Geographical location: Southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, between Bulgaria and Georgia.

Capital: Ankara City

Currency: New Turkish Lira (YTL)

Weather/Seasons: Temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Best time to go:

Marmara and North Aegean
Swimming: June – September
Touring: March – November
High Season: Mid-March Mid-November

South Aegean and Mediterranean
Swimming: April – October
Touring: All year-round except July – August
High Season: June – August
Mid Season: May, June and September
Low Season: March, April, October
Note: Many coast resorts are closed from mid- October to March.

Central Anatolia
These areas have a steppe climate with hot, dry summers and cold winters.
Swimming possible in pools of hotels : June to August .
Touring : March to November .
The High Season : April to October

Eastern Anatolia
Long snowy, very cold and hard winters with hot summers.
Touring : March to November .
The High Season : April to October

Southeast Anatolia
These areas have a very hot summer with cold winters.
Touring : March to November .
The High Season : April to October

Black Sea Coast
Temperate climate with warm summers, mild winters and relatively high rainfall.
Swimming : July and August .
Touring : April to September.
The High Season : July and August ; Mid Season : April-May-June-September October

Transportation: Bus, Dolmus (minibus), Ferry, Train, Taxi

Languages Spoken: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Zaza, Arabic, Armenian, Greek

Sports/Recreation: Soccer, Wrestling

Cuisine: Lamb is the basic meat of Turkish kitchen. Aubergine is used in a wide variety of dishes. Kebabs are dishes of plain or marinated meat either stewed or grilled. Some other typical Turkish dishes include Pilaf, Borek, Doner Kebab, Kofte.

Ethnicity: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%

Population: 70.5 million (2007)

Religion: Muslim 99%, Christian, Bahai, and Jewish

Economy: Agriculture: cotton, sugar beets, hazelnuts, wheat, barley, and tobacco; Industry: automotive, electronics, food processing, textiles, basic metals, chemicals, and petrochemicals.

Government: Republic

Security: Rate of street crime remains relatively low in Turkey, but it has increased in large urban centers such as Istanbul and Izmir. In Istanbul, petty street crime is most common in tourist areas. There have also been terrorist bombings over the past five years – some causing significant numbers of casualties.

Accommodations

• Amphora Boutique Hotel Kas
• Hawaii Hotel 1 Marmaris
• Umit Pembe Kosk Hotel
• Efes Surmeli Hotel Selcuk
• Dedeman Hotel Konya
• El Ruha Hotel Sanliurfa
• Queen Elizabeth Elite Suite & SPA Hotel Goynuk
• Antea Hotel istanbul

Visa Matters

• Type of Passport : Ordinary Passport (Period of Visa Exemption : 3 Months)
  Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Chile, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Iceland, Iran, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, St. Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Uruguay, Vatican
• Type of Passport : Ordinary Passport (Period of Visa Exemption : 2 Months)
  Bosnia- Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia,
• Type of Passport : Ordinary Passport (Period of Visa Exemption : 1 Month)
  Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macau Spec.Adm.Region
• Type of Passport : Official Passports (Period of Visa Exemption : 3 Months)
  Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Holland, Hong-Kong Special Administrative Region, Honduras, Iceland, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico (only diplomatic passports) Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal,(only diplomatic passports)St. Lucia, St. Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan (only diplomatic passports), Vatican
• Type of Passport : Official Passports (Period of Visa Exemption : 2 Months)
  Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Indonesia, Macedonia, Romania,
• Type of Passport : Official Passports (Period of Visa Exemption : 1 Month)
  Costa Rica, Estonia (only diplomatic passports) Hungary, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia( only diplomatic passports),Makau special Administrative Region, Maldives, Moldova, Mongolia, People’s Republic of China, Palestine (only diplomatic passports), Philippines, South Africa, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Vietnam (only diplomatic passports), Yemen, Yugoslavia

Flights

Turkey Flag

• Turkish Airlines
• Germanwings
• Air Moldova
• Pegasus Airlines
• Monarch Charter
• Qatar Airways
• Condor
• Corendon
• Singapore Airlines
• Thomson
• Lauda Air
• MALEV
• flythomascook
• EgyptAir
• Adria
• SunExpress
• easyJet
• Royal Jordanian
• British Airways (BA)
• Swiss
• B&H Airlines
• TUIfly
• Aeroflot
• AZAL
• Norwegian
• KLM
• LOT
• Air Berlin
• Olympic Airlines
• Saudi Arabian Airlines
• transavia
• Iberia
• Finnair
• AtlasJet
• Alitalia
• Aerosvit Airlines
• Air France
• Aegean
• Gulf Air
• Emirates
• Czech Airlines
• IranAir
• Kibris Turk Hava Yollari
• Air Astana
• Rossiya Airlines
• Lufthansa
• TAROM
• JAT Airways
• Austrian Airlines
• Aeroflot-Don