which were affected by the crisis was the logistics sector. The surplus capacity which was caused by the trading volume shrinking as a result of the global crisis and by decreased orders took effect in the world and therefore in our country with its global logistics dimension. Since logistics activities have a significant share in operating costs, even small cost differences occurred in the activities such as transportation, storing, stock management, packaging, etc. directly affect competitive power. In this context, the logistics sector is a sector which is directly affected by all kinds of fluctuations in the economy of a country. The financial crisis reduces the demand for logistics services and the sector becomes narrow. In the present study, it is aimed to reveal whether the sector which is quite new for our country is capable of dealing with the decreased trading volume or not using SWOT analysis. The stakeholders in the present study are logistics sector, transportation sector, the Turkish State Railways, the Turkish Airlines, the Turkey Maritime Organization, storage firms, academicians, students in the departments of logistics, the employees of Directorate General of Customs Control. 248 of the 600 questionnaire forms sent to the abovementioned stakeholders were filled and the results were based on the findings obtained. The strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and the threats related to the logistics sector and competition analysis under the effect of the global crisis have been unrevealed based on the results of the survey data administered to the stakeholders. The results obtained are as follows; Strengths • Increased demand of qualified human resources of firms, • Strong capital structures of firms, • Rich alternatives of firms over selecting transporting points, • Big size of fleet in land transportation, • Possible points to locate a logistics base and harbours, • Ability to establish supply chain,, • Low cost of human resources, • Employment of human resources that have experience in logistics training, • Experience in crisis management. Weaknesses • Lack of qualified personnel and lack of experience in firms, • Lack of use of technology in firms, • Lack of use of information technologies, • Lack of information technologies in use, • Under use of environmentally friendly transportation systems, • Over use of land transport, • Lack of information of and interest in legal regulations, • Difficulty in external funding, • Very less interest in railway transportation, • Lack of infrastructure investment by firms in ports, • Lack of interfirm cooperation toward establishment of logistics bases. Opportunities • Increasing number of departments to provide logistics educations in universities. • Rapid development in logistics technologies, • Geographic location that permit different modes of transportation, • Experience in market economy, • Legal regulations that encourage environmentally friendly transportation, • Human resources that will be employed in logistics sector, • Geographical location suitable for logistical bases. Threats • Lack of qualified personnel, • Political instability and chaos, • Ever increasing oil prices, • Competitive advantage of foreign firms in the market, • Terror problem, • Lack of infrastructure in modes of transportation, • The adaptation problem that will appear in the use of environmentally friendly transportation systems, • Lack of infrastructure in point of transfer and distribution, • Inelastic structure of rail transportation, • Economic crisis. When the effects of the global crisis, which penetrated the entire world, on Turkish logistics sector are analyzed, it is seen that, as SWOT analysis results show, being located in a strategic geographical position was not enough for the sector not to be affected by the crisis. Inefficient use of environmentally friendly transportation systems amplifies the problem of harmonization with the European Union countries. Despite our young and dynamic population, lack of trained personnel in the sector and lack of experience amplifies the negative effects of the crisis on the sector. It is thought that competition will change direction as the sector grows and reshapes. It is anticipated that competition will be between foreign companies and domestic large companies rather than between domestic large and small companies with the completion of the investments of international logistics companies in Turkey in the next few years. The companies which are able to provide services in the largest geography with the largest service diversity and which minimize their costs will get the biggest competition opportunity. Low logistics service quality despite high logistics costs within the framework of logistics processes are the leading factors in the development of the logistics sector. It is important to optimize especially operational process costs and the time costs of other operations among logistics costs in the future and in these days when the global crisis takes effect. In addition, the measures directed to accelerate flow of goods such as reducing stock costs, establishing a working environment close to zero stock, shortening delivery times, creating a door to door delivery environment will increase logistics performance. One of the significant factors is information technology infrastructure. The quality of the information and data related to physical movements is of great importance for all parties, and directly affect logistics performance. The main way for the sector to obtain a competitive power, to accomplish the desired targets and to