Turkey in Brief
How to Travel Turkey
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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 past.

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.

Official Name The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti)
Founder Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK ( 1881-1938 )
Capital ANKARA
Population 65.3 million (as of 2000)
Literacy rate 1935 % 19.25 , 1990 % 80.46
Language Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet)
Currency Turkish Lira ( TL )
Flag Red background with a white crescent and star in the middle.
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 on the European continent, % 97 on the Asian continent
Coastline 8333 Km. (5000 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 north-west there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus
Major Cities Istanbul 9.2 million
Ankara 3.7 million
Izmir 3.1 million
Konya 1.9 million
Adana 1.7 million
Bursa 1.2 million
Religion % 99 of the population is Muslim . Turkey is a secular state that quarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.
National Anthem Istiklal Marsi ( Independence March )
Lyrics by : Mehmet Akif Ersoy
Adopted as Turkey's National Anthem on March 12,1921
Geographical Regions Turkey has 81 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
Some important products As of 1998, Turkey has the first place in the world in terms of hard-shell nuts, fig and apricot production, the fourth place in fresh vegetables, grape and tobacco production and the seventh place in wheat and cotton production. Turkish delight and helva are famous throughout the world.
Turkey is among the leading countries 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 and comes after textiles in terms of export figures.
Time Local time is equal to GMT + 2 hours. Same time zone all over the country
Electricity 220 volts a.c. all over Turkey
Weights and Measures Metric and Kilo system
Monetary System The national monetary unit is the Turkish lira (TL). The coinage is in 25,000, 50,000, 100,000 and 250,000 lira pieces. Bank notes are of 250,000, 500,000, 1,000,000, 5,000,000, 10,000,000 and 20,000,000 lira. The exchange rates for foreign currencies are published daily. Eurochecks can be cashed immediately as can traveller's checks upon producing identification. The most widely accepted credit cards are American Express, Eurocard, Diner's Club, Visa and Mastercard. Exchange offices in touristic places are generally open until midnight.
Postal System & Phone Calls Turkish post and telephone offices are easily recognizable by their "PTT" and "Turk Telekom" signs. Major post offices are open 8:00 - 24:00, Mon.- Sat.; and 9:00-19:00, Sun. Small post offices have the same hours as government offices (see below).
It is possible to exchange money at some PTT branches at the current international exchange rate. International postal orders and traveller's checks can also be exchanged. An express postal service (Acele Posta Servisi - APS) operates from Turkey to 72 other countries for letters, documents, and small packages.
Poste restante Poste restante letters should be addressed "postrestant" to the central post office ("Merkez Postanesi") in the town of your choice. It is only necessary to produce an identification card when collecting your letter.
Phone calls The most economic way to telephone in Turkey is from a PTT telephone booth (found in all towns). Telephone cards can be purchased from all PTT offices.
Working Hours Government Offices 8:30 - 12:30; 13:30 - 17:30 (closed Sat. and Sun., open daily in tourist areas)
Banks 8:30 - 12:00; 13:30 - 17:00 (closed Sat. and Sun., open daily in tourist areas)
Shopping In Turkey, suede and leather are particularly important, along with all kinds of clothes and other goods such as handbags, belts, shoes, etc., at prices which surprise and please the visitor. In the large stores in main cities, dresses, trousers, and coats, made of extremely fine leather and suede, can be found. If you are looking for something a little more unusual, there is the "nargile" (hubble-bubble pipe); or buy a backgammon set and learn the national Turkish game. Your only difficulty shopping in Turkey will be deciding what to choose from the many hundreds of tempting bargains.
NOTE: When making purchases keep all receipts. If you believe you have been overcharged or cheated either in terms of items bought or services rendered please contact the local police (Zabita, tel. 153) and/or fax your complaint to the Consumer Protection Directorate at the Ministry of Industry and Trade at: T.C. Sanayi ve Ticaret Bakanligi Tuketicinin ve Rekabetin Korunmasi Gen. Mud. Tandogan, Ankara Fax: (90-312) 287 92 40