 GEOGRAPHY:
Turkey is a large country lying partly in
Asia and partly in Europe. Its location in two continents has
been a central factor
in its history and culture. Turkey has often been called a
brige between east and west. The country’s area of 301.380
square miles includes 9.158 square miles in European Turkey,
known as Eastern Thrace and a larger area of 292.222 square
miles in Asia, called Anatolia.The Bosphorus the Sea of Marmara
and the dardanelle divide the European and the Asian sides.
Anatolia is a high plateau rising progressively towards the
east and broken by the valleys of about fifteen rivers,
including the Tigris and Euphrates. There are numerous lakes
and some,such
as Lake Van, are as large as inland seas. In the north the
Pontic chain runs parallel to the Black Sea, giving
place to a narrow, fertile coastal plain. Turkey enjoys a variety
of
climates, changing from the temperate climate of the Pontic
region to the continental climate of the interior, then to
the Mediterranean climate of the Aegean Mediterranean coastal
regions. The coastline of Turkey’s four seas is more
than 5.000 miles.  CLIMATE:
The Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean
coasts enjoy a typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers
and mild winters.
While the Black Sea Coast; has a more temperate climate with
warm summers, mild winters and relatively high rainfall.
Central and East Anatolia; steppe climate with hot dry summers
and cold winters.
 WHAT TO WEAR:
Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean coast: light cotton summer
clothing and cardigans for evenings.
Black Sea, Central and East Anatolia - besides summer wear,
warmer clothing should be taken for cool evenings and altitudes.
SHOES and HATS:
Comfortable shoes would be necessary for visiting archeological
sites. Sun hats advisable in the height of summer.
LANGUAGE:
The Turkish language is neither Indo - European nor Semitic,
but belongs to the Uralo - Altaic group and has affinity
to the Finno - Hungarion languages. Turkish is written with
Latin characters and is spoken by some 60 million people
outside of Turkey itself, in CIS countries the Balkan Lands
and Asia.
MAJOR HOLIDAYS:
The official holiday in the week is Saturday and Sunday, and
so offices are open from Monday morning to Friday evening.
The major public holidays are as follows:
January 1st
April 23rd
May 19th
August 30th
October 29th |
: New Years Day
: National Sovereignty and Children’s
Day
: Sports and Youth Day
: Victory Day
: Independence Day |
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