From: crec@uwovax.uwo.ca
Subject: TURKEY: A bridge between east and west
Organization: University of Western Ont, London
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 00:07:55 GMT

For those who are looking for a quick data on Turkey, the following
informations have been extracted from the pamphlet prepared by
Directorate General of Press&Information-Ankara-Turkey.  I hope to
add some more information and create a FAQ on Turkey in the future. 

A.Pekediz


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Turkey: A Bridge Between East and West

General Outline:
     The lands of Turkey are located at a point where the three
continents making up the world--Asia, Africa and Europe-- are
closest to each other, and straddle the point where Europe and Asia
meet.  The country is located at a point halfway between the
equator and the north pole, at a longitude of 36N to 42N and a
latitude of 26E to 45E. It is roughly rectangular in shape,
1600kms long and 550 kms wide.
     Because of its geographical location the mainland of Anatolia
has always found favour throughout historical times as the
birthplace of many great civilizations.  It has also been prominent
as a centre of commerce because its connections to three continents
and the sees surrounding it on three sides.

Area:
     The actual surface area of Turkey, inclusive of its lakes, is
814,578 km2, of which 790,200 km2 is in Asia and 24,378 km2 is
located in Europe.

THE CLIMATE
Although Turkey is situated in a geographical location where
climatic conditions are quite temperate, the diverse nature of the
landscape, and the existence in particular of the mountains that
run parallel to the coasts, results in significant differences in
climatic conditions from one region to the other.  While coastal
areas in a country surrounded on three sides by seas enjoy milder
climates, the Anatolian plateau inland experiences extremes of hot
summers and cold winters with limited precipitation.
     In the Mediterranean region, the climate is similar to that of
other Mediterranean areas in general, where summer are hot and dry
and winters are mild and rainy. The same conditions prevail in the
Aegean region and along the southern coat of the Marmara region. 
Towards the north of the Marmara region, temperatures are lower,
and, in the Black sea region, a wetter and more temperate coastal
sea climate prevails.
     Central Anatolian has a typical plateau climate; the summers
are hot, with minimum precipitation, and the winters are cold, with
snowfall.  In Eastern Anatolia, the summers are cool and the
winters are cold and snowy.  On the other hand, the summers in
Southern Anatolia are hot and dry and winters not too cold.

POPULATION
The population of Turkey, estimated to be 12.5 million in 1923,
increased to 13.5 million in 1927, according to the results of the
census taken that year.
     According to provisional returns from the 1990 population
census, Turkey has 57 million inhabitants.  In 1985, the figure was
50.7 million.  The number of cities in Turkey with population of
over 100,000 is 53.
     Because of the high rate f industrialization taking place,
intensive migration from rural to urban areas started in the 1950s
and continues to the present day.  As a result of this, the rural
population has rapidly decreased as a proportion of the total
population, and the rapid urbanization which occurred because of
the influx of the rural population has led to an increase in the
population of large cities, thus vividly illustrating the pace of
industrialisation and economic growth.

THE ECONOMY
Mainly owing to the inward-oriented industrialization policies,
involving import substitution and direct government intervention
and inference in the market system, implemented throughout the
1970's, the Turkish economy experienced a severe crisis at the end
of the decade.  With the decisions of January 24, 1980, obstacles
and bottlenecks in the goods market were removed, and more radical,
outward-oriented decisions and practices directed towards
establishing a market economy were implemented in a comprehensive
and progressive manner.
     The important decisions and policies put into effect during
the 1980s with the aim of establishing a competitive and outward-
oriented market economy may be summarized as follows:
     Within the basic approach of establishing an outward-oriented
market economy and integrating it with the world economy, the
foreign trade regime has been entirely liberated.  While imports
have been completely liberated, custom duties and fund premiums
have been reduced considerably, and the rise in imports during the
period 1984-1989 has been 7.8% per annum on average.  The favorable
increase in imports has stemmed from the rise in imports of
consumer and investment goods, but imports of consumer goods have
remained below 10% of the total.
     Necessary support has been provided both for exports and to
export-oriented industries during the period 1980-1990.  Direct and
indirect incentives designed to ensure the competitiveness of
export products have been implemented effectively.
     Within realistic exchange rate policy, considerable increases
have been achieved in invisible receipts.  In connection with these
favorable developments, the persistent balance of payments problem
was resolved, and in the years 1987 and 1988 Turkey emerged as a
country with a balance of payments surplus.
     The encouraging performance in the balance of payments, and in
external debt management, have enhanced turkey's credibility in
external markets.  She has become a country which can find
borrowing facilities to considerable extent in line with conditions
forming in the international money and capital markets.
     Money and capital markets recognised as contemporary have been
established.  Inter-bank, foreign exchange and gold markets have
come into being.  The Istanbul Stock Exchange has been constituted
and enlarged and has continued to grow rapidly during recent years. 
The exchange rate of Turkish lira is determined, away from all
types of interference, by demand and supply in the market.
     Likewise, an environment has been created for the free
determination of deposit and loan interest rates.  At present,
interest rates determined wholly by market conditions prevail in
the Turkish banking system.
     The banking system has been opened for foreign competition,
foreign banks have been permitted to enter into the system and the
integration of the Turkish banking system into the international
system has been brought about.
     Rigid, narrow and restrictive regulations in the application
of the foreign exchange regime have been abolished and a modern
regime based on liberal essentials has been put into effect.  With
the decisions taken in August, 1989, the transition of the Turkish
Lira to convertibility has been accomplished.
     Liberal foreign exchange regime practices have exerted
positive influences on capital and fund inflows.
     The pricing behaviour of the SEEs has been changed so as to
conform to market conditions.  This, together with privatization,
has helped to lessen deficits.  The establishment of the principle
of public entities resorting to the market rather than the Central
Bank, the auction system for government securities, the reduction
of the role of the public sector in the economy and the restriction
of public investments to infrastructure and public services are all
radical changes.
     All these radical changes have been made without creating any
serious external or internal imbalances, and over the period 1980-
1990, the annual average growth rate has been well above 5%.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.turkish