Turkey

Capital Ankara

Population 78,741,053

Area 783,562 km2

Key facts

Turkey is a country located in Western Asia. There are 8 countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Syria) that Turkey shares its borders with. The official language of Turkey is Turkish. Traveling across Turkey if English is your first (and only) language may be difficult due to language barriers.

In the EF English Competency Index (EF EPI), which assesses the language proficiency of non-native speaking countries, Turkey was ranked 70th out of 100 countries in 2021.

The national currency in Turkey is Turkish lira (TRY). The lira (₺) is subdivided into 100 kuruş (Kr).

Turkish
Banknotes

5102050100200

Turkish
Coins

5Kr10Kr25Kr50Kr11Kr

Check with your bank before your trip to find out if there are any fees for using your card abroad. Some banks do not charge fees when you use a foreign ATM or pay in foreign currency, but others may charge a fixed cost for each transaction or allow a limited number of free withdrawals. The travel card provided by Wise.com, Revolut or Monose might be an excellent option to cut down on transaction fees.

Ookla® Speedtest The average fixed internet speed in Turkey is 121.79 Mbps and mobile is 71.84 Mbs.The global average is 197.25 Mbps and 127.73 Mbps respectively.

ATM Density Turkey has more ATMs than most other countries.80.37 ATMs per 100,000 people.The global average is 39.49.

SIM Registration In order to purchase a SIM card in Turkey, a passport or ID is required as identification.

Socket types

There are 2 socket types used in Turkey. Type C is a popular socket type throughout Europe (except the United Kingdom), Russia, and certain Asian countries.

Type C 220 V, 50 Hz  Type F 220 V, 50 Hz  

The sockets’ shapes and voltage differ from country to country and a travel plug adapter may be required. Portable devices, such as phones, notebooks or tablets, usually handle the entire range of voltages used across the world (110-240V).

Public holidays

In the year 2024, Turkey will celebrate 7 national public holidays.

Date Holiday name
January 1, 2024Moving holiday New Year’s DayYılbaşı
April 23, 2024Moving holiday National Independence & Children’s DayUlusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı
May 1, 2024Moving holiday Labour Dayİşçi Bayramı
May 19, 2024Moving holiday Atatürk Commemoration & Youth DayAtatürk’ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı
July 15, 2024Moving holiday Democracy and National Unity DayDemokrasi ve Millî Birlik Günü
August 30, 2024Moving holiday Victory DayZafer Bayramı
October 29, 2024Moving holiday Republic DayCumhuriyet Bayramı

Tourism

What hotel chains are present in Turkey?

There are Mariott hotels in 2 cities: Istanbul and Izmir.

The Hilton hotel chain operates in Turkey.

The IHG hotel chain operates in Turkey.

The Best Western hotel chain operates in Turkey.

There are Radisson hotels in 12 cities.

The Accor hotel chain operates in Turkey.

What fast food chains are present in Turkey?

The McDonald’s chain operates in Turkey.

The KFC chain operates in Turkey.

The Burger King chain operates in Turkey.

The Subway chain operates in Turkey.

The Domino’s Pizza chain operates in Turkey.

The Starbucks chain operates in Turkey.

Weather

What is the weather like in Ankara?

Today the sun in Ankara, rises at 7:26 AM and sets at 5:38 PM. The climate of Ankara may be categorized as a Mediterranean (Csb), according to Koppen’s classification system.

TodayNov 8Partly cloudlyLow: -0.8°C (30.56°F)High: 15.7°C (60.26°F)
SaturdayNov 9FogLow: -1.4°C (29.48°F)High: 13.9°C (57.02°F)
SundayNov 10OvercastLow: 0.1°C (32.18°F)High: 15.3°C (59.54°F)
MondayNov 11OvercastLow: 3.9°C (39.02°F)High: 16.5°C (61.7°F)
TuesdayNov 12SunnyLow: 1°C (33.8°F)High: 16.7°C (62.06°F)
WednesdayNov 13OvercastLow: 1.5°C (34.7°F)High: 17°C (62.6°F)

Weather data for Ankara (capital city) by Open-Meteo.com

Transport

Railways There are passenger trains operating between some cities.

Subway Systems The subway system is available in 5 cities.

Taxi Apps You can use Uber in 3 cities. Bolt is not available in Turkey.

Car Rental Avis , Sixt , Hertz are all available in Turkey.

Road Connectivity Index (2016)  With a score of 5.9, Turkey is placed 27th out of 129 nations.

Driving Side In Turkey traffic is right-handed.

Safety

Theft Occurrence Rate  277.00 thefts per 100,000 people in 2014.The global average is 544.

Road Traffic Casualties 6.70 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019.The global average is 16.74.

Travel Advisory Level (U.S. DoS)  Level 2: Exercise increased caution. 

Emergency phones in Turkey

112 Police
112 Ambulance
112 Fire police

Sources

Smoking & Alcohol

Smoking ban Smoking is forbidden in all public indoor locations, with limited exceptions.

Cananbis legality Recreational usage: Illegal
Medical usage: Legal in certain circumstances

The products are only for your own use or consumption, or as a present for members of your household. They may not be imported for commercial purposes under any circumstances.

Alcohol allowance

  • 1 (1L) or 2 (0,75L or 0.7L) bottles of wine and/or spirits

Tobacco allowance

  • 200 cigarettes and
  • 50 cigars and
  • 200 gm tobacco and
  • 200 cigarette paper or 200g pipe tobacco or 200g chewing tobacco or 200g tobacco for nargileh or 50g snuff

Sources

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