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Turkey

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CAPITAL	Ankara

AREA	779,452 sq km

POPULATION	63 million

LANGUAGE	Turkish

CURRENCY	Turkish lira

TIME	GMT +2 hours

TELEPHONE CODES	00 90

ELECTRICITY	220V, 50Hz



Istanbul

Visas: Citizens of many Western European countries and of Japan and New Zealand need only a valid passport for visits of up to three months. Citizens of the UK, USA, Ireland, Canada and Australia do need visas. These are obtainable in advance at a Turkish consulate, or upon entry to Turkey, at a cost of £10.

Public holidays: New Year?s Day; Eid-ul-Fitr; Eid-ul-Adha; national Sovereignty and Children?s Day (23 April); Youth and Sports Day (19 May); Victory Day (30 Aug); Republic Day (29 Oct).

Good buys: Carpets, suede and leather goods, jewellery, copper and brass vessels, pottery, meerschaum pipes, embroidery and onyx.

Local dishes: A Turkish meal will often start with meze (hors d?oeuvres), which are shared between the whole table. Starters include sarma (rice in vine leaves), humus and beyaz peynir (sheep?s cheese). Examples of main courses include döner kebap, þiþ kebap (lamb on a skewer) and pirzola (grilled mutton). Desserts are very sweet. Try the puff pastry specialities, baklava, þöviyet and bülbül.

Interesting fact: The colour of mourning in Turkey is violet.

Good reading: Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad is a classic account of tourism in Turkey. Many of Twain's observations about Istanbul still hold today.