TURKEY
Official Country Name REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
Languages TURKISH
Population 81,257,239
Median Age 31.4
GDP Per Capita US $27,000
Source: CIA World Factbook
Total Value of Art Exported (UN Comtrade Database 2018) US $19,674,658
Arts Funding (Culture and Tourism) US $987,126,000
Art Programs (University Level) 80
Student Enrollment 23,686
Source: Ministry of Treasury and Finance, Information Management System of Higher Education, AAP (non-official)
Museums Exhibiting Contemporary Art 19
Contemporary Art Galleries (Commercial) 78
Contemporary Art Spaces (Nonprofit) 48
Art Foundations (NGO + Private) 21
Source: AAP (non-official)
Acknowledgments: Tankut Raşit Aykut, Merve Elveren, Mine Kaplangı, Esra Sarıgedik Öktem, Huo Rf, Nilüfer Sasmazer, Ulya Soley, Aslı Sümer, Yesim Turanli
With a major decline in the value of the lira, Turkey’s economy struggled throughout 2019. The opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoğlu won the mayorship of Istanbul, first in March and then again by a much wider margin in June, after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) demanded a revote. His victory meant that Istanbul joined capital city Ankara and the Aegean port of Izmir, and many smaller cities, in ousting incumbent officials from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party. In early October, Turkey’s military began Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria to push Kurdish communities away from the border, which prompted international critics in
