Foundation Islamic Union
Turkey
Official Name: Republic of Turkey (TR)
Capital : Ankara
Important cities: Istanbul, Izmir, Konya, Bursa, Adana, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Trabzon,
Samsun, Manisa, Van, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Gaziantep, Denizli.
Area: 780.000 km2.
Population : 85,000,000 (2021). Average life expectancy is 74 years.
Ethnic Structure : 80% of the population in Turkey is Turkish, 18% is Kurdish, 1% is Arab, 0.74% is Bosnian, 0.38% is Circassian, 0.38% is Circassian, 0.38% is Pomak and the rest are other ethnicities. 99.9% of Turks (Sunni Hanafi, a small number of Shia Jaafari), all Kurds (Sunni Shafi'i), 90% of Arabs (Sunni Shafi'i and Hanafi), Bosnians, Circassians, Pomaks and Albanians (Sunni Hanafi). Armenians and Greeks are Orthodox Christians.
Language: The official language is Turkish. Kurdish and Arabic are also spoken.
Religion: The official religion is Islam. 99.2 per cent of the population is Muslim. The majority of Muslims are Sunni, some of them are Shiite Jafari and some of them are Alevi.
Geographical Situation: Turkey, most of whose territory is located in Asia and a small part in Europe, is surrounded by the Black Sea from the north, Georgia from the northeast, Armenia and Iran from the east, Iraq, Syria and the Mediterranean from the south, the Aegean Sea from the west, and Greece and Bulgaria from the northwest. The Marmara Sea, which is connected to the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea, lies within Turkey's borders. The highest places are Mount Ararat (5165 m.), Mount Erciyes (3916 m.) and Mount Kaçkar (3734 m.). The most important rivers are Kızılırmak, Yeşilırmak, Fırat, Tigris, Sakarya, Çoruh, Gediz and Büyük Menderes rivers. Apart from these, there are many small and large rivers. There are also many lakes within the borders of Turkey. The most important of these are Lake Van and Salt Lake. 35% of its territory is agricultural land, 11% is grassland and 26% is forest. The Mediterranean, Aegean Sea coasts, Central Anatolia and the Thrace region within the European continent are generally plains. On the strip separating the plain on the Mediterranean coast from the Central Anatolian plain, there is a mountain range called Taurus Mountains. Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia and the Black Sea coast are relatively mountainous. Turkey's climate differs according to regions. In Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia, winters are harsh and summers are partly rainy, in Central Anatolia winters are cold and summers are dry, in the Black Sea region winters are cold and summers are rainy, in the Aegean region winters are mild and rainy and summers are hot. The Mediterranean climate is dominant in the Mediterranean region. In Ankara, the capital city located in Central Anatolia, the average annual temperature is 11.7 degrees/annual precipitation average is 371 mm. In Adana on the Mediterranean coast, this ratio is 18.8 degrees/641 mm.
Mode of Government: Turkey is a secular republic based on a multi-party democratic system. Legislative power is vested in the 600-member Turkish Grand National Assembly, whose members are elected through general elections. The current constitution was adopted by popular vote on 7 November 1982 during the period of military rule. Many amendments were made to the Constitution and submitted to a referendum.
International Organisations: Turkey is a member of international organisations such as UN, OIC[1], IMF, Islamic Development Bank, Interpol, WHO, ILO.
