Turkey : where culture ,
history and nature meets
“Turkey hosts the memories of various civilizations with historic sites and archaeological wonders set in a diverse and beautiful landscape”
Turkey builds on an old and rich history. It represents a cultural mixture, stretching across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkans. The Anatolian peninsula is one of the oldest continuously inhabited regions
in the world. The earliest Neolithic settlements such as Çatalhöyük, Çayönü, Nevali Cori, Hacılar, Göbekli Tepe and
Mersin are considered to be among the earliest human settlements in the world. Anatolia is a melting pot where Sumerian, Babylonian and Assyrian cultures interacted with Hittites, Romans, Lycians and Phrygians. The result is a unique Anatolian civilization which has long inspired the thoughts and legends of the West.
Any visitor to Turkey will be struck by the plethora and variety of religious buildings and ancient shrines. There are temples dedicated to ancient goods, churches of many denominations, synagogues and mosques. As civilizations succeeded each other for thousands of years, they left their religious legacy. After the monotheistic domination of Anatolia, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism coexisted in harmony.
The ancient Bronze Age witnessed the establishment of the first independent city states. The first major empire in the area as hat of the Hittites, from the 18th through the 13th century BC. Next were the Phrygians, an Indo-European community. The ther prominent states of the period were Lydia, Caria and Lycia. Meanwhile Ionians, one of the ancient Greek communities, were settling at the western coasts of Anatolia. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great got the hold of the whole region and this also marked the beginning of the Hellenistic period since Anatolia was divided into small kingdoms. All these kingdoms joined
Rome by the 1st century BC. In 324 AD, the Roman emperor Constantine I announced Byzantium as the new capital of the Roman Empire. He renamed Byzantium as the New Rome which would be called Constantinople and İstanbul respectively. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Constantinople became the capital of the Byzantine Empire. In the 10th century he Seljuk Turks started migrating to Anatolia. After the Battle of Malazgirt, Anatolia became the homeland for the Oğuz turkic tribes. The war gave way to the foundation of Anatolian Seljuk state, which would later be defeated by Mongols. While the state was slowly collapsing, the Turkish principality governed by Osman I was to evolve into the Ottoman Empire.
Throughout its history of 623 years, the Ottoman Empire acted as a link between the Western and Eastern worlds. Until it collapsed at the end of World War I, the empire was a major economic and cultural center. Modern Turkish Republic founded after the War of Independence by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is among the fastest growing countries of Europe.
One of Turkey’s most important features is its capacity for synthesis, which is a historical inheritance. Such a rich history has left an unforgettable mark and Turkey flourishes with historic sites and archaeological wonders set in a diverse and beautiful landscape. The Mediterranean coastline is punctuated with well-preserved Greco-Roman cities such as Pergamon and Ephesus, while the austere and rugged Anatolian plateau has cave churches hidden away in the fairytale landscape of Cappadocia. This is the land where Alexander the Great slashed the Gordion Knot, where Achilles battled the Trojans in Homer’s Illiad, where the first coin was minted in Sardis and where the Ottoman Empire fought battles that shaped the world. The country is the haven of two of the world’s seven wonders: the temple of Artemis, and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.
History buffs can plunge in marvels and souvenirs stretching back to the dawn of civilization. Nature lovers can enjoy
the amazing mountain views and forests of the Black Sea region, as well as the astonishing beaches and natural wonders of the Aegean and Mediterranean shores. Adventure enthusiasts can head east to Nemrut Mountain National Park or to the Palandöken Ski Center. The list goes on and on.
Two of the world’s seven wonders; the Temple of
Artemis, and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus are
in Turkey
Nemrut
TURKEY: COUNTRY PROFILE
DEMOGRAPHICS
The population of Turkey stood at 72.5 million with a growth rate of 1.45% per annum, based on the 2009 census. People within the 15–64 age group constitute 67% of the total population, the 0–14 age group corresponds 26% of the population, while 65 years and higher of age correspond to 7% of the total population.
Provinces with the largest populations are Istanbul (+12.9 million), Ankara (+4.6 million), İzmir (+3.8 million), Bursa (+2.5 million) and Adana (+2.0 million). The capital city of Turkey is Ankara. The territory of Turkey is subdivided into 81 provinces for administrative purposes. The provinces are organized into 7 regions for census purposes; however, they do not represent an administrative structure. Each province is divided into districts, for a total of 923 districts.
