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Istanbul

*** Shopping-Tip: Istanbul
Main article: Istanbul Category:Cities in Turkey ca:Categoria:Istanbul de:Kategorie:Istanbul he:קטגוריה:×?יסטנבול hu:Kategória:Isztambul ja:Category:イスタンブル no:Kategori:Istanbul ru:КатегориÑ?:Стамбул tr:Kategori:Ä°stanbul {{Infobox town TR |name = Ä°stanbul |map2 = Kiz Kulesi.jpg |map2 size = 250 |map2 cap = Maiden Tower and Historical Peninsula of Istanbul |map1 = Istanbul_municipality_logo.png |map1 size = 70 |map1 cap = Symbol of Istanbul Municipality |map = Istanbul Turkey Provinces locator.gif |map size = 250 |map cap = Location in Turkey |province = Istanbul |population = 11,912,511 |population_as_of = 2006 |population_ref = [http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gadm&lng=en&dat=32&geo=-215&srt=npan&col=aohdq] |pop_dens = 5246 inh./ |area = 1,966 |elevation = 100 |lat_deg = 41 |lat_min = 00 |lat_hem = N |lon_deg = 29 |lon_min = 00 |lon_hem = E |postal_code = 34x xx |area_code = (0090)+ 212(European side), 216(Anatolian side) |mayor = Dr. Architect Kadir TopbaÅŸ (Justice and Development Party) |licence = 34 |website = [http://www.ibb.gov.tr/en-US/AnaSayfa/ http://www.ibb.gov.tr/] }} Image:Istambul and Bosporus big.jpg right|250px|thumb|Satellite image of Istanbul and the Bosphorus '''Istanbul''' (Turkish language Turkish: ''Ä°stanbul'') is Turkey's largest city, and its cultural and economic center. It is located on the Bosphorus strait, and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn (Turkish language Turkish: Haliç), in the northwest of the country. Istanbul extends both on the European and on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world which is on two continents. Its 2000 Census population is 8,803,468 (city proper) and 10,018,735 (metropolitan area), making it, by some counts, one of the largest cities in Europe. Census bureau estimate of July 20, 2005 is 11,322,000 for the metropolitan area. Istanbul is located at 41° N 28° E, and is the capital of Istanbul Province. The city was known as Constantinople until 1930 when its name was officially changed to Istanbul. Due to its three-thousand-year old history it is considered as one of the oldest still existing cities of the world.

Etymology
Originally founded by Greek colony Greek colonists as Byzantium taking its name from their leader Byzas from Megara, it was made into the eastern capital of the Roman Empire in Anno Domini AD 324, by the Roman Emperor Constantine I of the Roman Empire Constantine the Great; Byzantium was Geographical renaming renamed Nova Roma ("New Rome"), but this name failed to impress; and the city soon became known as Constantinople, "the City of Constantine". The name Istanbul comes from the Greek language Greek words ''εις την Πόλη'' – ''eis tēn Pólē'' (pronounced [is tim boli]) or στην Πόλη, from ancient Greek ''eìs tēn Polin'' ({{polytonic.html">19th century. Because of the custom of affixing an ''i'' before certain words that start with two consonants (as in "İzmir" from Smyrna: in a coincidence of ''s'' + ''m'', the ''s'' turns to ''z'' in pronunciation as has been attested since early Byzantine times and in modern Greek usage), it was pronounced in Turkish ''İstambul''. (The '/m'/ in the middle is also the Turkish linguistic custom of changing the '/n/' before a '/p'/ or /'b'/, as in çenber → çember, anbar → ambar, although rules like this are not always observed in proper nouns like Istanbul). Also in Greek an /n/ before a /p/ becomes an [m], and the /p/ after /n/ becomes a [b] in pronunciation. Similar examples of modern Turkish town names derived from Greek are İzmit (from ''İznikmit'' which was Nicomedia and İznik (from Greek, Nicaea: "eis tin Nikaia" (pron. [is tin nikea]), becoming [znik]. Before the conquest, Turks called the city ''Istanbul'', but officially used the name ''Qusţanţanīya'' ( '''القسطنطنية''' ), which means "The City of Constantine" in Arabic.html">Arabic language|Arabic. Only on March 28, 1930, was the city officially renamed ''Istanbul''. This often causes confusion among foreigners, as illustrated by the song "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon, and most recently sung by They Might be Giants in their 1990 album ''Flood''. Image:Kemalsoylemez_denizotobusu2.jpg thumb|center|620px|A sea-bus on the [[Bosphorus with European side on the Background]]

Geography


Situation
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 Istanbul (= province Istanbul) has a surface of 5,220 km².

