The Middle East

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Contents

1. General information about the Middle East

2. Turkey

2.1 History

2.2 Geographical position

2.3 Climate

2.4 Governmental structure

2.5 Economy

2.6 Demographics

Conclusion

References

1. General information about the Middle East

The Middle East is a historical and geographical region of Africa-Eurasia with no clear definition; it traditionally includes countries or regions in Southwest Asia and parts of North Africa. The most common and highly arbitrary definition includes: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Palestinian Territories and western parts of Pakistan. The inclusion of Iran, Pakistan and Turkey is often contentious. The Middle East lies of the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The landscape of the Middle East is more diverse than the deserts. Mountain ranges kept cultures in separate areas, providing natural barriers to imperialist agendas.

Rivers allowing for productive agriculture were the key factor in the settling of cities.

The Middle East generally has an arid and hot climate, with several major rivers providing for irrigation to support agriculture in limited areas. Many countries located around the Persian Gulf have large quantities of crude oil.

The ethnic and cultural diversity of the population of the Middle East is as varied as any place on earth. The Middle East is home to numerous ethnic groups, including Arabs, Turks, Persians, Jews, Kurds, Armenians, Circassians, Greeks and Georgians.

The Middle East is very diverse when it comes to religions, many of which originated there. Islam in its many forms is by far the largest religion in the Middle East, but other faiths, such as Judaism and Christianity, are also important. The three top languages, in terms of numbers of speakers, are Arabic, Persian and Turkish

Rapid urbanization has been a marked feature of the Middle East in the late 20th century. While migration to the cities offers attractive opportunities of employment and modern amenities to poor villagers, the rapid rise in urban populations has strained water resources, transportation facilities, and other public services as well as contributing to pollution.

Middle Eastern economies range from being very poor (such as Gaza and Yemen) to extremely wealthy nations (such as Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia). Overall, all nations in the Middle East are maintaining a positive rate of growth. The three largest Middle Eastern economies in 2008 were Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Unemployment is notably high in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Industries of the Middle Eastern region include oil and oil-related products, agriculture, cotton, cattle, dairy, textiles, leather products, surgical instruments, defense equipment (guns, ammunition, tanks).

In modern times the Middle East remains a strategically, economically, politically, culturally and religiously sensitive region.

2. Turkey

2.1 History

The Anatolian peninsula, comprising most of modern Turkey, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited regions in the world. The earliest Neolithic settlements are considered to be among the earliest human settlements in the world. The settlement of Troy starts in the Neolithic and continued into the Iron Age.

Through recorded history, Anatolians have spoken Indo-European, Semitic and Kartvelian languages, as well as many languages of uncertain affiliation. The Hattians were an ancient people who inhabited the southeastern part of Anatolia. The first major empire in the area was founded by the Hittites, from the eighteenth through the thirteenth century BC.

Starting around 1200 BC, the coast of Anatolia was heavily settled by Aeolian and Ionian Greeks. Numerous important cities were founded by these colonists, such as Miletus, Ephesus, Smyrna (modern Izmir), and Byzantium (later Constantinople and Istanbul).

The first state established in Anatolia that was called Armenia by neighboring peoples was the state of the Orontid dynasty. Anatolia was conquered by the Persian Achaemenid Empire during the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Anatolia was subsequently divided into a number of small Hellenistic kingdoms (including Bithynia, Cappadocia, Pergamum, and Pontus), all of which had succumbed to the Roman Republic by the mid-1st century BC.

The first state to accept Christianity as official religion had lands in Anatolia.

In 324, the Roman emperor Constantine I chose Byzantium to be the new capital of the Roman Empire, renaming it New Rome (later Constantinople and Istanbul). After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it became the capital of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire).

2.2 Geographical position

Turkey, known officially as the Republic of Turkey, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast.

The territory of Turkey is more than 1,600 kilometers long and 800 km wide, with a roughly rectangular shape. Turkey's area, including lakes, occupies 783,562 square kilometers. Turkey is the world's 37th-largest country in terms of area.

