Turkey

Quick Facts

[edit]

Local name

Turkiye

Capital

Ankara

Government

Republican Parliamentary Democracy

Nationality

noun: Turk(s); adjective: Turkish

Population

68,109,000

Languages

Turkish

Religions

Islam

Currency

new Turkish Lira (TRY)

Calling Code

+90

Time Zone

UTC+2

Daylight Saving

UTC+3

Introduction

Spice Bazaar Spices

© All Rights Reserved Blakei

With one foot in Asia and one foot (a smaller foot, granted) in Europe, Turkey emerges on the tourist map as a fascinating cultural mystery, with ancient cities and towns as frequent as freckles and a history that's as long as it is complicated. Istanbul's pronounced prominence in the ancient world made it and Turkey the center of numerous great civilizations. As it passed through Byzantine and Roman hands, it sported the names Byzantine and Constantinople, eventually adopting its current name under Ottoman rule. The city is the country's tourist center, but Turkey is certainly no one-hit wonder. Mt Ararat, the ancient Biblical towns of Ephesus and Antakya (Antioch) and cultured beach towns along the Mediterranean coast make up further ammo for the Turkish arsenal of touristy delights. Excellent cuisine and a friendly, hospitable manner underscore the Turkish way of life.

Turkey shares international borders with Bulgaria, Greece, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

Turkey consists of 7 administrative regions, divided into 81 provinces and 923 districts!
The 7 administrative regions and its provinces are:

• Marmara Region: Edirne, Kirklareli, Istanbul, Tekirdag, Çanakkale, Balikesir, Bursa, Yalova, Kocaeli, Sakarya and Bilecik;
• Aegean Region: Izmir, Manisa, Kütahya, Usak, Afyonkarahisar, Aydin, Denizli and Mugla;
• Mediterranean Region: Burdur, Isparta, Antalya, Mersin, Adana, Hatay, Osmaniye and Kahraman Maras;
• Black Sea Region: Bolu, Düzce, Zonguldak, Bartin, Karabük, Kastamonu, Sinop, Samsun, Çorum, Amasya, Tokat, Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon, Gümüshane, Bayburt, Rizne and Artvin;
• Central Anatolia Region: Eskisehir, Çankiri, Ankara, Kirikkale, Yozgat, Sivas, Kirsehir, Kayseri, Nevsehir, Aksaray, Nidge, Karaman and Konya.
• Eastern Anatolia Region: Malatya, Erzincan, Tunceli, Elazig, Bingöl, Erzurum, Bitlis, Mus, Hakkari, Van, Agri, Igdir, Kars and Ardahan.
• Southeastern Anatolia Region: Gilis, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Batman, Siirt and Sirnak.

Most provinces have the same name as their capital, with just a few exceptions to this rule, being Hatay (capital Antakya), Kocaeli (capital Izmit) and Sakarya (Adapazari).

Cities

• Ankara - the nation's capital
• Istanbul - the largest city of Turkey
• Konya
• Izmir
• Erzurum
• Diyarbakir
• Trabzon
• Kayseri
• Goreme
• Alanya
• Bursa
• Bodrum
• Dalyan
• Kas

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Turkish Airlines is the national airline of Turkey and is based at Atatürk International Airport (IST) near Istanbul. It has a very extensive route network of flights throughout all of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, parts of Africa and a few flights to North America, most notably New York JFK and to Washington Dulles airport. Dozens of airlines serve the samen destinations, among which are KLM, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Malaysia Airlines, Delta Airlines and Aeroflot.

The new Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) on the other side of the Bosporus in the Asian part of Istanbul has a growing amount of flights and is mainly catering to charter flights from Europe, but also lowcost airlines like Air Arabia (to and from Sharjah use this airport as a hub between Europe and the Middle East and India. Pegasus Airlines (mainly to Germany and Switzerland but also within Turkey and to Tehran) and Corendon Airlines (to and from Amsterdam, Brussels, Eindhoven, Paris and Tel Aviv) use this airport the most.

Lots of charter airlines fly to other airport in the west and south along the Turkish Coast and cater almost exclusively to package tourists from the west of Europe, although some cheap flights might be a good alternative for the more adventurous travellers to start their trips in places like Bodrum, Dalaman, Antalya or Alanya.
The Esenboğa International Airport (ESB) near the capital Ankara has some international flights as well, mainly from places like London, Frankfurt and Vienna and a few destinations in Asia, like Kabul. Turkish Airlines has the most flights.

By Train

• Turkey - Iran

The Trans-Asia Express travels on a weekly schedule between the gateway to Asia, Istanbul, and the capital of Iran, Tehran. Trains leave Istanbul Wednesdays at around 11pm and arrives in Tehran about 70 hours later. In the opposite directions, trains leave Tehran Thurdays around 6.30pm and take about the same time. The trainride is divided into two parts, one from Istanbul to Lake Van and one from Lake Van to Tehran and only one carriage actually is moved over the lake to make the entire journey.

• Turkey - Syria

Every Sunday around 9am, a sleeper train leaves Haydarpasa station in Istanbul for the Syrian city of Aleppo, arriving on Mondays around 2pm. In the opposite direction the train leaves Aleppo station on Tuesdays around 11 am, taking over 30 hours to reach Istanbul early evenings on Wednesday.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Red Tape

Money

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post