Istanbul Formula 1 race, May 9-11

5th leg of 2008 Formula 1 race will be held at Istanbul Park race circuit in Istanbul between May 9th - 11th, 2008. Alonso, Raikonen, Massa and many other pilots will be competing for the checker flag. 110 thousand spectators are expected on stage, and about 3 billion people will be seeing it on TV around the world. Don't miss this great international motor sports event.

Tulip Festival in Istanbul, April 5-13

3rd edition of the International Istanbul Tulip Festival will be held in various parks of Istanbul with millions of tulips poping up around, between April 5th-13th, 2008. Especially the Emirgan Park will be the center of the festivities.

For those who doesn't know, Tulips are originated from Turkey, not from Holland !!

New domestic airline

A new domestic airline company of Turkey, Anadolu Jet, will be flying from Ankara to various cities throughout the country. Anadolu Jet is a sister company of the Turkish Airlines, and it will be a low-cost airline for all domestic flights.

2008 Saint Paul Year

Pope Benedict XVI has declared 2008 the "Year of Saint Paul" in honour of the saint, marking 2000 years since St Paul's birth this year. The anniversary year formally begins on 28 June, and many Christian pilgrims are expected to visit his church in Tarsus.

Saint Paul was raised as a Jew named Saul in Tarsus and later changed his name to Paul. He made three journeys through Anatolia between the years AD 47 and 57, preaching the Gospel and writing letters to the Ephesians and Galatians, before he was arrested in Jerusalem and beheaded in Rome in AD 65.

Istanbul Boat Show

27th edition of International Istanbul Boat Show will be open between 8-16 December 2007 at Istanbul Fair Center in Yesilkoy district.

Turkey's exports and imports

According to the figures of 2006, Turkey ranked 15th in imports and 22nd in exports worldwide last year. Turkey's exports increased 16 % in 2006. It also increased its imports by 17 % and ranked among top 10 countries that increased imports last year.

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Turkish imports which amounted 137 billion USD constituted 1.5 % of all global imports in 2006. Turkey's exports in 2006 amounted 85 billion USD.

Turkey's economy keeps groving constantly every year.

Antalya to be Beach Volley Center of Europe

European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) decided that "European Beach Volley Center" will be established in Antalya along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Many countries including Greece and France were candidates for the center, but Turkey has fulfilled natural conditions and sufficient infrastructure for the center. The decision will be declared to 55 countries during CEV Congress.

Russian tourist boom to Antalya

In 2007 it's expected that nearly 2 million Russian tourists will have their holidays in Turkey, especially in the resort city of Antalya. Russian people love this city because of its scenic beauties and climate. Antalya is like a tourist magnet for Russian people.

New excavations in Gaziantep

An American and German archaeologists team launched archaeological excavations to unearth an ancient city in southeastern province of Gaziantep's Islahiye town. Excavations in Zincirli Tumulus, an ancient Hittite site, are supported by Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and University of Chicago.

Izmir is candidate for Expo 2015

The Aegean city of Izmir is the candidate for hosting the EXPO of 2015. If selected, this will be the first ever EXPO in Turkey. Since EXPOs are gathering people from all around the world and thus give a chance and a role to the hosting cities for a sustainable development, it's considered as a permanent prestige by that city.

In Exposition (EXPO) which has been arranged for 63 times over a period of 150 years, products from different countries have been exhibited for letting countries to present their various historical and cultural values. Every 5 year period EXPO is placed in a selected city and lasts for 3 to 6 months.