TURKEY, or the OTTOMAN EM PIRE. Prior to the World War Turkey was composed of Turkey in Europe, Tur key in Asia, and certain islands in the Mediterranean. Considerable territory was lost following the conclusion of the First Balkan War (November, 1913). Turkey in Europe was in part divided among Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece, and in part created into an independent state of Albania. Cyprus and Egypt, which formerly were in cluded in the Ottoman empire, were an nexed to the British empire, the first in November, 1914, and the second in January, 1915. By the terms of the Peace Treaty of the Allied nations, signed on May 11, 1920, the area of the empire was still further reduced. Tur key ceded practically all of Thrace to Greece, as well as Tenedos and Imbros, and the islands in the lEgean, occupied by Greece. Smyrna, with the surround ing strip of territory, was to be admin istered by Greece under Turkish sover eignty for five years, after which the territory might annex itself to Greece by plebiscite. By the terms of a later agree ment, signed on March 17, 1921, Smyrna was returned to Turkey. Mesopotamia, Palestine, Armenia, and Hedjaz became independent. The first three were placed under mandatories. Kurdestan was to be autonomous. Several islands in the lEgean were ceded to Italy. Turkey re tained Constantinople, but the coastal area of the Dardanelles, Marmora, and Bosporus was placed under the control of the Commission of the Straits ap pointed by the League of Nations. The area taken from Turkey was 438,757 square miles, with a population of about 12,000,000. The area of the remaining territory is 174,900 square miles, with a population of about 8,000,000. In the territory remaining under Turkish rule, Moslems greatly preponderate. In Asi atic Turkey there is a large Turkish ele ment with about 4,000,000 Arabs, besides Greeks, Syrians, Kurds, Circassians, Ar menians, Jews, and other races. The chief towns remaining under Turkish rule and their populations, are as fol lows: Constantinople, 1,000,000; Brus sa, 110,000; Kerbela, 65,000; Sivas, 65,000; Trebizond, 55,000.
Production and Industry.—Agriculture is carried on according to the most primi tive methods in nearly all parts of the empire, although the soil, for the most part, is extremely fertile. The chief products are tobacco, cereals, cotton, figs, nuts, almonds, grapes, olives, and other varieties of fruit. There are in Asiatic Turkey about 17,000,000 acres under cultivation. The principal tobacco dis tricts are Samsun, Bafra, and Char chambe. The production in 1917 was valued at 650,363 Turkish pounds. The cotton output is about 200,000 bales an nually. About 21,000,000 acres of land are under forest.
Commerce.—The latest figures avail able are for 1916 and 1917. In that year the imports were valued at 22,105,304 Turkish pounds, and the exports at 34, 058,581 Turkish pounds. As Turkey was at that time under the practical rule of Germany, by far the largest portion of her exports were to that country. The imports were received chiefly from Ger many and Austria-Hungary. England, prior to the war, had the largest pro portion of trade. Industrial and com mercial conditions during 1919 were nor mal and were marked by high prices, large production, and speculation. Dur ing that year nearly one half the trade of Constantinople was with Russia, and the remainder was with the Balkan states and with other parts of Turkey. The chief imports were cotton, wool, linen and silk textiles, ready-made cloth ing, leather goods, and food of all kinds. The chief exports were tobacco, wool and mohair, rugs and carpets, olive oil, castor beans, and nuts.
Mineral Production. — The Turkish provinces of Asia are rich in minerals, which, however, have been little worked. There are deposits of silver, manganese, zinc, antimony, borax, asphalt, coal, petroleum, and salt.
Transportation.—Prior to the World War there were in European Turkey 1,046 miles of railway, and in Asiatic Turkey, 2,865. The Bagdad railway had been extended into Cilicia. The total rOlway mileage in 1916 was 3,720. There are about 30,000 miles of telegraph line.