Turkey

• Author: Nilüfer Oral and Basak Basoglu
• Pages: 849-865

CHAPTER 43

Turkey

NILÜFER ORAL AND BASAK BASOGLU

I. Introduction

Connecting the Asian and European continents, Turkey is located in an envi-

ronmentally strategic position between Asia, Eurasia, Europe, and Africa

and serves as a vital migratory route for millions of birds each year. It is a

peninsula surrounded by three seas: the Black Sea in the north, the Mediter-

ranean in the south, and the Sea of Marmara in the west. It is the only coun-

try in the region with coasts on both the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea.

The Black Sea is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the narrow Turkish

Straits, which comprise the Strait of Istanbul and the Strait of Çanakkale.

The topography of Turkey is a rich mosaic of marine, dune, forest, moun-

tain, and steppes ecosystems. The total territory is 777.971 km2, of which

8,333 km2 lies along the coast. In 2012 the total population of Turkey was

approximately 73 million.1

Turkey is encircled by a number of important mountain ranges that form

part of the Alpine-Himalayan chain. The main mountain ranges are the

Northern Anatolian mountains along the Black Sea coast in the northeast

(3,932 m); the Toros Mountains range along the southern Mediterranean

coast (3,068 m); and the Eastern Anatolian range, which contains the highest

mountain in Turkey, Mount Ağri (Ararat) measuring 5,165 meters.2 The cen-

tral Anatolian plateau is encircled by the Köroğlu Mountains in the west. In

contrast to the mountainous areas, central Anatolia is made of semi-arid

steppes. Over 40 percent of Turkish territory is made up of steppes.3

Turkey also has many wetlands. Of the total 250 wetlands, 58 are classi-

fied as “internationally important,” 18 are classified as “Class A,”4 and 13

have been listed under the Convention on Wetlands of International Impor-

tance (Ramsar Convention).5 The Ramsar wetlands are the Göksu Delta,6

Burdur Lake,7 Seyfe Lake, Kuş Lake,8 Sultan Marshes,9 Kizilirmak Delta,

Akyatan Lagoon,10 Lake Ulubat,11 Gediz Delta,12 Meke Lake,13 Yumurtalık

Lagoon,14 Kızören Pitch,15 and Kuyucuk Lake.16

In addition, Turkey has some 200 natural lakes (totaling 906,000 hect-

ares). The largest is the Van Lake in eastern Turkey, followed by Tuz (Salt)

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Lake (128,000 hectares). Turkey also has 72 lagoons, of which two located

along the Mediterranean coastal area, Köyceğiz and Bafa, account for 60 per-

cent of the total lagoon area in Turkey.17

The principal rivers in Turkey include the Kizilirmak, Yeşilirimak, Çoruh,

and Sakarya, which flow into the Black Sea; the Susurluk, Biga, Gönen Aksu,

Köprüçay, Manavgat, Göksu, Ceyhan, and Seyhan, which flow into the Med-

iterranean Sea; the Kücük Menderes, Büyük Menderes, and Gediz, which

flow into the Aegean Sea; and the famous Firat (Euphrates) and Dicle (Tigris),

which flow into the Persian Gulf.

Turkey is one of the richest countries in terms of biological diversity. Of

the 12,000 plant species found in Europe, over 9,000 are found in Turkey.

Furthermore, of these approximately 3,000 are endemic to Turkey.18 Turkey is

also considered to be one of the world’s most important centers for genetic

resources with an estimated 18,000 animal species recorded thus far. Turkey

has 39 biogeographic regions. It is also an important route between Africa

and Europe for millions of migratory birds each year. However, only 0.7 per-

cent of the country is protected under IUCN categories I–V.19

II. Institutional Structure

The Turkish Republic was established on October 29, 1923, a date that is cel-

ebrated each year as national Independence Day. Turkey is a secular demo-

cratic state based on the parliamentary system of governance. The constitution

provides for separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judi-

ciary branches. The current constitution was adopted in 1982.20 The head of

state is the president, who is elected by the 550-member Turkish National

Grand Assembly.21 The prime minister is the head of the government and

serves for a term of five years. The legislative and primary governing body

is the Grand Assembly, whose responsibilities include the adoption, amend-

ment, and repeal of laws; overseeing the ministers and the Council of Minis-

ters; and publishing the laws it passes.22 In 2004 Turkey became a candidate

country to the European Union.23

The Turkish legal system is based on the continental European code

model. Most of Turkish laws were directly adapted from European codes,

such as the Italian criminal code, the Swiss civil code, and the German Busi-

ness Code. The judiciary is composed of the lower first instance courts, the

appellate courts, and a Constitutional Court. Except for the Constitutional

Court, the courts are divided into civil, criminal, administrative, and military

courts. The administrative court system consists of the Council of State, an

appellate court, and various administrative courts of first instance. The

Council of State reviews decisions of the lower administrative courts, hears

cases of original jurisdiction concerning administrative disputes, and, upon

request, provides opinions on draft legislation submitted by the prime min-

ister and the Council of Ministers. Environmental disputes also fall within

the jurisdiction of the administrative courts.

850 INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW