Map
Summary Data
| summary data |
|
| Total Area (km2) |
780,580 |
| Land (km2) |
770,760 |
| Water (km2) |
9,820 |
| Population |
71,892,807 |
| Population Density (/km2) |
93 |
| Capital |
Ankara |
| Religion (%) |
Muslim 99.8%
Other 0.2% (mainly Christian and Jewish) |
| Time |
GMT+2 |
| Climate |
The parts of Turkey that border the Mediterranean have a
temperate
Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet
winters.
Mountains near to the Mediterranean coast stop the
Mediterranean
climate from influencing further in land and the main interior
of
Turkey experiences a continental climate. |
Source: CIA World Factbook
Geography
Despite popular opinion Turkey is a
respectively green country. It is one of the biggest countries in
the Middle East covering just under 800,000 square meters in total
and the border with Syria is its longest border. Turkey neighbours
Greece and Bulgaria on the North West, Armenia and Georgia on the
North East, Iran and Iraq on the South East and Syria on the South.
The country borders both the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea’s on
opposite sides of the country. The highest mountain in Turkey is
Mount Ararat, not far from Lake Van, the largest lake of the
country. Turkey does have an earthquake fault line running across
it in the north of the country and earthquakes can be relatively
frequent.
Government
Turkey is a republican parliamentary
democracy. Turkey is a secular state remaining neutral when it
comes to opinions of religion. Turkey’s constitution sets out the
main principles of government and establishes Turkey as a unitary
centralized state. The current President is Abdullah Gul, elected
in 2007 for a seven year term. The current Prime Minister is Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, the former mayor of Turkey. Prime ministers in
Turkey are elected by the parliament through a vote of confidence
often after having been the leader of the most popular party. Both
male and female nationals have the right to vote after the age of
eighteen. Members of parliament are elected for a five year term
and there are 550 at the any one time.
Language
Turkish is the official language in Turkey
spoken by 90% of the population. Minority languages such as Kurdish
are spoken by around 6% of the population, although this language
has never been recognized as an official language. 1.2% of the
population in Turkey speaks Arabic and there are traces of Dimli,
Azeri, Kabardian, Circassia, Greek, Armenian and Judezmo spoken
throughout Turkey by minority groups.
Electricity
220 Volts 50Hz.
Plugs are of the European two pin style
Passports/Visa
All passport holders are required to have a
minimum of three months validity on their passports when they leave
Turkey.
All documents for residence visas must be
submitted to their relevant embassies at least eight weeks before
the intended date of departure.
To enter Turkey, British, Australian, Canadian
and US Nationals do not require a visa unless staying for longer
than 3 months. A valid passport and return ticket are needed to
enter the country.
Other visitors from the EU, depending on which
country they are travelling from, require visas for varying stays
between 3 months and five years. Available visas are valid for
three months, two years or five years.
It takes around three days for a visa
application to be processed however this depends on the nationality
of the traveller. If transferred to the Ministry of Foreign
Defence the process can take between six to eight weeks.
Passport/Visa Information
Turkish Embassy UK
43 Belgrave Square
London
SW1X 8PA
Tel: 020 7393 0202
Fax: 020 7393 0066
Consulate General for the Republic of
Turkey
Rutland Lodge,
Rutland Gardens,
Knightsbridge,
London
SW7 1BW
Tel: 020 7591 6900
Fax: 0207 591 6911
E-mail: turkishconsulate@btconnect.com
Visa Information Line: 09068 347 348
Visa Application Hours: Mon-Fri 09.00am-12.30pm
Airports and Airlines
Ataturk International
Airport (IST)
- Location: The airport is located 28km
(17miles) west of Istanbul
- Time: GMT+2
- Contacts: 34149 Yeşilköy, Istanbul,
Turkey
- Tel: (0) 212 465 5555.
- Fax: (0) 212 465 5050
- Email: info@tav.co.tr.
- Website: www.ataturkairport.com
- Terminals: 2
- Transfer between terminals: A walkway
with escalators connects the terminals
- Transfer to the city: Taxis are available
outside the terminals to the city and Havas bus services run from
the airport to central Istanbul
- Facilities: Banks, ATMs, bureaux de change,
post offices, 24 hour restaurants, cafes, bars, duty free, lost
luggage, first aid, baby changing facilities and children’s play
room are all available
- Car rental: Avis, Budget, Hertz and other
companies are located at the airport
- Parking: There are 7,200 car parking spaces
available at the airports two terminals and a valet service is
operated there.
Standard of Living
In Turkey the standard of living relative to
cost is extremely high and the country is fast becoming one of the
most popular places for Brits retiring or investing abroad of
recent years. A higher percentage of Turks are satisfied with their
standard of living however a generation divide is apparent between
twenty and forty year olds, with the older generation less happy
with living conditions and the current job situation. Discussions
of EU membership have been underway since 2005 and if accession is
granted the country's economy is expected to flourish. Existing
programs are in place helping children from poorer backgrounds to
stay in education, to improve the availability of jobs for locals
and also to develop the emergency services in case of a natural
disaster.
Principal commercial centres and towns
Turkey’s major cities and towns are scattered
across the country, some are more commercialized and others are
still in their infancy attracting new tourists every year. Over 73%
of Turkey’s enormous population lives in urban areas of which
Istanbul has the largest population.
| Population by city/town 2007 |
|
| Istanbul |
11,000,144 |
| Ankara |
3,832,981 |
| Izmir |
2,656,148 |
| Bursa |
1,466,266 |
| Adana |
1,392,490 |
| Antalya |
798,507 |
| Diyarbakir |
605,424 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
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