Travel Guide Turkey - Country Information

Coordinates: 39 00 N, 35 00 E
Population: 70,413,958 (July 2006 est.)
Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian
note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the Europe part of Turkey
Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Elevation: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m / highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
Hazards: severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Background Turkey: Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks." Under his 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 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey, mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. 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.

Summary of recommendations:All travelers should visit either their personal physician or a travel health clinic 4-8 weeks before departure.
Malaria: Prophylaxis with chloroquine is recommended for the south and southeastern provinces of Icel, Adana, Osmaniyeh, Hatay, Kahraman Maras, Gaziantep, Kilis, Adryaman, Sanliurfa, Elazig, Diyarbakar, Mardin, Bingol, Mus, Batman, Bitlis, Siirt, Sirnak, Van, and Hakkari.
Vaccinations:
Hepatitis A	Recommended for all travelers
Typhoid	For travelers who may eat or drink outside major restaurants and hotels
Hepatitis B	For travelers who may have intimate contact with local residents, especially if visiting for more than 6 months
Rabies	For travelers who may have direct contact with animals and may not have access to medical care
Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)	Two doses recommended for all travelers born after 1956, if not previously given
Tetanus-diphtheria	Revaccination recommended every 10 years