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Istanbul (other names) is Turkey's most populous city, and its cultural and economic center. It is located on the Bosphorus strait, and encompasses the natural har
bor known as the Golden Horn (Turkish: Haliç), in the northwest of the country. Istanbul extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world which geographically is situated on two continents.
In 2000 Census, population is 8,803,468 (city proper) and 10,018,735 (province), making it, by some counts, one of the largest cities in Europe. The census bureau estimate for July 20, 2005 is 11,322,000 for the province, which is generally considered as the metropolitan area, making it one of the twenty largest metropolitan areas in the world. The city is located at 41° N 28° E, and is the capital of Istanbul Province. Istanbul is chosen as the European Capital of Culture for 2010. Istanbul is nicknamed "The City on Seven Hills" because the historic peninsula which is the oldest part was built on seven hills, also represented with seven mosques, one at the top of each hill.[1]
The city throughout times had many names, also at a given time, depending of the background of people such as language and religion. Byzantium, Constantinople (Greek: Κωνσταντινούπολη) and Stamboul were examples, which some are currently in active use, as depending on the culture. The etymology of the names (their versions) and extended list of old names can be found under Istanbul (etymology).
When the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, the capital was moved from Istanbul to Ankara. Until that time, except for the Crusader invasion between 1204-1261, Istanbul had continously been an imperial capital for 1610 years. (313 - 1923)
In the early years of the republic, Istanbul was overlooked in favor 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.
In the 1950s the government of Adnan Menderes sought to develop the country as a whole and new roads and factories were constructed throughout the country. Wide modern roads were built in Istanbul but some, unfortunately, were at the expense of historical buildings within the city.
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. This sudden sharp increase in the population caused a rapid rise in housing development (some of poor quality resulting in great death and injury during the frequent earthquakes that hit the city) and many previously outlying villages became engulfed into the greater metropolis of Istanbul. Many Turks who have lived in Istanbul for over 30 or more years can still recollect how areas such as large parts of Maltepe, Kartal, Pendik, and others were green fields when they were young. Other areas such as Tuzla were nothing more than sleepy villages.
Istanbul encloses the southern Bosphorus which divides it into a western, European and into an eastern, Asiatic area. The Golden Horn, a Bosphorus bay running to the west, separates the European part into a southern, between Marmara Sea and Golden Horn lying peninsula which is the historical Istanbul and the northern quarter to the historical Galata. Both to the west, to the north and the east Istanbul exceeds far over historical quarters. In the southeast the Prince's Islands belonging to Istanbul lie. The city boundaries cover a surface of 1.538,77 km². The Metropol region (= province Istanbul) has a surface of 5,220 km².
The city has hot and humid summers with cold, rainy and often snowy winters. Yearly precipitation for Istanbul averages 870 mm. Humidity is often rather high which can make temperatures feel much warmer or colder than they actually are. The average maximum temperature during the winter months varies between 7°C (46° F) and 10°C (51° F). Snowfall is common and can occasionally be heavy. It is most likely to occur between the months of December and March. The summer months of June through September bring average daytime temperatures of 28 °C (82 °F).
The warmest month is July with on the average 23.2 degrees Celsius, coldest January with 5.4 degrees Celsius on the average. The highest recorded temperature in Istanbul is 40.5 °C (105 °F) (August 2000), with the lowest being 16.1 °C (3 °F) (February 1927). The weather becomes slightly cooler as one moves toward eastern Istanbul.
The city is quite windy, having an average wind speed of 17 km/h (11 mph).
Summer is by far the driest season, although there is no real summer drought such as occurs further west, and so the climate cannot be considered truly Mediterranean.
Cultural activity, tourism and commerce will continue to be important to the life of the city. However, population growth, traffic, preventing disorganized housing, restoration of historic buildings and planning a 3rd motorway transition to the Bosphorus continue to be issues. Daily life in Istanbul is colorful and vibrant and continues side by side with many carefully protected Roman, Byzantine and Turkish monuments. Istanbul is often considered the capital of Turkey in terms of commerce, entertainment, culture, education, shopping, tourism and art. More than half of the population lives and works on the European side. The large number of people living in the residential areas on the Anatolian side use bridges and ferries to commute to work in a city that has been the most popular stop for voyagers throughout history.
Istanbul is becoming increasingly colorful in terms of its rich social, cultural and commercial activities. Along with Turkish restaurants, Far eastern and other cuisines are growing in number alongside many newly opened restaurants. While world famous pop stars fill stadiums, activities like opera, ballet and theatre continue throughout the year. During seasonal festivals world famous orchestras, chorale ensembles, concerts and jazz legends can be found often playing to a full house. Shows are hosted at a number of locations including historical sites such as Hagia Irene, Rumeli Fortress, Yedikule, the courtyard of Topkapı Palace, and Gülhane park; as well as the Ataturk Cultural center, Cemal Reşit Rey concert hall and other open air and modern theatre halls. For those who like night life, there are a number of clubs, discos, bars, pavillions and restaurants with live music. The clubs, restaurants and discoteques increase in number and move to open air spaces in the summer.
The urban landscape is constantly changing. Traditionally Ottoman buildings were built of wood. In the last decades, numerous tall structures were built around the city to accommodate a rapid growth in population. Surrounding towns were absorbed into Istanbul as the city grew rapidly outwards. Infrastructure successes since the mid 1990's include the resolution of the garbage problem, improved traffic conditions and improved air quality due to the increased use of natural gas. Nevertheless, air and water pollution created by the numerous factories, motor vehicles and private households as well as noise pollution created by traffic continue to concern the population of Istanbul. Diseases such as bronchitis and asthma are far more common among the inhabitants of the city's Gecekondu areas largely because of these poorer, densely populated areas' proximity to industry.
Traditional beach resorts had gradually disappeared due to water pollution. Recently, however, old places have reopened in the city. The most popular places within the city are in Bakirkoy (Bakırköy), Kucukcekmece (Küçükçekmece), Sariyer (Sarıyer) and the Bosphorus. Outside the city are the Marmara Sea's Prince's Islands, Silivri and Tuzla as well as Kilyos and Sile (Şile) on the Black Sea. The Prince's Islands (Prens Adaları) are a group of islands in the Marmara sea, south of the quarters Kartal and Pendik. Pine and stone-pine wooden art nouveau-style summer mansions from the turn of the twentieth century, horse-drawn carriages (motor vehicles are not permitted) and fish restaurants make them a popular trip destination. They can be reached by ferry boats and high-speed ferries (Deniz otobüsü) from Eminönü and Kartal. Of the nine islands, four are settled. Sile (Şile) is a distant and well-known Turkish seaside resort on the Black Sea, 50 kilometers from Istanbul. Unspoiled white sand beaches can be found outside of Sile. Kilyos is a small calm seaside resort not far from the northern European entrance of the Bosphorus at the Black Sea. The place has good swimming possibilities and has became popular in the last years among the inhabitants of Istanbul as a place for excursions. Kilyos offers a beach park with (fish) restaurants and discotheques.
Newsweek magazine recently named Istanbul the "hippest city of Europe", referring to it as the "Turkish delight":