Turkey
By: Mackie O'Malley, Jack Cunney, and Kim Genuario
Background Information
Turkey is located in Asia, next to Syria and Armenia. It is surrounded by the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The population is 80,694,485. The staple diet of a Turkish person includes bread, oranges, potatoes, eggs, and pork. Other common foods eaten by Turkish people are many different stews. These stews usually include vegetables as well as meat (lamb or beef). A special cultural dish eaten is Yuvarlama. It is a mix of ground meat, rice, chickpeas, onions, and spices. A food that is eaten with almost every meal is sourdough. In Turkey, about 32 loaves of bread will be consumed within a week. Turkey mostly provides its own food as well as produces large amounts of grain, cotton, tobacco, and fruit for exporting.
Graphs
Population
The population of Turkey is much smaller than the population of the United States. This means there are less mouths to feed but also less people working to produce food.
Land
The area of Turkey is very small compared to the United States. In comparison, Turkey is only a bit larger than Texas. This gives Turkey less land to plant fruits, vegetables, grains, or any other farming produce.
GDP per capita
The Turkish people make $34,800 less than the average American. This affects how much food can be bought for that week. While many Turkish people will farm their own food, it may still be a struggle for them to get the right amount of food.
Life Expectancy
Female
In most cases, women live longer than men. In Turkey, the life expectancy rate is lower than the United States. This could be because of food or medical situations. While many Turks do not struggle with food shortages, there could be the possibility they are not receiving the proper nutrients.
Male
The life expectancy rate is 4 more years for an American than it is for a Turkish person. In the United states, there are more desk jobs available. In Turkey, more of the population has jobs that require physical labor. This can cause cause long term damage to a persons body. If a person does not receive the proper food essentials after long days in the field, they could be putting themselves at greater risks.
Obesity
Obesity has become a major issue in many countries. In Turkey, the obesity rate is 7.9 or 8% lower than in the United States. The Turkish people consume large amounts of fruits and vegetables where the average American will consume foods high in fat and sodium.