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Turkey
Area:
301,000 square miles or 780,000 square kilometers (slightly larger than
Texas); borders Greece (200km) and Bulgaria (240km) to its Northwestern
side, Syria (820km) and Iraq (350km) at its Southeastern side; and Iran
(500km), Armenia (270), Azerbaijan (10km) and Georgia(250km) to the
East.
Population:
68 million; life expectation: 72 years
Languages:
Turkish
History:
Present-day Turkey was created in 1923 from the Turkish remnants of
the Ottoman Empire. Soon thereafter, the country instituted secular
laws to replace traditional religious fiats. In 1945 Turkey joined the
UN, and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. Turkey intervened militarily
on Cyprus in 1974 to protect Turkish Cypriots and prevent a Greek takeover
of the island; the northern 37 percent of the island remains under Turkish
Cypriot control. Relations between the two countries remain strained,
but have begun to improve over the past few years. In 1984, the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK), a Marxist-Leninist, separatist group, initiated
an insurgency in southeast Turkey, often using terrorist tactics to
try to attain its goal of an independent Kurdistan. The group - whose
leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was captured in Kenya in February 1999 - has
observed a unilateral cease-fire since September 1999, although there
have been occasional clashes between Turkish military units and some
of the 4,000-5,000 armed PKK militants, most of whom currently are encamped
in northern Iraq. The PKK changed its name to the Kurdistan Freedom
and Democracy Congress (KADEK) in April 2002.
Capital:
Ankara
Media:
Newspapers
Natural hazards:
very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc
extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Environmental Issues: water pollution from dumping of chemicals and
detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation;
concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic.
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