Turkey at a glance

International students will encounter with rich culture, deep-rooted history and unique nature in addition to a quality education in Turkey. Turkey is one of the best choices for education with its reasonable cost of living and its hospitable people as well as the natural and historical treasure.

Official Name: The Republic Of Turkey

Capital City: Ankara

Largest Cities: İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Adana, Antalya, Konya, Bursa, Kayseri, Samsun, Trabzon, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Kocaeli, Diyarbakır, Sakarya, Mersin, Gaziantep.

Area: 814.578 km

Coastal Length: 7.200 km

Coastal Borders: Mediterranean Sea at south; Aegean Sea at west; Black Sea at north

Language: Turkish

Neighboring Countries: Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Iraq, Armenia, Iran, Syria

Currency: Turkish Lira

Population: 74.724.000 (31 December 2011)

The Number of Cities: 81

Population Growth Rate: % 1,2

Life Expectancy: 73,7 (Male: 76,1 – Female: 71,5)

Time Zone: GMT +2; CET +1

Office Hours: In Turkey, working days are from Monday to Friday. Most of the banks, government offices and the majority of private companies are open between the hours of 09:00 and 17:00.

Food-Beverage: Turkish food is known as healthy and delicious. (For more info you can look up Food & Beverages section)

National Holidays: There are two types of holidays in Turkey. The first one is national holidays which are held on the same day every year (Such as 1 January, 23 April, 1 May, 30 August, 19 May, 29 October) and the other one is religious holidays which are held on different days every year accordingly to lunar calendar.

Water: Tap water is perfectly safe to drink.

Electricity: 220V. Standard European type double plug is used.

Health Services: There are international private hospitals and high quality state hospitals in the cities and main touristic towns.

Visa: The foreigners visiting Turkey or travelling as a tourist can obtain a visa at the border gates or from the Turkish embassies in other countries. Some people may be eligible to be exempted from visa depending to the type of the passport they hold. However, if the purpose of the travel is education, research or work, it is an obligation to have an “annotated visa” that should be obtained at the Turkish Embassies or Consulates in the country of origin.

Communication Services: There are 3 GSM operators which have approximately 95% of coverage area and each has 3G services. Internet access is available across the country.

International phone code: +90