29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)
Religions
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Languages
Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey
French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language
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
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Area
783,562 km sq
245,857 km sq
Coastline
7,200 km
320 km
Climate
temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
