| Turkey ((tr)Türkiye) | |
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| Flag | |
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| Information | |
| Capital city | Ankara |
|---|---|
| Area | 783 562,05 km² |
| Population | 83 614 362 hab. () |
| Density | 106,71 inhab./km² |
| Form of State | republic, unitary state, presidential system |
| Change | Turkish lira (TL) |
| Electricity | 230 V/50 Hz, European plug |
| Telephone prefix | 90 |
| Internet suffix | .tr |
| Flow direction | Right-hand drive |
| Spindle | UTC 2 |
| Location | |
 39 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ N 36 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ E | |
| Government site | |
| Touristic site | |
The Turkey is a country of Middle East and D'Europe.
Understand
Geography
Turkey is located in Asia Minor and south of Balkans, bordered to the North by the Black Sea, to the West by the Aegean Sea, to the South by the Mediterranean Sea and Syria and to the East by Georgia, Armenia, Iran and Iraq. It has a land border with the Bulgaria, the Greece, the Syria, theIraq, theIran, theAzerbaijan, theArmenia and the Georgia. It has a population of 74,724,269 inhabitants (in 2012).
The part european of Turkey is located west of the Bosphorus Strait and the Dardanelles Strait. This region is called Trakya in Turkish and corresponds to the eastern part of the Thrace. It corresponds to 3% of its total area, however 17% of its population lives there.
Anatolia is the part of Turkey which is geographically considered to be in Asia. This region is also called Asia Minor. The term Anatolia is also used to designate the semi-arid plateau in the center of the country. It is bordered by hills and mountains which limit access to fertile coastal regions.
Weather
By virtue of its position in the northeast of the Mediterranean basin, Turkey generally belongs to the Mediterranean climatic domain: winter is mild, while summer is hot and dry. However, the peripheral position of the main reliefs introduces deep disturbances in this diagram. Thus all interior regions are marked by continentality: colder winters, lower total rainfall, maximum rainfall shifted towards spring. Conversely, the Pontic region, hit head-on by humidified air masses over the Black Sea, receives abundant and regular precipitation.
History
Holidays and public holidays
Regions
.png/560px-Turkey_regions_map_(fr).png) Turkey map |
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Cities
- Ankara – - the capital of Turkey and the second largest city in the country.
- Antalya - the city is more and more famous because it serves a set of seaside resorts.
- Edirne - was the second capital of the Ottoman Empire.
- Istanbul - the largest city in Turkey, former capital of the two Byzantine and Ottoman empires and the only city in the world straddling two continents.
- Izmir - third city of the country, formerly called Smyrna.
- Konya - city of central Anatolia, where lived Meslâna Rumi, founder of the movement of the whirling dervishes, and where one can see his tomb.
- Trabzon - the magnificent Sumela Monastery is just outside the city and it is one of the great gates to explore North East Turkey.
- Bursa - the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. Uludag, a national park and a winter sports center.
- Urfa
- Kayseri - important center of tourism in Cappadocia.
- Diyarbakır
- Denizli
- Gallipoli - numerous World War I memorials from many nations.
- Hasankeyf - old town near Sanliurfa.
- Marmaris -
- Safranbolu - old town with Ottoman architecture.
- Selcuk - tourist town near the ancient city of Ephesus.
- Datça - unspoiled resort, at the tip of Datça peninsula, Knidos forms close to the border between the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea.
- Bodrum - near important Roman ruins.
- Bergama- located near the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pergamon.
Other destinations
- National parks of Turkey
- Mount Ararat - mount on which Noah's ark would have arrived.
- Bozcaada - a small attractive island just in front of ancient Troy.
- The Cappadocia is a region of central Anatolia in Turkey, best known for its shapes, its "fairy chimneys", its underground cities, its churches and cave houses (carved into the rock).
- Ihlara Valley - located a little away from Cappadocia (about fifty km to the southwest) is a huge canyon with lush vegetation in the middle of a stony desert.
To go
Formalities
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Information by country in English.
Citizens of the following countries can obtain a multi-entry sticker visa at the point of entry into Turkey upon payment of a fee:
Valid for nine months:
- Netherlands (cost: 15 €)
Valid for three months:
- United Kingdom (cost: 20 $ US / € 15 / £ 10)
- United States (cost: 20 $ US / € 15)
- Canada (cost: 45 €)
- Australia (cost: 20 $ / 15 €)
- Ireland (cost: 10 €)
- Italy (cost: 10 €)
- Portugal (cost: 10 €)
- Spain (cost: 15 €)
- Belgium (cost: 15 €)
Valid for two months:
- Ukraine (cost: 20 $ US)
Valid for one month:
- Slovakia (cost: 10 € or 15 $ US)
- Azerbaijan, Moldova, Russia (cost: 10 € or 20 $ US)
- Serbia (cost: 10 €)
- Norway (cost: 20 €)
Citizens of the countries / territories listed below can enter Turkey without a visa, unless otherwise specified, for 90 days: Germany, Andorra, Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (60 days), Brazil (30 days), Bulgaria , Chile, Costa Rica (30 days), Croatia, Czech Republic, Northern Cyprus (Turkish Republic of), Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Hong Kong , Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan (30 days), Kyrgyzstan (30 days), Korea (South), Latvia (30 days), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macao (30 days), Macedonia (60 days), Malaysia, Moldova (30 days), Monaco, Mongolia (30 days), Montenegro (60 days), Morocco (90 days), New Zealand, Nicaragua, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan (30 days), Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan (30 days), United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vatican and Venezuela. More info little can be found on the Turkish Foreign Ministry website.
