THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY IN A SNAPSHOT
A land of resources
A treasure of history, a melting pot of civilizations and cultures.
The variety and beauty of its landscape and climate attract tourists to its
beaches,
mountains,
plains and valleys.
A dynamic nation of 70 million people with an average age of 27.
Committed to democracy and pluralism
A multi-party parliamentary democracy since 1946.
A secular state democracy among more than 50 republics with predominantly
Moslem population.
A free market economy
Free and privately-owned media, with 16 nation-wide private TV networks,
broadcasting through two Turkish communication satellites.
A member of NATO since 1952, an associate member of the European Union
since
1964, in Customs
Union with the EU since 1996.
Candidate status for full membership to the European was officially endorsed
at the Helsinki Summit of
the EU on December 10-11, 1999.
Strategically placed
A physical and cultural bridge between Europe and Asia, in the heart of
Euroasia, bordering 12 nations and 4 seas.
An outlet for the Black Sea basin countries to warm seas through the Turkish
Straits.
A significant contributor to the development of the newly independent states
of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
A prospective energy terminal for export of Caspian oil and natural gas.
A regional leader
Contributor to UN peacekeeping operations worlwide.
Initiator of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation region which groups 11
nations
from the Balkans to Caucasus.
Supporter of the Southeast European Countries Cooperation Process and
Initiator of the Multinational Peace Force Southeastern Europe.
Supporter of the Middle East Peace Process and the only regional country
which
participates
in the Temporary International Presence in Hebron ( TIPH )
upon the
request of both the Palestinian
and Israeli sides.
An economic Power
Transfeormed from a traditional agricultural economy into a modern industrial
economy.
A modern telecommunication and transportation network.
Telecommunications
network ranks 9th in the world in terms of size.
Included in the recently established G-20 Group which consists of G-7+
countries
with fast emerging economies.
16th largest economy in the world.
Exports rose from 9.2 billion US Dollars in 1980 to 26.9 billion US Dollars
in
1998. Share of industrial
goods rose, within the same period, from 36% to
88%.
The sum of the portfolio of the Turkish contractors in the Middle East,
Africa,
Europe, Russia and the
other countries of Central Asia total 40 billion
US Dollars.
Europe's largest supplier of textiles and apparel.
Has the Only F-16 fighter plane factory outside the U.S.
Ranked by the United States Department of Commerce among the " Big
Ten"
(the top ten emerging
markets in the world).
The World Bank has qualified Turkey as one of the ten most promising
emerging
markets.
A land of opportunity
Privatization programme including state enterprises;active airlines, banking,
telecommunications
and petroleum.
Privatization and its 4.5 billion US Dollars per year investment programme
offering important
opportunities for foreign investors.
The Southeastern Anatolia Project ( GAP ) for hydroelectric power generation
and irrigation creating vast investment opportunities in agro-industries.
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