1.
Country Selected: Turkey
Total Population: 80 Million estimated (2013).
Capital: Ankara.
Official Language: Turkish. Other Languages: Kurdish, English.
Major Cities : Istanbul-Population-13,854,740. Ankara-Population- Izmir-Population- Bursa-Population- Adana-Population-
Transportation Channels :
Turkey has a highly developed Public Transport System. There is also the presence of private transport. The Public Transport System includes a Railway System that connects the major cities of Turkey. Turkey is also connected with other countries by Rail. In addition, Turkey also has Light Rail or Tram system in place. There are also public buses, taxis and water taxis available. Moreover, Turkey also has a highly developed road network in place that allows for private vehicle ownership.
Map of Transportation Channels :
Physical Characteristics:
Turkey is a transcontinental country, located at 39 00 N and 35 00 E. It is situated at the North East end of the Mediterranean Sea which is in the Middle East. Part of Turkey lies in Western Asia, while the other part is located in Southeastern Europe. Turkey has the Black Sea on its Northern Border, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan on its Eastern Border, and Syria and Iraq on its Southern Border. The Western Border is home to the Aegean Sea. The area is dominated by hills. The Central Turkey region is home to wide plains which are surrounded by rugged mountain ranges such as the Koroglu, Taurus, and Pontic. The mountains in these ranges are quite high, with many rising above 10000 feet. Along the coastal area though, the land is much lower and is quite fertile as well. The major rivers of Turkey are the Kizilirmak, Tigris, Sakaraya, and Euphrates. The largest lake in Turkey is the Lake Van. Turkey is divided by the Sea of Marmara, the Dardanelles and the Bosporus. A large part of Turkey is home to land that is lifeless and barren.
Climate :
Turkey has Summers that are hot and dry. Winters, on the other hand, are quite wet. As we move further inland, the climate becomes harsher.
Natural Resources :
Natural Resources in Turkey include iron ore, copper, coal, sulphur, chromium, and clay.
Demographic Information :
Age Distribution :
0-14 years: 25.9% (male 10,682,900/female 10,201,965) 15-24 years: 17% (male 6,979,955/female 6,703,689) 25-54 years: 42.7% (male 17,375,544/female 17,097,927) 55-64 years: 7.9% (male 3,189,731/female 3,169,450) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 2,422,983/female 2,870,341).
Life Expectancy (At Birth) :
Total: 22.23 deaths per 1000 live births.
Male: 23.29 deaths per 1000 live births.
Female: 21.12 deaths per 1000 live births.
Literacy Rate:
94.1% of Total Population (Over 15 who can read and write)
Male: 97.9%
Female: 90.3%
Ethnic Groups:
Turkish 70-75%. Kurdish 18%. Other Minorities 7-12%.
Religious Groups:
Muslims 99.8% (Sunni Majority). Other 0.2% (Jews and Christians).
Urban Population: 52,727,824. Urban%: 69.6%
Rural Population: 22,977,323. Rural%: 30.4%
Economic Information:
GDP Per Capita: 10,666 (US Dollars)
GDP By Sector :
Agriculture: 9.1%
Industry: 27%
Services: 63.9%
Top 3 Trading Partners:
1. EU
2.Russia
3.USA
Inflation Rate: 7.4% (December 2013)
Unemployment Rate: 9.1% (August 2013)
Exchange Rate:
Against US Dollar: 1 Lira : 0.44 Dollar
Against GBP: 1 Lira : 0.27 GBP
Against Canadian Dollar: 1 Lira : 0.49 Canadian Dollar
Against Euro: 1 Lira : 0.32 Euro
5 Year Table Against CAD:
Income Distribution:
Income Inequality: 0.41(2008) (Gini Coefficient)
2. Political Profile of Turkey:
Turkey follows a democratic form of government. The Head of State of Turkey is Abdullah Gul, the President. He has been the President of Turkey since 2007. The Presidential Elections are held every 5 years, with the current President at the helm of the Country for 7 years. General Elections in Turkey are held every 4 years.
Turkey is a Country that is one of the largest traders with the EU. As such, the tariff rates in Turkey are quite low, with the applied rate on manufactured products being a low 1.18% in 2011.
Corruption Levels in Turkey are moderate to low. The CPI (Corruption Perceptions Index) for Turkey for the last 3 years portray the following picture:
2011: Rank 61 - Score 4.2
2012: Rank 54 - Score 49 (Change in Scoring Policy)
2013: Rank 53- Score 50
As evident from the statistics above, the corruption levels in Turkey have been going down consistently. In fact, the progress that Turkey made from 2011 to 2013 is quite commendable.
Business Climate:
The business climate in Turkey has been effected quite severely by the chronic political instability that the country faces. This has meant that Turkey, despite the dynamism it has, has failed to live up to its expectations. While the country has made general progress over time, the political instability is still quite apparent. Moreover, the quality of infrastructure is not that high either. Electricity problems are still at large, while the overall quality of the infrastructure has been found lacking. The freedom to start a business is however, quite high indeed.
As far as labor standards are concerned, Turkey suffers from a labor-employer relationship issue. The country has inflexible employment regulations that have severely affected the productivity levels. Moreover, Turkey has strict laws regarding temporary employment, which is a must have in the modern day business landscape. The hiring and firing practices too, are not to the liking of employers.
Human Rights in Turkey:
There are several international law treaties in place that protect human rights in Turkey. Moreover, since Turkey has been in negotiations to become a full time member of the EU, the protection of human rights is necessary as the rights are held in high regard by the EU. However, it is unfortunate that Turkey has been the source for many human rights violations over the years, some of which exist till today. The Turkish-Kurdish conflict has been ravaging on for several years. Moreover, Turkey is undergoing a debate on topics such as torture, life, and right of property.
Child labor is also a problem that is widespread in Turkey. A study conducted in 2011 found that there were around 1 million children working in the country.
Gender Issues in Turkey are particularly important. Since Turkey has been in negotiations with the EU, it is important for the country to solve the gender inequality issues that exist.
Works Cited
"World Report 2013." : Turkey. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/turkey>.
"Turkey." News. N.p., 1 Feb. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2014. <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/turkey/index.html?8qa>.
"Welcome to the European Parliament." European Parliament. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. <http://www.europarl.europa.eu/>.
"The Economist." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2014. <http://www.economist.com/topics/turkey>.
Demographic Figures: "Turkey Demographics Profile 2013." Turkey Demographics Profile 2013. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <http://www.indexmundi.com/turkey/demographics_profile.html>.
Map: "Turkish Coast Map." Turkish Coast Map. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2014. <http://www.sailingturkishcoast.com/map/index.html>.
GDP Figures: "GDP per capita (current US$)." Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. <http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD>.
CPI: "Overview." What we do. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <http://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/>.
