41°02N 28°57E, pop (2000e) 7 862 000. Capital city of Istanbul province, NW Turkey, on the Golden Horn and on both sides of the Bosporus; the only city in the world situated on two continents; chief city and seaport of Turkey; commercial and financial centre; damaged in terrorist suicide bomb attacks, 2003; the part corresponding to historic Constantinople is on the European side; founded and renamed by Constantine I in AD 330 on the site of ancient Byzantium, becoming the new capital of the Roman Empire; remains of ancient Constantinople are a world heritage site; see of the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church and of the Armenian Church; airport; railway (once noted as the E terminus of the Orient Express, and still an important rail junction); five universities (1453, 1773, 1863, 1883, 1911); suspension bridges (first in 1973) link European and Asian sections; commerce, textiles, shipbuilding, food processing, leather, tobacco, cement, glass; a major tourist area; Topkapi Palace (15th-c), Hagia Sophia Basilica (6th-c), Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmet (17th-c), Mosque of Sulaiman the Magnificent (16th-c), Roman cisterns, covered bazaar; International Culture and Art Festival (JunJul).
Coordinates: 41°00′N 29°00′E
| Istanbul, Turkey | |
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Maiden's Tower (408 BC) and sunset over the historic peninsula of old Constantinople in Istanbul |
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| Map | |
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Location in Turkey |
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| Istanbul, Turkey briefly | |
| Province | Istanbul |
| Total Population | 10.034.830 (2006) |
| Area | 1.538,77 km² |
| Population density | 6521 inh./km² |
| Elevation | 100 m |
| Coordinates | 41°00′ N 29°00′ E |
| Postal code |
34010 to 34850 and 80000 to 81800 |
| Area code |
(+90) 212 (European side) (+90) 216 (Asian side) |
| Licence plate code | 34 |
| Mayor | Kadir Topbaş (Justice and Development Party) |
| Website | http://www.ibb.gov.tr/ |
Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul, Greek: Κωνσταντινούπολη Konstandinoúpoli, historically known in English as Constantinople; Istanbul is also the only city in the world which served as the capital to three different Empires: The Roman Empire (330-395), Byzantine Empire (395-1453) and the Ottoman Empire (1453-1923).
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A street in Eyüp in 1890s. |
Old Galatasaray |
Beyoğlu (Pera) |
Tophane in 1890s. |
Sufi orders which were so widespread in the Islamic world and who had many followers who had actively participated in the conquest of the city came to settle in the capital.
Republic of Turkey
When the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, the capital was moved from Istanbul to Ankara.
In the early years of the republic, Istanbul was overlooked in favour of the new capital Ankara but, during the 1950s and 1960s, Istanbul underwent great structural change. The city's once numerous and prosperous Greek community, remnants of the city's Greek origins, dwindled in the aftermath of the 1955 Istanbul Pogrom with most Greeks in Turkey leaving their homes for Greece.
During the 1970s the population of Istanbul began to rapidly increase as people from Anatolia migrated to the city to find employment in the many new factories that were constructed on the outskirts of the city.
Geography
Location
Istanbul encloses the southern Bosphorus which puts the city on two continents – the western portion of Istanbul is in Europe, while the eastern portion is in Asia.
Geology
Istanbul is situated near the North Anatolian fault line, which runs from the northern Anatolia to the Marmara Sea.
| Month | Maximum Temperature | Lowest temperature | Days with Rain | Sunshine | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Absolute | Average | Absolute | (day.) | ||
| January | 9 | 19 | 3 | − 13 | 18 | 2.6 |
| February | 9 | 24 | 2 | − 16 | 15 | 3.3 |
| March | 11 | 27 | 3 | − 11 | 14 | 4.4 |
| April | 16 | 33 | 7 | − 2 | 9 | 6.6 |
| May | 21 | 34 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 8.9 |
| June | 26 | 37 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 10.8 |
| July | 29 | 39 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 11.7 |
| August | 29 | 41 | 20 | 10 | 3 | 11.3 |
| September | 25 | 38 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 8.5 |
| October | 21 | 33 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 6.2 |
| November | 15 | 27 | 9 | − 7 | 13 | 4.6 |
| December | 11 | 22 | 5 | − 12 | 17 | 2.3 |
City arrangement
Istanbul's districts are divided into three main areas:
The Historic Peninsula of old Constantinople comprises the districts of Eminönü and Fatih.Due to Istanbul's exponential growth during the second half of the 20th century, a significant portion of the city's outskirts consist of gecekondus, a Turkish word created in the 1940s meaning ‘built overnight’ and refers to the illegally constructed squatter buildings that comprise entire neighbourhoods and run rampant outside the historic centers of Turkey’s largest cities, especially Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, and Bursa.
