Turkey - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Turkey, it was the name means "Land of the Turks". The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 81 provinces (iller, singular - ili); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir (Smyrna), Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon (Trebizond), Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak
National symbols
Vertical crescent moon with adjacent five-pointed star; national colors: red, white.
The flag
The National flag of Turkey has red with a vertical white crescent moon (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening; the flag colors and designs closely resemble those on the banner of the Ottoman Empire, which preceded modern-day Turkey; the crescent moon and star serve as insignia for Turkic peoples; according to one interpretation, the flag represents the reflection of the moon and a star in a pool of blood of Turkish warriors.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "Istiklal Marsi" (Independence March) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Mehmet Akif ERSOY/Zeki UNGOR |
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note: lyrics adopted 1921, music adopted 1932; the anthem's original music was adopted in 1924; a new composition was agreed upon in 1932
More about the government of Turkey
| Date of Independence | 29 October 1923 (republic proclaimed, succeeding the Ottoman Empire) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Republic Day, 29 October (1923) |
| Legal system | civil law system based on various European legal systems, notably the Swiss civil code |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest ratified 9 November 1982 |
| Amendments | Proposed by written consent of at least one third of Grand National Assembly (GNA) of Turkey (TBMM) members; adoption of draft amendments requires two debates in plenary TBMM session and three-fifths majority vote of all GNA members; the president of the republic can request TBMM reconsideration of the amendment and, if readopted by two-thirds majority TBMM vote, the president may submit the amendment to a referendum; passage by referendum requires absolute majority vote; amended several times, last in 2017 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Turkey |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes, but requires prior permission from the government |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (chief of state since 28 August 2014; head of government since 9 July 2018) |
| Head of government | President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (head of government since 9 July 2018; chief of state since 28 August 2014) |
| Cabinet | Council of Ministers appointed by the president |
| Elections/appointments | president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 14 May 2023 with a runoff on 28 May 2023 (next to be held in 2028) |
| Election results | 2023: Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN reelected president in second round - Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (AKP) 52.2%, Kemal KILICDAROGLU (CHP) 47.8% 2018: Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN reelected president in first round - Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (AKP) 52.6%, Muharrem INCE (CHP) 30.6%, Selahattin DEMIRTAS (HDP) 8.4%, Meral AKSENER (IYI) 7.3%, other 1.1% |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkey Buyuk Millet Meclisi (600 seats); members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote, with a 7% threshold required to win a seat; members serve 5-year terms) |
| Elections | Last held on 14 May 2023 (next to be held in 2028) |
| Election results | Percent of vote by party/coalition - People's Alliance 49.9% (AKP 35.6%, MHP 10.1%, YRP 2.8%, BBP 1%), Nation Alliance 35.4% (CHP 25.3%, IYI 9.7%), Labor and Freedom Alliance 10.7% (YSGP 8.9%, TIP 1.8%); seats by party/coalition - People's Alliance 323 (AKP 268, MHP 50, YRP 5), Nation Alliance 212 (CHP 169, IYI 43), Labor and Freedom Alliance 65 (YSGP 61, TIP 4); composition - men 480, women 119, percentage women 19.9% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Constitutional Court or Anayasa Mahkemesi (consists of the president, 2 vice presidents, and 12 judges); Court of Cassation (consists of about 390 judges and is organized into civil and penal chambers); Council of State (organized into 15 divisions - 14 judicial and 1 consultative - each with a division head and at least 5 members) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Constitutional Court members - 3 appointed by the Grand National Assembly and 12 by the president of the republic; court president and 2 deputy court presidents appointed from among its members for 4-year terms; judges serve 12-year, nonrenewable terms with mandatory retirement at age 65; Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Board of Judges and Prosecutors, a 13-member body of judicial officials; Court of Cassation judges serve until retirement at age 65; Council of State members appointed by the Board and by the president of the republic; members serve renewable, 4-year terms |
| Subordinate courts | Regional appeals courts; basic (first instance) courts; peace courts; aggravated crime courts; specialized courts, including administrative and audit; note - a constitutional amendment in 2017 abolished military courts unless established to investigate military personnel actions during war conditions |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Sedat ÖNAL (since 17 June 2024) |
| Chancery | 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 612-6700 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 612-6744 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı - Turkish Embassy In Washington, D.C. (mfa.gov.tr) |
| Consulate(s) general | Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Jeffry Lane FLAKE (since 26 January 2022) |
| Embassy | 1480 Sokak No. 1, Cukurambar Mahallesi, 06530 Cankaya, Ankara |
| Mailing address | 7000 Ankara Place, Washington DC 20512-7000 |
| Telephone | [90] (312) 294-0000 |
| FAX | [90] (312) 467-0019 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://tr.usembassy.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Istanbul |
| Consulate(s) | Adana |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 19 (17 cultural, 2 mixed) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Archaeological Site of Troy (c); Ephesus (c); Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape (c); Hierapolis-Pamukkale (m); Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia (m); Göbekli Tepe (c); Historic Areas of Istanbul (c); Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex (c); Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük (c); Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire (c); Gordion (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Turkey
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Turkey
Want to know more about Turkey? Check all different factbooks for Turkey below.
