WELCOME TO TURKEY

Turkey is a paradise of sun, sea, mountains, and lakes that offers the vacationer a complete change from the stress and routine of everyday life. From April to October, most places in Turkey have an ideal climate that is perfect for relaxing on sandy beaches or enjoying the tranquility of mountains and lakes.

Turkey also has a magnificent past, and is a land full of historic treasures from 13 successive civilizations spanning 10,000 years. Even if you spend only a short time in Turkey, you can see a lot of this great heritage.

There is no doubt that one visit will not be enough, and you will want to come back again and again as you discover one extraordinary place after another. All of them, no matter how different, have one thing in common: the friendly and hospitable people of this unique country.
 

Location

Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two contitents Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia or ( Asia Minor )

Area

814 578 Km² (314 500 square miles)

% 3
% 97

on the European continent
on the Asian continent

Major Cities

Istanbul
Ankara
Izmir
Konya
Bursa
Adana

10.0 million
4.0 million
3.3 million
2.2 million
2.1 million
1.8 million

Religion

99 percent of the population is Muslim.

National Anthem

” Istiklal Marsi ”
Lyrics by : Mehmet Akif Ersoy
Adopted as Turkey’s National Anthem on March 12,1921

Goverment

Turkey is democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; committed to the nationalism of Atatürk and based on the principle of the separation of powers;

Legislative Power : The Turkish Grand National Assembly
Executive Power : President and the Council of Ministers.
Judicial Power : Independent courts and supreme judiciary organs.

Coastline

8.333 Km. (5.000 miles)
Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, by the Black Sea in the north, the Mediterranean in the south and the Aegean Sea in the west. In the northwest there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus

Geographical Regions

Turkey has 80 administrative provinces and seven geographical regions. The first four of the seven regions are given the names of the seas which are adjacent to them.

- Black Sea Region
- Marmara Region
- Aegean Region
- Mediterranean Region

The other three regions are named in accordance with their location in the whole of Anatolia.

- Central Anatolia Region
- Eastern Anatolia Region
- Southeastern Anatolia Region

Famous Landmarks

Ayasofya Museum, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Dolmabahçe Palace, ancient City of Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale, Göreme- Cappadocia, Mt.Nemrut, Safranbolu

Some important products

As of 1998, Turkey is the world's largest producer of hard-shell nuts, fig and apricot, the fourth STET in fresh vegetables, grape and tobacco production and seventh in wheat and cotton production. Turkish delight and helva are famous throughout the world.

Turkey is among the leading countries worldwide in textiles and ready-to-wear clothing production. The exports of this sector constitutes 36 percent of total industrial exports. The leather processing industry is also very developed in Turkey, both in terms of technological level and high production capacity. It places second to textiles in terms of export figures.

Other Useful Information

Time

Local time is equal to GMT + 2 hours. Same time zone all over the country ( seven hours ahead of U.S. eastern standard time )

Electricity

220 volts a.c. throughout Turkey

Weights and Measures

Metric and Kilo system

ATMs

ATMs are widely available in major cities and tourist areas. Local currency can also be obtained from banks and exchange bureaux, known as DOVIZ in Turkish.

Currency

A new currency, known as the "New Turkish Lira" (YTL), was introduced on 1 January 2005. The conversion was achieved by dropping six zeros off the old existing Turkish lira and creating a sub-unit called the new kurus (YKr).