History: The raids of Islamic armies to the lands of today's Turkey started during the reign of Muawiya (r.a.), the first of the Umayyad caliphs. During this period, the Anatolian lands were under the rule of the Byzantine Empire, whose capital was today's Istanbul. These raids, which aimed to weaken the Byzantine rule rather than conquering Anatolian lands, reached as far as Ankara. Again during the reign of Muawiya (r.a.) in 669, the capital of the Byzantine Empire (Constantinople-Istanbul) was besieged. The siege continued throughout the summer of 669 and when winter came, the Islamic armies returned to Syria. During the reign of Mu'awiya (r.a.), a second raid was organised for Istanbul in 674. In this raid, the Islamic armies spent the winters in Kapıdağ and fought for seven years by organising attacks against Istanbul in the summers, but the conquest could not be achieved. During the Umayyad period, at the end of the raids towards Anatolia, the part east of the Euphrates River was conquered and a province was established in this region. The south of the Taurus Mountains to the east of Tarsus was also included in the territory of the Islamic state at that time. Raids to Anatolia continued during the Abbasid period. . In 869, the Emirate of Sheikhs under the Abbasids was established in Diyarbakir. This dynasty, whose rulers were Arabs, ruled until 899. In 990, the Marwanid emirate, also centred in Diyarbakır and ruled by Kurds, was established. This emirate was also indirectly subject to the Abbasids and survived until 1096. In 990, the emirate of Numeyrids, which was centred in Harran and whose rulers were Arabs subject to the Abbasids, was established and survived until 1086. The most extensive conquest movement in Anatolia and the Islamisation of the Anatolian peninsula began during the Seljuk period. The gates of Anatolia were opened with the victory of Malazgirt in 1071 under the command of the Seljuk ruler Alp Arslan. Within five years following this victory, a large part of Anatolia came under Seljuk rule. The Seljuks also captured Iznik near the Marmara Sea and established the Anatolian Seljuk State by making it the throne city in 1074. When the Crusades started in 1097, Konya became the throne city. With the I. Crusade, the west of Anatolia was again under Byzantine rule. The Anatolian Seljuk state fought a tough struggle against the crusades. After the Seljuks conquered Anatolia, principalities under the Seljuk administration ruled in some parts of Anatolia. The Anatolian Seljuk State continuously expanded its borders until 1242 and reached its widest borders on this date. After this date, it weakened in the face of Mongol attacks. When the Mongols took Bagdad in 1258 and put an end to the Abbasid caliphate, it was a second blow to the Anatolian Seljuk state. Upon the weakening of the Seljuk administration, Anatolia began to disintegrate and the principalities under this administration became independent states. The Seljuk State closed only to Konya in 1308 and completely disappeared in 1318. The Karamanids were initially stronger than the others. However, the Ottoman Principality, which was founded in 1299 in Söğüt and its region, was the most prominent one. The Ottoman Principality expanded its borders in time and annexed the lands of most of the principalities established in Anatolia. The Ottomans did not only stay within the borders of Anatolia, but also spread to a wide area in Asia and Europe. With the conquest of Istanbul, the throne city of the Byzantine Empire under the command of Mehmed II (Sultan Fatih) in 1453, the Ottoman Empire gained the title of a world state and gained superiority over other countries. In 1517, the caliphate passed to the Ottomans with the capture of Cairo in the Egyptian expedition during the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim. The Ottoman Empire disintegrated after World War I and the sultanate was confined to Istanbul, the city of the throne. Anatolian lands were shared between Greek, Russian, French and British occupation forces. Anatolian people started a national liberation struggle against this occupation. At the end of this struggle, the occupation forces were removed from the territory of Turkey. On 23 July 1923, the borders of the new Turkish state to be established with the Lausanne Treaty were determined. On 29 October 1923, the establishment of the Republic of Turkey was declared in Ankara. After the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal became the first president and remained in this position until his death on 10 November 1938. Mustafa Kemal abolished the caliphate on 3 March 1924. On 4 March 1924, madrasas were closed down on the basis of the Law on Tevhidi Tedrisat. In addition, many new laws were enacted and changes were made in many areas from clothing to writing. İsmet İnönü became the president after Mustafa Kemal. During his term, the multi-party system was introduced in 1946. With the overwhelming victory of the opposition Democrat Party in the elections held in 1950, İnönü's presidency came to an end and Celal Bayar was elected as president. The Democrat Party period ended with the military coup of 27 May 1960. After this coup, İnönü had the opportunity to come to the forefront again and after the elections of 15 October 1961, a coalition government was formed under his leadership and remained in power until 1965. After 1965, various governments were formed under the leadership of different parties. Turkey then experienced two more military coups on 12 March 1971 and 12 September 1980. The leader of the 1980 military coup, Kenan Evren, was elected president in 1982. After the end of his presidential term, Turgut Özal was elected president on 31 October 1989. After his death on 17 April 1993, Süleyman Demirel was elected to this office. On 5 May 2000, Ahmet Nejdet Sezer was elected to the presidency and after the end of Demirel's term of office, he assumed the presidency.
