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Country Fact File : Turkey
Volunteer on Mediterranean Monk Seal conservation and marine science projects in Turkey
Turkey, officially known as the Republic of Turkey, is where Orient meets Occident, a crossroads for ideas, beliefs and cultures. This is expressed in the country's art, literature, music and architecture, from the ancient Hittite civilization through Roman, Byzantine and Seljuk influences to the mighty Ottoman empire.
Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire. Under this authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy, enabling it to begin accession membership talks with the European Union.
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. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. Tourism is also a huge industry although this has suffered since 9/11 and various terrorist attacks since.
| Location | Turkey is a transcontinental country spanning Southwest Asia and Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria. |
| Area | 779,452 sq km/300,946 sq miles. 37th largest country in the world (about the size of Chile and Texas) |
| Climate | Temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior |
| Terrain | High central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges |
| Extreme Elevations | Lowest point: Mediterranean sea 0 m Highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166m |
| Natural Hazards | Severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van |
| Environmental Issues | Water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic |
| Population | 72.6 million (2005) with growth rate of 1.5% per annum |
| Ethnic Groups | Majority are of Turkish ethnicity. Other major ethnic groups include the Kurds, Circassians, Roma, Arabs and the three officially-recognized minorities (per the treaty of Lausanne) of Greeks, Armenians and Jews. The largest non-Turkic ethnicity is the Kurds. |
| Religions | Muslim (mostly Sunni) 99.8%, Christian/Jewish 0.2% |
| Languages | Turkish (official), Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian, Greek, Laz |
| Type of Government | Republican Parliamentary Democracy |
| Capital | Ankara (41°1'N 28°57'E), Istanbul is the largest city. |
| Independence Day | 29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire) |
| National Holiday | Republic Day 29 October |
| Currency | New Turkish Lira (TRY) |
| Time | GMT/UTC +2 |
| Daylight Saving Start | Last Sunday in March |
| Daylight Saving End | Last Sunday in October |
Useful Numbers & Web Addresses
International dialing code: +90
American Embassy: 110 Atatürk Blvd. Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara. Phone: (90-312) 455-5555 Fax: (90-312) 467-0019 Email: webmaster_ankara@state.gov
Australian Embassy: MNG Building, Ugur Mumcu Cad. No. 88 7th Floor, Gaziosmanpasa 06700, Ankara. Tel: 0312 459 9550 (info) Web: http://www.embaustralia.org.tr/default.htm
British Embassy: Sehit Ersan Caddesi 46/A, Cankaya 06680, Ankara. Phone: +90 312 455 3344 Fax: +90 312 455 3356 Web: http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1053446559682/
Did you know?
St. Peter’s Church in Antioch, Antakya, is the first church built by man. (This is very near one of the project sites).
Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi) in Eastern Turkey and to this day the last meal on Noah’s Ark, a sweet and sour pudding (asure), is still served throughout Turkey.
Turkey is the key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and - to a far lesser extent the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate.
Turks introduced coffee to Europe.
Turks gave the Dutch their famous tulips.
Istanbul, (the only capital in the world built on two continents), has the historical building Sirkeci Train Station. This was the last stop of the Orient Express- "king of trains and train of kings" - between Paris and Constantinople (Istanbul) from 1883 to 1977. Agatha Christie was one of the passengers of this famous train.
The number of species of flowers in Turkey is approximately 9,000, of which 3,000 are endemic. In Europe for instance there are 11,500 species. This shows the richness of flora and fauna in Anatolia.
01727 250250
Duration and Costs
| Duration | Cost |
|---|---|
| 4 Weeks | £1035 |
| Group Size |
|---|
| The project team consists of six people: one project manager, four marine biologists and a sociologist. There is space for one volunteer at a time on the marine project. |
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