Geology
Istanbul is situated near the North Anatolian fault line, which drags on from the northern Anatolia to the Marmara Sea. Two ground plates, the African and the Eurasian, push here together. This fault line is responsible for several deadly earthquakes in the region in contemporary history. One of the catastrophic quakes, connected with a gigantic tsunami, which broke in over the sea-walls of the city, occurred in 1509: Destroyed over 100 mosques, more than 10,000 humans died. In the year of 1766 the Eyüp mosque was completely destroyed. 1894 quake collapsed many parts of the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul covered bazaar. Reasons for the devastating effects are still the close settlement and poor construction of buildings. Earth scientists prognosticate a further quake starting from strength 7.0 on the Richter scale until 2025[http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/tt/1999/aug25/quake.html] Devastating quake in August 1999 in Kocaeli left 18.000 dead and in the winter of 2001 in the province of Afyon 41 people died.[http://archives.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/04/28/istanbul.quake.enn/] [http://atlas.cc.itu.edu.tr/~barka/pubs/ist_haz/istanbul.html]

Climate
'''Temperate-Continental''' Image:istiklalstreet.jpg thumb|right|300px|[[Istiklal Avenue of Istanbul under snow]] Istanbul 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 3° C (38° F) and 8 °C (46° F). Snowfall is common and can occasionally be heavy. It is most likely to occur between the months of November and April. 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. {| class="wikitable" border=1 !Month !colspan=2 align="center"|Maximum Temperature !colspan=2 align="center"|Lowest temperature !Days with Rain !Sunshine |- ! !Average !Absolute !Average !Absolute ! !(day.) |- |January |align="center"|9 |align="center"|19 |align="center"|3 |align="center"|$-$13 |align="center"|18 |align="center"|2,6 |- |February |align="center"|9 |align="center"|24 |align="center"|2 |align="center"|$-$16 |align="center"|15 |align="center"|3,3 |- |March |align="center"|11 |align="center"|27 |align="center"|3 |align="center"|$-$11 |align="center"|14 |align="center"|4,4 |- |April |align="center"|16 |align="center"|33 |align="center"|7 |align="center"|$-$2 |align="center"|9 |align="center"|6,6 |- |May |align="center"|21 |align="center"|34 |align="center"|12 |align="center"|2 |align="center"|8 |align="center"|8,9 |- |June |align="center"|26 |align="center"|37 |align="center"|16 |align="center"|6 |align="center"|5 |align="center"|10,8 |- |July |align="center"|29 |align="center"|39 |align="center"|18 |align="center"|11 |align="center"|4 |align="center"|11,7 |- |August |align="center"|29 |align="center"|41 |align="center"|20 |align="center"|10 |align="center"|3 |align="center"|11,3 |- |September |align="center"|25 |align="center"|38 |align="center"|15 |align="center"|6 |align="center"|6 |align="center"|8,5 |- |October |align="center"|21 |align="center"|33 |align="center"|12 |align="center"|3 |align="center"|10 |align="center"|6,2 |- |November |align="center"|15 |align="center"|27 |align="center"|9 |align="center"|$-$7 |align="center"|13 |align="center"|4,6 |- |December |align="center"|11 |align="center"|22 |align="center"|5 |align="center"|$-$12 |align="center"|17 |align="center"|2,3 |}