Newsweek magazine recently named Istanbul the "hippest city of Europe", referring to it as the "Turkish delight":
| After so many decades of trying to become Western, Istanbul glories in the rediscovery of a modern identity. |
Demographics
Overview
The urban landscape of Istanbul is shaped by many communities.
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Places of interest
Istanbul was a cultural and ethnic melting pot.
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Dolmabahçe Palace |
Hagia Sophia Museum |
Rumeli Hisarı |
Basilica Cistern |
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Galata Tower rising above the medieval Genoese citadel |
Küçüksu Summer Palace |
Obelisk of Thutmosis III at the Hippodrome of Constantinople |
Ortaköy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge |
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Maiden's Tower is sometimes considered as the symbol of Istanbul |
Maslak |
İstiklal Avenue |
Cevahir Mall |
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Istanbul Metro |
Levent |
Among İstanbul's many malls Kanyon captures the attention through its outstanding architecture |
Chora Church (Kariye Müzesi) |
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Waterfront Houses in Arnavutköy |
Entrance of Metrocity shopping mall in Levent |
Armani Café and Gucci on Teşvikiye Avenue in Nişantaşı, the fashion district of Istanbul |
Bosphorus Bridge during Republic Day celebrations |
Museums, Monuments and Other Buildings
Alphabetical Order
| Aeronautics Museum Anadolu Hisarı Arap Mosque Archaeology Museum Beylerbeyi Palace Bulgarian St Stephen Church (also known as "Bulgarian Iron Church") Dolmabahçe Palace Fatih Mosque Fethiye Museum (Pammakaristos Church) Galata Mevlevi House Galata Tower The Gates of Galatasaray Lisesi Hagia Irene (Aya İrini) Hagia Sophia Hippodrome of Constantinople Imrahor Monument Istanbul Modern Art Museum Kadırga Sokullu Cami Kalenderhane Kilic Ali Pasha Mosque | Küçüksu Palace Little Hagia Sophia Museum (Ss. Sergius and Bacchus Church) Museum of Classical Ottoman (Divan) Literature Mosaic Museum Museum of Illumination and Heating Appliances Ortaköy Mosque Rahmi M Koç Museum Rumeli Hisarı Rüstem Pasha Mosque Sadberk Hanım Museum St. Esprit Cathedral Sakıp Sabancı Museum Sultanahmet Mosque or Blue Mosque Süleymaniye Mosque Tekfur Palace (Palace of Porphyrogenitus) (One of the two still existing Byzantine palaces in Istanbul) Toy Museum Topkapı Palace Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum UFO Museum Yedikulehisar Museum Walls of Constantinople |
Markets, neighborhoods and places
Anadoluhisarı Arnavutköy Bebek Beylerbeyi Beyoğlu Bosphorus Çengelköy Eminönü Emirgan Eyüp Fener Galata Golden Horn Istiklal Avenue Kandilli Kanlıca Karaköy Nişantaşı Ortaköy Princes' Islands Rumelihisarı Sarıyer Taksim Square Tarabya The Grand Bazaar The Spice Bazaar Üsküdar Yedikule Yeniköy YeşilköyThe cross-continent European walking route E8 trail begins/ends here, running 4700 km to Cork, Ireland.
Education
Istanbul holds some of the finest institutes of higher education in Turkey, including a number of public and private universities.
Universities
Among the well-known public institutions are Istanbul Technical University (Istanbul Teknik Üniversitesi (İTÜ)), Bosphorus University (Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), Galatasaray University, University of Istanbul (İstanbul Üniversitesi (İÜ)), University of Marmara (Marmara Üniversitesi), Yildiz Technical University (Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi) and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi).
