Turkey is a paradise of sun, sea, mountains, and lakes that offers the vacationer a complete change from the stress and routine of everyday life. From April to October, most places in Turkey have an ideal climate that is perfect for relaxing on sandy beaches or enjoying the tranquility of mountains and lakes.

Turkey also has a magnificent past, and is a land full of historic treasures from 13 successive civilizations spanning 10,000 years. Even if you spend only a short time in Turkey, you can see a lot of this great heritage.

There is no doubt that one visit will not be enough, and you will want to come back again and again as you discover one extraordinary place after another. All of them, no matter how different, have one thing in common: the friendly and hospitable people of this unique country.


Famous Landmarks
Ayasofya Museum, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Dolmabahçe Palace, ancient City of Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale, Göreme- Cappadocia, Mt.Nemrut, Safranbolu

TURKEY IN BRIEF

Official Name The Republic of Turkey 
Founder Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK ( 1881-1938 )
Capital ANKARA
Population 67.8 million (as of 2000)
Language Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet)
Currency New Turkish Lira ( YTL ) as of 1/1/2005 1YTL=1,000,000 TL ( Turkish Lira )
Location Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two contitents Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia or ( Asia Minor )
Area 814 578 Km2 (314 500 square miles)
 

Some important products
As of 1998, Turkey is the world's largest producer of hard-shell nuts, fig and apricot, the fourth STET in fresh vegetables, grape and tobacco production and seventh in wheat and cotton production. Turkish delight and helva are famous throughout the world.

Turkey is among the leading countries worldwide in textiles and ready-to-wear clothing production. The exports of this sector constitutes 36 percent of total industrial exports. The leather processing industry is also very developed in Turkey, both in terms of technological level and high production capacity. It places second to textiles in terms of export figures.

Other Useful Information
Time Local time is equal to GMT + 2 hours. Same time zone all over the country ( seven hours ahead of U.S. eastern standard time )
Electricity 220 volts a.c. throughout Turkey
Weights and Measures Metric and Kilo system