City arrangement
Image:Balon100_1309.jpg 250px|thumb|right|[[Kadıköy, in the Anatolian side of Istanbul from the air]] Quarters of Istanbul are divided into three ranges: * The old, city centre Istanbul with the quarters Eminönü and Fatih, located in the south of the European side, are separated by the Golden Horn from the northern part and by the Theodosian wall from the western and younger parts . * North of the Golden Horn are the historical Beyoğlu and Beşiktaş, where the last Sultans palace is, followed by a chain of former villages such as Ortaköy and Bebek along the bank of the Bosphorus. Here and the opposite side of Boshphorus, the wealthy Istanbulers established luxurioese wood mansions, called Yalı, which served as summer domicile in the beginning of 20th century. * The quarters Üsküdar and Kadıköy which are opposite on the Asiatic side were originally independent cities. Today they are full of living and business districts, here live approx. a third of the Istanbul's population. Image:Levent_istanbul.jpg left|thumb|300px|Istanbul's [[Levent District]] * Elevated office and residential areas rise particularly in the north on height of the second Bosphorus bridge above Bebek in the quarters of Levent,Etiler and Maslak. * Due to strong growth of Istanbul since the second half of 20th century, almost 60% of the city consists of "Gecekondu"{{fact}}, a Turkish word born in the 1940s that means "built overnight" and describes the illegally constructed squatter buildings, which comprise entire neighborhoods and also as scattered efforts and run rampant in Turkey’s larger cities, especially Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, and Bursa (Turkey) Bursa. According to the official definition, stated in the Gecekondus Act of 1966, these neighborhoods are typically built on abandoned land or on lands owned by others, built without the permission of the landowner, and do not obey the rules and regulations. Image:Istanbul_4.jpg

History
: ''See Constantinople for a more detailed history before the Fall of Constantinople Ottoman Turkish conquest of 1453.'' With the fall of Rome and the Western Roman Empire, Constantinople became the sole capital of what historians now call the Byzantine Empire. This empire was distinctly Greek in culture, and became the centre of Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Christianity after an earlier East-West Schism split with Rome, and was adorned with many magnificent churches, including Hagia Sophia, once the world's largest cathedral. The seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople Greek Orthodox Church, remains in Istanbul. After the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Turks, in 1453, Constantinople became part of the Ottoman Empire and soon, its capital. It is believed that Istanbul was the largest city in the world from 340 to 570 with a population of 400,000 in 500, from 1127 to 1145, from 1153 to 1170 and from 1650 to 1710 with a population of 700,000.[http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa011201a.htm] '''Byzantium''' was the original name of the modern city of Istanbul. Byzantium was originally settled by Hellenic civilization Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas. The name "Byzantium" is a transliteration of the original Greek language Greek name Βυζάντιον; (Demotic Modern Greek spells this Βυζάντιο, pronunciation pronounced International Phonetic Alphabet IPA /{{IPA|vi.ˈza.â?¿djo}}/). After siding with Pescennius Niger against the victorious Septimius Severus the city was siege besieged by Roman Empire Rome and suffered extensive damage in 196 AD. Byzantium was rebuilt by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus and quickly regained its previous prosperity. The location of Byzantium attracted Constantine I of the Roman Empire Constantine the Great who, in 330 AD, refounded it as New Rome Nova Roma or Constantinoupolis after himself (Constantinople, Greek language Greek: Konstantinoupolis or ΚωνσταντινοÏ?πολις) after a prophetic dream was said to have identified the location of the city. The name Nova Roma never came into common use. The Eastern Roman Empire which had its capital in Constantinople from then until 1453, has often been called the Byzantine Empire or Byzantium by modern scholars. Image:NiÅŸantaşı1.jpg left|300px|thumb|[[NiÅŸantaşı is one of the most exclusive districts of Istanbul]] The combination of imperialism and location would play an important role as the crossing point between two continents (Europe and Asia), and later a magnet for Africa and others as well, in terms of commerce, culture, diplomacy, and strategy. At a strategic position, Constantinoupolis was able to control the route between Asia and Europe, as well as the passage from the Mediterranean Sea to the ''Efxinos Pontos'' (Black Sea). Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantine times the Greeks called Constantinople ''i Poli'' ("The City"), since it was the centre of the Greek world and for most of the Byzantine period, the largest city in Europe. It was captured and sacked by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and then re-captured by Nicaean Empire Nicaean forces under the command of Michael VIII Palaeologus in 1261. Image:Ortaköy MM.jpg thumb|right|300px|[[Ortaköy Mecidiye Mosque]] On May 29, 1453 the city fell to the Ottoman Turks (''see the Fall of Constantinople'') and was part of the Ottoman Empire until its official dissolution on November 1, 1922. The Ottoman Turks called the city '''Konstantiniye''' or Istanbul. During the Ottoman period the city went through a complete cultural change from an imperial Byzantine city to an Ottoman Imperial one. Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque as were several other churches in the city. Other mosques were constructed around the city, each Sultan having built a grand mosque to commemorate his reign. Amongst these mosques, the most impressive are; Beyazit Mosque, Suleymaniye (The largest mosque in Istanbul), Sultan Ahmed Mosque (The first Friday sermon or "Khutba" in this mosque was read by the Jelveti Sufi Sheikh Aziz Mahmud Hudayi) and Fatih Mosque. The wives and mothers of the Sultans also contibuted to the construction of mosques and several mosques both on the European and Asian sides of the city have the name Valide Sultan Mosque to signify that they were constructed under the orders of the Sultans mother. Image:Constantinople settings and traits (1926)- bulgarians dancing.png left|thumb|100px|Istanbul [[1908 - Bulgarians dancing]] Image:Constantinople settings and traits (1926)- Epirotes.png left|thumb|100px|Istanbul [[1908 - Epirotes]] Image:Constantinople settings and traits (1926)- greeks in istanbul blessing the epiphany.png left|thumb|100px|Istanbul [[1908 - Greeks, blessing the Epiphany.]] Sufi orders which were so widespread in the Islamic world and who had many followers who had activly participated in the conquest of the city came to settle in the capital. During Ottoman Empire Ottoman times over 100 Tekkes were active in Istanbul alone. Many of these Tekkes survive to this day some in the form of mosques while others as museums such as the Jerrahi Tekke in Fatih, the Sunbul Effendi and Ramazan Effendi Mosque and Turbes also in Fatih, the Galata Mevlevihane in Beyoglu, the Yahya Effendi Tekke in Besiktas, and the Bektashi Tekke in Kadıköy, which now serves Alevi Muslims as a Cem Evi. When the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, the capital was moved from Istanbul to Ankara. Istanbul became the official name in 1930. Image:Arnavutköy-1.jpg thumb|right|300px|The Ottoman waterfront houses ([[yalı) in Arnavutköy.]] 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 Greece 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. Image:Istanbul_skyline.jpg

