Turkey

WARNING

Turkey is generally safe, but domestic and regional tensions equate to occasional waves of low-level violence, especially bombings. On 16 May, 2004, four percussion bombs exploded outside HSBC banks in Istanbul and Ankara, harking back to late 2003, when Istanbul was rocked by a series of bombings in which a synagogue, a bank and the British consulate were targeted.

So far, travellers have not been specifically targeted by the terrorists and suicide bombers. However, foreign interests have been targeted and there is always the danger that travellers will find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Keeping abreast of current events and a modest profile is the best defence.

Check your Midnight Express stereotypes at the door - this is a rapidly modernising country with one foot in Europe and one in the Middle East. It is not all oriental splendour, mystery, intrigue and whirling dervishes but it is a spicy maelstrom of history knocking up against a pacy present.

The Turkish people have an unrivalled reputation for hospitality, the cuisine is to die for, the coastline is a dream, and many Turkish cities are dotted with spectacular mosques and castles. And while costs are rising, Turkey remains the Mediterraneans bargain-basement destination.

There is an enormous variety of things to see and do ranging from water sports to mountain trekking, archaeology to night-clubbing and river rafting to raki drinking. Whether you leave Turkey with magnificent carpets, amulets to ward off evil, belly-dancing tips, an appreciation of its history, or just a tan, you are likely to want to go back for more.

Full country name: Repubic of Turkey
Area: 779,452 sq km
Population:68.1 million
Capital City: Ankara (pop 3.7 million)
People: Turks (85%), Kurds (12%), other Islamic peoples, Armenians, Jews
Language: Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
Religion: Muslim (Sunni)(4%)
Government: republican parliamentary democracy
Head of State: President Ahmet Necdet Sezer

GDP: US$183.7 million
GDP per capita:US$2,490
Annual Growth: -5%
Inflation: 26%
Major Industries:Textiles, food processing, tourism, motor vehicles, mining, lumber, petroleum, construction.
Major Trading Partners: Germany, USA, Italy, UK, France, Russia

Istanbul

Straddling the Bosphorus, its skyline studded with domes and minarets, Istanbul is one of the truly great romantic cities. Its history tracks back from Byzantium to Constantinople to its place at the head of the Ottoman Empire. Today it hums as Turkeys cultural heart and good-time capital.

In this sprawling, continent-spanning city you can tramp the streets where crusaders and janissaries once marched; admire mosques that are the most sublime architectural expressions of Islamic piety; peer into the sultans harem; and hunt for bargains in the Kapali Çarsi (Grand Bazaar).

Side by side with Old Istanbul you will find hip bars and clubs, flashy executives, malls and haute cuisine. And then there is a rich arts culture - opera, music, cinema - which nods its head to the Ottoman and Byzantine ways while taking cues from Europe. All this history, hustle and bustle coexists around the spine of the Bosphorus, a constantly busy, heaving mass, dotted with ships and ferries, and providing the link between Europe and Asia.

Whatever your interest - architecture, art, nightlife, cuisine, history, religion, shopping - Istanbul has more than enough of it, at prices which are among the lowest in Europe.