Some of the private institutions include Istanbul Commerce University (İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi), Bahçeşehir University (Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi), Koç University (Koç Üniversitesi), Sabanci University (Sabancı Üniversitesi), Bilgi University (İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi), Istanbul Kultur University , Isik University (Işık Üniversitesi),Yeditepe University (Yeditepe Üniversitesi), Fatih University (Fatih Üniversitesi), Maltepe University (Maltepe Üniversitesi), Kadir Has University (Kadir Has Üniversitesi), Haliç University (Haliç Üniversitesi), Dogus University (Doğuş Üniversitesi) and Beykent University (Beykent Üniversitesi).
High schools
There are many classical, national and private high schools, like the İstanbul Lisesi (Istanbul Highschool) in Cagaloglu, Galatasaray High School in Beyoğlu, and Kadikoy Anadolu Lisesi in Moda.Süleymaniye Library (Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi) (Beyazıt) Istanbul Celik Gulersoy Library (Çelik Gülersoy Kütüphanesi) (Sultanahmet) Library of the Topkapi Palace (Topkapı Sarayı Kütüphanesi) (Sultanahmet) Library of the Archaeological Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi Kütüphanesi) (Sultanahmet) Library of Women Works (Kadin Eserleri Kütüphanesi) (Haliç) Atatürk Library (Taksim) Library of the Goethe Institute (Beyoğlu) American Library (Amerikan Kütüphanesi) (Tepebaşı) Libraries of the universities Libraries of the museums Libraries of public and private corporations Local libraries of districts
Economy
Istanbul has always been the centre of the country's economic life due to its location as an international junction of land and sea trade routes.
In the late 1990s, the economy of Turkey, and Istanbul in particular, suffered two major shocks.
Despite these economic downturns, Istanbul's economy has improved in recent years.
Air traffic
Istanbul has two international airports: The larger is Ataturk International, in Yeşilköy, 24 kilometers from the city center which used to be at the edge of the European part but is now inside the city, the more modern is the airport Sabiha Gökçen Airport, 20 kilometers east of the Asiatic side and 45 kilometers east of the European city centre.
City and suburban traffic
Modern Buildings and structures with architectural significance
Bridges Bosphorus Bridge Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge Galata Bridge Shopping malls Akmerkez Cevahir Mall Kanyon Mall Tepe Nautilus Shopping malls in Istanbul Sports venues Abdi İpekçi Arena Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadyumu Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadyumu Istanbul Park - Formula 1 Grand Prix Circuit Towers Camlica TV Tower Endem TV TowerSports
Football
Istanbul is the homeland of many soccer teams;
Motor racing
Istanbul hosts Formula One Turkish Grand Prix, MotoGP Grand Prix of Turkey, FIA World Touring Car Championship, GP2 and Le Mans Series 1000 km races at the Istanbul Park.
Popular Culture
Istanbul was included in many digital media such as:
Strike Commander - Video Game Organized jobs - Movie James Bond 007: From Russia with Love - Video Game DRIV3R - Video Game The Net 2.0 - Movie The World Is Not Enough - Movie Topkapi - Movie From Russia with Love - Movie The Accidental Spy - Movie Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul - Movie Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Song Fullmetal Alchemist - AnimeSister cities
Istanbul has 45 sister cities:
| Almaty, Kazakhstan Amman, Jordan Baku, Azerbaijan Barcelona, Spain Berlin, Germany Budapest, Hungary Buenos Aires, Argentina Busan, South Korea Cairo, Egypt Caracas, Venezuela Chittagong, Bangladesh Cologne, Germany Constanţa, Romania Dubai, United Arab Emirates Durres, Albania Florence, Italy | Havana, Cuba Houston, USA Jakarta, Indonesia Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Johor Bahru, Malaysia Kabul, Afghanistan Kazan, Russia Khartoum, Sudan Lahore, Pakistan Mary, Turkmenistan Odessa, Ukraine Osh, Kyrgyzstan Plovdiv, Bulgaria Prague, Czech Republic Rabat, Morocco | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Samarqand, Uzbekistan Shanghai, People's Republic of China Shimonoseki, Japan Skopje, Republic of Macedonia St. Petersburg, Russia Stockholm, Sweden Strasbourg, France Tbilisi, Georgia Venice, Italy Warsaw, Poland Xi'an, People's Republic of China |
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