Lifestyle
Image:View of Sultanahmet and Marmara Sea.jpg thumb|right|400px|View of the Golden Horn, Sultanahmet, Topkapi, the Princes' Islands and the Marmara Sea. The cultural activity, tourism and commerce will continue their importance in the city life. However, the issues of population growth, traffic solution, stopping of disorganized housing, restoration of historic buildings and planning a 3rd motorway transition to the Bosphorus will continue. The daily life in Istanbul which continues side by side with the fussily protected Roman, Byzantine and Turkish monuments is colorful and live. Istanbul can be considered as the capital of Turkey in terms of commerce, entertainment, culture, education, shopping, tourism and art activities. More than half of the population lives and mostly works in the European side. The large amount of people living in the residential areas in the Anatolian side uses the bridges and sea transportation to go to work every day in the city which has been the most popular stop for the voyagers throughout the history. Image:Alper_aksam_reina.jpg thumb|right|300px|View of [http://www.reina.com.tr/ Reina Night Club] in Ortaköy District of Istanbul Istanbul is getting more colorful with its rich social, cultural and commercial activities. Alongside with Turkish restaurants, the Far eastern and other cuisines are getting large in number and with the newly opened restaurants. While the world famous pop stars are filling the stadiums, activities like opera, balet, theatre are continuing throughout the year. In the seasonal festivals world famous orchestras, choros, concerts, jazz legends are found. The musical, folk and theatral pieces are playing full house. Among with historical places like Hagia Irene, Rumelihisari Rumeli Fortress, Yedikule, courtyard of Topkapi Palace Topkapı Palace, Gülhane park; The Ataturk Cultural center, Cemal Reşit Rey concert hall and other open air and modern theatre halls are hosting the shows. For the people that like night life, there are sufficient number of clubs, musical restaurants, discos, bars and pavillions. The clubs, restaurants and discoteques which increase in number and move to open air spaces in summers are specially more crowded in the weekends. In the townscape, the typical Ottoman tradition built, timber buildings belong. In the last decades in and around the city, numerous and high settlements were built by the fast growth of the population. A one-third of the people in Istanbul live in marginal settlements ([Gecekondu]s). Successes happened since the mid 1990's when the garbage problem was solutioned, traffic conditions were improved and the air improvement was obtained by the employment of natural gas. Nevertheless air and water pollution by the numerous factories, motor vehicles and private households and the noise pollution by traffic further concerns 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 populated areas' proximity to industry. Image:P6295566.jpg thumb|right|300px|Ottoman mansions and horse-drawn carriages of [[Büyükada,the largest of the Prince's Islands]]

