Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) is the largest city in the heart Turkiyang economy, culture, and history of this country. With a population of 13.9 million, the city forms one of Europe's largest urban agglomerations [d] and one of the largest cities in the world by population within city limits. Istanbul which has an area of 5343 km ² (2.063 sq mi) is adjacent to Istanbul province and became its administrative capital. Istanbul is a city that stretches across the continent across the Bosphorus Strait-one of the busiest waters in the world-in northwestern Turkey, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Trading center and its history is located in Europe, while the third of the population live in Asia.
Founded in Promontori Sarayburnu circa 660 BC as Byzantium, the city now called Istanbul has grown into one of the most important in history. For sixteen centuries after re-established under the name of Constantinople in 330 AD, the city became the capital of four empires, the Roman Empire (330-395), the Eastern Roman Empire (395-1204 and 1261-1453), the Latin Empire (1204 -1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453-1922). The city played an important role in the advancement of Christianity spread during the Roman and Byzantine times before the Ottomans conquered it in 1453 and turned it into the defense of Islam as well as the capital of the Caliphate last. Although the Republic of Turkey set its capital in Ankara, the imperial palace and mosque are lined up in the hills of Istanbul as a symbol of the city's history.
Istanbul's strategic position on the Silk Road, the rail network to Europe and the Middle East, and the only water route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean have helped advance the population, although not much since the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Having ignored during the inter-war period, the city has managed to grab the attention of the world. The city's population increased tenfold since the 1960s after the migrants from all over coming to Anatolia metropolis and the city limits were expanded to accommodate them. Some arts festival held at the end of the 20th century, while infrastructure improvements have created a complex transportation network.
Seven million foreign tourists visited Istanbul in 2010 after taking the Cultural Capital of Europe, so the city became the most popular tourist destination in the world to 10th. The main attractions of this city is half the historical center listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the cultural and entertainment hubs located along the city's natural harbor, the Golden Horn, in the Beyoğlu district. Recognized as a global city, Istanbul became home to the headquarters of a number of companies and the Turkish news agency and accounted for more than a quarter of the country's gross domestic product. By utilizing rapid revitalization and expansion, Istanbul bid to host cities 2020 Summer Olympics.
