Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor
Population
79,749,461
109,011
Life Expectancy
72.770 years
73.300 years
Capital City
Ankara
Largest city
Istanbul (population: 11,174,300)
Saint George's (population: 7,500)
Human Development Index
0.798
0.774
GDP per capita
$14,700 US
Literacy Rate
87.4%
96%
Corruption Perception Index
4.6
NA
Percentage of Women in Parliament
9.1%
21.4%
Wealthiest Citizens
Husnu Ozyegin ($2.9bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
9.800%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished in practice
Political System
republican parliamentary democracy
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)
Religions
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
Languages
Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey
English (official), French patois
Exports
apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment
External Debt
$306,600,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
Turkish liras (TRY) per US dollar - 1.3179 (2008 est.), 1.319 (2007), 1.4286 (2006), 1.3436 (2005), 1.4255 (2004) note: on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish lira (TRL) was converted to new Turkish lira (TRY) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 new Turkish lira; on 1 January 2009 the Turkish government dropped the word "new" and the currency is now called simply the Turkish lira
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
5.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
8
0
Location
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
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Area
783,562 km sq
344 km sq
Coastline
7,200 km
121 km
Climate
temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
