About Turkey,

Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially as the Republic of Turkey, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe.

Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic, with an ancient cultural heritage. Turkey has become increasingly integrated with the West through membership in organizations such as the Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, OSCE and the G-20 major economies. Turkey began full membership negotiations with the European Union in 2005,

Area
Turkey has land area of 780,576 sq. kilometers, twice the size of California.
The coastline is 7,200 km long, extending from the Black Sea in the North to the Mediterranean Sea in the South. Set in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey share borders with Greece and Bulgaria in the West, Georgia and Armenia to the Northeast, Iran to the East and Iraq and Syria in the Southeast.

Population
An estimated over 70 million people, with an annual growth rate of 2%.

Language
The official language is Turkish. It is written in the Latin. Most Turks and especially those involved in the Tourism business speak excellent English and often French and German as well.

Government
Turkey has been a Republic since 1923. The form of government is a secular, Multiparty Democracy with a unicameral legislature, a President and a Prime Minister.

Religion
98% Muslim, Jews and Christians are present in the large cities.

Economy
Turkey has an industrialized economy with a large agricultural sector. Major sectors are automotive, iron and steel, household appliances and electronics, textiles and apparel, consumer goods, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, cement, building materials, glass, ceramics and financial services. The economy is based on free-market principles, although the state sector is still quite large.

 

PublicHolidays
Jan. 1st. New Year's Day

April 23rd. National Independence and Children's Day, (anniversary of the establishment of Turkish Grand National Assembly)
May 19 Atatürk Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day (the arrival of Atatürk in Samsun, and the beginning of the War of Independence)
August 30th. Victory Day, (victory over invading forces in 1922)
October 29th Republic Day.  (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic)
Ramazan Bayramı / Sugar Feast :Three-day festival to celebrate the end of the fast of Ramazan.

Kurban Bayramı / Sacrifies Feast : Four-day festival (The dates of these religious festivals occur 12 days earlier each year.)

Climate:
The Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean coasts display a typical Mediterranean climate of hot summers and mild winters. July and August are the hottest months with temperatures around 30°C. The humidity is a little high during summer in these regions. Temperatures increase a few degrees when traveling to the south and water temperatures also become warmer. The swimming season is from June to September along the Marmara and North Aegean coasts, while it is from April to October on the South Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.The Black Sea Region has a moderate climate; the summers are warm and winters are mild. In this region the rainfalls are heavier than in any other region. The swimming season in the Black Sea Region is from June to early September and the weather is not so dependable. There is quite a difference between the coastal regions and the inland regions which are at higher altitudes. The climate reaches its extremes in central and eastern Anatolia with hot, dry summers when the temperatures may reach even 38-40°C, and cold, snowy winters. Spring and autumn are best for sightseeing and traveling.

Electricity :
Turkey has 220 V power system. Please check your electric appliances before you use them.

Hours
Working hours are usually between 9 am - 6pm. For most offices and many bank branches close between 12 - 1:30 for lunch. Large stores and shopping malls are generally open from 10 am - 10 pm.

Some useful words and phrases:
Hello··· Merhaba (mare-hah-bah)
Good Morning··· Günaydin (goon-eye-din) (said on meeting)
Good Day··· iyi günler (ee-yee goo -n-ler) (said on meeting or parting)
Good evening··· iyi akşamlar (ee-yee ak-sham-lar) (said on meeting or parting)
Good night·· iyi geceler (ee-yee gedge -e-ler) (said on meeting or parting)
Please··· Lutfen (lute-fen)
Thanks·· Tesekkürler (tesh-e-kiir- ler)
Yes·· Evet (e-vet)
No··· Hayir (higher)
I want··· istiyorum (ist-ee-your-um)
When?··· Ne zaman? (nay za-man)
Today·· Bugün (boo-goon)
Tomorrow·· Yarın (yah-run)
Where?·· Nerede (ne're-de)
My name is.......·· ismim......(is-mim)
Water·· su (sue)
Milk·· slit (suit)
Beer··· bira (beer-a)
Wine··· Şarap (shar-ap)
Tea·· cay (ch-eye)
Coffee·· kahve (car-vay)
Food··· yemek (ye-meck)
Be careful!·· Dikkat!

Numbers
1· bir (beer)
2· iki (icky)
3· üç (ouch)
4· dört (dirt)
5· beş(besh)
6· altı (al-ter)
7· yedi(yea-dee)
8· sekiz (seck-is)
9· dokuz (dock-uz) 10· on (on)

Days of the Week:
Monday·· Pazartesi
Tuesday··· Salı
Wednesday·· Carşamba
Thursday·· Perşembe
Friday·· Cuma
Saturday·· Cumartesi
Sunday·· Pazar.

Telephone calls:
To dial abroad from Turkey, dial the international code 00 followed by the country code, and then the number including the local area code, but removing the first 0.

For example, a London number with an area code of 0207 would be dialed from Turkey as 00 44 207 followed by the number.

To dial Turkey from abroad dial the international code 00 followed by the country code, 90 and then the number including the local area code, but removing the first 0.

For example, a Fethiye number with an area code of 0252 would be dialled from abroad as 00 90 252 followed by the number.

There are public phone booths which accept cards or tokens (jeton) which can be bought from post offices (PTT) or local shops. Network coverage is extremely good and it is very rare to be in an area where your mobile does not work