Turkey

 

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs                                       
June 2007                                                                     
                                                                       
  Background Note: Turkey                                                     
                                                                       
  Flag of Turkey is red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is 
  toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the
  crescent opening.                                                           
                                                                       
  PROFILE                                                                     
                                                                       
  OFFICIAL NAME:                                                              
  Republic of Turkey                                                          
                                                                       
  Geography                                                                   
  Area: 780,580 sq. km.                                                       
  Cities: Capital--Ankara (pop. 4.4 million). Other cities--Istanbul (11.8    
  million), Izmir (3.7 million), Bursa (2.4 million), Adana (1.9 million).    
  Terrain: Narrow coastal plain surrounds Anatolia, an inland plateau becomes 
  increasingly rugged as it progresses eastward. Turkey includes one of the   
  more earthquake-prone areas of the world.                                   
  Climate: Moderate in coastal areas, harsher temperatures inland.            
                                                                       
  People                                                                      
  Nationality: Noun--Turk(s). Adjective--Turkish.                             
  Population (2006): 72.9 million.                                            
  Annual population growth rate (2004 est.): 1.33%.                           
  Ethnic groups: Turkish, Kurdish, other.                                     
  Religions: Muslim 99%, Christian, Bahai, and Jewish.                        
  Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Zaza, Arabic, Armenian, Greek.      
  Education: Years compulsory--8. Attendance--97.6%. Literacy--86.5%.         
  Health: Infant mortality rate--39.4/1,000. Life expectancy--68.5 yrs.       
  Work force (23 million): Agriculture--35.6%; industry--17.5%;               
  services--47.2%.                                                            
                                                                       
  Government                                                                  
  Type: Republic.                                                             
  Independence: October 29, 1923.                                             
  Constitution: November 7, 1982.                                             
  Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), prime minister (head of    
  government), Council of Ministers (cabinet--appointed by the president on the
  nomination of the prime minister). Legislative--Grand National Assembly (550
  members) chosen by national elections at least every 5 years.               
  Judicial--Constitutional Court, Court of Cassation, Council of State, and   
  other courts.                                                               
  Political parties in Parliament: Justice and Development Party (AK),        
  Republican People's Party (CHP), True Path Party (DYP), Motherland Party    
  (ANAVATAN) and Emerging Peoples' Party (HYP).                               
  Suffrage: Universal, 18 and older.                                          
  National holiday: Republic Day, October 29.                                 
                                                                       
  Economy                                                                     
  GDP: (2004) $300.6 billion; (2005) $361.5 billion; (2006) $390.4 billion.   
  Annual real GDP growth rate: (2004) (+) 8.9%; (2005) 7.4%; (2006) 6.0%.     
  GDP per capita: (2004) $4,187; (2005) $5,016; (2006) $5,349.                
  Annual inflation rate /CPI: (2003) 18.4%; (2004) 9.3%; (2005) 7.7%; (2006)  
  9.7%.                                                                       
  Natural resources: Coal, chromium, mercury, copper, boron, oil, gold.       
  Agriculture (10.8% of GNP): Major cash crops--cotton, sugar beets, hazelnuts,
  wheat, barley, and tobacco. Provides 26% of jobs and 4% of exports.         
  Industry (25.4% of GNP): Major growth sector, types--automotive, electronics,
  food processing, textiles, basic metals, chemicals, and petrochemicals.     
  Provides 20% of jobs.                                                       
  Trade: Exports (merchandise)--(2005) $73.1 billion; (2006) $83.5 billion:   
  textiles and apparel, industrial machinery, iron and steel, electronics,    
  petroleum products, and motor vehicles. Imports (merchandise)--(2005) $116  
  billion; (2006) 135.5 billion: petroleum, machinery, motor vehicles,        
  electronics, iron and steel, plastics precious metals. Major                
  partners--Germany, U.S., Italy, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands,  
  U.K.                                                                        
                                                                       
  PEOPLE                                                                      
  Modern Turkey encompasses bustling cosmopolitan centers, pastoral farming   
  villages, barren wastelands, peaceful Aegean coastlines, and steep mountain 
  regions. More than half of Turkey's population lives in urban areas that    
  juxtapose Western lifestyles with more traditional ways of life.            
                                                                       
