Official Name :
Türkiye Cumhuriyeti ( Republic of Turkey )

Capital :
Ankara

Flag :
Star and Crescent in white on the red background

National Holidays :
New Year's Day ( Jan 01), Children's' Day (Apr 23), Youth Festival (May 19), Independence Day (Aug 30), Republic Day (Oct 29)

Religious Holidays :
Ramadan (moves around the year coming 10 days earlier), Sacrifice Festival (same as Ramadan- 70 days following Ramadan)

National Anthem :
March of Independence

Language :
Turkish ( official ), classified under Ural & Altaic Language group. Kurdish, Arabic, other minority languages (Greek, Armenian, Hebrew).

Currency :
National monetary unit is Turkish Lira divided into 100 kurus. Exchange rates are published daily. Many Banks and Exchange Offices can be found almost in every town.

Time Zone :
Central European Time GMT + 2. Day Light Saving Time applied.

Office Hours :
Weekdays between 08:30-12:00 and 13:00-17:00. Closed on Saturday and Sunday and Public Holidays.

Mail :
Turkish Post Offices can be easily recognized by their yellow signs " PTT ". Major Post offices are open from 08:00 to 24:00 on Mondays to Saturdays, and from 08:00 to 19:00 on Sundays.

Telephone :
Turkey has the western telephone system being country code ( 90 ), area code (xxx), phone number ( xxx xxxx ).

Area Codes :
Istanbul (212),(216), Ankara (312), Izmir (232), Antalya (242),

International Calls from within Turkey :
00-Country Code-Area Code- Tel. Nr.

Long distance calls within Turkey :
0-Area Code-Tel. Nr.

Local Calls :
Direct Tel Nr.

AT&T Access No. :
00 800 12277

* Public Phone Booths can be easily used for all calls including international. Tokens or Phone Cards available at all Post Offices ( PTT ).

Land :
780,000 sq. km. or 301,000 sq. mi.

Location :
Southeastern Europe and Middle East. Bordered on the northwest by Bulgaria and Greece, on the north by Black Sea, on the northeast by Georgia and Armenia, on the east by Iran, on the south by Iraq, Syria and Mediterranean Sea, and on the West by Aegean Sea.

Topography :
Turkey has seven geographic regions. Marmara region, Aegean, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Central Anatolian Plateau, Eastern Turkey and Southeastern Turkey.

Geographic Features:
The western part of Turkey has large plains and gentle hills. Central Turkey has a vast plateau with average elevation of 3,000 feet, and separated from Black Sea by Black Sea mountains and from Mediterranean by Taurus Mountains. Eastern Turkey is the most mountainous and rugged part of the country. Mt. Ararat 5,165 Mt. (16,950 feet) being the highest in Turkey is located in this area.

Major Rivers and Lakes :
The rivers Euphrates and Tigris of the Southeast emerge from the highlands of the eastern Turkey. Kizilirmak ( Red River, ancient Halys) 1155 km. (720 mi.) which flows into Black Sea is the longest in Turkey. The Menderes river ( ancient meander ) flows through many valleys and bends with a slow progress giving the term " meandering " in English. Lake Van 3,760 sq. km. ( 1451 sq. mi. ) in the eastern Turkey is the largest all over Turkey. Salt Lake 1,620 sq.km ( 625 sq.mi.) in the central Anatolian plateau is the second largest lake and main source of salt. Lake district in the West has many lakes ( Beysehir, Egridir, Burdur ).

Highest Point :
Mt. Ararat ( Agri Dagi ) 5,165 Mt. or 16,880 feet

Lowest Point :
Sea Level along the Coast

Climate :
Steppe climate in the Central Turkey with hot and dry summers, cold and snowy winters, Mild Mediterranean climate along the coast with hot and humid summers, mild and rainy winters

Population :
70,000,000

Population Growth Rate :
2% (1990-1995)

Population Density :
89 person per sq.km. or 232 person per sq.mi.

Population Characteristics :
67% urban, 33% rural

Largest Cities :
Istanbul 15,000,000, Ankara 7,000,000, Izmir 4,000,000

Ethnic Grouping :
Turkish 86%, Kurdish 11%, Other ( Arabs, Greeks, Armenians ) 3%

Religion :
99% Islam ( mainly Sunni ), other ( Eastern Orthodox, Judaism )

Life Expectancy :
Female 69 years, Male 67 years

Infant Mortality :
73 deaths per 1,000 live births

Economy:

Gross Domestic Product :
US $ 124,000,000,000.00

Main Products :
Agriculture:
Wheat, Barley, Sun Flowers, Tea, Cotton, Tobacco, Olives, Sugar Beets, Maize, Potatoes, Onions, Fruits, Nuts, Livestock, Fishing

Mining :
Chromium, Iron, Copper, Petroleum, Borax, Magnesium, Coal, Aluminum, Bauxite, Sulfur

Manufacturing:
Textiles, hand made carpets, iron & steel, food processing, leather products, household items, petroleum refining , industrial chemicals.

Employment :
44% Agriculture, Fishing, Forestry 24% Manufacturing and Industry 32 % Trade and Services

Exports :
Textiles, hand made carpets & rugs, chemicals, metal products, agricultural products, dried fruits, tobacco, leather, cement.

Imports :
Machinery & equipment, chemicals, automobiles, liquid fuels, defense industry vehicles, air crafts, metals, iron & steel

Trading Partners :
EEC Countries, USA, Japan, EFTA

Form of Government :
Presidential Republic

Head of the State :
President elected for a 7 year term ( one term only )

Head of the Government :
Prime Minister elected by people for every 4 years

Constitution :
7 November 1982

Legislation :
National Assembly ( 550 members )

Courts :
Constitutional Court, Supreme Court

Political Parties :
Dogru Yol Partisi ( DYP ) - True Path Party, Anavatan Partisi ( ANAP ) - Motherland Party, Refah Partisi ( RP ) - Islamic Welfare Party, Demokratik Sol Parti ( DSP ) - Democratic Left Party, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi ( CHP ) - Republican People's Party, Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi ( MHP ) - Nationalist Movement Party.

Voting :
At age 21

Political Division :
80 Provinces

Education :
Compulsory for 8 years (recently decreed)

Literacy Rate :
Total 82 %, Male 89%, Female 69 %

Military Service :
Mandatory for men aged 20 to 32 for 18 months