GENERAL INFORMATION

Capital: Ankara

Area: 783.562 km2

Population: 72.600.000

Language: Turkish. French, German and English are widely spoken in cities.

Climate: Marmara and the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have a typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild, wet winters. The east of the country is mountainous with warm summers and very cold, snowy winters.

Climate average (Istanbul)
Jan 5°C, Feb 7°C, Mar 9°C, Apr 12°C, May 17°C, Jun 21 °C,
Jul 23°C, Aug 25°C, Sep 22°C, Oct 17°C, Nov 12°C, Dec 8°C

Time Zone: GMT + 2

Electricity: 220V / 50 Hz

Currency: Turkish Lira (TL).

Credit Cards: Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, American Express.

Banking Hours: Monday-Friday: 09.00 – 12.00, 13.30 – 17.00.

Tipping: In hotels and restaurants if a service charge is not added to the bill, it is customary to tip between 10 and 1 5%.

Telephone: Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is mostly good, but can be patchy in some rural areas.
Country Telephone code: 90

Official Holidays
• 1 January: New Year
• 23 April: National Sovereignty & Children’s Day
• 19 May: Commemoration of AtatUrk and Youth and Sports Day
• 30 August: Victory Day
• 28-29 October: Republic Day
• Feast of Ramadan, Feast of the Sacrifice