  The Turkish state has been officially secular since 1924. Approximately 99% 
  of the population is Muslim. Most Turkish Muslims follow the Sunni traditions
  of Islam, although a significant number follow Alevi and Shiite traditions. 
  Questions regarding role of religion in society and government, the role of 
  linguistic and ethnic identity, and the public's expectation to live in     
  security dominate public discourse. Turkish citizens who assert a Kurdish   
  identity constitute an ethnic and linguistic group that is estimated at up to
  12 million in number.                                                       
                                                                       
  HISTORY                                                                     
  Mustafa Kemal, celebrated by the Turkish State as a Turkish World War I hero
  and later known as "Ataturk" or "father of the Turks," led the founding of  
  the Republic of Turkey in 1923 after the collapse of the 600-year-old Ottoman
  Empire and a three-year war of independence. The empire, which at its peak  
  controlled vast stretches of northern Africa, southeastern Europe, and      
  western Asia, had failed to keep pace with European social and technological
  developments. The rise of national consciousness impelled several national  
  groups within the Empire to seek independence as nation-states, leading to  
  the empire's fragmentation. This process culminated in the disastrous Ottoman
  participation in World War I as a German ally. Defeated, shorn of much of its
  former territory, and partly occupied by forces of the victorious European  
  states, the Ottoman structure was repudiated by Turkish nationalists brought
  together under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. The nationalists expelled   
  invading Greek, Russian, French and Italian forces from Anatolia in a bitter
  war. After the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey the temporal and      
  religious ruling institutions of the old empire (the sultanate and caliphate)
  were abolished.                                                             
                                                                       
  The leaders of the new republic concentrated on consolidating their power and
  modernizing and Westernizing what had been the empire's core--Asian Anatolia
  and a part of European Thrace. Social, political, linguistic, and economic  
  reforms and attitudes decreed by Ataturk from 1924-1934 continue to be      
  referred to as the ideological base of modern Turkey. In the post-Ataturk   
  era, and especially after the military coup of 1960, this ideology came to be
  known as "Kemalism" and his reforms began to be referred to as "revolutions."
  Kemalism comprises a Turkish form of secularism, strong nationalism, statism,
  and to a degree a western orientation. The continued validity and           
  applicability of Kemalism are the subject of lively debate in Turkey's      
  political life. The current ruling AK Party comes from a tradition that     
  challenges many of the Kemalist precepts and is driven in its reform efforts
  by a desire to achieve EU accession.                                        
                                                                       
  Turkey entered World War II on the Allied side until shortly before the war 
  ended, becoming a charter member of the United Nations. Difficulties faced by
  Greece after World War II in quelling a communist rebellion and demands by  
  the Soviet Union for military bases in the Turkish Straits prompted the     
  United States to declare the Truman Doctrine in 1947. The doctrine enunciated
  American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece and      
  resulted in large scale U.S. military and economic aid under the Marshall   
  Plan. After participating with United Nations forces in the Korean conflict,
  Turkey in 1952 joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Turkey 
  is currently a European Union candidate.                                    
                                                                       
  GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS                                         
  The 1982 Constitution, drafted by the military in the wake of a 1980 military
  coup, proclaims Turkey's system of government as democratic, secular, and   
  parliamentary. The presidency's powers are not precisely defined in practice,
  and the president's influence depends on his personality and political      
  weight. The president and the Council of Ministers led by the prime minister
  share executive powers. The president, who has broad powers of appointment  
  and supervision, is chosen by Parliament for a term of 7 years and cannot be
  reelected. A constitutional amendment recommending the direct election by the
  people of the president to a 5-year term, with the possibility of serving a 
  second 5-year term, may be submitted to a popular referendum in 2007. The   
  prime minister administers the government. The prime minister and the Council
  of Ministers are responsible to Parliament.                                 
                                                                       
  The 550-member Parliament carries out legislative functions. Election is by 
  proportional representation. To participate in the distribution of seats, a 
  party must obtain at least 10% of the votes cast at the national level as   
  well as a percentage of votes in the contested district according to a      
  complex formula. The president enacts laws passed by Parliament within 15   
  days. With the exception of budgetary laws, the president may return a law to
  the Parliament for reconsideration. If Parliament reenacts the law, it is   
  binding, although the president may then apply to the Constitutional Court  
  for a reversal of the law. Constitutional amendments pass with a 60% vote,  
  but require a popular referendum unless passed with a two-thirds majority;  
  the president may also submit amendments passed with a two-thirds majority to
  a popular referendum.                                                       
                                                                       
