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Turkey truly is a paradise waiting
to be discovered. An incredibly varied and beautiful land offering you a
breathtaking array of experiences and wonderful contrasts.
To begin with, it's right at the heart of the world being at the crossroads of
three of the world's great geographical regions: Europe, Asia and the Middle
East. Not forgetting that Africa is also just a short journey across the
Mediterranean.
With a population of around 70 million, Turkey covers an area of some 800,000
square kilometres and is surrounded by no less than four seas: the Mediterranean
in the south, the Aegean Sea in the west, the Marmara Sea to the northwest and
the Black Sea to the north. No wonder then that it can boast coastline
stretching for over 8,000 kilometres.
 Abundant in flora and fauna, Turkey offers a wide-ranging and absorbing variety
of landscapes. You can stroll along golden palm-fringed beaches, sail in the
morning, ski in the afternoon, discover rivers, lakes, dams, secret coves and
plains. Remarkably, and this is why Turkey can offer such a rich tapestry of
natural wonders, the country is also mountainous. The Pontic Mountains follow
the Black Sea, the Taurus Mountains flank the Mediterranean to the south, while
Mount Ararat in the east, where Noah's Ark is said to have come to rest, is
5,137 metres above sea level.
There are also two more historic names from biblical times, the Euphrates and
Tigris rivers, which start from Central Anatolia and flow to the Gulf of Persia.
Lakes abound inland with around 200 covering some 9,200 square kilometres.
 And if this wasn't enough, this breathtaking country can truly be described as
the cradle of civilisation. The first known settlement in the world was found at
Catalhöyuk, northeast from Konya, dating back to an astonishing 6,500 BC. Two of
the Seven Wonders of the World are to be found in Turkey: the Artemis Temple in
Efes and the Halikarnassos Mausoleum in Bodrum.
In fact, being heir to the history of human development makes Turkey a treasure
trove of historical and cultural artefacts. Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians,
Urartians, Lycians, Ionians, Lydians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines,
Seljuks and Ottomans have all left their mark on this region. Evidence of
Turkey's vibrant and fascinating past can still be seen today in the wealth of
statues of gods and goddesses, temples, theatres, agoras, churches, mosques,
medresseh and palaces which scatter the towns and countryside. In fact, Turkey
is the proud possessor of more recognized historical and archaeological sites
than any other country in the world.
 But Turkey isn't just a treasure house of historic artefacts, it's a thriving,
bustling, energetic modern country, with cosmopolitan cities, dazzling marinas,
first class hotels and restaurants, and nightclubs which are open throughout the
night. Wonderful climate, friendly, hospitable people, world class cuisine,
every kind of sport and leisure activity, great service and reasonable prices
make Turkey just about the perfect place to visit, to holiday in or to live all
year round. And best of all, it's no further than other popular Mediterranean
destinations,for example being only 3.5 hours flight from London.
The Turkish education system was restructured in 1997 to meet the needs of this
thriving, rapidly developing country. All children between the ages of three and
five can go to pre-school, with primary school education being given to all
children between from the ages of six and 14. All education is compulsory and
free of charge in state schools.
 All children who have completed primary and secondary school can then apply for
high school education which takes a further three years. After this, some 1.5
million students apply to enter Turkish universities every year and around
250,000 of them pass the demanding examinations.
To cater for the needs of the many foreign residents who are now living in
Turkey, a number of international schools have opened where English is spoken
and there is also a specialist disabled school which is free and open 24 hours a
day.
 The Turkish health system is being reorganised to create a sickness insurance
service that covers all citizens. Doctors and dentists can be found in all of
Turkey's major hospitals and, in addition, there are a number of foreign-operated
hospitals in Istanbul where English is also spoken.
 GETTING
THERE
Currently, direct flights take place from Europe and the UK to Antalya all
year round. In addition, Turkish Airlines flies direct from London and
Manchester to Istanbul from where you can catch an internal flight to Dalaman
and Bodrum. During the main holiday season, April to October, there are a number
of charter flights from various UK and other European airports direct to Dalaman
and Antalya. Talks are also underway to introduce all year round direct flights
from the UK to these airports in the south, to meet the increasing demand from
Britons for a more direct route to their homes in Turkey.
CLIMATE
Surely one of the main attractions of Turkey is its wonderful climate. Like
most areas of the Mediterranean, Turkey has over 300 sunny days a year, and with
over 1,500 kilometres of Mediterranean coastline, it's the perfect place to
enjoy long, lazy days on the beach.
In the Mediterranean and Aegean regions, the summers are hot and dry and the
winters are short, warm and mild, with most of the rainfall taking place only
from November to February. As the summer temperature is around 86°-105° F (30°-
40° C) and usually above 50° F (10° C) in the winter, you can comfortably swim
and sail in these turquoise-coloured waters for nine months of the year.
And that's not all … because Turkey has inland mountain ranges, the country can
offer a wonderful variety of climates. Imagine being able to ski the snowy
mountain peaks in the morning and swim and laze around on the beach in the
afternoon.
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