Foundation of The Republic of Turkey - Essay Example

Foundation of republic of Turkey Introduction Foundation of republic of turkey was led by Mustafa Kemal in 1923. He is better known as the "father of the Turks" or "Ataturk". In 1923 Ottoman Empire, which was a 600 years old empire, collapsed after a three year long war of independence. Ottoman Empire once controlled a vast region which ranges from northern Africa to western Asia. But unfortunately it was not able to keep up pace with the technological and social development that occurred in other countries of Europe. As a result several national groups emerged within the empire with purpose of becoming independent as nation-states. This actually led to the fragmentation of the empire. In spite of this Ottoman participated in the First World War being a German ally and was defeated by the victorious forces. The Ottoman Empire was partly occupied by the victorious force, but in a bitter war Turkish nationalists who were brought together by Mustafa Kemal were able to expel them from Anatolia. Finally they were also able to abolish the Ottoman Empire in 1923. Once the republic of turkey was formed, country’s leaders focused on westernization and modernization of the country. Turkey went through massive social, economic, linguistic and political reforms during the period of 1924-1934 under the leadership of Ataturk (Mustafa Kemal). Today this ideology of Ataturk is known as “Kemalism”. Kemalism is basically the Turkish form of strong nationalism, secularism, western orientation and statism. In Turkey’s politics Kemalism is one of the most popular subject for discussing and debating because even today the principles of Kemalism are well accepted in Turkey. This was the foundation of modern Turkey. In World War II Turkey joined Allied force with the purpose of becoming a United Nations member. In 1952 Turkey became a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (US Department of State, History). Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) Geography of Turkey a) Location Turkey’s geographical location is quite interesting as some part of the country is geographically part of Southeastern Europe and rest is part of Southwestern Asia. Basically it is a Middle East country. Turkey is placed in between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea. B) Land Area Turkey’s total area is 783,562 sq km. Among this 769,632 sq km is the total land area and the rest is water. In terms of total area Turkey is slightly bigger than Texas. Turkey is at the 37th position in the world with respect to total area. C) Border Countries It is quite clear from the global map of Turkey that turkey’s border is shared with eight different countries which are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Turkey’s total land boundary is 2,648 km long. d) Climate In Turkey climatic condition is found to be different in different region. These significant differences are because of the presence of the mountains which is parallel to coastline and the varied nature of landscape. Coastal areas are found to be having milder climate. On the other hand in Anatolian plateau climate is extreme in nature as hot summer and cold winter with very little rainfall are noticed. In Turkey maximum rainfall take place in winter season (Turkish State Meterological Service). People a) Population As of July, 2009 Turkey’s total population is 76,805,524. Turkey is the seventeenth most populated country in the world. In 2007 Turkey’s population was 70,586,256 and in 2008 the figure was 71,517,100. According to TUIK in 2008 population increased in 55 provinces in the country whereas it decreased in 26 provinces. Population growth rate in turkey is 1.312% which is not very high. b) Population and birth rate In 2009 birth rate in Turkey is 18.66 per 1000 and in 2008 it was around 13.1 per thousand. Death rate in Turkey is lower than the birth rate. Turkey’s death rate is 6.1 per thousand (The Journal Turkish Weekly). c) Ethnic groups Mainly Turkish people live in Turkey. 70-75% of total population is Turkish in the country. Apart from Turkish there are Kurdish and other minorities. In Turkey 18% of total population is Kurdish. d) Major Religions Most of the people in Turkey are Muslim and most of the Muslims are Sunni. Almost 99.8% people in Turkey are Muslim. Other religions include Christians and Jews. e) Languages Turkish is the official language in Turkey. But Kurdish is also spoken. f) Literacy Rate Officially anybody, whose age is 15 or above, can read and write, is literate in Turkey. It has been found that almost 87.4% of total population in Turkey is literate. 