  The judiciary is declared to be independent, but the need for judicial reform
  and confirmation of its independence are subjects of open debate.           
  Internationally recognized human rights, including freedom of thought,      
  expression, assembly, and travel, are officially enshrined in the           
  Constitution but have at times been narrowly interpreted, can be limited in 
  times of emergency and cannot be used to violate what the Constitution and  
  the courts consider the integrity of the state or to impose a system of     
  government based on religion, ethnicity, or the domination of one social    
  class. The Constitution prohibits torture or ill treatment; the current     
  government has focused on ensuring that practice matches principle. Labor   
  rights, including the right to strike, are recognized in the Constitution but
  can be restricted.                                                          
                                                                       
  The 1982 Constitution provides for a system of State Security Courts to deal
  with offenses against the integrity of the state. The high court system     
  includes a Constitutional Court responsible for judicial review of          
  legislation, a Court of Cassation (or Supreme Court of Appeals), a Council of
  State serving as the high administrative and appeals court, a Court of      
  Accounts, and a Military Court of Appeals. The High Council of Judges and   
  Prosecutors, appointed by the president, supervises the judiciary.          
                                                                       
  In the November 2002 election of Turkey's 58th government, the Justice and  
  Development Party (AK) captured 34.3% of the total votes, making Abdullah Gul
  Prime Minister, followed by the Republican People's Party (CHP) with 19.39% 
  of the vote, led by Deniz Baykal. A special General Election was held again 
  in the province of Siirt in March 2003, resulting in the election of AK's   
  chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan to a seat in parliament, allowing him to become
  prime minister. AK and CHP were the only parties to surpass the 10% threshold
  required to hold seats in parliament. The elections resulted in 363 of the  
  550 seats going to AK, 178 seats to CHP, and 9 as independent. Due to a     
  reshuffle in party affiliation, AK holds 367 seats, CHP holds 175 seats, five
  are independent, and three joined the True Path Party (DYP). In March 2004  
  nationwide local elections, AKP won 57 of 81 provincial capital             
  municipalities and, with 41.8% of the votes for provincial council seats,   
  consolidated its hold on power.                                             
                                                                       
  The Turkish Grand National Assembly was to have elected in May 2007 a new   
  president to succeed President Sezer on June 16. Opposition parties led a   
  challenge to the electoral procedures, which resulted in a series of proposed
  constitutional amendments and the call for early general elections on July  
  22. The election of a president is expected after the new parliament has    
  assembled and formed a government.                                          
                                                                       
  Principal Government Officials                                              
  President of the Republic--Ahmet Necdet Sezer                               
  Prime Minister--Recep Tayyip Erdogan                                        
  Minister of Foreign Affairs--Abdullah Gul                                   
  Ambassador to the United States--Nabi Sensoy                                
  Ambassador to the United Nations--Umit Pamir                                
                                                                       
  Turkey maintains an embassy in the United States at 2525 Massachusetts Avenue
  NW, Washington, DC 20008, tel. (202) 612-6700. Consulates general in Chicago
  (360 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1405, Chicago, IL 60601, tel: 312-263-0644, ext.
  28); Los Angeles (4801 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 310, Los Angeles, CA 90010, tel:
  323-937-0118); New York (821 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, tel: 
  212-949-0160); and Houston (1990 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 1300, Houston, TX    
  77056, tel: 713-622-5849). The Permanent Representative of Turkey to the    
  United Nations is located on 821 United Nations Plaza, 10th floor, New York,
  NY 10017, tel: 212-949-0150.                                                
                                                                       
