Time
Turkish standard time is theree hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT); one hour ahead of Central European Time and 7 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

Climate in Istanbul
The climate is very mild in spring  months.. Average temperature on May is around 20 C.

Sunrise- Sunset Times
Wednesday, 29.04.2009       06:05 - 19:59
Thursday, 30.04.2009       06:04 - 20:00
Friday, 01.05.2009       06:02 - 20:01
Saturday, 02.05.2009       06:01 - 20:02
Sunday, 03.05.2009       06:00 - 20:03

Electrical Appliances
The electric current in Turkey is 220 volts AC in all parts of the country. Plugs and sockets are Continental-type, two round prong design.
The major hotels in the main cities have adaptors and converters available for quest's use.

Water
Tap water is not drinkable usually.

Telephones
Public telephones can be operated with phonecards or credit cards.
The International prefix for outgoing calls is 00.
The International prefix for incoming calls is +90. then delete the leading 0 in the area code. i.e. :
Istanbul European Side code is 0212, from abroad this is +90 212
Istanbul Anatolian Side code is 0216, from abroad this is +90 216

Banking Hours
Banks are normally open weekdays between 8:30am - 5:00pm with an hour lunch break at 12:30. However, selected branches of some Turkish banks now remain open during the middle of the day and for a few hours on Saturday. Many banks throughout Turkey provide 24-hour service from ATM machines. Branches in major hotels are available.

Currency
Currency is Turkish Lira (TL).
The denominations in circulation are:
Notes: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 TL
Coins: 1 Kurus = 0.01 TL 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 Kurus and 1 TL
1 USD = app. 1,66 TL (on 23rd of Marh)
1 Euro = app. 2,25 TL (on 23rd of March)

Credit Cards
All major credit cards VISA, American Express, Mastercard, Diners Club are accepted in most of the places. You can draw cash from bank ATMs that offer language options.

Taxes
The value-added tax, in Turkey called Katma Deger Vergisi, or KDV, is 18% on most goods and services. Hotels and restaurants typically combine it with a service charge of 10% to 15%.

Exchange Offices
Exchange offices are available all over the city and they buy and sell all the major currencies.

Post Offices
Post offices can be identified by the letters PTT in black on yellow background. Post offices are open Monday to Saturday until 5pm and close for lunch. You can send post, make telephone calls and sometimes send telegrams and change money or traveler's cheques at the PTTs.

Custom Regulations On Exit
a) Gifts and souvenirs: For a new carpet, a proof of purchase; for old items, a certificate from a directorate of a museum are necessary.
b) Exporting antiques from Turkey is forbidden.
c) Valuable personal items can only be taken out of the country providing that they have been registered in the owner's passport upon entry or declaring that they have been purchased with legally exchanged currency.

FACTS ABOUT TURKEY
Population(2006 est.) : 70.4 million
Population growth per annum : 1.06 %

Area
total : 780,580 sq km
water : 9,820 sq km
land : 770,760 sq km
Coastline : 7200 km
Administratine provinces : 81
GDP (2002 est) : $552.7 billion - purchasing power parity
GDP (real growth rate) : 5,7%
*Major Industries (2005 est) :*
Agriculture : 11.7 %
Industry : 29.8 %
Services : 58.5 %