By plane
National airline: Turkish Airlines
On a boat
By train
You can arrive in Turkey from:
- The Greece : a train from Thessaloniki to Istanbul (The Greek national railway company, TRAINOSE, has indefinitely suspended all international train services to and from Greece due to economic conditions since February 13, 2011. )
- The Bulgaria and the Serbia : At least one train per day departing from Belgrade to Istanbul destinations (including a stop at Sofia and Dragoman in Bulgaria). Count 24 h train and around 50 € from Belgrade to Istanbul
- The Syria : 1 or 2 train per week departing fromAleppo in destination to Gaziantep. About 4 h path.
- TheIran : A train once a week since Ankara in destination to Tehran. This train actually departs from Damascus (Syria), passes through Turkey before going to Iran.
By car
- Brussels is located approximately 2 726 km from Istanbul and Paris to 2 759 km from Istanbul.
- Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.
- France, Switzerland and Italy where you can take the ferry to Turkey.
- From countries east ofItaly, it is convenient to take ferries fromItaly for Igoumenitsa in Greece (daily connections, at least in season). There are then about ten hours of journey to arrive at the Turkish border crossing Greece.
- Plan to wait at the border, in particular in the direction Turkey → European Union.
- Plan to purchase a sticker in Austria, Slovenia and cash in Bulgaria.
- The visa of the car is linked to that of the driver. Keep it with you. Leaving your car separately requires administrative formalities.
Circulate
By plane
The network is very well developed. Numerous domestic flights.
By train
Very few cities are connected by rail, only a few large cities allow you to travel by train, with the Istanbul - Ankara connection being the busiest.
- Turkish State Railways – Online ticket purchase
By car
- Speed limits : highway 120 km / h, road 90 km / h, agglomeration 50 km / h.
- Highway : Many highways connect the main cities such as Istanbul to the Bulgarian border if you come from Western Europe. All are chargeable and you have to take a ticket at the tollgate. Provide cash to pay.
- Road : The Turkish road network is in good condition, given the surface of the country, and the roads are fairly well secured, with guardrails and bends indicated in advance. It is difficult to predict the duration of a journey because the maps show four-lanes which cross towns and therefore are teeming with red lights, and small roads which in reality have three lanes (one lane for overtaking shared between the two directions , or even no marking at all) and allow you to go much faster. It is therefore more the altitude, the presence or not of passes, which makes it possible to imagine the duration of the journey.
- The turkish driving is an exaggerated cliché. The unspoken rules are a little different in Turkey, but the Turks abide by them.
- The speed limits are not respected. In practice, we drive at 110 on the road, and quite quickly in town depending on the type of street. But overall the Turks don't splurge, they just stand at a speed that is above the allowed speed. Cars are generally foreign cars.
- Many small roads are between four-lane and two-lane, unmarked, and cars squeeze together to ensure overtaking, which is easy when traffic is light.
- The turn signal is practically ignored, and the horn (horn) is used to warn the vehicle in front of its arrival.
- In addition to garages, there are a lot of tire shops, called lastikci.
- The fuels are generally the same as those distributed in Western Europe and the diesel is named there motorin, or simply diesel and is available in normal diesel and Eurodiesel, more expensive and allegedly of better quality. Liter of diesel: 3.70 TL (summer 2011).
- security : it is advisable to have a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, a box of spare bulbs and a warning triangle.
By bus
Turkey has an extremely advanced and efficient Bus network. The connections between the bus stations are very frequent. The Buses are very punctual and quite comfortable. In addition, the prices are very competitive (~10 €/ person and 4 h 30 journey to Ankara-Göreme (Cappadocia) in April 2006).
Most of the time, there is a free service on board the Bus: distribution of water, sweet drinks, coffee, tea, cupcakes. Nice because included in the service.
A minibus service, in addition to the bus, called "servis" can be included free of charge (eg "Havaalanı servisi" for the airport) to drop you off in the district of your destination, for this you need to inquire about Your itinerary.
For long journeys on the main axes you can use the Night Buses.
The main difficulty, especially in Istanbul, lies in the cohabitation of several companies, one public and the others private. Thus, the price is not the same depending on the carrier used. City buses, usually red, are slightly less expensive, and payable when you get on the bus. The others, blue or green, are more expensive (the difference is of the order of a few tens of kurus), and you must purchase a ticket before accessing them. Tickets are available at ticket offices at major stations, but are relatively easy to find at all bus stops, where they are sold by street vendors of simit (brioche).