  ECONOMY                                                                     
  Turkey is a large, middle-income country with relatively few natural        
  resources. Its economy is currently in transition from a high degree of     
  reliance on agriculture and heavy industrial economy to a more diversified  
  economy with an increasingly large and globalized services sector. Coming out
  of a tradition of a state-directed economy that was relatively closed to the
  outside world, Prime Minister and then President Turgut Ozal began to open up
  the economy in the 1980s, leading to the signing of a Customs Union with the
  European Union in 1995. In the 1990s, Turkey's economy suffered from a series
  of coalition governments with weak economic policies, leading to            
  high-inflation boom-and-bust cycles that culminated in a severe banking and 
  economic crisis in 2001 and a deep economic downturn (GNP fell 9.5% in 2001)
  and increase in unemployment.                                               
                                                                       
  Turkey's economy has recovered strongly from the 2001 thanks to good monetary
  and fiscal policies and structural economic reforms made with the support of
  the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The independence of the 
  Central Bank has been firmly established, a floating exchange rate system has
  been put in place, and the government's overall budget deficit has been     
  substantially reduced. In addition, there have been substantial reforms in  
  the financial, energy, and telecommunications sectors that have included the
  privatization of several large state-owned institutions.                    
                                                                       
  Turkey's economy grew an average of 7.5% per year from 2002 through 2006--one
  of the highest sustained rates of growth in the world. It is expected to grow
  about 6.1% in 2007. Inflation and interest rates have fallen significantly, 
  the currency has stabilized, government debt has declined to more supportable
  levels, and business and consumer confidence have returned. At the same time,
  booming economic growth has contributed to a growing current account deficit.
  Though Turkey's vulnerabilities have been greatly reduced, the economy could
  still face problems in the event there is a sudden change in investor       
  sentiment that leads to a sharp fall in the exchange rate. Continued        
  implementation of reforms, including tight fiscal policy, is essential to   
  sustain growth and stability.                                               
                                                                       
  After years of low levels of foreign direct investment (FDI), in 2006, Turkey
  succeeded in attracting $18.9 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) and
  is expected to attract a similar level in 2007. 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 the 
  rise in foreign investment. Turkey has taken steps to improve its investment
  climate through administrative streamlining, an end to foreign investment   
  screening, and strengthened intellectual property legislation. However, a   
  number of disputes involving foreign investors in Turkey and certain        
  policies, such as high taxation and continuing gaps in the intellectual     
  property regime, inhibit investment. Turkey has a number of bilateral       
  investment and tax treaties, including with the United States, which        
  guarantee free repatriation of capital in convertible currencies and        
  eliminate double taxation.                                                  
                                                                       
  EU Accession. Turkey's principal ongoing economic challenge is providing for
  the needs of a fast-growing, young population. Raising living standards to  
  those prevalent in Europe will require high rates of GDP growth sustained   
  over many years. This will entail continued structural reforms that encourage
  both domestic and foreign investment. Principal areas for reform identified 
  by international financial intuitions include increasing flexibility in the 
  labor market, making the educational sector more responsive to the needs of 
  the economy and ensuring faster and more predictable operation of the       
  judicial system. As an aspirant to membership in the European Union, Turkey 
  aims to adopt the EU's basic system of national law and regulation (the     
  acquis communautaire) by 2014. While implementing some elements of the acquis
  will be costly and difficult (for example in the areas of environmental     
  protection and agriculture), its adoption will make a significant           
  contribution to modernizing the economy.                                    
                                                                       
  Energy. Installed electricity generation capacity in Turkey reached 35,600  
  megawatts (MW) as of 2004. Fossil fuels account for 71% of the total        
  installed capacity and hydro, geothermal, and wind account for the remaining
  28%. The growth in electricity generation has remained below electricity    
  demand until recently, which has made Turkey a net importer of electricity  
  since 1997. The growth of energy demand slowed somewhat as a result of the  
  2001 economic crisis, but has picked up again. Turkish authorities expect a 
  significant electricity shortfall unless new facilities become operational. 
  The Government of Turkey took some important steps in 2001 to liberalize its
  energy sector, including passage of the Electricity Market Law and          
  establishment of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). However, the
  government has moved slowly to follow through on plans to liberalize and    
  privatize the electricity and natural gas sectors. In 2004, the High Planning
  Council approved the Electricity Sector Reform Strategy to renew the reform 
  process.                                                                    
                                                                       
