Turkey:General

From Skipper2Skipper

Basic Notes about Turkey

For complete guide to Turkey go here: Turkey Wiki

Official Name: Republic of Turkey

Capital: Ankara

Government: Republican parliamentary democracy. The Republic of Turkey is based on a secular, democratic, pluralistic parliamentary system in which rights and obligations are protected by laws.

Administrative Divisons: 81 provinces

History: Turkey is known as the "Cradle of Civilizations". It was the home to 13 Ancient cultures including: the Hittites, Assyrians, Phyrigians, Urartians, Lycians, Lydians, Ionians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans. Following the decline of the Ottoman Empire, modern Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal, known as Ataturk, the commander of the Turkish War of Independence. Ataturk is accepted as one of the world's greatest statesmen.

Location: Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Syria.

Area:

• 780.580 SQ KM (301,383.62 SQ Miles)
• 770,760 SQ KM Land (297,591.1 SQ Miles)
• 9,820 SQ KM Water (4,473.87 SQ Miles)

Coastline: 7200 KM (4,473.5 Miles)

Population: 67.8 Million (as of 2000, last cencus)

Language: Turkish (belongs to Ural Altaic group and has affinity with the Fin and Hungarian languages. Turkish is written in the Latin Alphabet and is spoken by at least 150 million people around the world)

Currency: YTL (New Turkish Lira)

The New Turkish Lira banknotes 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100. Yeni Kurus (YKr) coinage is available in 1, 5 , 10, 20 and 50. The exchange rates for foreign currencies are published daily, EURO - US Dollars, traveler's checks and major credit cards are widely accepted and there are ATMs throughout the country.

Visa: Canadian and American citizens must present single or multiple entry visa when entering Turkey. Visas can be obtained from the Turkish Embassy in Ottowa, Canada and Washington DC as well as through the Consulate General Offices in the US. For more information, please visit http://www.turkey.org

Tax Refunds: You can receive a tax refund for the goods you have purchased in Turkey. For further information please visit http://www.globalrefund.com

Custom Regulations upon exit: For gifts, souvenirs and carpets a proof of purchase is all that is needed; for antiques, a certificate from the Directorate of the Regional Museum is necassary. Exporting antiques from Turkey is forbidden. Valuable personal items can only be taken out of the country providing that they have been registered in the owner's passport upon entry or declaring that they have been purchased with legally exchanged currency.

Electricity: 220 Volt A.C. throughout Turkey, accessible via round European style plugs.

Water: Tap Water is potable but bottled water is advisable as tap water is highly chlorinated, taste is little unnatural.

Weights and measures: Metric System is used in Turkey. Clothing and shoe sizes are European.

Working Hours:

• Government Offices: Monday-Friday (8:30 am - 12:30 pm), (1:30 pm - 5:30pm) - Saturday and Sunday (CLOSED).
• Banks: Monday-Friday (8:30 am - 12:00 noon), (1:00 pm - 5:00pm) - Saturday and Sunday (CLOSED).
• Post Offices: (PTT) 8:30 an - 5:30 pm
• Shops: Monday - Saturday (9:30 am - 7:00 pm), Sunday (CLOSED). In tourist areas, shops are open until midnight including Sunday.

Official Holidays:

• January 1: New Year's Day
• April 23: National Independence and Children's Day
• May 19: Ataturk Commemeration, Youth and Sports Day
• August 30: Victory Day
• October 29: Republic Day

2006-2007 Religious Holidays

• Ramadan: October 23,24,25 2006

Month of Ramadan starts on September 24th 2006.

Traffic, Road Signs and Gas Stations: Foreigners driving in Turkey must process a driver's licence , passport and Green Card International Insurance or Turkish third party insurance. Traffic moves on right side of the road. Turkish Highway Code is similiar to those of European countries. Turkish road signs conform to the international protocol on road signs. Gas stations are well places, many of them also have restaurants that are open 24 hours.

Important Telephones:

• Traffic police: 154
• Police: 155
• Gendarmerie: 156
• Fire Department: 110
• Directory Assistance: 118
• PTT (Post Office) Information: 161