Spare time and recovery
Because of the contamination of the sea, traditional beach resorts had disappeared gradually, for some years however old places opened again in the city. The most popular places within the city belong to Bakirkoy(Bakırköy), Kucukcekmece(Küçükçekmece), Sariyer(Sarıyer) and the Bosphorus, outside of the city are the Marmara sea the Prince's islands, Silivri and Tuzla as well as at the black sea Kilyos and Sile(Şile). The Prince's Islands (Prens Adaları) are a group of islands in the Marmara sea, south of the quarters Kartal and Pendik. With their Pine and Stone pines, wooden art nouveau style summer mansions from the turn to 20. Century, horse-drawn carriages (motor vehicles are not permitted) and fish restaurants make them a popular trip goal. They can be attained with ferry boats and high-speed ferries (Deniz otobüsü) from Eminönü and Kartal. From the nine islands, four are settled. Sile(Şile) is distant and well-known Turkish seaside resort at the black sea, 50 kilometers from Istanbul. Outside of Sile unaffected white sand beaches are to be found. 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 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": ''After so many decades of trying to become Western, Istanbul glories in the rediscovery of a modern identity. European or not, it is one of the coolest cities in the world. There is such richness, the city is still thickly atmospheric, with bazaars, Byzantine churches and Ottoman mansions pretty much everywhere.''

Demographics
: ''Further reading Demographics of Turkey''

Overview
The townscape of Istanbul is shaped by many communties. Important religious minorities are the Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Christians, Armenian Christians, and the Sephardic Jews. In Istanbul small boroughs are inhabited by ethnic Armenians, Jews and Greeks. In some quarters, like for example in Kuzguncuk, an Armenian Church is next to a synagogue, and on the other side of the road a Greek-Orthodox church is found beside a mosque. The seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople Greek Orthodox Church is in Istanbul. Further based here are, the archbishop of the Turkish-Eastern Orthodox Church Orthodox community, an Armenian Apostolic Church Armenian archbishop and the Turkish Grand-Rabbi. The city is traditionally the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch, to some orthodox churches and seat of an Armenian archbishop as well as the archbishop of the Turkish-Orthodox community. The everyday life of the Armenian and Greek minorities still living in Istanbul changed after the First World War of discrimination and constant repression. In 1942 came the introduction of a special wealth tax (varlik vergisi). In 1964, all Greeks (around 100.000) without Turkish citizenship residing in Turkey were deported. Today, most of Turkey's Greek and Armenian minority live in Istanbul. Beside the Levantines, who are the descendants of European traders who had started trading outposts in the Ottoman Empire, there is also a small, scattered number of Bosphorus Germans. A number of places reflect past movements of different people into Istanbul, most notably Arnavutköy (Albanian village), Polonezköy (Polish village) and Yeni Bosna (New Bosnia). The Sephardic Jews have lived in the city for over 500 years. They fled in 1492 from the Iberian peninsula, when they were forced to convert to Christianity after the fall of the Moorish Spain Moorish Kingdom of Andalucia. Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II (1481-1512) sent a sizable fleet to Spain in order to save the Sephardic Jews. More than 200,000 fled first to Tangier, Algiers, Genova and Marseille, later to Salonica and finally to Istanbul. The Sultan granted over 50,000 of these Spanish Jews to take refuge in the Ottoman Empire. In Istanbul more than 20,000 Sephardic Jews still remain today. Altogether 20 synagoges are to be found in the city, the most important of them being the Neve Shalom Synagogue ianugurated in 1951, in the Beyoglu quarter. The Turkish Grand Rabbi in Istanbul (currently Ishak Haleva) presides over community affairs.