  Oil provides about 43% of Turkey's total energy requirements; around 90% is 
  imported. Domestic production is mostly from small fields in the southeast. 
  New exploration is taking place in the eastern Black Sea. In 2004, the      
  Parliament approved a petroleum market reform bill that liberalized consumer
  prices and would lead to the privatization of the state refining company    
  TUPRAS. TUPRAS was privatized in 2005, but this has been held up by court   
  cases still in process. Turkey has a refining capacity of 802,275 barrels per
  day (b/d).                                                                  
                                                                       
  Turkey acts as an important link in the East-West Southern Energy Corridor  
  bringing Caspian, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern energy to Europe and    
  world markets. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which came online in July  
  2006, delivers 1 million b/d of petroleum, and in 2007, the South Caucasus  
  Pipeline (from Shah Deniz) is expected to bring natural gas from Azerbaijan 
  to Turkey. Turkey is building an interconnector pipeline to Greece, an      
  important step in bringing Caspian natural gas to Europe via Turkey.        
                                                                       
  Telecommunications. Parliament enacted legislation separating               
  telecommunications policy and regulatory functions in January 2000, by      
  establishing an independent regulatory body, the Telecommunication Authority.
  The Authority is responsible for issuing licenses, supervising operators, and
  taking necessary technical measures against violations of the rules. Most   
  regulatory functions of the Transport Ministry were transferred to the      
  Authority, and the regulator is slowly gaining competence and independence. 
  The long-expected privatization of the state-owned telecommunications company
  was accomplished by the sale of 55% of Turk Telekom to the Saudi-owned Oger 
  Group in November 2005. With liberalization and growth in the economy, there
  is growing competition for Internet provision, but Turk Telekom remains the 
  sole provider of ADSL wide band Internet.                                   
                                                                       
  Environment. With the establishment of the Environment Ministry in 1991,    
  Turkey began to make significant progress addressing its most pressing      
  environmental problems. The most dramatic improvements were significant     
  reductions of air pollution in Istanbul and Ankara. However, progress has   
  been slow on the remaining--and serious--environmental challenges facing    
  Turkey.                                                                     
                                                                       
  In 2003, the Ministry of Environment was merged with the Forestry Ministry. 
  With its goal to join the EU, Turkey has made commendable progress in       
  updating and modernizing its environmental legislation. However,            
  environmental concerns are not fully integrated into public decision-making 
  and enforcement can be weak. Turkey faces a backlog of environmental        
  problems, requiring enormous outlays for infrastructure. The most pressing  
  needs are for water treatment plants, wastewater treatment facilities, solid
  waste management, and conservation of biodiversity. The discovery of a number
  of chemical waste sites in 2006 has highlighted weakness in environmental law
  and oversight.                                                              
                                                                       
  Transport. The Turkish Government gives a special priority to major         
  infrastructure projects, especially in the transport sector. The government 
  is in the process of building new airports and highways, thanks to an       
  increased public investment budget. The government will realize many of these
  projects by utilizing the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.               
                                                                       
  FOREIGN RELATIONS                                                           
  Turkey's primary political, economic, and security ties are with the West,  
  although some voices call for a more "Eurasian" orientation.                
                                                                       
  Turkey entered NATO in 1952 and serves as the organization's vital eastern  
  anchor, controlling the straits leading from the Black Sea to the           
  Mediterranean and sharing a border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran. A NATO       
  headquarters is located in Izmir. Besides its relationships with NATO and the
  EU, Turkey is a member of the OECD, the Council of Europe, and OSCE. Turkey 
  also is a member of the UN and the Islamic Conference Organization (OIC). In
  December 1999, Turkey became a candidate for EU membership. On December 17, 
  2004, the EU decided to begin formal accession negotiations with Turkey in  
  October 2005.                                                               
                                                                       
  Turkey and the EU formed a customs union beginning January 1, 1996. The     
  agreement covers industrial and processed agricultural goods. Turkey is     
  harmonizing its laws and regulations with EU standards. Turkey adopted the  
  EU's Common External Tariff regime, effectively lowering Turkey's tariffs for
  third countries, including the United States.                               
                                                                       
  On October 3, 2005, Turkey and the EU reached agreement for Turkey to begin 
  negotiations on accession to the European Union. Turkey and EU officials have
  begun the process of screening Turkey's laws and policies in order to begin 
  negotiating the individual chapters required for ultimate EU accession.     
                                                                       
