Turkey information

Area: 779,452 sq km (300,948 sq miles).

Population: 64,385,000 (1999)

Capital: Ankara. Population: 2, 937,524 (1997).

Geography: Turkey borders the Black Sea and Georgia and Armenia to the northeast, Iran to the east, Iraq to the southeast, Syria and the Mediterranean to the south, the
Aegean Sea to the west and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. Asia Minor (or Anatolia) accounts for 97% of the country and forms a long, wide peninsula 1650km (1025 miles) from east to west and 650km (400 miles) from north to south. Two east-west mountain ranges, the Black Sea Mountains in the north and the Taurus in the south, enclose the central Anatolian plateau, but converge in a vast mountainous region in the far east of the country. It is here that the ancient Tigris and Euphrates rivers rise.

Government: Republic since 1923. Head of State: President Ahmet Necdet Sezer since 2000. Head of Government: Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit since 1999.

Language: Turkish. English, French and German are widely spoken in cities.

Religion: İslam, a small Christian minority. Turkey is a secular state which guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.

Time: GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Communications:

Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: +90. Outgoing international code: 00. There is an extensive internal telephone network, but often an interpreter will be needed for more remote areas. To phone from PTT telephone booths, which are found in all areas, telephone cards and tokens are used. Local, inter-city and international calls can be made from all PTT offices.

Mobile telephone: GSM 900 band networks exist. Main network providers include Turkcell (web site: http://www.turkcell.com) and TELSIM Mobil Telekomuniksyon (web site: http://www.telsim.com.tr). Coverage is available in most urban areas.

Fax: All hotels and PTT offices have facilities.

Internet/E-mail: Internet cafes exist in main urban areas.

Telegram: May be sent from all post offices.

Post: Airmail to Europe takes three days. Turkish post offices are recognisable by their yellow PTT signs. Major post offices are open 0800-0000 Monday to Saturday and 0900-1900 on Sundays. Small post offices have the same opening hours as government offices. It is also possible to use the 'Valuables Despatch Service' for valuable belongings or important documents.

Press: The main newspapers are Hürriyet, Cumhuriyet, Sabah and Milliyet. English-language daily newspapers include The Turkish Daily News.

Useful Telephone numbers:
Police 155
Fire 110
Medical emergency 112
Traffic Police Jandarma 156
Directory enquires 118

Money

Currency: Turkish Lira (TL). Notes are in denominations of TL10.000.000, 5.000.000, 1.000.000, 500.000, 250.000. Coins are in denominations of TL100,000, 50,000.

Currency exchange: All exchange certificates and purchase receipts must be retained to prove that legally exchanged currency was used. Money and travellers cheques can be exchanged at all PTT branches. Many UK banks offer differing rates of exchange depending on denominations of Turkish currency being bought or sold. Check with banks for details and current rates.

Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Master Card and Visa are accepted. Check with your credit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travellers cheques: Can be cashed immediately upon proof of identity. However, it may take several days to cash cheques from private accounts. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Pounds Sterling.

Working hours

Please note that in Tourist resorts, establishments will be open longer and on the weekends.
Banks 8.30-12.00, 13.30-17.00. Closed sat and sun
Shops 9.30-19.00
Government Offices 8.30-12.30, 13.30-17.30 closed sat and sun
Most museums are closed on Mondays; Topkapi Palace in Istanbul is closed on Tuesdays.
Friday is the Holy Day for the Muslims.