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Info4Turkey.com- Turkey Guide, Turkey Informations, Turkey Facts and Tourism Guide |
| 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.
Official Name: The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti)
Founder: Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK (1881-1938)
Capital: Ankara
| Turkish Flag: |
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Population: 67.8 million (as of 2000)
Language: Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet)
Currency:
New Turkish Lira (YTL) as of 01/01/2005
1YTL = 1,000,000 TL (Turkish Lira)
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
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Major Cities: |
Istanbul |
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10.0 million |
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Ankara |
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4.0 million |
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Izmir |
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3.3 million |
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Konya |
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2.2 million |
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Bursa |
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2.1 million |
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Adana |
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1.8 million |
Religion: 99 percent of the population is Muslim. Turkey is a secular state that assures complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.
National Anthem: Istiklal Marsi
Lyrics by: Mehmet Akif Ersoy
Adopted as Turkeys National Anthem on March 12, 1921
Government: 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: 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 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,
Dolmabahce Palace, ancient City of Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale,
Goreme-Cappadocia, Mt.Nemrut, Safranbolu.
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
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| WHEN TO
VISIT |
Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean coasts: These coasts have a typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters.
The swimming season becomes shorter the further north one goes: Marmara and North Aegean - June to September; South Aegean and Mediterranean - April to October.
Black Sea Coast: Warm summers, mild winters, and relatively high rainfall.
Central Anatolia: Steppe climate with hot, dry summers; cold winters.
Eastern Anatolia: Long snowy cold winters with mild summers.
Southeast Anatolia: Hot summer with mild, rainy winters.
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| WHAT TO WEAR |
Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean coasts: Light, cotton summer clothing and cardigans for evening.
Black Sea, Central and Eastern Anatolia: Summer wear, warmer clothing should be taken for cool evenings at high altitudes.
-Comfortable shoes are necessary for visiting archeological and historical sites.
-Sun hats and sunglasses are advisable in the summer.
-Headscarves should be brought by women for visiting mosques. |
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Geography
The Republic of Turkey is located in South Eastern Europe (the area west
of the Bosporus) and South Western Asia. Turkey is bordered by the
Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean Sea, Greece, Bulgaria, the Black Sea, Georgia, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
Ankara is the capital city. Istanbul is Turkey's largest city and
largest port. Other cities include Adana, Bursa and Izmir.
Turkey can be divided into seven geographical regions: the Mediterranean
Region, Aegean Region, Marmara Region, Black Sea Region, Central
Anatolia Region, Eastern Anatolia Region and the South Eastern Anatolia
Region.
The terrain is mountainous with a central plateau and a narrow coastal
plain. Rivers include the Euphrates, Kizilirmak, Sakarya, Tigris and
Yesilirmak.
Turkey's weather varies according to region but is generally hot and dry
in the summer and cold in the winters.
Environment
Turkey's environment is very diverse consisting of mountains, valleys,
plains, beaches, rivers and lakes; just over a quarter of the country is
covered with forests and woodlands.
There are over twenty National Parks and a number of Nature Reserves.
The Society for the Protection of Nature, an independent organisation,
is concerned with conserving Turkey's coasts and marine life, freshwater
systems, wetlands and forests. Nine sites in Turkey are on the Ramsar
list of Wetlands of International Importance.
Birds found in the conservation areas include cranes, ducks, geese,
gulls, herons and flamingoes. Wild animals living in Turkey are boar,
deer, wild goats, mouflon (wild sheep), wolves and wildcats.
Architecture
Turkey has a very rich architectural heritage. Among its monuments are
examples of Greek (333-30 BC), Roman (30 BC-395 AD), Byzantine (330-1453
AD) and Ottoman (1299-1923) architecture.
Ephesus is Turkey's best preserved classical city. It is the site of the
Ancient Greek Temple of Artemis, one of the Wonders of the Ancient
World.
World Heritage sites include the archaeological site of Troy; Hattusha,
the former capital of the Hittite Empire; Xanthos-Letoon, the capital of
Lycia; Nemrut Dag, the mausoleum of Antiochus I (69-34 BC); the rock
sanctuaries of Cappadocia; historic areas of Istanbul; the thirteenth
century Great Mosque and the Hospital of Divrigi, and the City of
Safranbolu.