95.3% male are literate in the country whereas only 77% female are literate. Type of Government a) Political System Turkey is a democratic country and Turkey’s government is republican parliamentary democracy type. Turkey’s chief of the state is President Abdullah GUL but head of the government is the prime minister. Currently Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN is Turkey’s prime minister. There is council of ministers which is called cabinet and it is appointed by the president of the country. Turkey is divided into 81 provinces. Prime minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN President Abdullah GUL b) Main political parties In Turkey there is almost 49 different political parties. Major political parties in Turkey include Anavatan Partisi, Democratic left party, Democratic party, freedom and solidarity party, nationalist movement party, justice and development party etc. c) Legal system Civil law system in Turkey is heavily influenced by different legal systems from European continent. Turkey has the membership in European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). d) Diplomatic representation in the U. S. (embassy and consulates) In US Turkish embassy is located in Massachusetts Avenue, Washington. Apart from Washington there are other places like San Francisco, Baltimore, Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, Flowood, Detroit and Kansas where Turkey has its consuls. Nabi Sensoy is the Turkish ambassador in US. Other consulate (s) are located in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, New York. Turkish Embassy in Washington Dc e) Country’s capital city Ankara, Turkey’s capital is the second largest city in the country. Ankara is an important industrial and commercial city which is located in central Anatolia. Its location is strategically selected at the center of the country’s rail network and highway. A view of Ankara, [source: collegenews.org] Economy a) Gross Domestic Product In the context of purchasing power parity Turkey’s Gross domestic Product in 2008 was $903.9 billion. In 2007 the figure was $895.8 billion. But in the context of official exchange rate in 2008 Turkey’s GDP was $730 billion. In 2007 Turkey’s GDP growth rate was 4.7% but in 2008 due to recession Turkey’s GDP growth rate sharply reduced. In 2008 growth rate of the country was 0.9%. b) Current Economic Condition Turkey’s economy is a mix of conventional agricultural sector and modern commerce and industry. Agriculture is still an important sector in the country as 30% of total employment still occurs in this sector. Other major industries in Turkey include transport, banking and communication. Apart from these textiles and clothing is the largest industrial sector in the country. Turkey’s one third of industrial employment occurs in this sector. But in the past few years importance of automotive and electronics industry is also increasing. It is true that over the past few years Turkey’s real GDP growth was more than 6%, but this expansion has been interrupted by the reduction in output levels in 1994, 1999 and 2001. In 2008 due to the global recession Turkey’s annual growth was expected to reduce to 1.1%. In 2008 inflation rate in the country was more than 10%. Turkey’s total labor force amounts to almost 24.06 million, although it has been found that almost 1.2 million Turks work in foreign countries. In 2008 unemployment rate in the country was 11%. As of December 31, 2008 discount rate in Turkey’s central bank was 25%. c) Major Exports In 2008 Turkey’s total exports amounted to $140.7 billion which is almost $25.3 billion more than the previous year figure. Major commodities that are exported include apparel, textiles, foodstuffs, transport equipment, metal manufactures etc. Turkey’s major export partners are Germany, UAE, UK, France, Italy and Russia. Almost 9.8% of total exports take place with Germany. Apart from above mentioned commodities Turkey also exports natural gas. In 2008 Turkey exported almost 435 million cu m natural gas. d) Major imports Major commodities that Turkey imports include chemicals, machinery, fuels, semi-finished goods, transport equipment etc. In 2008 country’s total imports amounted to $193.9 billion which is almost $31.9 billion more than the previous year. Turkey mainly import from Germany, Russia, US, China, Italy, Iran and France. e) Major Trading Partners Turkey’s major trading partners include Germany, Russia, US, UK, Italy and France. f) Currency and its rate with US dollar Turkish currency is called Turkish lira. Prior to 2005 it was called old Turkish lira, on January 1, 2005 it was converted to new Turkish Lira. But from January 1, 2009 Turkish government has stopped using the word ‘new’. As a result now it is called only Turkish Lira (TRY). Currently Turkish Lira (TRY) to one US dollar (USD) is 1.50. g) Major Industries Major industries in turkey include transport, banking, communication, textiles and clothing. Electronics and automotive industries are also getting