The ideal is in all cases to move around using an Akbil, which is not a subscription but a magnetic key to recharge. It is debited automatically when presented at the entrance of the bus, and works with all public buses, trams, subways and boats. This akbil can be found for sale at the Old Metro station in Karaköy, near the Galata Tower.
In dolmuş
The dolmuş (pronounced dolmouche) are collective taxis-buses that leave from fixed and indicated stations. They cost between 1.5 TL and 5TL and significantly less than taxis, on the other hand they follow a fixed route like buses, although they often have no signposted stops other than the departure and arrival. For example it is easy to go from Taksim to Aksaray for 2.5TL. The destination and departure of a dolmus line is usually marked on a sign on the roof or windshield, and it is recommended that you check the destination of the dolmus with the driver before setting off. We pay on the bus, passing the money from traveler to traveler to the driver, who returns the change in the same way. To get off, just ask the driver to drop you off when you arrive. Likewise, you can wave a dolmus to pick you up on the way, even if there is no stop sign.
Speak
The Turkish is the official language of the country, in the south-east Kurdish is also spoken. Sign language is still very useful and often more effective than words. To say "no", the Turks simply raise their heads by rolling their eyes to the sky and clicking their tongue lightly. To say "yes", they lower their heads and eyes.
Among the other gestures rather assimilated to social tics: clicking several times of the tongue expresses a disagreement or disapproval. Touching wood serves, as with us, to ward off bad luck.
Buy
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The currency of Turkey is the Turkish Lira (£, lira, TRY).
Eat
The "mezze" are very varied starters such as Tarama, cacik (pronounced djadjik, equivalent of Greek tsatsiki), etc ...
Many dishes based mostly on mutton but also beef or chicken: Döner kebab, chiche kebab, iskender… accompanied by yoghurt.
Kebabs are made by professionals, nothing to do with those made in Western Europe, they are cut with a large knife called "satır" in thin slice. Turkey meat is rare in the kebab.
The "pides" are kinds of pizza.
Delicious grilled fish by the sea. The fishing season is closed in summer.
For dessert: Turkish delight baklava.
To drink
The national drink is black tea (çay), which is drunk on any occasion in a small "tulip" glass. It is generally offered, even in restaurants, and refusing it can be frowned upon (except of course in more places. tourism).
The national alcoholic drink is RAKI (a kind of local pastis). Turkish beer, Efes (it's a brand, beer is called "bira" with the R rolled), is very common in bars and nightclubs in cities. Other spirits are expensive relative to the country's standard of living, due to the combined effect of the cost of importing and the government's policy of limiting strong Islamic values.
In Turkey, most of the usual sodas, as well as many fruit juices, can be found in supermarkets or sometimes fresh, available from street vendors.
Note that it is better to avoid drinking tap water, even in large cities. It is generally bad in taste and can cause intestinal upset. Competitively priced bottled water can be found in hotels, and for longer stays, 19-liter cans with taps can be delivered to your doorstep. Tap water is better in the countryside than in cities most of the time.
Housing
To work
Communicate
You won't have a hard time finding an internet cafe in any city.
security
 | Emergency telephone number: Police :155 Ambulance:112 Firefighter :110 Gendarmerie:156 Coast Guard:158 |
Government travel advice
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Belgium (Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) 
Canada (Government of Canada) 
France (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 
Swiss (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs)
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Respect
Ramadan date
Majority of Muslims insist on local sighting of the crescent moon to mark the start of Ramadan, but others insist on calculating the new moon or declaring it saudi to determine the start of the month. Since the first crescent after the new moon is not visible everywhere at the same time, the start and end dates of the month depend on what is visible in each location. Therefore, the dates vary from country to country, but usually only one day. |
- Mosques (camii) are numerous in all towns. In mosques, it is compulsory to take off your shoes. There are often lockers (guarded or not) in front of the entrance. Women can enter a mosque to visit it but must wear the headscarf according to the religion of Islam. It is forbidden to enter mosques wearing shorts and mini-skirts and with uncovered shoulders. It is also forbidden to smoke, eat or drink in mosques.
These rules are pretty much (except the wearing of shoes) the same in all places of worship around the world: in churches, synagogues, temples, Muslim cemeteries.
- Avoid wearing shoes in people; as in Japan, taking off your shoes is a mark of respect.
- The Turks are very patriotic and it is with great pride that they will tell you about their country and their history. Don't be condescending (there is no reason why).
- Don't bring up religious topics with people you don't know much about. Incidentally, do not ask personal questions (religion, political and / or sexual orientation, salary) to people you know little about.
- The older people are respected in Turkey. In transport, as well as during meetings and in public places, they should be free of a seat. When you shake their hand, it is customary to lean forward slightly.
- Speaking loudly on public transport and in restaurants is quite frowned upon.
