GTK static compile

[getik too <getik2 inbox com>]

I was told that compiling statically will enable my gtk program to run on any
system with the same OS as the original compiling OS whether or not GTK is 
present.  
I tried this by typing gcc -static -o outputfile file.c `pkg-config --cflags
--libs gtk+-2.0` and I got this error
/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lgtk-x11-2.0
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

What do I do now.  I read a suggestion that I look for static libraries of 
GTK which are not installed automatically.  If this is true how can I check
if I do have these static libraries and if I dont where do I get them and how
do I install them.

If there is another way to get my app to run on a computer that does not have 
GTK or maybe an earlier version than that used for my app let me know thanks.