Istanbul is the only city in the world which spans two continents. The
western side of the city is in Europe and the eastern side of the city
is in Asia. The historic center of Istanbul is on the European side of
the divide.
The Golden Horn is not the stretch of water which divides Europe from
Asia, a common misconception. The Golden Horn is entirely in Europe. It
leads into the Bosphorus, which is the water that divides the two
continents and which joins the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, which
in turn leads into the Mediterranean.
Istanbul has been capital of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the
Latin Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, yet it isn’t the capital city of
modern Turkey, which is Ankara. Istanbul is however the largest city in
Turkey.
Istanbul’s old name of Constantinople came from the Roman Emperor
Constantine the Great who rebuilt the city on seven hills, to match the
famous seven hills of Rome.
The estimated population of Istanbul is about 11 million people.
In 2010 Istanbul was one of three European Cities of Culture.
Source: Istanbulinhours.com
1 comment:
Very nice pictures and interesting facts! I learned many new facts about Istanbul! Thanks for posting!
~ Purple Pansy
(www.ecofriendlyl.wordpress.com)
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