The Turkish Republic is a secular and democratic state of law, which was founded in 1923, under leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. It is currently a member of the European Council and a full membership candidate to the European Union.
The unit of currency is Turkish Lira. The right lanes of roads are used for driving vehicles and the maximum permitted travelling speed is 90 km in all express ways. Traffic policemen conduct speed checks at blind spots with radars. The official business hours in Turkey is between 08.00 a.m. and 17.00 p.m. and official weekend breaks are on Saturday and Sunday. Alanya is a remote district of Antalya province, hosting a population of around 308 thousand. Prices are set according to the free market conditions, however, all shops and retailers must use labels to indicate such. Shopping is also allowed in most places using international currencies, led by US Dollars and Euros. Exchange offices are available for exchanging currencies. Several mobile phone operators offer international communication services and phones may use prepaid lines. There are a large number of rental agencies renting cars, jeeps and motorcycles.
All public institutions are closed during religious and national holiday breaks, with the exception of museums. Museums on the other hand stay closed until noon of the first day of religious holidays. As the opening and closing hours of museums may differ greatly between summer and winter months due to daylight saving time, getting information from local authorities is strongly advised.
