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About Turkey 

TURKEY In Brief

Official Name

The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti)

Founder

Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK ( 1881-1938 )

Location

Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two continents: Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia (or Asia Minor)

Area

814 578 square kilometers (314 500 square miles)
% 3 on the European continent
% 97 on the Asian continent

Capital

ANKARA

Population

67.8 million (as of 2002)

Literacy Rate

1935 % 19.25
2001 % 86.60

Major Cities
(asof 2002)

Istanbul 10 million
Ankara 4 million
Izmir 3.4 million
Bursa 2.1 million
Konya 2.2 million
Adana 1.8 million

Language

Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet)

Currency

New Turkish Lira(YTL)

Religion

% 99 of the population is Muslim. Turkey is the only country among Islamic countries, which has included secularism in her Constitution and guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.

Flag

Red background with a white crescent and star in the middle.

National Anthem

"Istiklal Marsi" (Independence March)
Lyrics by: Mehmet Akif Ersoy
Adopted as Turkey's National Anthem on March 12, 1921

Goverment

Turkey is democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; committed to the nationalism of Atatürk and based on the principle of the separation of powers;
Legislative power: The Turkish Grand National Assembly
Executive power: President and the Council of Ministers
Judicial power: Independent courts and supreme judiciary organs

Education System

-Primary Education: Eight years; includes the education of children in the 6-14 age-group. Compulsory for all male and female citizens.
-Secondary Education: Consists of general and vocational-technical high schools that offer at least three years of education.
-Higher Education: Includes all educational institutions where an educational programme of at least two years over and above secondary education is implemented. These educate students at associate's, bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree levels.
Primary and secondary education is free of charge in public schools. Higher education institutions, however, charge a certain minimal tuition fee.

Coastline

8333 Km. (5000 miles)
Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, by the Black Sea in the North, the Mediterranean in the south and the Aegean Sea in theWest. In the northwest there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.

Geographical Regions

Turkey has 81 administrative provinces and seven geographical regions. The first four of the seven regions are given the names the seas which are adjacent to them.
- Black Sea Region
- Marmara Region
- Aegean Region
- Mediterranean Region
The other three regions are named in accordance with their location in the whole of Anatolia.
- Central Anatolia Region
- Eastern Anatolia Region
- Southeastern Anatolia Region

Famous Landmarks

In Istanbul: Ayasofya, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Dolmabahçe Palace, Kariye Museum.
Elsewhere in Turkey: Ancient City of Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale, Göreme-Cappadocia, Mt.Nemrut, Safranbolu, Mevlevi Convent and Museum, Halil Rahman Mosque in Sanli Urfa.
Istanbul, Safranbolu, Bogazköy-Hattushash, Mt. Nemrut Remains, Xanthos-Lethoon, Divrigi Great Mosque and Hospital, Troy, Pamukkale and Göreme-Cappadocia are registered on the World Heritage List to help preserve them for future generations.

Compoition of GNP
(as of 2001)

Agriculture: 12.9 %
Industry : 25.3 %
Services : 61.8 %

Some Important Products

As of 2000, Turkey has the first place in the world in terms of hard-shell nuts, fig and apricot production, fourth 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 in the world in textiles and ready to wear clothing production. The exports of this sector constitute 37 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 and comes after textiles in terms of export figures.
High-quality handmade Turkish carpets are also one of the main export items of Turkey the most famous and finest pure silk carpets of the world are produced in the small town of Hereke, 60 km east of Istanbul.
Turkey is Europe's third largest ceramic producer.

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-)

Electtricity

220 volts a.c. all over Turkey

Weights and Measures

Metric and Kilo system

Web sites for more informations

www.mfa.gov.tr (Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
www.turizm.gov.tr ( Turkish Ministry of Tourism)
www.kultur.gov.tr (Turkish Ministry of Culture)

Ugur Mumcu Caddesi No : 88 Kat : 4, Gaziosmanpasa, Phone : (312) 437 68 40-43, Fax : (312) 437 79 40

Ataturk Bulvari No : 197, Kavaklidere, Phone : (312) 428 51 83 - 428 70 76, Fax : (312) 427 38 16