The biggest city and the pre-Republican capital Istanbul is the financial, economic and cultural heart of the country. An estimated 75.5% of Turkey’s population live in urban centres. In all, 19 provinces have populations that exceed 1 million inhabitants, and 20 provinces have populations between 1 million and 500,000 inhabitants. Only two provinces have populations less than 100,000.
Life expectancy stands at 71.1 years for men and 75.3 years for women, with an overall average of 73.2 years for the populace as a whole. Education is compulsory and free from ages 6 to 15. The literacy rate is 96% for men and 80.4% for women, with an overall average of 88.1%.
POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Turkey is a parliamentary representative democracy. Since its foundation as a republic in 1923, Turkey has developed a strong tradition of secularism. Turkey’s constitution governs the legal framework of the country. It sets out the main principles of government and establishes Turkey as a unitary centralized state.
The head of state is the President of the Republic and has a largely ceremonial role. The president is elected for a five-year term by elections.
Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers which make up the government, while the legislative power is vested in the unicameral parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, and the Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the conformity of laws and decrees with the constitution. The Council of State is the tribunal of last resort for administrative cases, and the High Court of Appeals for all others.
The prime minister is elected by the parliament through a vote of confidence in the government and is most often the head of the party having the most seats in parliament.
Universal suffrage for both sexes has been applied throughout Turkey since 1933, and every Turkish citizen who has turned 18 years of age has the right to vote.
There are 550 members of parliament who are elected for a four-year term by a party-list proportional representation system from 85 electoral districts which represent the 81 administrative provinces of Turkey.
Turkey is a founding member of the United Nations (1945), the OECD (1961), the OIC (1969), the OSCE (1973), the ECO (1985), the BSEC (1992) and the G-20 major economies (1999). On October 17, 2008, Turkey was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Turkey’s membership of the council effectively began on January 1, 2009. Turkey had previously been a member of the U.N. Security Council in 1951–1952, 1954–1955 and 1961. Turkey joined NATO in 1952.
In line with its traditional Western orientation, relations with Europe have always been a central part of Turkish foreign policy. Turkey became a founding member of the Council of Europe in 1949, applied for associate membership of the EEC (predecessor of the European Union) in 1959 and became an associate member in 1963. After decades of political negotiations, Turkey applied for full membership of the EEC in 1987, became an associate member of the Western European Union in 1992, reached a Customs Union agreement with the EU in 1995 and has officially begun formal accession negotiations with the EU since October 3, 2005.
The independence of the Turkic states of the Soviet Union in 1991, with whom Turkey shares a common cultural and linguistic heritage, allowed Turkey to extend its economic and political relations deep into Central Asia.
ECONOMICAL STRUCTURE
Turkey’s dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still accounts for more than 35% of employment. Turkey has the world’s 15th largest GDP-PPP and 17th largest Nominal GDP. The country is a founding member of the OECD and the G-20 major economies.
Key sectors of the Turkish economy are banking, construction, home appliances, electronics, textiles, oil refining, petrochemical products, food, mining, iron and steel, machine industry and automotive. Turkey has a large and growing automotive industry, which produced 1,147,110 motor vehicles in 2008, ranking as the 6th largest producer in Europe and the 15th largest producer in the world. Turkey is also one of the leading shipbuilding nations; in 2007 the country ranked 4th in the world in terms of the number of ordered ships, and also 4th in the world in terms of the number of ordered mega yachts.
The tourism sector has experienced rapid growth in the last twenty years, and constitutes an important part of the economy. In 2008, there were 30,929,192 visitors to the country, who contributed $21.9 billion to Turkey’s revenues.
Turkey is the world’s fourth- largest clothing supplier, and textiles of all sorts account for as much as 20% of industrial production. Turkey is also the world’s fifth-largest in the floor- covering segment of the textile world meaning hand-woven or machine-made rugs.Turkey is Europe’s second-largest producer of white goods including washing machines, refrigerators and other large household appliances.
Turkey is emerging as one of the biggest internet markets in the world, with a young population that is set to grow. The online auction site’s projections show Turkey boosting the current total of about 30m internet users to some 32-35m by 2010, with a $10bn e-commerce market and $250m worth of online advertisements placed.
Turkey has the 11th- largest population of internet users worldwide, and the fourth-largest group of users on Facebook.
Turkey has become one of the leading producers of cement in the world, production reaching 49.3m tones and export 6.6m tones.