On 16 January 1998, when the Refah Party was dissolved by the Constitutional Court politicians from the National Vision tradition reunited under the Virtue Party umbrella. The Innovators led by Abdullah Gül competed for the presidency with the Traditionalists at the congress of the Virtue Party Virtue Party congress. On 14 May 2000, the Innovators lost the congress and decided to establish a new party. The Justice and Development Party was founded on 14 August 2001 with the participation of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was released from prison. The founders of the party include Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Abdullah Gül, Abdüllatif Şener, İdris Naim Şahin, Binali Yıldırım and Bülent Arınç . It includes Milli Nizam Partisi, Millî Selamet Partisi-Refah Partisi-Fazilet Partisi-Saadet Partisi (Millî Görüş, Necmettin Erbakan), Anavatan Partisi (names close to Turgut Özal)[source citation needed], MHP (names close to Alparslan Türkeş), Democratic Party-Justice Party-True Path Party-Democratic Party (centre right and names close to Adnan Menderes) and CHP (names close to Deniz Baykal). The AK Party, which took its place on the political scene in 2001 with the 'Movement of Virtues' led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has left behind 20 years full of reforms and electoral successes despite various obstacles.
In the 18 years since it entered the political scene, it has managed to come out as the first party in all the elections it has entered. AK Party, which came to power on 3 November 2002 in the first general election it entered, has produced 4 prime ministers and 2 presidents on its way to politics with the slogan 'Nothing will be the same anymore'. Erdoğan, who was sentenced to 10 months in prison in 1999 for the poem "Soldier's Prayer" by Ziya Gökalp, which he recited in Siirt on 12 December 1997 when he was the mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and who was banned politically for this reason, could not become prime minister although the party he led came to power alone on 3 November 2002. In the general elections held on 3 November, the AK Party emerged as the first party with 34.28 per cent of the vote and the 58th Republican Government was formed under the presidency of Abdullah Gül.
He was elected as an MP from Siirt, where he read the poem that led to his conviction. Following the lifting of Erdoğan's political ban with the amendment to Article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), Founding President Erdoğan entered the Turkish Grand National Assembly by being elected as a deputy in the renewal elections held in Siirt, where he read the poem that led to his conviction on 8 March 2003. After the 58th Government headed by Abdullah Gül resigned three days later on 11 March 2003, 10th President Ahmet Necdet Sezer assigned Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to form the government. Erdoğan formed the 59th Government of the Republic of Turkey on 15 March 2003 and became the prime minister.
He also successfully won local elections. In the 2004 local elections, the first local elections it entered, the AK Party emerged as the first party with 41.7 per cent of the vote and won 1950 municipalities, 11 of which were metropolitan municipalities. In the general elections in 2007, the AK Party won 46.58 per cent of the vote, secured parliamentary seats from 80 provinces, except Tunceli, and came to power on its own. In the parliamentary vote held on 28 August 2007, Abdullah Gül, one of the founders of the party, was elected as the 11th President of the Republic of Turkey.
. Before these elections, opposition groups, who did not want a politician from the National Vision to be a presidential candidate, organised 'Republic Rallies' in April with the slogan 'Protect your Republic'. On 27 April 2007, the statement of the General Staff emphasising secularism was published, which went down in Turkish political history as the 'e-memorandum'.
In the local elections held in 2009, the AK Party again received the highest number of votes and received the authority to govern 10 metropolitan municipalities and 1442 municipalities from the citizens. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the September 12 coup d'état, the amendment to the 1982 Constitution received 57.88 percent of 'yes' votes in the 2010 referendum. In the 2011 general elections, the AK Party, which did not break the tradition, continued its work without slowing down with the 61st Government of the Republic of Turkey, which was established after 49.53 per cent of the votes.
The AK Party, which entered the last local elections under Erdoğan's presidency in 2014, won 818 mayorships, including 18 metropolitan municipalities, with 45.60 per cent of the vote. In the election held on 10 August 2014, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the founding chairman of the AK Party, became the first and Turkey's 12th President elected directly by the will of the people. The AK Party continued its journey with Konya Deputy Ahmet Davutoğlu.
Under Davutoğlu's presidency, the AK Party faced its first test in the general elections held on 7 June 2015 and the early elections held on 1 November 2015. On 1 November 2015, President Erdoğan gave the task of forming the 64th government to AK Party Chairman Ahmet Davutoğlu.
The party underwent another flag change with the 2nd Extraordinary Congress held on 22 May 2016. Binali Yıldırım, who was one of the founders of the party and who had been Erdoğan's travelling companion since his time as mayor, was elected as the President of the AK Party and became the Prime Minister by forming the 65th Government.
The AK Party, which has been in uninterrupted power for 20 years after its foundation, has produced four prime ministers and two presidents during this period. Abdullah Gül, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ahmet Davutoğlu and Binali Yıldırım served as prime ministers and Abdullah Gül and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were elected as the 11th and 12th presidents of Turkey.