The country is encircled by seas on three sides: the Aegean Sea to the west, the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Turkey also contains the Sea of Marmara in the northwest.

The Asian part of the country, Anatolia, consists of a high central plateau with narrow coastal plains Eastern Turkey has a more mountainous landscape and is home to the sources of rivers such as the Euphrates, Tigris and Aras, and contains Lake Van and Mount Ararat, Turkey's highest point at 5,165 miters. Lake Tuz, Turkey's third-largest lake, is a macroscopically-visible feature in the middle of the country

2.3 Climate

The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea have a temperate Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters. The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Black Sea have a temperate Oceanic climate with warm, wet summers and cool to cold, wet winters. The Turkish Black Sea coast receives the greatest amount of precipitation and is the only region of Turkey that receives high precipitation throughout the year. The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Sea of Marmara including Istanbul, which connects the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea have a transitional climate between a temperate Mediterranean climate and a temperate Oceanic climate with warm to hot, moderately dry summers and cool to cold, wet winters. Snow does occur on the coastal areas of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea almost every winter, but it usually lies no more than a few days.

2.4 Governmental structure

Turkey is a parliamentary representative democracy. Since its foundation as a republic in 1923, Turkey has developed a strong tradition of secularism. Turkey's constitution governs the legal framework of the country. It sets out the main principles of government and establishes Turkey as a unitary centralized state.

The head of state is the President of the Republic and has a largely ceremonial role. The president is elected for a five-year term by direct elections. Abdullah Gьl was elected as president on August 28, 2007, by a popular parliament round of votes, succeeding Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers which make up the government, while the legislative power is vested in the unicameral parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, and the Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the conformity of laws and decrees with the constitution. The Council of State is the tribunal of last resort for administrative cases, and the High Court of Appeals for all others.

Universal suffrage for both sexes has been applied throughout Turkey since 1933, and every Turkish citizen who has turned 18 years of age has the right to vote.

As of 2004, there were 50 registered political parties in the country.

The capital of Turkey is Ankara.

2.5 Economy

Turkey has the world's 15th largest GDP-PPP and 17th largest Nominal GDP.

During the first six decades of the republic, between 1923 and 1983, Turkey has mostly adhered to a quasi-statist approach with strict government planning of the budget and government-imposed limitations over private sector participation, foreign trade, flow of foreign currency, and foreign direct investment. However, starting from 1983, Turkey began a series of reforms that were initiated by Prime Minister Turgut Цzal and designed to shift the economy market-based model. The reforms spurred rapid growth, but this growth was punctuated by sharp recessions and financial crises in 1994, 1999 and 2001.

The GDP growth rate from 2002 to 2007 averaged 7.4%, which made Turkey one of the fastest growing economies in the world during that period. However, GDP growth slowed down to 4.5% in 2008 and in early 2009 the Turkish economy was affected by the global financial crisis.

Turkey's economy is becoming more dependent on industry in major cities, mostly concentrated in the western provinces of the country, and less on agriculture, however traditional agriculture is still a major pillar to the Turkish economy.

Other key sectors of the Turkish economy are banking, construction, home appliances, electronics, textiles, oil refining, petrochemical products, food, mining, iron and steel, machine industry and automotive.

In the early years of this century the chronically high inflation was brought under control and this led to the launch of a new currency, the Turkish new lira. On January 1, 2009, the New Turkish Lira was renamed once again as the Turkish Lira, with the introduction of new banknotes and coins. As a result of continuing economic reforms, inflation dropped.

Turkey has taken advantage of a customs union with the European Union, signed in 1995, to increase its industrial production destined for exports, while at the same time benefiting from EU-origin foreign investment into the country.

Main export partners: Germany, UK, Italy, France, Spain, USA. Main import partners: Russia, Germany, China, Italy, USA, France, Iran, UK.

