Turkey is at the center of “Eurasia”, where three regions of the world, Europe, the former Soviet Union and the Middle East intersect. Granted a unique location at the heart of Euro-Asia, Turkey has far been discovered by tourists from all parts of the world. Geographically, the country is located in the northern half of the hemisphere at a point that is about halfway between the equator and the North Pole, at a longitude of 36 degrees N to 42 degrees N and latitude of 26 degrees E to 45 degrees E. Turkey is roughly rectangular in shape and is 1,660 kilometers wide. Because of its geographical location the mainland of Anatolia has always found favor throughout history, and is the birthplace of many great civilizations. It has also been prominent as a centre of commerce because of its land connections to three continents and the sea surrounding it on three sides.

• Area & Boundaries
• Geographical Regions
• The Climate
• Population
• Language
• Religion
• Airlines
• Time Differences and other differences in measurements
• Currency Unit
• Working Hours
• Official Holidays
• Postal System
• Other Useful Information

Turkey is generally divided into seven regions: the Black Sea region, the Marmara region, the Aegean, the Mediterranean, Central Anatolia, the East and Southeast Anatolia regions. The uneven north Anatolian terrain running along the Black Sea resembles a narrow but long belt. The land of this region is approximately 1/6 of Turkey's total land area.

The Marmara region covers the area encircling the Sea of Marmara, includes the entire European part of Turkey, as well as the northwest of the Anatolian plain. Whilst the region is the smallest of the regions of Turkey after the Southeast Anatolia region, it has the highest population density of all the regions.

The Aegean region extends from the Aegean coast to the inner parts of western Anatolia. There are significant differences between the coastal areas and those inland, in terms of both geographical features and economic and social aspects.

In the Mediterranean region, located in the south of Turkey, the western and central Taurus Mountains suddenly rise up behind the coastline. The Amanos mountain range is also in the area.

The Central Anatolian region is exactly in the middle of Turkey and gives the appearance of being less mountainous compared with the other regions. The main peaks of the region are Karadag, Karacadag, Hasandag and Erciyes (3.917 meters).

The Eastern Anatolia region is Turkey's largest and highest region. About three fourths of it is at an altitude of 1,500-2,000 meters. Eastern Anatolia is composed of individual mountains as well as of whole mountain ranges, with vast plateaus and plains. The mountains: There are numerous inactive volcanoes in the region, including Nemrut, Suphan, Tendurek and Turkey's highest peak, Mount Ararat, which is 5,137 meters high. At the same time, several plains extended along the course of the River Murat, a tributary of the Firat (Euphrates).

The Southeast Anatolia region is notable for the uniformity of its landscape, although the eastern part of the region is comparatively more uneven than its western areas.

Local time:
GMT+3 hours (April-September) GMT+2 hours (October-March)

Time Differences:
Argentina -5, France -1, Netherlands -1, Australia +8, Germany -1, Saudi Arabia+1, Austria -1, Greece 0, Sweden -1, Egypt 0, Italy -1, Switzerland -1, England -2, Japan +7, Spain -1, USA -7 (EST) -10 (WEST) * These time differences are for the period October-March; however, they may show variances according to each country's own time-saving adjustments.

Weights and measures:
Metric system.
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters , 1 centimeter = 0.3937 inches
1 yard = 0,9144 meters, 1 meter = 1.0936 yards
1 mile = 1,6093 kilometers, 1 kilometer = 0.6214 miles
1 pound = 0,4536 kilograms, 1 kilogram = 2.2046 pounds

Area:
1 acres = 0,4047 Hectares, 1 hectare = 2.471 acres

Capacity:
1 UK gallon = 4.546 litres, 1 litre = 0.2199 UK gallons
1 US gallon = 3.7831 litres, 1 litre = 0.2643 US gallons

Government Offices
Monday-Friday (8:30-12:30) , (13:30-17:30)
Saturday-Sunday (closed)

Banks
Monday-Friday (8:30-12-00) , (13:30-17:00)
Saturday-Sunday (closed)

Shops
Monday-Saturday (9:30-13:00) , (14:00-19:00)
Sunday (closed)

Jan 1: New Year's Day

Apr 23: National Sovereignty and Children's Day (anniversary of the establishment of Turkish Grand National Assembly)

May 19: Atatürk Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day ( the arrival of Atatürk in Samsun, and the beginning of the War of Independence.)

Aug 30: Victory Day (victory over invading forces in 1922).

Oct 29: Republic Day (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic)

Religious Holidays: The dates of these religious festivals change according to the Muslim lunar calendar an thus occur 12 days earlier each year.

Seker Bayrami: Three-day festival when sweets are eaten to celebrate the end of the fast of Ramadan.

Kurban Bayrami: Four-day festival when sacrificial sheep are slaughtered and their meat distributed to the poor.

Turkish post-offices are easily recognized by their blue PTT letters on a yellow background. Major post offices are open from 8:00 a.m. till 12:00 p.m., Monday/Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m., Sunday. Postal charges vary for different services depending on destination. Post restante letters should be addressed "postrestant" to the central post-office Merkez Postanesi, in the town of your choice. You have to show your identification card to collect your letters.

All PTT branches have the facilities to exchange money at the current international exchange rates, as well as international postal orders and travelers' cheques. There is also an express postal service (APS) operating to 90 countries for letters, documents and small packages. A wide variety of special stamps are available in all PTT centers for philatelists.

To phone from PTT telephone booths, which are extensively found in all areas; telephone cards are used. Local, inter-city and international calls can be made from all PTT offices. Besides these main offices there are also mobile PTT services in the touristic areas.

Some important service numbers are;
155 Police
112 Emergency
110 Fire

Petrol:
Super (peremium) - Unleaded (at some places). Normal (regular) - Diesel.

Electricity:
Electricity is supplied at 220 volts AC/50 Hz. all over Turkey. (Industrial:380 V) Plug: European round/ 2-prong plug.

Water:
Can bu used for cleaning, but bottled water is adviced for drinking and can be obtained at all shops. (Although tap vater is safe to drink since it is chlorinated, it is recommended to get advice from the concemed authorities of the places resided.)

Newspapers and Magazines:
Foreign newspapers and magazines are available in big cities and tourist areas. Also there is a Turkish daily newspaper, Daily News, published in English.

Tipping:
At various establishments like hotels, restaurants, Turkish baths, barbers and hairdressers, tipping at a rate of 5%-15% of the total is common. Taxi drivers, do not expect tips or even rounded fares.

Taxis:
Taxis are numerous in all Turkish cities and recognizable by their yellow color. The fare shown on the meter reads according to distance travelled.

Visiting a mosque:
Five times a day, the "müezzin" calls the faithful to prayer in the mosque. Before entering a mosque foreign visitors should remove their shoes, like Muslims do. Women should cover their heads and arms, and not wear miniskirts. Men should not wear shorts. (In certain famous mosques, overalls are provided for those not suitably dressed.