With the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire made
Constantinople (Istanbul) its capital (1453). The Ottomans converted
many of the Christian churches into mosques, including the church of St
Sophia (Hagia Sophia) built by the Emperor Constantine.
Chinli Kiosk in Istanbul's Topkapi Palace, built in 1473, was a great
influence on Ottoman architecture. Ottoman architects designed baths,
libraries, mansions, mosques, palaces, schools, aqueducts and bridges.
Mimar Sinan, the Chief Architect to the Sultans (1538-1588) designed
over three hundred and thirty buildings. Sinan designed the Suleymaniye
Mosque in Istanbul.
The Ottomans were also responsible for many mosques and buildings
throughout their Empire in Africa, Asia and Europe.
Population
The population of the Republic of Turkey was 70,413,958 in 2006. Eighty
percent of the population is Turkish and twenty percent of the
population is Kurdish.
Languages
Turkish is the official language. Other languages spoken include
Kurdish, Zaza, Arabic, Armenian and Greek.
Religion
Almost all of the Turkish population is Muslim; mostly Sunni Muslim.
There is a small minority of Christians and Jews.
Food
Turkish cuisine is a combination of Middle Eastern food (kebabs, pitta
bread and houmous) and Mediterranean food, (tomatoes, garlic, olive oil,
and grilled meat). Hot peppers, mint, parsley, dill, cumin, and yoghurt
are important ingredients in Turkish cuisine. Bread is part of the
Turkish daily diet.
A "meze" consisting of a number of small dishes may be served before the
main course of a meal. These include slices of melon, feta cheese,
pickles, nuts and small portions of fish, salads and vegetables.
Soups, rice and wheat dishes, meats and seafood are prepared with
vegetables such as aubergines, artichokes, beans, beetroot, chard, chick
peas, cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, peppers and spinach. Stuffed
vegetables, meatballs and egg dishes are popular. The kebab, marinated
lamb roasted on a spit, is a Turkish favourite.
Milk puddings flavoured with orange, lemon or rose water are popular
desserts. Other sweet courses include fresh and stewed fruit: apples,
apricots, cherries, figs, melons, peaches, quince and tangerines.
Raki, an anise flavoured spirit, is the national drink. "Boza", another
traditional alcoholic drink is made from fermented wheat berries. Beer,
wines and fruit juices are produced. Turkish coffee is thick and black
and tea is prepared over boiling water and served in small glasses.
Mount Agri is the highest peak (5,166m)
in Turkey.
Lake Van is Turkey's largest lake.
Mount Agri, also known as Mount Ararat, is the place where it is said
that Noah's Ark came to rest.
Catalhoyuk is a city founded in Turkey around 7000 BC. The site was
first excavated in the early 1960s.
The Kerkenes Mountain is the location of very large pre-Hellenistic
site.
The Anatolian city of Troy was first excavated in 1871. The siege of
Troy by the Greek armies, led by Agamemnon of Mycenae and Menelaus of
Sparta, inspired Homer's "Iliad" (the story of the Trojan War) and "The
Odyssey" (the story of the legendary travels of Odysseus after the
Trojan War).
Turkey (Asia Minor or Anatolia) was settled by Greeks from Attica
(Ionians) and is the home of the Classical Greek Ionic column.
The Temple of Artemis (Diana), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World, was built at Ephesus which was part of the Greek Empire.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, built around 353 BC, was one of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Zeugma 2000, an archaeological project in Turkey, is investigating the
Roman frontier city of Zeugma on the Euphrates river.
The Ancient Greek Temple of Apollo was built in Didyma near Miletus.
St Paul (Saul) was born in Tarsus, east of Mersin.
Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, was an important capital city for
many hundreds of years. Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine
Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman Empire expanded in the early sixteenth century under Sultan
Selim I (1512-1520) but the greatest expansion of the Empire took place
during the rule of Sultan Suleyman (1520-1566).
The Ottoman Empire ended in 1922 and the Republic of Turkey was founded.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk became the President of the Republic.
Turkey has a history of earthquakes. In 1999 earthquakes left over
seventeen thousand people dead and many thousands homeless.
Turkey Web Sites
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