A series of large privatizations, the stability fostered by the start of Turkey's EU accession negotiations, strong and stable growth, and structural changes in the banking, retail, and telecommunications sectors have all contributed to a rise in foreign investment.

2.6 Demographics

The population of Turkey stood at 72.5 million. It has an average population density of 92 persons per kmІ. The proportion of the population residing in urban areas is 75.5%. Life expectancy stands at 71.1 years for men and 75.3 years for women, with an overall average of 73.2 years for the populace as a whole.

Education is compulsory and free from ages 6 to 15. The literacy rate is 96% for men and 80.4% for women.

Article 66 of the Turkish Constitution defines a "Turk" as "anyone who is bound to the Turkish state through the bond of citizenship". Other major ethnic groups include the Abkhazians, Adjarians, Albanians, Arabs, Assyrians, Bosniaks, Circassians, Hamshenis, Kurds, Laz, Pomaks, Roma, Zazas and the three officially recognized minorities, i.e. the Armenians, Greeks and Jews.

Turkish is the sole official language throughout Turkey.

Turkey is a secular state with no official state religion; the Turkish Constitution provides for freedom of religion and conscience. Islam is the dominant religion of Turkey.

Conclusion

middle east turkey country

In the modern world, the East has played an increasingly prominent role. Although this role is felt primarily in the sphere of economics and politics, modern research has paid much attention to the study and the internal structure of the Eastern countries, their national and cultural tradition, the specifics of their social development. The Middle East region has several unique features that distinguish it among many other regions of the world.

According to its geopolitical position in the Middle East is hard to compare any other place in the world because it is located at the crossroads of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa; It is no accident, almost all the mighty world powers at one time tried to establish control over it. The region is actively involved in world politics. And each of the major powers (Russia, U.S., EU, China, India) at the expense of Kazakhstan and Central Asia have their own intentions. Therefore, the dynamic region was the scene of the collision the world's major centers of power. Here and in the EU, interested in an independent Russia Caspian Basin energy, and China considers Kazakhstan as being the side's energy storehouse, and the United States increasing its military presence in the region.

In recent decades, after the discovery of huge oil reserves in the region, the influence of the Middle East on the world political process has increased significantly. The political process in the region often takes the explosive nature, why is the Middle East conflict zone of high stress.

Middle East - "Crossroads" on three continents, where the legacy of the great civilizations are closely intertwined with political, economic, religious and military problems of today. Specificity of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East conflict, adds a special urgency issues of national security of states and peoples.

Despite the difference in political regimes, many countries in the region have similar political, economic, social and military-strategic interests, which, in turn, serve as a basis for the existence of significant amount of inter-regional associations.

In the course of historical development of the Middle East is the birthplace of two world religions: Christianity and Islam, in other words, one of the centers of origin of the two world culture. At the same time in the Middle East are developing specific integration trends, since the predominant ethnic groups living here are Arabs, the dominant religion of Islam.

The basis of the entire economy of these countries is the oil industry. She - a source of huge profits. But oil supplies are limited.

The economy of the Middle East an important role in services, especially trade. In recent years, widely developed business travel.

Along and near the coastlines of the Middle East, particularly the Mediterranean coastlines, a mild climate permits the growing of long-season crops- citrus fruits, for example, and the growing of two or more short season crops per year, generally with supplemented irrigation. This tends to spread the harvesting practices over a longer period of time.

Given the vast energy resources that form the backbone of western economies, influence and involvement in the Middle East has been of paramount importance for the former and current imperial and super powers, including France, Britain, USA and the former Soviet Union. Prior to the discovery of oil, the region had been a hotbed for religious conflict, and wars over other rich resources and arable land.

References

1. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Atlas_of_Turkey

2. http://Turkey.htm#Government_and_politics

3. http://web-atlas.ru/index.php/front-asia/461-turkey

4. http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Ближний_Восток

5. http://www.middleeast.narod.ru/

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