A Country for All Tastes

Turkey has so much to offer its visitors - breathtaking natural beauties, unique historical and archaeological places, steadily improving hotel and touristic infrastructure and a tradition of hospitality and competitive prices. Therefore, it is not surprising that this country has recently become one of the most popular tourism destination of  the world. Due to Turkey's diverse geography, one can experience four different climates in any one day.

The rectangular shaped country which is surrounded on three sides by the three different seas. Its shores are laced with beaches, bays, coves, ports, islands and peninsulas.

The summers are long, lasting as long as the eight months in some areas.  Turkey is also blessed with majestic mountains and valleys, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and grottoes perfect for winter, summer tourism and the sports of all kinds. Skiing fans, mountain climbers, trekkers, hikers and hunters are able to enjoy take a new and unforgettable experiences in Turkey.

Turkey is, above anything else, a huge open-air museum, a repository of all the civilizations nurtured by the soils of Anatolia. The huge amount of the historical and archaeological wealth in Turkey seems more appropriate for an entire continent than a single country.

Recently, a new field of tourism has opened up in Turkey. It is a health tourism. The country is in fact rich with hot springs, healing water and healing mud, which come highly recommended by the medical authorities as a remedy for many diseases.

For centuries, Turkey has also been a crossroads of religions, not only of Islam and Christianity, but also of many others now forgotten by history. Many religious devotees can find a site, a shrine, a monument, a tomb or a ruin connected with their faith or belief.

Country Profile & Facts

Official Name : Republic of Turkey
Date of Foundation : 29 October 1923
Capital : Ankara
Largest Cities : Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya
Area : 814.578 km²
Geographical Coordinates : Eastern Meridians 26° and 45° and Northern Parallels 36° and 42°
Coastal Borders : Mediterranean Sea in the south, Aegean Sea in the west and Black Sea in the north
Language : The official language is Turkish. English is widely spoken in major cities.
Currency : TL (Turkish Lira) 1 US Dollar approximately equals to 1,92 Turkish Lira. 1 Euro approximately equals to 2,55 Turkish Lira.
Time Zone : GMT+2; CET +1; and EST (US -East) +7
Business Hours : The workweek in Turkey runs from Monday to Friday. Banks, government offices and majority of corporate offices open at 9 AM and close at 5 PM.


Public Holidays : There are two types of public holidays in Turkey. Those that fall on the same day each year and the religious festivals which change according to the lunar calendar and therefore fall on different dates each year.
National Holidays 2013 and 2014
1 January, New Year’s Day : National Holiday. First day of the new year
23 April, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day : National Holiday. Commemoration of the first opening of Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara (1920). Dedicated to the children.
1 May, Labor and Solidarity Day : National Holiday.
19 May, Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth & Sports Day : National Holiday. The arrival of Atatürk in Samsun in 1919, the beginning of the War of Independence. Dedicated to the youth.
30 August, Victory Day : National Holiday. Victory over the allied forces during the final battle in Dumlupınar in 1922, ending the War of Independence. Dedicated to the armed forces.
28 October (½ day) - 29 October (Full day), Republic Day : National Holiday. Anniversary of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923.
2013 Religious Holidays
8 August – 10 August, Sugar Feast : Three-day festival to celebrate the end of fasting (Ramadan) where plenty of sweets are eaten: 
15 October - 18 October, Feast of the Sacrifice : Four day festival where sheep are sacrificed/slaughtered and their meat is distributed to the poor.
2014 Religious Holidays
28 July – 30 July, Sugar Feast : Three-day festival to celebrate the end of fasting (Ramadan) where plenty of sweets are eaten: 
4 October - 7 October, Feast of the Sacrifice : Four day festival where sheep are sacrificed/slaughtered and their meat is distributed to the poor.
Visas : Visas are easily obtained upon arrival at the airport and are required for citizens of most countries.
Electricity : 220 Volt. European standard round two-pin sockets.
Health Services : Cities and major touristic towns have a selection of private international and public hospitals with good standards.
Food : As with many Mediterranean nations Turkish food is very healthy, fresh and enjoyable.
Water : Tap water is chlorinated and, therefore, safe to drink. However, it is recommended that you consume bottled water, which is readily and cheaply available.
Communications : Turkey has three GSM operators, all of them offering 3G services and almost 99% coverage over the country. Internet service is available all around the country.
International Dial Code : +90







Ephesus Tours • www.turkey.to

About of Turkish Language

The official language of the country is Turkish. It is spoken by 220 million people and is the fifth most widely spoken language in the world. Today's Turkish has evolved from dialects known since the 11th century and is one of the group of languages known as Ural-Altaic, which includes Finnish and Hungarian.


Turkish is written with the Latin alphabet with the addition of six different characters. İt's completely phonetic, i.e. each letter of the alphabet has only one sound, so each word sounds exactly how it is written. During Ottoman times Turkish was written in Arabic script, that made a limit for a number of people who were able to write. In order to improve literacy and therefore to overcome the difficulties of learning and reading Turkish using Arabic script, Turkey switched to the Latin alphabet following Atatürk's initiative started in 1928.

English language has replaced by French and German as the chief secondary language taught in schools and is becoming more widespread. İt is widely spoken and understood by the most of the people all over the Turkish territory. German, Russian and French are also spoken especially in the popular holiday destinations.




www.turkey.to website