Gül was elected President in 2007 by the members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly following the 367 crisis. Founding President Erdoğan became President in the first election held after the referendum on 21 October 2007, which paved the way for the direct election of the president by the people. In the election held on 10 August 2014, Erdoğan became the first president directly elected by the people, receiving approximately 52 per cent of the votes, in accordance with the regulation enabling the election of the president by the people through the 2007 referendum.
The AK Party, which marched to power in the general election held about a year after its establishment, was subjected to the activities of the foci of tutelage, terrorist organisations structured within the state and separatist terrorist organisations, closure lawsuits and coup attempts during this period.
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The 27 April declaration, which went down in the history of Turkish democracy as the 'e-memorandum', was also remembered as an attempt targeting the national will before the presidential election.
After the first vote for the presidential election, a declaration was posted on the website of the General Staff at midnight. This statement, which took its place in the history of Turkish democracy as an 'e-memorandum', was met with a very harsh counter statement from the AK Party government.
In the statement made public by Cemil Çiçek, the government spokesman at the time, it was emphasised that the statement of the General Staff was perceived as 'an attitude against the government' and it was pointed out that it would be unthinkable in a democratic state of law for the General Staff, an institution under the Prime Ministry, to make a statement against the government on any issue.
Following the general election, the Turkish Grand National Assembly convened on 20 August 2007 to re-elect the president. Abdullah Gül, who received 339 votes in the third round of the election, was elected as the 11th President of Turkey.
One of the steps taken to remove the AK Party from power was the closure case. In this context, the indictment prepared by former Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya, which included a 5-year political ban on 71 people, including President Gül and Prime Minister Erdoğan, and the closure of the party, was submitted to the Constitutional Court on 14 March 2008. The Supreme Court accepted the indictment on 31 March 2008.
After the Constitutional Court accepted the indictment, which went down in political history as the 'Google indictment', the case was concluded on 30 July 2008. While 5 members of the Supreme Court opposed the closure, 6 members voted in favour of the closure. Since the qualified majority stipulated in the Constitution could not be reached, the party closure request was rejected.
The crisis that started with the summoning of intelligence officers, including MİT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan, to testify on 7 February 2012 by the then Istanbul Public Prosecutor Sadrettin Sarıkaya ended with the intervention of the political power. With the legal amendment made after the attempt of the Fetullahist Terrorist Organisation (FETO) directly targeting the government, the permission to investigate MİT officials was left to the Prime Ministry and the country was saved from another crisis.
The events that started in 2013 when the Metropolitan Municipality wanted to transfer some trees uprooted by the Metropolitan Municipality teams in order to rebuild the Topçu Barracks in Gezi Park in Taksim Square to other places have also cost Turkey a great deal. The protests, which occupied the agenda for a long time and cost approximately 50 billion dollars, ended with Erdoğan's decisive stance.
The investigation launched on 17 December 2013 by then Istanbul Public Prosecutor Celal Kara, a FETÖ fugitive, against a number of ministers' children, businessmen and bank general managers was one of the important turning points for Turkey.
The second wave of the investigation took place on 25 December 2013 when Muammer Akkaş, then Istanbul public prosecutor and another FETÖ fugitive, wanted to summon President Erdoğan's son Bilal Erdoğan to testify as a suspect.
FETÖ's treacherous project, which has gone down in history as the bloodiest coup attempt in Turkey's history, was implemented on the night of 15 July through the organisation's terrorists in uniform in the Turkish Armed Forces.
The coup attempt was prevented by citizens standing in front of the tanks and embracing democracy upon President Erdoğan's call "I invite our nation to the squares and airports of our provinces".
Turkey entered a new era with the 'historic' referendum held on 16 April 2017. The referendum process started with the submission of the constitutional amendment proposal, which was signed by 316 AK Party MPs, including Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on 10 December 2016. Following the voting on the articles, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan approved the law on the constitutional amendment on 10 February 2017 and sent it to the Prime Ministry for publication to be submitted to the referendum. With 51.41 per cent 'yes' and 48.59 per cent 'no' votes in the referendum on 16 April 2017, President Erdoğan was allowed to become a party member after the abolition of the provision in the Constitution stating that 'the President-elect shall be disassociated from his party'. In addition, the people decided to transition to the Presidential Government System.
Erdoğan came to the AK Party Headquarters on 2 May after 979 days and signed the declaration of membership and became a member of the AK Party.
After President Erdoğan returned to the party after 998 days, it was decided to hold an extraordinary congress on 21 May 2017.
After a three-year break, Erdoğan received all 1414 valid votes at the 3rd Extraordinary Grand Congress of the AK Party and was re-elected as the President of the party he founded 998 days later.
