Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria. It is bordered to the northwest by Greece and Bulgaria, to the east by the former USSR (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaican Republics) and Iran, and to the south by Iraq and Syria.

Government type: Republican Parliamentary Democracy

Capital: Ankara

Administrative divisions: 81 provinces (iller, singular - ili); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir (Smyrna), Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon (Trebizond), Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak

Executive Branch:
Chief of state: President
Head of government: Prime Minister
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister

Legal System: civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Population: 77,804,122 (July 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 17

Ethnic Origin: Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 18%, other minorities 7-12% (2008 est.)

Area total: 783,562 sq km
Country comparison to the world: 37
Land: 769,632 sq km
Water: 13,930 sq km

Natural Resources:coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower

Turkey´ diverse regions have different climates, with the weather system on the coasts contrasting with that prevailing in the interior. In Istanbul and around the Sea of Marmara (Marmara region) the climate is moderate (winter 4 C and summer 27 C); in winter the temperature can drop below zero. In Western Anatolia (Aegean region) there is a mild Mediterranean climate with average temperatures of 9 C in winter and 29C in summer. On the southern coast of Anatolia (Mediterranean region) the same climate can be found.

The climate of the Anatolian Plateau (Central Anatolian region) is a steppe climate (there is a great temperature difference between day and night). Rainfall is low and there is more snow. The average temperature is 23 C in summer and -2 C in winter.

The climate in the Black Sea area (Black Sea region) is wet, warm and humid (summer 23 C, winter 7 C). In Eastern Anatolia and South-Eastern Anatolia there is a long hard winter, where year after year snow lies on the ground from November until the end of April (the average temperature in winter is -13 C and in summer 17 C).

It is permitted to bring the following items into Turkey as duty free goods:
Wines, Tobacco & Other Luxury Items

The following allowances apply to the import
of both domestic and foreign goods:
a) 200 cigarettes (1 Box) and 50 cigars.
Plus: 200 gms tobacco and
200 cigarette papers or
200 gms pipe tobacco or
200 gms chewing tobacco
or 200 gms tobacco for nargile
or 50 gms snuff,
b) In addition to the above allowances,
it is also possible to purchase
200 cigarettes, 100 cigars and
500 gm pipe tobacco in the Turkish Duty Free
Shops when entering the country.

The following may also be imported:
1.5 kg coffee; 1.5 kg instant coffee;
500 gms tea; 1 kg. chocolate;
1 kg. confectionery; 1 (100 cl) or
2 (75cl or 70 cl) bottles of wine and/or spirits; cologne, lavender water, perfume, essence, lotion (120 mls maximum of each).

There are two types of public holiday in Turkey: those which are decided by the government and which 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.

Religious Festivals
Şeker Bayramı (Eid)
Kurban Bayramı (Great Eid)

The standard of the health care system in Turkey is very variable. Although the best private hospitals in İstanbul and Ankara offer world-class standards of care, they are expensive to use. Elsewhere, even private hospitals don’t always offer particularly high standards and their state-run equivalents even less so. Some patients may have contracted hepatitis during their stay in hospital.

For basic care for things such as cuts, bruises and jabs you could ask for the local sağulık ocağuı (health centre), but don’t expect anyone to speak anything but Turkish.

Medicine, and even sterile dressings or intravenous fluids, may need to be bought from a local pharmacy. Nursing care is often limited or rudimentary, the assumption being that family and friends will look after the patient.

Standards of dental care are variable and there is a risk of hepatitis B and HIV transmission via poorly sterilised equipment, so watch the tools in use carefully.

For minor illnesses, such as diarrhoea, pharmacists can often provide advice and sell over-the-counter medication, including drugs that would require a prescription in your home country. They can also advise when more specialised help is needed.

SAFETY

Although Turkey is by no way a dangerous country to visit, it’s always wise to be a little cautious, especially if you’re travelling alone. Be wary of pickpockets in buses, markets and other crowded places. Keep an eye out for anyone lurking near ATMs.

In Turkey safety seems a low priority. Holes in pavements go unmended and unlit at night; precipitous drops go unguarded; safety belts are worn only as long as it takes to drive past a police officer before being released; lifeguards on beaches are conspicuous by their absence. Don’t even ask yourself how safe it is for a dolmuş driver to be negotiating a bend while simultaneously counting out change! Things are changing slowly, but parents of young children in particular will need to be on their guard at all times.