Facts: [ General Information ] [ Communications ] [ Public Holidays ] [ Duty Free ] [ Currency ]
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| Location: | Southeastern Europe/Asia Minor. |
| Area: | 783,562 sq km (302,535 sq miles). |
| Population: | 70.6 million (2008 estimate). |
| Population Density: | 93 per sq km. |
| Capital: | Ankara.
Population: 3.9 million (2007 estimate). |
| Government: | Republic since 1923. |
| Geography: | Turkey borders the Black Sea and Georgia and Armenia to the northeast, Iran to the east, Iraq to the southeast, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Mediterranean to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. Asia Minor (or Anatolia) accounts for 97% of the country’s area and forms a long, wide peninsula 1,650km (1,025 miles) from east to west and 650km (400 miles) from north to south. Two east-west mountain ranges, the Black Sea Mountains in the north and the Taurus in the south, enclose the central Anatolian plateau, but converge in a vast mountainous region in the far east of the country. It is here that the ancient Tigris and Euphrates rivers rise. |
| Language: | Turkish. Kurdish is also spoken by a minority in the southeast. French, German and English are widely spoken in major cities and tourist areas. |
| Religion: | Muslim, mostly Sunni, with a very small Christian minority. Turkey is a secular state which guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims. |
| Time: | GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October). |
| Social Conventions: | Shaking hands is the normal form of greeting. Hospitality is very important and visitors should respect Islamic customs. Informal wear is acceptable, but beachwear should be confined to the beach or poolside. Smoking is widely acceptable but prohibited in cinemas, theatres, buses, coaches and dolmuşes (collective taxis). |
| Electricity: | 220 volts AC, 50Hz. |
| Head of Government: | Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan since 2002. |
| Head of State: | President Abdullah Gul since 2007. |
| Recent History: | Turkey’s economy has recovered well from a crisis in 2001. With IMF support, the mildly Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) government introduced structural reforms and sweeping institutional and social reforms in order to initiate EU entry negotiations in October 2005.
The pace of reform has slowed since amid criticism over issues such as human rights and Northern Cyprus. The government also faces pressure from the fiercely secular military, suspicious of the AKP’s Islamic credentials.
Abdullah Gul became president in August 2007 - the country’s first head of state with a background in political Islam.
The Kurdish separatist PKK (Kurdish Workers’ Party) broke their 2006 ceasefire when they ambushed and killed Turkish soldiers near the Iraqi border in September 2007. The subsequent bombing of PKK fighters in northern Iraq by Turkish warplanes drew international criticism in late 2007. Further incursions into Iraqi territory were made in early 2008. |
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| Telephone: | Country code: 90. The cheapest way to make calls is from PTT telephone booths, which are found in all areas. These operate using phone cards, which can be bought from kiosks, or by using major credit cards. |
| Mobile Telephone: | Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is mostly good, but can be patchy in some rural areas in eastern Turkey. |
| Internet: | Internet cafes exist in main urban areas. Some restaurants and hotels have Wi-Fi Internet access. |
| Media: | The Turkish media is dominated by several large corporations that own the main newspapers and private television channels. The Turkish press is fairly free and outspoken in most areas, although a significant number of journalists have been prosecuted under highly controversial laws against ‘insulting’ the country, state institutions or ‘Turkishness’. These are viewed by many, including the European Commission, as against the right to freedom of expression. Kurdish-language broadcasts have been introduced in order to meet EU criteria on minorities. |
| Post: | Turkish post offices are recognisable by their yellow PTT signs.
Post office hours: major outlets Mon-Sat 0800-2400, Sun 0900-1900; smaller post offices have the same opening hours as government offices. |
| Press: |  The main newspapers are Hürriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Zamam Cumhuriyet and Yeni Asir.
English-language daily newspapers include The Turkish Daily News. |
| Radio: | TRT stations include TRT 1 (cultural and educational), TRT 3 (classical, jazz and popular music) and TRT 4 (Turkish folk and classical music).
Best FM, Show Radyo and Capital Radio are commercial stations.
Radyo Foreks broadcasts news. |
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Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2008-December 2009 period.
2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
23 Apr National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.
1 May May Day Public Holiday (Istanbul only).
19 May Commemoration of Atatürk and Youth and Sports Day.
30 Aug Victory Day.
29 Sep-2 Oct (29th is half-day) Ramazan Bayrami (End of Ramadan).
28-29 Oct (28th is a half-day) Republic Day.
8-11 Dec Kurban Bayrami (Feast of the Sacrifice).
2009
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
23 Apr National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.
1 May May Day Public Holiday (Istanbul only).
19 May Commemoration of Atatürk and Youth and Sports Day.
30 Aug Victory Day.
19-22 Sep (19th is half-day) Ramazan Bayrami (End of Ramadan).
28-29 Oct (28th is a half-day) Republic Day.
27-30 Nov Kurban Bayrami (Feast of the Sacrifice).
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| Note: | Muslim festivals are timed according to the phases of the moon and change each year. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Ramazan Bayrami, Muslims fast during the day and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Some restaurants are closed during the day and there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Generally, centres of tourism are unaffected. Some disruption may continue into Ramazan Bayrami itself. Ramazan Bayrami and Kurban Bayrami may last anything from three to 10 days, depending on the region. Transport and hotels are very busy during these holidays, so book in advance. |
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| Currency: | New Turkish Lira (TRY; symbol YTL) = 100 New Kurus (Ykr). Notes are in denominations of YTL100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1. Coins are in denominations of YTL1 and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 New Kurus.
Note: The old Turkish Lira (TL) was withdrawn from circulation on 1 January 2006. |
| Currency Exchange: | Cash can usually be exchanged commission free in currency exchange offices (döviz bürosu). Banks usually charge commission. Traveller's cheques can only be exchanged in banks with a passport. Travellers planning to exchange currency back before leaving Turkey, or making a major purchase which may need to be declared to customs, must retain transaction receipts to prove that the currency was legally exchanged. |
| Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs: | Visa is the most popular, closely followed by MasterCard. American Express is accepted in top-flight hotels, restaurants and some gift shops. ATMs are widely found in most areas. |
| Traveller's Cheques: | Traveller's cheques can only be exchanged in banks. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in Pounds Sterling or US Dollars. Credit cards are far more convenient. |
| Banking Hours: | Mon-Fri 0830-1200 and 1330-1700. Some banks in tourist areas and large cities are open daily. |
| Exchange Rate Indicators: |
| Date |
Oct 08 |
| £1.00= |
YTL2.39 |
| $1.00= |
YTL1.36 |
| €1.00= |
YTL1.86 |
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