Istanbul City Of Two Continents

Istanbul by district

           Istanbul, historically known as Constantinople is the largest city in Turkey and 5th largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.8 million, also making it the second largest metropolitan area in Europe by population, and the largest metropolitan city proper.Istanbul is also a mega city,as well as the cultural,economic and financial of Turkey.It is located on the Bosphorus Straits and encompasses the natural harbour known as the Golden Horn, in the Northwest of the country.It extends both on the European and the Asian sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that situated on two continents.

           During it long history the city previously served as the capital city of the clasical Byzantine, Latin Roman Empires and Ottoman  Empire. Ankara was selected as the capital of the new Republic of Turkey during the Turkish War of Independence.

          The historic peninsular is said to be built on seven hills, each topped by an imperial mosque,surrounded by 22km of city walls,the largest of this hills is the site of Topkapi Palace.

         The urban landscape of Istanbul is shaped by many communities.The religion with the largest community of followers is Islam. Religious minorities include Greek Orthodox Christians, Armenian Christians,Catholic Levantines and Sephardic Jews.

Istanbul city of two continents

         Some popular place to visit in Istanbul, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace,Grand Bazaar,Istanbul Archeology Museum, Bosphorus Night Cruise and many more at this historic city of culture and heritage.