importance. Communication Infrastructures a) Telephone System Turkey’s telecommunication system has been undergoing rapid expansion and modernization. This expansion and modernization is mainly taking place in the mobile-cellular services. In the last few years there has been rapid increase in mobile subscribers and this is happening because of additional digital exchange. A network of intercity trunk lines which is highly technologically advanced is been constructed. Communication between various urban centers is getting improved because of the use of digital microwave radio relay and fiber-optic cable. There is domestic satellite system for reaching the remote areas. Turkey’s international code is 90. In 2008 there are almost 17.502 million main users in the country, whereas the number of mobile phone users in the country has reached to 65.824 million. b) Radio Broadcast Stations Major radio broadcast stations in Turkey are AM 16, shortwave 6, FM 107. c) TV Broadcast Stations There are several TV broadcast stations. Turkish government media provider is called TRT which has many channels like TRT 1, TRT2, TRT3, TRT Gap etc. d) Internet Country Code Turkey’s internet code is .tr. e) Internet Service Providers Turk telecom is the main internet service provider in Turkey. Apart from Turk telecom there are other private companies who provide internet services. Some of major private internet service providers are E- kolay, super online, Netone, turk.net. Transportation infrastructure a) Railways In Turkey there are 8,697 km long railway network and out of this 1,920 km rail lines are electrified. Railway network in Turkey b) Highways Total length of roadways in Turkey is almost 426,951 km and out of this almost 1,987 km is expressway (Central Intelligence Agency, Turkey). c) Waterways In 2008 Turkey’s waterway was 1,200 km long. d) Airlines, major airports There are almost 102 airports in Turkey. Out of these 120 airports almost 90 airports are having paved runways and 12 airports have unpaved runways. Major airlines of Turkey include Turkish airlines, Tarhan air, Turkuaz airlines, ACT airlines, Ankair. Major airports in Turkey include Esenboga International Airports, Antalya Airport, Adana Sakirpasa Airport, Ataturk International Airport and Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. A view of Antalya Airport Turkish Airlines e) Major ports Major ports and terminals in Turkey are Aliaga, Izmir, Diliskelesi, Kocaeli (Izmit), Nemrut Limani and Mercin Limani. Common business customs/etiquettes with regard to: a) Customs or rules of conduct when dealing with foreigners Turkish people when meeting with foreigners they shake hand firmly, but when departing, they might not shake hand. Generally one or two kisses are exchanged when friends meet. b) Punctuality In Turkey, people are very serious about punctuality especially at business meetings. It is expected that everybody would be punctual and if anybody is late then proper explanation is demanded. c) Giving and receiving gifts In Turkish business culture gift giving is not very popular. People would prefer sight seeing or dining instead of gift giving for relationship building. However if anybody decides to give gift it would be accepted. d) Dealing with women managers In Turkey women managers are dealt with proper respect. At the time of meeting with any women managers hand shake is preferred. e) Business negotiations In Turkey personal businesses are often noticed. But this culture is slowly changing with the arrival of various multi national companies. Generally in Turkey people prefer those people, whom they trust, like and feel comfortable with. Turks believe in long term relationship. In any business relationship in the country first meeting should be focused on knowing each other. In Turkish culture business making might take some time and generally negotiations take place with junior members or managers of an organization (Kwintessential, Etiquette & Customs in Turkey). f) Business –related superstitions and taboos There are several superstitions in Turkish culture. One of the most common business related superstition is business owners enter their right foot first in the establishment just to have good business. Opinion Compatibility If Turkish economy is compared with the US economy it would be clear that US economy too big to Turkish economy. In fact US economy is the largest and technologically most advanced economy in the world. In 2008 US’s GDP was $14.44 trillion in the context of purchasing power parity whereas Turkey’s GDP was $903.9 billion. But due to global financial turmoil real GDP growth rate of Turkey is little more than US. In 2008 Turkey’s GDP growth rate was 0.9% whereas GDP growth rate of US was 0.4%. US economy is mainly market oriented economy. US industry is mainly dominated by the service sector and