About Turkey

Area
Turkey has land area of 780,576 sq. kilometres, about 3 times the size of the United Kingdom. The coastline is 7,200 km long, extending from the Black Sea in the North to the Mediterranean Sea in the South. Set in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey share borders with Greece and Bulgaria in the West, Georgia and Armenia to the Northeast, Iran to the East and Iraq and Syria in the Southeast.

Population
An estimated 65 million people, with an annual growth rate of 2%.

Language
Turkish, an Altaic language, written in the Latin script since 1928.
Most well-educated Turks and especially those involved in the Tourism business speak excellent English and often French and German as well.

Government
Turkey has been a Republic since 1923. The form of government is a secular, Multiparty Democracy with a unicameral legislature, a President and a Prime Minister.

Religion
98% Muslim with practicing communities of Jews and Christians in the large cities.

Currency
The New Turkish Lira, YTL. Sterling and Euro are also accepted in lots of shops, bars and restaurants. Changing money is very simple; exchange bureaus give good rates, as well as Banks and most jewellers.

Economy
Turkey has an industrialized economy with a large agricultural sector. Major sectors are automotive, iron and steel, household appliances and electronics, textiles and apparel, consumer goods, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, cement, building materials, glass, ceramics and financial services. The economy is based on free-market principles, although the state sector is still quite large.

Public Holidays
Jan. 1st New Year's Day, April 23rd National Independence and Children's Day, August 30th Victory Day, October 29th Republic Day.

Festivals
International Istanbul Music Festival: June 20th. - July 30th.

Hours
9 am - 6pm for most offices. Many bank branches close between 12 - 1:30 for lunch. Large stores and the Covered Bazaars are generally open from 10 am - 6:30 pm.
Small shops stay open till all hours, generally opening between 9 - 10 in the morning.
In the middle of summer in hot southern locations, some shops may close in mid afternoon for a short siesta and then stay open till 9 or 10 at night. Breakfast ( 7 - 10 am ) and lunch ( 12 - 2:30 pm ) at standard times. Dinner tends to be late, around 8 - 9 pm and even later during the summer months, although restaurants are generally open for service by 7 pm.

Turkey, a bridge between two continents-Europe and Asia.  It has a varied climate and geographical area within its borders. Siberian - cold on snowy and rocky tips of the Anatolian mountains, sparsely vegetated plains, green fields and fertile valleys with many rivers,  all together in this beautiful country, Turkey.

In Turkey, taking only a two-hour long trip is enough to experience different seasons.  After swimming in Mediteranean Sea in the morning, you may finish the day by skiing on the mountains rising above you in the Mediteranean Region.  Besides, the richness of fauna and flora in Turkey, cultural inheritance from different civilizations make Turkey unique and unforgettable.  You can witness this for yourself as you explore.  Passionate lovers of nature and people who engage in sports may only dream of such a rich variety in so many different fields.

Besides the 8500km. long beaches of Turkey, the mountain tips, changing between 2000m and 500m. in height, make a real heaven for climbers, trekkers and skiers. Turkish hospitality will amaze and delight you.

Bird watching is a popular way to integrate with nature.  There are nearly 500 types of birds living in Europe and Turkey alone is home for 460 bird species.  European bird watchers frequent of our country for this purpose. The current researches show that Turkey is located on two main 'Bird Migration Routes'. Turkey is acknowledged as a land embracing several species unique to Anatolia, which are not seen in Europe at all .