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım was appointed as the 'deputy chairman', which was created with the amendment of the bylaws made at the congress.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's re-assumption of the presidency of the party after 3 years brought a new excitement and dynamism to the party.
Although there were statements from time to time that the elections would be held on time, the early election proposal from Devlet Bahçeli, the President of MHP, with which AK Party has a political alliance, was evaluated by President Erdoğan and the authorised organs of the party.
President Erdoğan announced that the elections will be held on 24 June 2018.
On 24 June 2018, voters went to the polls on the same day for the presidential and parliamentary elections for the first time.
President Erdoğan became the first President of the Presidential Government System by receiving 52.38 per cent of the votes.
The AK Party, led by Erdoğan, won 42.28 per cent of the votes in the most important election in Turkish political history, achieving its 13th electoral success in 16 years.
Erdoğan, the first President of the Presidential Government System, was sworn in at the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 9 July. Erdoğan announced the first Presidential Cabinet of the Presidential Government System on the same day.
Accordingly, Fuat Oktay was appointed as Vice President. Former Chief of General Staff General Hulusi Akar was also appointed as the Minister of National Defence in the new cabinet.
With the amendment made at the 6th Ordinary Grand Congress of the AK Party, the 'political party election alliance' made in the 24 June elections was included in the party charter. In addition, the paragraph 'Membership of the Central Executive Committee (MYK) and the Vice President or Ministry cannot be combined in the same person' was added to the statute.
AK Party and MHP decided to continue the People's Alliance in the General Elections of Local Administrations on 31 March 2019. As a result of the negotiations, an alliance was made between AK Party and MHP in 51 provinces, 30 of which are metropolitan cities. Within the scope of the People's Alliance, the MHP nominated candidates in the metropolitan municipalities of Adana, Mersin and Manisa, while the AK Party nominated candidates in 27 metropolitan municipalities.
The AK Party once again emerged as the first party with 44.33 per cent of the vote in the 31 March local elections, while the CHP won the mayorships of Ankara and Istanbul.
Following the AK Party's objection to the results of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality election, the elections were renewed on 23 June. In the election race between Binali Yıldırım and Ekrem İmamoğlu, CHP candidate İmamoğlu took the lead.[2]
External problems: The Cyprus problem and the dispute with Greece come at the beginning of Turkey's external problems. The Cyprus problem constitutes the centre of the dispute with Greece. In addition to this, Greece's attempt to extend its territorial waters to 12 miles and its oppressive policy on the Turkish minority in Western Thrace also lead to the deepening of the dispute between the two countries. Another external problem of Turkey is the dispute with Iraq and Syria over the use of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Although this issue is not seen as a serious problem between these three neighbouring countries for the time being, it affects mutual relations. Syria's claim to Hatay province within Turkey's borders and its logistical support to the PKK also have a negative impact on Turkey-Syria relations. Armenia's military support to Armenian groups occupying Azerbaijan's Karabakh territories also negatively affects Turkey-Armenia relations.
Internal problems: Turkey's most important internal problem is the PKK terrorist organisation. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) led by Abdullah Öcalan waged a guerrilla war for a long time in order to establish an independent Kurdish state in the southeastern Anatolia region. The PKK guerrillas, who used northern Iraq as their base, were in a very difficult situation as a result of Iraq's military weakness after the Gulf War. Since 1993, Turkish army units have carried out many military operations in Northern Iraq, destroying some bases used by PKK guerrillas and inflicting many casualties on the organisation. In the face of this situation, the PKK endeavoured to move its actions to big cities. However, it did not completely stop its guerrilla actions in the Southeast region. However, after the capture and imprisonment of Öcalan, the PKK's guerrilla actions have largely stopped. Major operations by the Turkish Armed Forces in Northern Iraq and Syria have brought the PKK/PYD/YPG organisations to the point of extinction. Turkey has laid a 3 metre high concrete barrier on the Syrian and Iraqi borders. The number of terrorists inside the country has come to an end and terrorist attacks in the country have completely decreased.
Islamism in Turkey: Many Islamic organisations and many Islamic communities have emerged in Turkey and spread their activities in all fields. Starting with the National Nizam Party in 1969 and continuing with the National Salvation Party, the political activity in the Islamic line was continued with the Welfare Party established after the 1980 military coup. The Welfare Party, led by Prof. Dr. Necmettin Erbakan, won 20% of the votes in the local elections of 27 March 1994 and won 28 out of 76 provincial mayorships, thus becoming the third largest party in the country. In the 10 July 1994 by-elections, which were repeated in some places, it became the second party in the vote ranking. After the closure of the Welfare Party, the Virtue Party tried to fill the vacuum left by the Welfare Party. After the closure of the Virtue Party on the grounds that it had become a focus of anti-secularist activities, the Saadet Party was founded. Saadet Party continues its activities with its experienced organisation structure throughout Turkey.
