Discover Turkey

A treasure of history, a melting pot of civilizations and cultures.
The variety and beauty of its landscape and climate attracts tourists to its beaches, mountains, plains and valleys.
A dynamic nation of 72 million people with average age of 28.

Bosphorous

Committed to democracy and pluralism

A multi-party parliamentary democracy since 1946.
A secular democracy among more than 50 republics with predominantly Muslim population.

A free market economy

Free and privately-owned media, with 16 nation-wide private TV Networks, broadcasting through two Turkish communication satellites.
A member of NATO since 1952, Turkey is a part of the EU Customs Union since 1996, a candidate country to the EU since 1999 that started accession negotiations in October 2005.

Strategically placed

A physical and culturel bridge between Europe and Asia, in the heart of Eurasia, bordering 12 nations and four seas.
An outlet for the Black Sea basin countries to warm seas through the Turkish Straits.
A significant contributor to the development of the newly independent states of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
A prospective energy terminal of export of Caspian oil and natural gas.

Cappadocia

A regional leader

Contributor to UN peacekeeping operations world-wide.
Initiator of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation region which groups 11 nations from the Balkans to the Caucasus.
Supporter of the Southeast European Countries Cooperation Process and initiator of the Multinational Peace Force Southeastern Europe; participant in the Kosova International Security Force and in Afghanistan and the Lebanon.
Supporter of the Middle East Peace Process and the only regional country which participates in the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) upon the request of both the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

An economic power

A modern telecommunication and transportation network.
17th largest and 4th fastest growing economy in the world.
4th biggest donor country in the world with respect its GNP.
Donor of $3.5 billion in economic and technical assistance including credits and $500 million in humanitarian aid to several countries.
Russia alone, the investments of Turkish private entreprises amount to $10 billion.
With an average annual growth rate of 5%, the fastest growing country in the Mediterranean.
Exports to 155 countries, ranging from cable for the Channel Tunnel to cars to China.
Europe's largest supplier of textiles and apparel.
The only F-16 fighter plane factory outside the US.
A regional center for international companies such as Coca-Cola, Chase Manhattan, Philips and Siemens.

Izmir Airport

A land of opportunity

Privatization program including state enterprises active in airlines, banking, telecommunications and petroleum.
Privatization and its $4.5 billion per year energy investment program offering important opportunities for foreign investors.
One of the 10 big emerging markets.
The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) for hydroelectric power generation and irrigation creating vast investment opportunities in agroindustries.

* Sources: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ankara, TURKEY
Turkish Embassy, Washington, DC, USA.

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Turkish Culture

The liveliness of the Turkish culture is so rich that it cannot be fit into a single definition. It is influenced by the ancient history of Anatolia, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and certainly by the Aegean culture.

Throughout history, Anatolia, like Istanbul, has hosted and produced many centers of culture and the legacy of various civilizations attests to that fact. Today, this heritage also determines the cultural life of Turkey. The culture of tolerance for all religions and languages living together in peace, spread from Istanbul (which was the capital of empires) to Anatolia. This tradition of tolerance is one of the most important inheritances that Turkey can share with the world.

Even though the entire world has been transformed between 1923 and 2007, Turkey has truly come a very long way. A traditional society had been turned into a modern urban society in which most people now live in metropolitan centers. A shattered economy, based almost entirely on agriculture, has become a competitive industrial power, including partnership in a Customs Union with the rest of Europe. Most striking of all, where there was once a sultanate, there is now a multi-party democracy in a country firmly attached to republican institutions and representative government.

The Ottoman sui generis ("multi-cultural and multi-religious", "cosmopolite co-habitation" system's legacy) has been transformed into the modern Republic's secular system. Christian churches, Assyrian monasteries, the Jewish community and many different minorities are living in the harmony with the Muslim majority. There is a certain sense that these things are not appreciated outside the country and that Turkey's qualities and achievements have not been given their due recognition. For this reason, the ordinary Turkish people are proud when their country achieves success on the sporting field, as it did during the 2002 World Cup, or in music or other areas of life.

Hospitality

In addition to the existing social values of families living in a big city, the Turkish people have retained some distinctive values of their own. One is an immense courtesy towards guests and visitors and a tendency to lavish hospitality upon them, no matter how costly. Another is an abiding respect for their family and its senior members. Another Turkish value is a strong respect for hard work and determination. And above all, there is a sense of humor and a love of life and music. One 19th century English ambassador noticed that the people of Turkey loved to sing and dance whenever they could. Many things have changed in Turkey since his time, but not that.

Hospitality is an integral part of Turkish culture. Friends, relatives, and neighbors often visit each other. The tradition of hospitality dictates that visitors are always invited in and offered something to drink and something to eat. Turks go to great lengths to make their guests feel comfortable and may even tolerate behavior that they consider inappropriate. In general, the Turkish people are open-minded, hospitable and well educated.

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