Turkey offers the perfect escape from the stresses of everyday life, surrounded as it is by sea on three sides and full of sun, mountains and lakes.

Over most of the country, from March to November, the weather is perfect for holidays by the sea or a refreshing break in the mountains. The area around Kas, the old Lycia, offers all of these things the whole year round.

Turkey has at least 10 thousand years of history and a dazzling legacy from 13 great civilisations so it is a veritable treasure chest of riches wherever you go.

A little bit of local history

Geography

Turkey extends to 814,578 sq m. It is split into Asian and European parts by the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles. The Anatolian peninsula is a highland area, cut through by many rivers and is rich in lakes. The rivers Euphrates and Tigris both arise in Turkey. Van Lake, which is found at 1646m above sea level, extends to 3738 sq m and is seven times larger than Lake Constance.

The north Anatolian mountain range runs parallel to the Black Sea coast.

The Taurus mountains extend along the Mediterranean coast, and run out into fertile plains. The Black Sea area enjoys a mild wet climate, the central area and eastern Anatolia has a continental climate and the Mediterranean coast enjoys a Mediterranean climate. The shores of the Anatolian peninsula are washed by four seas and stretch for 8333 km east-west.

History
The history of Turkey is closely associated with the development of mankind. There were human settlements here in the Palaeolithic period. Catalhöyük is probably the earliest known urban settlement (6500 BC). Later, other empires came and went, such as those of Hatti, Hethites, Phryger, Urartäer, Lyker, Lyder, Ionier, Perser, Macedonia, Rome, Byzantine, Seldschuker and Ottoman, to name only the most important.

After the collapse of the Ottoman empire, Atatürk proclaimed the country to be the Turkish Republic (29.10.1923), which, under his leadership and in accordance with his motto: ‘Peace in countries, peace in the world’, became a modern western state and due to its strategic position, numbers among the most important countries in the region.

Population
The population of Turkey is 67.8m, of which 40% live on the land. The largest cities are Istanbul, the capital Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Bursa and Antalya.

Language
Turkish, as written in the roman alphabet, belongs to the ancient Uralic group of languages, as do Hungarian and Finnish. Worldwide, Turkish is spoken by at least 150m people.

Economics

Tourism

Turkey is an ideal country for travel, due to its geographical situation, climate, richness of flora and fauna and incalculable historical richness. In recent years Turkey has increased its share of the tourism sector. There are now many more hotels, motels, guest houses and holiday villages.

Agriculture

Agriculture plays a very important role in the Turkish economy. Wheat, rice, cotton, tea, tobacco, hazelnuts and vegetables are the most important products. Sheep are the most important livestock. Turkey is the largest wool and cotton producer in Europe.

The south-east Anatolian project is the largest and most varied development project in the country. With the HKW Atatürk Dams, irrigation plants and hydroelectric power stations on the Euphrates and Tigris, it numbers amongst the ten largest projects in the world and promises to support an upturn in agriculture, transport, tourism, health and education.

Mineral resources

The most important resources in Turkey are coal, chromium, steel, copper, marble, bauxite and iron pyrites.

The Turkish State

Since 1923, Turkey has been a secular state with a democratic parliament. The legislative power is vested in The Turkish Grand National Assembly. Executive power and functions are exercised and carried out by the President of the Republic and Council of Ministers, in conformity with the constitution and laws. Turkey is a founder member of the OECD, a member of NATO, the Council for Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation on the Black Sea, the Islamic Conference (ICO) as well as associate EU member.

Cultural Scene

In the most far-flung and unspoilt regions of Turkey the visitor will sense that at one time in these inhospitable and deserted places, there was once a very grand culture.

The Turkish Countryside

The countryside in Turkey can be likened to a gorgeous, centuries-old Kelim carpet in which the motifs portrayed in every colour have mellowed over time to perfection.