Country Overview

Location
Southeastern Europe/Asia Minor
Area
783,562 sq km (302,535 sq miles)
Population
70.6 million (2008 estimate)
Population Density
93 per sq km
Capital
Ankara: Population: 3.9 million (2007 estimate)
Government
Republic since 1923
Language
Turkish. Kurdish is also spoken by a minority in the southeast. French, German & English are widely spoken in major cities & tourist areas
Religion
Muslim, mostly Sunni, with a very small Christian minority. Turkey is a secular state which guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims
Time
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October)
Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz
Head of Government
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan since 2002
Head of State
President Abdullah Gul since 2007
Recent History
Turkey’s economy has recovered well from a crisis in 2001. With IMF support, the mildly Islamist Justice & Development Party (AKP) government introduced structural reforms & sweeping institutional & social reforms in order to initiate EU entry negotiations in October 2005.
Telephone
Country code: 90. The cheapest way to make calls is from PTT telephone booths, which are found in all areas. These operate using phone cards, which can be bought from kiosks, or by using major credit cards.
Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is mostly good, but can be patchy in some rural areas in eastern Turkey.
Internet
Internet cafes exist in main urban areas. Some restaurants & hotels have Wi-Fi Internet access.
Media
The Turkish media is dominated by several large corporations that own the main newspapers & private television channels. The Turkish press is fairly free & outspoken in most areas, although a significant number of journalists have been prosecuted under highly controversial laws against ‘insulting’ the country, state institutions or ‘Turkishness’. These are viewed by many, including the European Commission, as against the right to freedom of expression. Kurdish-language broadcasts have been introduced in order to meet EU criteria on minorities.
Post
Turkish post offices are recognizable by their yellow PTT signs. Post office hours: major outlets Mon-Sat 0800-2400, Sun 0900-1900; smaller post offices have the same opening hours as government offices.
Press
The main newspapers are Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Zamam Cumhuriyet & Yeni Asir. English language daily newspapers include The Turkish Daily News.
Radio
TRT stations include TRT 1 (cultural & educational), TRT 3 (classical, jazz & popular music) & TRT 4 Turkish folk & classical music). Best FM, Show Radyo & Capital Radio are commercial stations. Radyo Foreks broadcasts news.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period

2009
1 Jan New Year's Day
23 Apr National Sovereignty & Children's Day
1 May May Day Public Holiday (Istanbul only)
19 May Commemoration of Ataturk & Youth & Sports Day
30 Aug Victory Day
19-22 Sep (19th is half-day) Ramazan Bayrami (End of Ramadan)
28-29 Oct (28th is a half-day) Republic Day
27-30 Nov Kurban Bayrami (Feast of the Sacrifice)

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day
23 Apr National Sovereignty & Children's Day
1 May May Day Public Holiday (Istanbul only)
19 May Commemoration of Ataturk & Youth & Sports Day
30 Aug Victory Day
9-12 Sep (9th is half-day) Ramazan Bayrami (End of Ramadan)
28-29 Oct (28th is a half-day) Republic Day
16-19 Nov Kurban Bayrami (Feast of the Sacrifice)