In 2007 Turkish steel production rose by around 11% to 20m tones, ranking Turkey 11th in the world and third in Europe.
Turkey is blessed with an abundance of natural resources that include coal, iron ore, copper, gold, limestone, and marble as well as arable land and hydropower. Turkey’s considerable mineral reserves also include 66% of the world’s boron reserves, 50 % of perlite and 20 % of bentonite.
After years of low levels of foreign direct investment (FDI), Turkey succeeded in attracting $21.9 billion in FDI in 2007 and is expected to attract a higher figure in following years. A series of large privatizations, the stability fostered by the start of Turkey’s EU accession negotiations, strong and stable growth, and structural changes in the banking, retail, and telecommunications sectors have all contributed to a rise in foreign investment.
Turkey has taken advantage of a customs union with the European Union, signed in 1995, to increase its industrial production destined for exports, while at the same time benefiting from EU-origin foreign investment into the country. In 2007 the exports reached $115.3 billion
(main export partners: Germany 11.2%, UK 8%, Italy 6.95%, France 5.6%, Spain 4.3%, USA 3.88%; total EU exports 56.5%.)
TURKISH LIRA AND EXCHANGE RATES
The Turkish lira (Turkish: Türk Lirası) is the currency of Turkey. The Lira is subdivided into 100 kuruş. The symbol is TL and the ISO 4217 code is TRY.
Indicative Exchange Rates Announced at 15:30 on the 14 November 2011 by Central Bank of Turkey
VISA REQUIREMENTS
Visas are required for entry into Turkey by nationals of most countries. However, many of the visas can be purchased for
£ 10 or $20 at Turkey’s airports or border gates. Since the information of visas changeable, please contact the visa offices.
For detailed information you may visit;
www.e-konsolosluk.net
1 USD DOLLAR 1.7701 TRY
1 EURO 2.4159 TRY
1 POUND STERLING 2.8174 TRY
1 SWISS FRANC 1.9512 TRY
1 SWEDISH KRONOR 0.2641 TRY
1 CANADIAN DOLLAR 1.7359 TRY
100 JAPANESE YEN 2.2838 TRY
CUSTOM REGULATIONS
CUSTOMS
Visitors may bring an unlimited amount of Turkish or foreign currency with them into Turkey, but they may take out of the country only $5000 or other currencies in cash equal to this amount.
There are no restrictions on the transfer of Turkish or foreign money to other countries through banks. Jewellery made of precious stones or metals that is not valued at more than $15000 and is not intended for commercial uses may be brought in and out of the country.
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: 200 cigarettes (1 Box) and 50 cigars. Plus: 200 grams tobacco and 200 cigarette papers or 200 grams pipe tobacco or 200 grams chewing tobacco or 200 grams tobacco for argyle or 50 grams snuff. In addition to the above allowances, it is also possible to purchase 200 cigarettes, 100 cigars and 500 grams pipe tobacco in the Turkish Duty Free Shops when entering the country. Antiques and electronic equipment must be registered in the owner’s passport upon arrival and checked upon departure from the country. It is strictly forbidden to take antiques out of the country, and for this reason it is necessary to obtain a certificate for carpets and other valuables purchased in the country as proof that they are not antique.
CUSTOMS FORMALITIES*
It is suggested issuing Carnet ATA for customs clearances special medical devices.
Carnet ATA is a document which is useful for international free circulation of high valued goods. It can be taken from the local Chamber of Commerce where the company addressed. There might be need of maximum 10 days for issuing the Carnet ATA. The Chamber of Commerce would give information if there are any other special documents required.
ATA Carnet provides fast and easy customs clearances process on every transit countries. At importer country (in this case Turkey ) ; the process takes max. 2 days.
Customer is asked to provide below documents;
* Carnet ATA and its attaches
* Power of Attorney
* Participation letter from the organizer
* Belongings (photos of the goods)
If ATA Carnet is not chosen;
* Packing list
* Commercial invoice
* Power of Attorney
* Participation letter from the organizer
* Belongings (photos of the goods ) are requested.
In addition to these documents, customs authority will ask customer to pay % 17 - 23 of CIF
value (Cost + Insurance + Freight) at temporary importations. This value would pay back to the customer 1,5 months later after the reexportation
of the goods.
Sometimes, the official forwarder company uses it self’s credits to pay these fees during the
customs process. For this service, official forwarder company billed the customer with % 1,5 - 2 of CIF value. It’s depending on the agreement
between the customer and forwarder company.