Population growth
Image:Bebek istanbul.jpg thumb|right|400px|View of [[Bosphorus Bridge across the Bosphorus from Bebek District of Istanbul]] The population of the metropolis more than tripled during the 25 years between 1980 and 2005. Roughly 70% of all Istanbulites live in the European section and around 30% in the Asian section. Due to high unemployment in the southeast of Turkey, many people from that region migrated to Istanbul, where they established themselves in the outskirts (GaziosmanpaÅŸa, Ziya Gökalp). About 70% of the population of Istanbul are estimated to have Migration migrated from Anatolia{{fact}}. Migrants, predominantly from the eastern and southeastern Anatolia arrive in Istanbul expecting improved living conditions, which usually end with little success. This results each year with new Gecekondus at the outskirts of the town, which are later developed into neighbourhoods. The following overview shows the numbers of inhabitants after the respective area conditions. Population tallies up to 1914 are estimated with variations of up to 50% depending upon researcher. The numbers from 1927 to 2000 are results of censuses. The numbers of 2005 and 2006 are based on computer forecasts. The doubling of the population of Istanbul between 1980 and 1985 is due to a natural increase in population as well as the expansion of municipal limits. {| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" | valign="top" | {| ! style="background:#efefef;" |         Year         ! style="background:#efefef;" | Population |- | 330 || align="right" | 15,000 |- | 400 || align="right" | 200,000 |- | 530 || align="right" | 500,000 |- | 545 || align="right" | 350,000 |- | 715 || align="right" | 300,000 |- | 950 || align="right" | 500,000 |- | 1200 || align="right" | 150,000 |- | 1453 || align="right" | 36,000 |- | 1477 || align="right" | 75,000 |- | 1566 || align="right" | 600,000 |- | 1817 || align="right" | 500,000 |- | 1860 || align="right" | 715,000 |- | 1885 || align="right" | 873,570 |- | 1890 || align="right" | 874,000 |- | 1897 || align="right" | 1,059,000 |- | 1901 || align="right" | 942,900 |- | 1914 || align="right" | 909,978 |- |} | valign="top" | {| ! style="background:#efefef;" | Year ! style="background:#efefef;" | Population |- | October 1927 || align="right" | 691,000 |- | October 1935 || align="right" | 741,148 |- | October 1940 || align="right" | 793,949 |- | October 1945 || align="right" | 860,558 |- | October 1950 || align="right" | 983,041 |- | October 1955 || align="right" | 1,268,771 |- | October 1960 || align="right" | 1,466,535 |- | October 1965 || align="right" | 1,742,978 |- | October 1970 || align="right" | 2,132,407 |- | October 1975 || align="right" | 2,547,364 |- | October 1980 || align="right" | 2,772,708 |- | October 1985 || align="right" | 5,475,982 |- | October 1990 || align="right" | 6,620,241 |- | November 1997 || align="right" | 8,260,438 |- | October 2000 || align="right" | 8,803,468 |- | January 2005 || align="right" | 9,797,536 |- | January 2006 || align="right" | 10,034,830 |} |}

Places of Interest
Istanbul was a cultural and ethnic melting pot. As a result, there are many historical mosques, churches, synagogues, and palaces to visit in the city.

Buildings and monuments
Image:(Dolmabahce Sarayi).JPG thumb|200px|[[Dolmabahçe Palace.]] Image:TopkapıPalace-1.jpg thumb|200px|[[Topkapi Palace.]] Image:Sultanahmet Mosque-1.jpg thumb|200px|The SultanAhmet(Blue) Mosque, Istanbul Image:Ayasofya-1.jpg thumb|200px|[[Hagia Sophia.]] Image:Hamamlar-1.jpg thumb|200px|Turkish Baths. *Anadoluhisari Anadolu Hisarı (Fortress of Anatolia) *Arap Mosque *Basilica Cistern *Bulgarian St Stephen Church (also known as "Bulgarian Iron Church") *Castle of Seven Towers *Chora Church (Kariye Kilise) *Çırağan Palace *Tekfur Palace (One of the two still existing Byzantine palaces in Istanbul) *Dolmabahçe Palace *Fatih Mosque *Galatasaray Lisesi The Gates of Galatasaray Lisesi *Galata Tower *Hagia Irene (Aya İrini) *Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) *Hippodrome of Constantinople *Istanbul Modern Art Museum *Kadırga Sokullu Cami *Kalenderhane *Kilic Ali Pasha Mosque *Kiz Kulesi Maiden's Tower (Kiz Kulesi) *Istanbul Mosaic Museum Mosaic Museum *Ortaköy Mosque *Rahmi M Koç Museum *Rumeli Hisari (Fortress of Rumelia) *Rüstem Pasha Mosque *Sadberk Hanim Museum Sadberk Hanım Museum *Sultan Ahmed Mosque Sultanahmet Mosque or Blue Mosque *Süleymaniye Mosque *Topkapi Palace Topkapı Palace

Markets, neighborhoods and places
*Bebek *Beyoglu *Golden Horn *Istiklal Avenue *Prince's Islands *Taksim Square *The Grand Bazaar, Istanbul The Grand Bazaar *The Spice Bazaar, Istanbul The Spice Bazaar *Vefa *Eyup Sultan Cemetery The 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. Most of the reputable universities are public, but in recent years there has also been an upsurge in the number of private universities.

