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General
A country where people form different cultures, religions
and ethnic backgrounds come together! A geography, as
ancient as the human culture, where the ancient continents
of Asia and Europe meet. Turkey is a paradise of sea,
sun and mountains, at the same time offering the visitors
the pleasure of historical treasures of magnificent
ancient cities. From April to October, most parts of
Turkey have an ideal climate providing perfect conditions
which a visitor can enjoy the comfort of sandy beaches
and also the unique atmosphere of Ancient Cities. It
is doubtless that just one visit will not be enough,
one will want to come back time after time as the extraordinary
places and tastes are discovered.
Turkey, exotic, colorful, many-faceted, romantic, ever-old
and ever-new, is the gateway and the key to the fabled
East. Turkey has a magnificent past and is a land full
of historic treasures.
Geograpy
Modern Turkey is a country of 780,576 square kilometers,
somewhat larger than the state of Texas or France and
Great Britain combined. It is bordered by the Mediterranean,
Aegean and Black Seas. In clockwise order, Turkey shares
borders with Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Iran,
Iraq and Syria. About three percent of the country is
in Europe. South and east of the Dardanelles, the Sea
of Marmara and the Bosphorus stretches the peninsula
known as Asia Minor or Anatolia. Fertile plains fringe
the coast; mountain ranges separate them from the high
central plateau. Nineteen mountains are over 4,100 meters
(13,800 feet) high; of them Mt. Ararat (Agri Dag) is
the highest at 5,073 meters (16,910 feet). Both the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Dicle and Firat) rise in
Anatolia.
History
Turkey has been called ‘’the cradle of civilization’’
and by traveling through this historic land the tourists
will discover exactly what is meant by its phrase. The
world’s first town, a Neolithic city at Catalhoyuk (
by Konya ), dates back to 6,500 BC. From the days of
Catalhoyuk up to the present time Turkey boasts of a
rich culture that trough the centuries has made a lasting
impression on modern civilization. The heir many centuries
of cultures makes Turkey a paradise of information and
cultural wealth. Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians,
Lycians, Lydians, Ionians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans,
Byzantines, Seljuks, and Ottomans have all held important
places in Turkey’s history, and ancient sites and ruins
scattered throughout the country give proof to each
civilization’s unique distinction.
Turkey also has a very fascinating recent history.
Upon the decline of the Ottoman Empire, a young man
named Mustafa Kemal, who was a soldier by occupation
but a great visionary in character, took the defeat
of World War I and turned it into a shining victory
by liberating Turkey of all foreign invaders. Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk founded the Republic of Turkey on the
29th of October, 1923. He led his country into peace
and stability, with tremendous economic growth and complete
modernization. Through decades of change and growth
Turkey still boasts of this success by effectively living
by their adopted motto of ‘’Peace at Home, Peace in
the World’’.
Pupulation
The current population of Turkey is over 65 million
people, of whom 60% live in the cities. Then ten most
populous cities in order are Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir
Adana, Bursa, Gaziantep, Eskisehir, Kayseri and Diyarbakir.
More than half the population is under the age of 20.
Language
The Turkish Language belongs to the Ural Altaic group
and has an affinity to the Finno Hungarian languages.
Since 1928 Turkish has been written in a phonetic, Latin
alphabet of 29 letters and is spoken by some 150 million
people around the world.
Religion
While Turkey is a secular state, about 98% of the people
are Muslims; their faith is that of Islam. ‘Islam’ means
‘submission’; a Muslim is one of who submits himself
to God. Islam is the most recent of the three great
monotheistic religions, having developed from the revelations
by God to the Prophet Mohammed. He was born in Mecca
and lived from about AD 570 to June 8,632. His activity
as a Prophet encompassed the ten years before his death.
The holy book of Islam is the Koran; it is believed
to be the revelation of God to Mohammed. It contains
114 suras (chapters) and 6,666 ayets (verses). Allahuekber
(God is incomparable) are the words calling the people
to prayer. The non-Muslim minority people are concentrated
in Istanbul. There are Sephardic Jews and Christians
of several backgrounds: Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox,
Greek Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, a few Protestants and
some others.
Political Structure
The Turkish Republic is based on secular democratic,
pluralist and parliamentary system, where human rights
are protected by law and social justice. The National
Assembly is elected by popular vote and the nation is
governed by the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime
Minister. Turkey is a founding member of OECD, the Black
Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, a member of NATO,
the European Council and the European Parliament, and
an associate member of the European Community.
Economy
Tourism: In recent years Turkey has become a major
tourist destination in Europe. With the rapid development
of both summer and winter resorts, more and more people
from all over the world are able to enjoy the history,
culture, and beautiful sites of Turkey.
Agriculture: Has got a very important place in the
Turkish economy. The main crops are wheat, rice, cotton,
tea, tobacco, hazelnuts, and fruit. Sheep are Turkey’s
most important livestock, and Turkey is one of European
wool and cotton producer. Southeast Anatolia Project
(Gap) is a multipurpose, integrated development project
comprising of dams, hydroelectric power plants and irrigation
facilities, that are to be built on the Firat (Euphrates)
and Dicle (Tigris) rivers. It will affect agriculture,
transportation, education, tourism, health and other
sectors.
Cuisine The Turkish
Cuisine is one of the best in the world. It has a wide
variety of dishes many prepared with fresh vegetables
and olive oil. Turkish food is very healthy as well
as delicious. The fresh fruits are plentiful and very
tasty.
Tipping Tipping is
customary at hotels and restaurants and for guides and
drivers during tours.
Customs
Turkey has a strict antiquities law and prohibits exportation
of certain items. One may need to clear some items with
the appropriate authorities if in doubt.
Visas
Visas are required by many countries in order to visit
Turkey and therefore one must check with the appropriate
Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence to
learn what is required For US citizens, no prior request
is necessary, but a visa must be purchased upon arrival
in Turkey. Usually it is issued just before passing
passport control and is valid for 90 days.
Is it safe to visit Turkey?
Absolutely! Turkey is an Extremely safe country to
visit and especially for tourists. The Turks are very
proud people and welcome visitors and are honored to
see foreigners exploring their land. Therefore all visitors
are special guests and are treated like royalty. Crime
is low compared to many countries and the Ministry of
the Interior has established a special squad of police
that are assigned to the major tourist areas. We believe
that Turkey in general is safer than most any other
country in the region.
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