Turkey Travel Guide

Country Facts

Location

Southeastern Europe/Asia Minor.

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.

Area

783,562 sq km (302,535 sq miles).

Time Zone

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity

220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Population

70.6 million (2008 estimate).

Population Density

93 per sq km.

Capital City

Ankara. Population: 3.9 million (2007 estimate).

Government

Republic since 1923.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan since 2002.

Head of State

President Abdullah Gul since 2007.

Religion

Muslim, mostly Sunni, with a very small Christian minority. Turkey is a secular state which guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.

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.

Communications

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

Mobile phone coverage is generally good, but can be patchy in some rural areas in eastern Turkey. As Turkey is outside the EU, roaming charges are very much more expensive than for mobile phone use in the UK and the rest of the EU.

Internet

There are internet cafés throughout Turkey, even in small towns and rural villages. Almost all hotels (including even small guesthouses and budget hostels) offer free WiFi Internet Access, as do many restaurants, bars and cafés.

Media

The Turkish media tends to be self-censoring on controversial religious, cultural and political issues. Journalists, novelists, film-makers and broadcasters have been prosecuted under laws against 'insulting' the country, the armed forces, and 'Turkishness'. English-language newspapers include The Turkish Daily News. An edition of the British Sunday Times is printed in Istanbul. The state broadcaster TRT operates several TV and radio channels. Private channels include ATV, Kanal D, Show TV and Star TV. CNN Türk is the Turkish channel of news network CNN.

Post

Turkish post offices are recognizable by their yellow PTT signs.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.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2011
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 - 31 Aug Ramazan Bayrami (End of Ramadan)
30 Aug Victory Day
28 Oct - 29 Oct (28th is a half-day) Republic Day

2012
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
25 Oct Kurban Bayrami (Feast of the Sacrifice)
28 Oct - 29 Oct (28th is a half-day) Republic Day
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