agriculture is the least dominated industry. But in Turkey even today almost 30% employment take place in agriculture sector. As far as labor force is concerned Turkey is far behind US. Including unemployed people, total labor force in US amounts to almost 154.3 million whereas in Turkey the figure is only 24.06 million. In terms of government system both United States and Turkey are democratic country. But in case of US same individual is the chief of state and head of the government whereas in Turkey chief of the state is different from head of government. US federal court is influenced by English common law whereas Turkey legal system is influenced by the legal systems of European continents. As far as culture is concerned US culture much open in nature whereas Turkish culture is based on traditional Muslim rules. US is technologically much advanced as compared to Turkey. Most of the big technology companies are based in US. But slowly companies are selecting Turkey for investment. In the context of transportation United States is much advanced as compared to Turkey and this statement could be further justified by some statistics. There are almost 15,095 airports in US whereas there are only 102 airports in Turkey. In US total length of railways is 226,427 km whereas the figure is only 8,697 km for Turkey. 6,465,799 km is the total length of roadways in US and this is much higher as compared to Turkey’s roadways. As far as telecommunication system is concerned, US also far ahead of Turkey. US is one of the most technologically advanced country in the world. There are almost 270 million mobile cellular users in the country and this figure is much higher as compared to Turkey where only 65.824 million people use mobile. Turkish telephone system is going through the phase of modernization whereas US telephone system is one of the most modern systems in the world. There is high use of optical fiber, coaxial cable and microwave radio relay in the telephone system in US. There are only 17.5 million main lines users in Turkey whereas in US this figure is 150 million. Export There could be various barriers if anybody wants to export in Turkey. These barriers could be in the form of people, exchange rates, government rules, transport costs, costly rules, bribes, cumbersome customs practices etc. These barriers could be overcome by extensive analysis of Turkey’s economy, people, government rules, various systems, business culture etc. According to consultancy giant Price Waterhouse Coopers exporters should keep in mind few factors such as Turkey economy is free market economy and there are very few restrictions regarding imports. In Turkey duty suspension systems are very much available. It would be good if the exporter can get a local customs agent as this agent would be useful for expediting the customs clearance. Exporter should also get a local agent for successful marketing (PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Tips for exporters). Demand is also an important factor and this should be considered while making any decisions regarding export. 99% Turkish are Muslims; as a result if the exporting product is alcohol then proper market analysis must be done before exporting. Advice If an American exporter wants to export in Turkey he must have a clear understanding regarding Turkey’s economy, people, business culture, customs rules etc. American exporter should try to build good relationship with Turkish administration especially with the customs officers. Exporter should some important Turkish business related cultures and etiquettes so that he/she can build long term relationship with the customers. Export documents There are several documents that are required for exporting in Turkey. Five most important among them are bill of lading, commercial invoice, certificate of origin, customs export declaration and packing list. Apart from these five other important documents include technical standard certificate, health certificate and preferential certificate. References Central Intelligence Agency, Turkey. No Date. World Fact Book < https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html> Kwintessential, Etiquette & Customs in Turkey. No Date. Turkey - Turkish Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette < http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/turkey-country-profile.html> PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Tips for exporters. No Date. Chapter 8 Exporting to Turkey The Journal Turkish Weekly, January 26, 2009. Turkey's Population Reaches 71.5 Million in 2008 < http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/63670/turkey-39-s-population-reaches-71-5-million-in-2008.html> Turkish State Meterological Service. No Date. Climate of Turkey. US Department of State, History. May, 2009. Background Note: Turkey Read More