Mini Guide to Turkey
Turkey is truly a paradise waiting to be discovered. It is an extremely varied and bountiful land which offers you a breathtaking array of experiences and superb contrasts.
Turkey is right at the heart of the world. It is at the crossroads of three geographical regions: Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Africa is also only a short journey across the Mediterranean.
The population is approximately 65 million, and it covers an area of some 800,000 square kilometres. It is surrounded by four seas: the Mediterranean in the south, the Aegean Sea in the west, the Marmara Sea to the northwest and the Black Sea to the north. This means that Turkey can boast a coastline stretching for more than 8,000 kilometres.
Flora and fauna is abundant in Turkey and offers a vast variety of landscapes. In fact, Turkey has almost as many species of wild flowers as the rest of Europe combined. More than one third of over 9,000 species so far identified are native to the country, and can be found nowhere else on earth.
You can choose whether to stroll along the golden palm-fringed beaches, sail, ski, discover rivers, lakes, dams, secret coves and plains. Turkey can offer you a rich tapestry of natural wonders. There are also many mountains: the Pontic Mountains follow the Black Sea, the Taurus Mountains flank the Mediterranean to the south, while Mount Ararat in the east is 5,137 metres above sea level. This is where it is said that Noah’s Ark came to rest.
The Euphrates and Tigris rivers, both names from biblical times, start from Central Anatolia and flow to the Gulf of Persia. Approximately 200 inland lakes cover some 9,200 square kilometres.
Turkey can be described as the cradle of civilisation. The first known settlement in the world was found at Catalhöyuk, northeast from Konya, dating back to 6,500 BC. Also, two of the Seven Wonders of the World are to be found in Turkey: the Artemis Temple in Efes and the Halikarnassos Mausoleum in Bodrum.
Turkey is indeed a treasure trove of historical and cultural artefacts. Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians, Lycians, Ionians, Lydians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans have all left their mark on this region. Turkey is the proud possessor more recognised historical and archaeological sites than any other country in the world. It’s vibrant and fascinating past can still be seen today in the wealth of statues of gods and goddesses, temples, theatres, agoras, churches, mosques, medresseh and palaces scattered around the towns and countryside.
Turkey is a thriving, bustling, energetic modern country, with cosmopolitan cities, dazzling marinas, first class hotels and restaurants, and nightclubs. The climate is wonderful, and the people are friendly and hospitable. There is every kind of sport and leisure activity, great service, superb cuisine and reasonable prices. Turkey is the perfect place to visit for a holiday or to live all year round. The flying time from Birmingham is only 4 hours.
Turkish Education
To meet the needs of this thriving and rapidly developing country, the Turkish education system was restructured in 1997. All children between the ages of 3 and 5 can now go to pre-school, with primary school education being given to all children between the ages of 6 and 14. All education is compulsory and free of charge in state schools.
All those children who have completed primary school may then apply for secondary education which takes a further 3 years. Following this, some 1.5 million students apply to enter Turkish universities every year, and approximately 250,000 of them pass the demanding examinations.
To cater for the needs of the numerous foreign residents now living in Turkey, a number of international schools have opened where English is spoken and there is also a specialist disabled school which is free and open 24 hours a day.
Turkish Healthcare
The health system in Turkey is being reorganised in order to create a sickness insurance service which will cover all citizens. Doctors and dentists can be found in all of Turkey’s major hospitals, and in addition there are several foreign-operated hospitals in Istanbul where English is spoken.
Turkish Climate
Turkey has a wonderful climate. It has over 300 sunny days per year, and with its superb Mediterranean coastline, it is the perfect place to enjoy long, lazy days on the beach.
In the Mediterranean and Aegean regions, the summers are hot and dry and the
winters are short, warm and mild. Most of the rainfall takes place between November
and February. The summer temperature is around 86? - 105? F (30? - 40? C) and
usually above 50? F (10? C) in the winter, you can comfortably swim and sail
in the turquoise-coloured waters for nine months of the year.