
● Turkey’s economy is still struggling after a
severe economic crisis in 2001.
• The government created several helpful
reforms, and Turkey did not suffer the
same economic downturn as most
countries in 2008.
● Growth has slowed in recent years as
demand for Turkish goods has decreased in
Europe.
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 Trade
● Turkey has always been a
crossroads for trade routes.
● Today, it is the 29th largest
exporter of goods and services in
the world.
• Main exports: clothing, food,
textiles, metals, and transport
equipment
● Turkey’s current currency is the
lira.
● The Turkish government uses
subsidies (grants of money) to
help the Turkish people.
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 Natural Resources
● One of Turkey’s most important
natural resources is arable land.
• Almost half of Turkey’s land is
used for agriculture.
● Turkey’s mineral wealth is ranked
10th in the world.
● Turkey creates large amounts of
hydroelectricity from its rivers.
● Turkey’s large deposits of natural
stone are in high demand in the
global economy.

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 Human Capital

● Through educational reforms, the

literacy rate in Turkey is about 95%.
● In universities, engineering
programs are some of the most
popular degrees.
● However, compared to other
countries, Turkey doesn’t invest
very much in education.

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 Capital Goods
● Turkey’s industrial section is
expanding and increasing output.
• Top industries include
automobiles, electronics, mining,
steel, and lumber.
● All of Turkey’s industries require
investment in capital goods for the
economy to continue to grow.

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 Entrepreneurship
● Becoming an entrepreneur in
Turkey can be difficult, but recent
reforms have attempted to reduce
the amount of time required to
start a business.
● Many universities in Turkey now
have a focus on entrepreneurship
and innovation and development.

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 Section 5: U.S.-Turkey
Relations
● Essential question:
• How does the relationship
between the U.S. and Turkey
provide assistance to Turkey?

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 Section 5: U.S.-Turkey
Relations
● What term do I need to know?
• Truman Doctrine

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 A Long Relationship
● The U.S. created ties with the Ottoman
Empire in 1831.
● After the Republic of Turkey was
created, the U.S. reestablished ties in
1927.
• They signed the Economic and
Technical Cooperation Agreement.
• This agreement activated the
Truman Doctrine, which aimed at
supporting free people and
preventing the spread of
communism.
● Turkey’s location in Southwest Asia
has made it an important ally for the 32
U.S. Assistance to Turkey
● The U.S. has provided assistance to
Turkey in security, cooperation with
neighboring countries, and
democracy.
● The U.S. wants to help increase
border security to reduce terrorist
attacks within Turkey.
● The U.S. also provides support to
the Turkish government, to help
continue to improve their
democracy, and the freedoms of
their citizens.
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 Bilateral Economic
Relations
● Trade between the U.S. and Turkey has
increased significantly in recent years,
and will likely continue to expand.
● Turkey imports aircraft, iron, steel,
agricultural goods, oil, cotton yarn
fabrics, and machinery from the U.S.
● Turkish exports to the U.S. include
vehicles, machinery, iron, steel,
agricultural goods, travertine, and
marble.
● In 2014, Turkey was the 16th largest
international trading partner with the
state of Georgia.

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 Turkey’s Membership in
International Organizations
● Turkey is an active and essential
member of NATO.
● Turkey is also seeking full
membership into the European Union,
as well as improving relationships
with neighboring countries in
Southwest Asia, Central Asia, and
Africa.
● Turkey is a member of the United
Nations, the World Trade
Organization, the International
Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and
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Image Credits: 1 Blue Mosque, Istanbul Turkey; 2 Ephesus; 9-11
Atatürk Dam; 41 Mount Ararat (Wikimedia commons); All maps
©2017 Clairmont Press.

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