Bible On Tour...Turkey Information, Demographics & History

Turkey is a paradise of sun, sea, mountains, and lakes that offers the vacationer a complete change from the stress and routine of everyday life. From April to October, most places in Turkey have an ideal climate that is perfect for relaxing on sandy beaches or enjoying the tranquility of mountains and lakes.

Turkey also has a magnificent past, and is a land full of historic treasures from 13 successive civilizations spanning 10,000 years. Even if you spend only a short time in Turkey, you can see a lot of this great heritage.

There is no doubt that one visit will not be enough, and you will want to come back again and again as you discover one extraordinary place after another.
All of them, no matter how different, have one thing in common: the friendly and hospitable people of this unique country.

Official Name: The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti)

Founder: Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK (1881-1938)

Capital: Ankara

Turkish Flag:

Population: 67.8 million (as of 2000)

Language: Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet)

Religion: 99 percent of the population is Muslim. Turkey is a secular state that assures complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.

Currency: New Turkish Lira (YTL) as of 01/01/2005
1YTL = 1,000,000 TL (Turkish Lira)

Location: Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two contitents Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia or Asia Minor.

Area: 314 500 square miles
% 3 on the European continent
% 97 on the Asian continent

Major Cities:
Istanbul 10.0 million
Ankara 4.0 million
Izmir 3.3 million
Konya 2.2 million
Bursa 2.1 million
Adana 1.8 million

Government: Turkey is democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; committed to the nationalism of Atatürk and based on the principle of the separation of powers;
Legislative Power: The Turkish Grand National Assembly
Executive Power: President and the Council of Ministers.
Judicial Power: Independent courts and supreme judiciary organs.

Coastline: 5000 miles. Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, by the Black Sea in the north, the Mediterranean in the south and the Aegean Sea in the west. In the northwest there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.

Time: Seven hours ahead of U.S. eastern standard time.Same time zone all over the country

Electricity: 220 volts a.c. throughout Turkey

Weights and Measures: Metric and Kilo system