Islamic movements in Turkey have also made significant progress in the field of publishing. From publishing daily newspapers, weekly magazines, monthly magazines, encyclopaedias, books, video and cassette tapes to radio and television broadcasting, significant progress has been achieved in every field. In addition, some films with Islamic content became among the most watched films in Turkey. In addition, many foundations and charitable organisations have been established. In addition to various charitable activities, these organisations open private schools, student dormitories, educational institutions in various fields and provide services in various fields such as publishing activities, social and cultural services. In addition, many associations and professional organisations have been established for Islamic purposes.
Sufi communities are also very influential in Turkey. The most widespread of these is the Naqshbandi sect. Sufi communities in Turkey differ from most of the Sufi communities in other Islamic countries not only in terms of Sufi education but also in terms of education, publishing, cultural and commercial activities.
Economy: Although Turkey is one of the most developed Islamic countries in terms of industry, agriculture has an important place in the country's economy and agriculture and animal husbandry are the source of livelihood for many families. The share of agriculture in gross domestic product is 19 per cent. 40% of the working population is employed in agriculture. The main agricultural products produced are cereals, legumes, cotton, sugar beet, tobacco, tea, sunflower, corn and various vegetables and fruits. There were 11 million 970 thousand heads of cattle and 40 million 435 thousand heads of sheep in the country. 365 thousand tonnes of fish are caught, 87% from the sea and 13% from inland waters. Turkey is a self-sufficient country in terms of food production. Forest products also make an important contribution to the national economy. In 1991, 15 million 770 thousand m3 of logs were produced. It is also rich in terms of local resources. Various mines, especially iron, copper and chromium, are extracted. It is also rich in coal. In 1993, it was estimated to have 281 million barrels of oil and 11 billion m3 of natural gas reserves. The share of underground resources in gross national product is 2%.
Currency: Turkish Lira.(TL)
Foreign trade: The main products it exports are foodstuffs, agricultural products, some industrial products, textile products, live animals and mineral ores. It imports crude oil and petroleum products, machinery, transport vehicles and spare parts, defence equipment, electrical and electronic equipment, machinery, foodstuffs and chemicals. The European Union countries take the first place in foreign trade. The total share of the European Union countries in exports and imports is 54 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively. The USA, Japan and the Turkic republics come second.
Industry: Turkey is one of the countries that has developed its industry the most among Islamic countries. It is ahead of all Islamic countries in aircraft and automotive industry. In addition, it has industrial establishments in many different sectors such as machinery, agricultural equipment, electricity and electronics, textile, food, garment, leather, furniture, paper, medicine, chemistry, plastics, iron and steel, mining, etc. 16% of the working population is employed in the industrial sector. The share of manufacturing industry in gross domestic product is 21 per cent.
Energy: In 1991, 60 billion 338 million kw/h of electricity was produced, 60 billion 591 million kw/h was consumed and the difference was covered by imports. 62 per cent of the electrical energy is obtained from thermal power plants and 38 per cent from hydroelectric power plants. Annual electricity consumption per capita is 1060 kw/hour on average.
Transportation: There are 51 airports with scheduled flights, of which the ones in Istanbul, Ankara and Trabzon are open to international traffic. A new airport is under construction. It has 880 ships capable of carrying cargo over 100 gph, 8430 km. of railways and 370.000 km. of roads. On average, there is one motorised transport vehicle for 22 people.
Education: Primary education in Turkey starts at the age of 6 and lasts 12 years (4+4+4 years). Primary education is compulsory. Education in state-owned educational institutions is free of charge. Turkey entered the 1992-93 academic year with 50,189 primary schools, 7618 secondary schools, 2129 general high schools, 2242 vocational high schools and 50 universities. Among the young people of university age, the rate of those enrolled in universities is 14 per cent, among those over 25 years of age, the rate of those with higher education is 4 per cent and the rate of those who can read and write is 81 per cent.
Health: There are 857 hospitals, 51.000 doctors, 10.600 dentists, 45.000 nurses in Turkey. A total of 1.100.000 health personnel are working. There is one doctor for 1175 people.