  Turkey opened and provisionally closed in 2006 one EU negotiating chapter on
  science and technology. Another chapter on statistics was opened in February
  2007, and two more are expected to be opened by July 1, 2007. Eight chapters,
  mostly related to trade, were suspended by the European Council in December 
  2006 after Turkey declined to open its ports and airports to Cypriot        
  vessels--a commitment Turkey made as part of the Ankara Protocol and its EU 
  Customs Union membership.                                                   
                                                                       
  Turkey is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It has signed free
  trade agreements with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Israel, and
  many other countries. In 1992 Turkey and 10 other regional nations formed the
  Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Council to expand regional trade and  
  economic cooperation. Turkey chaired BSEC in 2007 and hosted in Istanbul the
  15th BSEC Summit in June 2007.                                              
                                                                       
  U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS                                                       
  U.S.-Turkish friendship dates to the late 18th century and was officially   
  sealed by a treaty in 1830. The present close relationship began with the   
  agreement of July 12, 1947, which implemented the Truman Doctrine. As part of
  the cooperative effort to further Turkish economic and military             
  self-reliance, the United States has loaned and granted Turkey more than    
  $12.5 billion in economic aid and more than $14 billion in military         
  assistance.                                                                 
                                                                       
  U.S.-Turkish relations focus on areas such as strategic energy cooperation, 
  trade and investment, security ties, regional stability, the global war on  
  terrorism, and human rights progress. Relations were strained when Turkey   
  refused in March 2003 to allow U.S. troops to deploy through its territory to
  Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but regained momentum steadily thereafter  
  and mutual interests remain strong across a wide spectrum of issues.        
                                                                       
  The U.S. and Turkey have had a Joint Economic Commission and a Trade and    
  Investment Framework Agreement, which last met in Washington in April 2007, 
  for several years. In 2002, the two countries indicated their joint intent to
  upgrade bilateral economic relations by launching an Economic Partnership   
  Commission, which last convened in Ankara in February 2007. In 2006, Turkish
  exports to the U.S. totaled about $5.4 billion, and U.S. exports to Turkey  
  totaled $5.7 billion.                                                       
                                                                       
  Principal U.S. Officials                                                    
  Ambassador--Ross Wilson                                                     
  Deputy Chief of Mission--Nancy McEldowney                                   
                                                                       
  Counselors                                                                  
  Political Affairs--Janice G. Weiner                                         
  Political-Military Affairs--Carl Siebentritt                                
  Economic Affairs--Dale Eppler                                               
  Regional Affairs--Thaddeus W. Troy                                          
  Consular Affairs--Sandra Shipshock                                          
  Management Affairs--Gerri H. O'Brien                                        
  Public Affairs--Daniel Sreebny                                              
  Agricultural Affairs--Ralph Gifford                                         
  Commercial Affairs--James Fluker                                            
  Defense Attache--Col. Charles Schneider                                     
  Navy Attache--CDR David Renberg                                             
  Army Attache--(vacant)                                                      
                                                                       
  The U.S. Embassy is located at 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, Ankara   
  06100, tel: (90) (312) 455-5555.                                            
                                                                       
  TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION                                             
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  Public Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly about    
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  pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings
  are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel 
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  For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad  
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  Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.                                  
                                                                       
  The Department of State encourages all U.S citizens who traveling or residing
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  toll line 1-202-501-4444 for callers outside the U.S. and Canada.           
                                                                       
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  State's single, centralized public contact center for U.S. passport         
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  (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the
  most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements,
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  booklet entitled "Health Information for International Travel" (HHS         
  publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government       
  Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.                 
                                                                       
  Further Electronic Information                                              
  Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://          
  www.state.gov, the Department of State web site provides timely, global     
  access to official U.S. foreign policy information, including Background    
  Notes and daily press briefings along with the directory of key officers of 
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  provides security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies  
  working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov                      
                                                                       
  Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and market    
  information offered by the federal government and provides trade leads, free
  export counseling, help with the export process, and more.                  
  STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, provides   
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  the Federal government. The site includes current and historical            
  trade-related releases, international market research, trade opportunities, 
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See http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/ for all Background notes
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