Turkey Travel Podcast with Emre Yilmaz

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

Terrain

High central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges

Climate

Temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Elevation

Highest point

Mount Ararat 5,137 m

Lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Mean elevation

1,132 m

Area

Total

783,562 sq km

Land

769,632 sq km

Water

13,930 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly larger than Texas

Coastline

7,200 km

Land borders

Total

2,816 km

Border countries

Armenia 311 km; Azerbaijan 17 km; Bulgaria 223 km; Georgia 273 km; Greece 192 km; Iran 534 km; Iraq 367 km; Syria 899 km

Natural resources

Coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower

Land use

Agricultural land

50.1% (2023 est.)

Arable land

26.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

4.8% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

19% (2023 est.)

Forest

29.3% (2023 est.)

Other

20.5% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van; landslides; flooding

Volcanism: limited volcanic activity; the three historically active volcanoes (Ararat, Nemrut Dagi, and Tendurek Dagi) have not erupted since the 19th century or earlier

Note

Strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link the Black and Aegean Seas; the 3% of Turkish territory north of the Straits lies in Europe and goes by the names of European Turkey, Eastern Thrace, or Turkish Thrace; the 97% of the country in Asia is referred to as Anatolia; Istanbul, which straddles the Bosporus, is the only metropolis in the world located on two continents; Mount Ararat, reputed to be the landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far-eastern part of the country

Population

Total

84,625,585 (2025 est.)

Male

42,489,277

Female

42,136,308

Nationality

Noun

Turk(s)

Adjective

Turkish

Ethnic groups

Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 19%, other minorities 6-11% (2016 est.)

Languages

Languages

Turkish (official), Kurdish, other minority languages

Major-language sample(s)

The World Factbook, temel bilgi edinmek için vazgeçilmez bir kaynak. (Turkish)

Religions

Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)

Median age

Total

34.4 years (2025 est.)

Male

33.4 years

Female

34.6 years

Life expectancy

Total population

76.7 years (2024 est.)

Male

74.4 years

Female

79.2 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

77.5% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

1.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

The most densely populated area is found around the Bosporus in the northwest, where 20% of the population lives in Istanbul; with the exception of Ankara, urban centers remain small and scattered throughout the interior of Anatolia; an overall pattern of peripheral development exists, particularly along the Aegean Sea coast in the west, and the Tigris and Euphrates River systems in the southeast

Largest cities

15.848 million Istanbul, 5.397 million ANKARA (capital), 3.088 million Izmir, 2.086 million Bursa, 1.836 million Adana, 1.805 million Gaziantep (2023)

Background

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire by reformer and national hero Mustafa KEMAL, known as Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." One-party rule ended in 1950, and periods of instability and military coups have since fractured the multiparty democracy, in 1960, 1971, 1980, 1997, and 2016.

Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and NATO in 1952. In 1963, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; it began accession talks with the EU in 2005. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization, began a separatist insurgency in Turkey in 1984, and the struggle has long dominated the attention of Turkish security forces. In 2013, the Turkish Government and the PKK conducted negotiations aimed at ending the violence, but intense fighting resumed in 2015.

The Turkish Government conducted a referendum in 2017 in which voters approved constitutional amendments changing Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system.

Government

Presidential republic

Capital

Ankara

Time zone

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Turkey Cumhuriyeti

Independence

29 October 1923 (republic proclaimed, succeeding the Ottoman Empire)

National day

Republic Day, 29 October (1923)

Overview

Upper-middle-income, diversified Middle Eastern economy; industrializing economy that maintains large agricultural base; key energy, tourism, and construction sectors; high inflation, interest rates, and foreign debt pose risk to financial stability

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$35,300 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$34,300 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$32,700 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

58.5% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

53.9% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

72.3% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

8.5% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

9.4% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

10.5% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Turkish liras (TRY) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

32.806 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

23.739 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

16.549 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

8.85 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

7.009 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Textiles, food processing, automobiles, electronics, mining (coal, chromate, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper

Agriculture

Sugar beets, wheat, milk, tomatoes, barley, maize, potatoes, apples, grapes, watermelons (2023)

Airports

116 (2025)

Railways

Total

11,497 km (2018)

Standard gauge

11,497 km (2018) 1.435-m gauge (1.435 km high speed train)

Ports

Total ports

54 (2024)

Large

3

Medium

3

Small

6

Very small

42

Ports with oil terminals

28

Key ports

Haydarpasa, Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Nemrut Limani Bay, Samsun

Internet domain

.tr

Internet users

Percent of population 87% (2024 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

94.3 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

108 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; land degradation; conservation of biodiversity

Fresh water

211.6 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

1

Global geoparks and regional networks

Kula-Salihli (2023)