Turkey travel deals include complete information about Turkey packages. In this Turkey vacation packages complete details about Istanbul travel and tours. Anatolia (Turkey in Asia) was occupied in about 1900 B.C. by the Indo-European Hittites and, after the Hittite empire's collapse in 1200 B.C., by Phrygians and Lydians. The Persian Empire occupied the area in the 6th century B.C., giving way to the Roman Empire, then later the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Turks first appeared in the early 13th century, subjugating Turkish and Mongol bands pressing against the eastern borders of Byzantium and making the Christian Balkan states their vassals. They gradually spread through the Near East and Balkans, capturing Constantinople in 1453 and storming the gates of Vienna two centuries later.

Turkey is at the northeast end of the Mediterranean Sea in southeast Europe and southwest Asia. To the north is the Black Sea and to the west is the Aegean Sea. Its neighbors are Greece and Bulgaria to the west, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania to the north and northwest (through the Black Sea), Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east, and Syria and Iraq to the south. The Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus divide the country. Turkey in Europe comprises an area about equal to the state of Massachusetts. Turkey in Asia is about the size of Texas. Its center is a treeless plateau rimmed by mountains.

297,591 sq mi (770,761 sq km); total area: 301,384 sq mi (780,580 sq km)

70,413,958 (growth rate: 1.1%); birth rate: 16.6/1000; infant

Ankara, 3,582,000 (metro. area), 3,456,100 (city proper)

Istanbul, 9,760,000 (metro. area), 8,831,805 (city proper); Izmir, 2,398,200; Bursa, 1,288,900; Adana, 1,219,900; Gaziantep, 979,500

Turkish lira (YTL)

Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli, Azeri, Kabardian

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Islam (mostly Sunni) 99.8%, other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)

87% (2003 est.)

Tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock.

Antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron ore, arable land, hydropower.

Permanent entry visa applications (for exceptions see below) from Turkey are lodged and decided in Ankara. Ankara shares with regional posts responsibility for processing refugee/humanitarian applications from Iraq.

From 1 April 2005, people from Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordon, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen whose application for an XB class visa is accompanied by a proposal form (form 681) must lodge their applications at DIAC's Melbourne office. This applies to people who are lodging a visa for consideration under the Global Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) or under the 'immediate family' (Split Family) provisions.

Temporary entry visa applications are lodged and decided in Ankara.
416 Special Program applications are lodged and processed at the Hobart Special Program Processing Centre
420 Entertainment sponsorship and visa applications are lodged and processed at the Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre
From 2 April 2005, Sponsored Family Visitor visa (subclass 679) applications must be lodged by the sponsor at a State or Territory office within Australia.