Whether you are an art and history buff, an archaeology nut or a nature lover, enjoy browsing through markets or going diving, the different regions of Turkey offer endless possibilities all year round. Each area has its own personality, history, landscape and even cuisine, and with so much on offer to visitors it is not surprising that one trip to Turkey is never enough.
Surrounded by four different seas, Turkey is a beach paradise with over 8000 km of sunny strips of sand. It also has an abundance of plant and wildlife species that can be enjoyed while camping or trekking in the many national parks which are dotted around the country.
Home to more than 20 different fascinating civilisations, Turkey has a 10,000 year-old heritage, much of which is still being uncovered. Its rich history is very much part of the present, with temples, ancient theatres, churches, mosques, tombs, statues of gods, palaces and fortresses, and of course the many detailed and fascination museums which bring the past to life.
The outstanding beauty of Turkey rivals anything elsewhere in the Mediterannean.
Many tourists from Britain and another countries are mainly attracted to South and West coast of Turkey welcoming over 21 million visitors a year.
Turkey is not frightening! Some people are initially concerned about buying property in a country where the majority of the population is Muslim, but they have soon discovered that these worries are without foundation. Altough the population of Turkey is overwhelmingly Muslim, the consitution of the country provides for a secular state. In many places, such as the big cities and in the tourist parts of the country religion is less obvious and operates in the background: some local people drink; boys and girls walk hand-in-hand;women dress in Western fashion; many woman- in particular younger women-work in conventional employment
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)
% 3
% 97
on the European continent
on the Asian continent
Major Cities
Istanbul
Ankara
Izmir
Adana
Konya
Bursa
9.2 million
3.7 million
3.1 million
2.0 million
1.9 million
1.5 million
Religion
99 percent of the population is Muslim. Turkey is a secular state that quarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.
National Anthem
" Istiklal Marsi " ( Independence March )
Lyrics by : Mehmet Akif Ersoy
Adopted as Turkey's National Anthem on March 12,1921
Government
Turkey is democratic,secular andsocial stategoverned by the rule of law; committed to the nationalism of Atatürk and based on the principle of the separation of powers;
Legislative Power
Executive Power
Judicial Power
:The Turkish Grand National Assembly
:President and the Council of Ministers.
:Independent courts and supreme
judiciary organs.
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 the west. 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 80 administrative provinces and seven geographical regions. The first four of the seven regions are given the names of 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
Ayasofya Museum, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Dolmabahçe Palace, ancient City of Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale, Göreme- Cappadocia, Mt.Nemrut, Safranbolu
Some important products
As of 1998, Turkey is the world's largest producer of hard-shell nuts, fig and apricot, the fourth STATE 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, banking, automotiv and electronic industries The leather processing industry is also very developed in Turkey, both in terms of technological level and high production capacity.
Other Useful Information
Time
Local time is equal to GMT + 2 hours. Same time zone all over the country.
A major factor in most people's decision-making process is the question of how easy it is to get to the property you are thinking of buying. How will you travel there? Although it is possible to travel to Turkey by land or by a combination of land and sea,the majority of people prefer trvelling by air. Air travel to Turkey is relatively cheap. Nowadays it is easy to find cheap flights to Turkey with the arrival of the budget airline phenomenon especially Easy Jet flying to İSTANBUL, making Europe a lot smaller for everyone. With all of these airlines battling for your custom, this can only be good news for you, the customer. Airline tickets being offered for next to nothing, where you only pay the taxes, are now common place. This means that you can travel to TURKEY for less money than it costs for a return rail trip. Flights from London Luton to İstanbul is only £30.99 one way including all the taxes.
2006 sees the launch of some exciting new direct routes to Turkey:
* From 26th March: BMED, a franchise partner of British Airways will be operating six flights a week from London Heathrow to Ankara's Esenboğa Airport.
* From 26th March: British Airways is to launch a service from London Gatwick to Izmir. Flights will operate thrice weekly on Sundays, Mondays and Fridays.
* From 7th April: Turkish Airlines will be operating a direct service, twice a week, between Dublin and Istanbul.
* From 1st May: Another BA franchise partner, GB Airways, will operate twice-weekly services, on Mondays and Fridays, from London Gatwick to the Dalaman from May 1 until the end of October.
* From 29th June: Leading Budget Airline Easyjet is launching a daily service between London Luton and Istanbul (Sabiha Gökçen Airport). Fares will start at £30.99 one-way including taxes.
BY AIR : The easiest way to come to Turkey is by air.Turkey has got modern airports In every major city and tourist destination.
ISTANBUL ATATÜRK: Ataturk International Airport is 20 km from city centre. The new airport is the biggest in the country, with the most international flights. There are direct flights to every European capital, and many to Asia, USA and the Middle East.
ANTALYA AIRPORT: The airport is the second biggest airport in Turkey,there are flights from all over Euorope,The journey from airport to the city centre it takes about 20 minutes.
DALAMAN AIRPORT: The new Dalaman Airport is the third biggest airport at the moment,its located between Marmaris and Fethiye and just 3 miles South of Dalaman town centre and will welcome 10 million visitors a year from all over Europe.
BODRUM AIRPORT: Its only 30 km away from the Bodrum town centre ,in 20 minutes you can either be in your hotel having a rest or go to the beach .The airport welcomes 2 million visitors every year.It also the nearest airport to the ever popular tourist destination Didim and Akbük.A journey from Bodrum Airport to Didim takes about one hour 20 minutes.
İZMİR AIRPORT : 18 km South of the city centre,only 20 minutes drive to İzmir city centre.Izmir airport is nearest for the ones who plan to purchase in Kusadası.Izmir Airport is also only one hour and thirty minutes to Didim.
