Turkey Country & Tourist Information

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.

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).

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.

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 recognizable 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.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.

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).

2010
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.
9-12 Sep (9th is half-day) Ramazan Bayrami (End of Ramadan).
28-29 Oct (28th is a half-day) Republic Day.
16-19 Nov Kurban Bayrami (Feast of the Sacrifice).

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, centers 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.

Contact Information:

Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in the UK
43 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PA, UK
Tel: (020) 7393 0202.
Website: www.turkishembassylondon.org
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1730 (appointment only).

Turkish Consulate General in the UK
Rutland Lodge, Rutland Gardens, London SW7 1BW, UK
Tel: (020) 7591 6900 or 09068 347 348 (recorded visa information; calls cost 60p per minute).
Website: www.turkishconsulate.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1230 (visas).

Turkish Culture and Tourism Office in the UK
4th Floor, 29-30 St James’s Street, London SW1A 1HB, UK
Tel: (020) 7839 7778.
Website: www.gototurkey.co.uk

Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in the USA
2525 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 612 6700 or 6740 (consular section).
Website: www.turkishembassy.org

Turkish Tourist Office in the USA
821 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (212) 687 2194.
Website: www.tourismturkey.org


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