Universities
Among the well-known public institutions are Istanbul Technical University (Istanbul Technical University Istanbul Teknik Üniversitesi (İTÜ)), Bosphorus University (Bosphorus University Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), Galatasaray University, University of Istanbul (Istanbul University İstanbul Üniversitesi (İÜ)), University of Marmara (Marmara Üniversitesi), and Yildiz Technical University (Yildiz Technical University Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi). Some of the private institutions include Istanbul Commerce University (Istanbul Commerce University İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi), Bahçeşehir University [http://www.bahcesehir.edu.tr] (Bahçeşehir University Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi), Koç University [http://www.ku.edu.tr] (Koç University Koç Üniversitesi), Sabanci University (Sabanci University Sabancı Üniversitesi), Istanbul Bilgi University Bilgi University (Istanbul Bilgi University İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi), Istanbul Kultur University [http://eng.iku.edu.tr], Isik University (Isik University Işık Üniversitesi),Yeditepe University (Yeditepe Üniversitesi), Fatih University (Fatih University Fatih Üniversitesi), Maltepe Üniversitesi Maltepe University (Maltepe Üniversitesi), Kadir Has University (Kadir Has University Kadir Has Üniversitesi), Haliç University (Haliç Üniversitesi) and Beykent University (Beykent Üniversitesi).

High schools
* There are many classical, national and private List of high schools in Turkey high schools, like the Galatasaray Lisesi Galatasaray High School in Beyoğlu * National High Schools, e.g. İstanbul Erkek Lisesi (Istanbul High school for boys) in Cagaloglu (Cağaloğlu) * Private High Schools, e.g. the Özel Alman Lisesi (Private German school) or Lycee Saint Michelle(Private French school) * Anadolu Liseleri ("Anatolian Highshools"), originally for the Turkish children returned home from the foreign country furnished, e.g. the Üsküdar Anadolu Lisesi with German as first foreign language and technical instruction on German Professional training-technical resuming schools. *Science High Schools. Science High schools were established with the aim of providing education to exceptionally gifted mathematics and science students; providing a source for the training of high-level scientists, in order to meet the needs of nation; encouraging students to engage in research activities ;providing facilities for students interested in working on inventions and discoveries; serving as labarotory for procedures to be implemented in the science and mathematics programs of other secondary schools.These schools offer a three-year program with a curriculum which emphasises science and matheamtics. The schools have a class-size of 24 , and, in accordance with regulations, are boarding schools. The language of instruction is Turkish. Entrance to science high schools generally achieve the highest scores in the university exams. * Islamic aligned Imam Hatip schools, e.g. İstanbul imam Hatip Lisesi * Occupation specialized high schools Research institutes The Marmara research center (TÜBİTAK Marmara Araştırma Merkezi - TUBITAK MAM) in Gebze is with approximately 650 researcher inside and researchers the largest non-university research establishment in Turkey. It covers the institutes for information technologies, energy research, food research, chemistry and environmental research, material research, as well as ground connection and sea sciences. A technology park is attached in addition to the research center.

Libraries
* Suleymaniye 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) * Kadin Eserleri Kütüphanesi (library of the woman works, Haliç) * Atatürk library (Taksim) * Library of the Goethe Institute (Beyoğlu) * American LIBRARY (Amerikan Kütüphanesi) (Tepebaşı) * Libraries of the universities =Economics and infrastructure=

Economics
Istanbul has always been the centre of the country's economic life because of its location at an international junction of land and sea trade routes. The economy of Istanbul stands solid on two columns: national it dominates the trade and it has international significance. Istanbul has 20% of Turkey's industrial labour and 38% Turkey's industrial working place. The city occurs 55% of Turkey's trade and 45% of the coutries' wholesale trade and Istanbul occurs 21.2% of Turkey's gross national product.Istanbul contributes tax with 40% of all taxes collected in Turkey and produces 27.5% of Turkey's national product. Image:Faruk_maslak70.jpg right|300px|right|thumb|[[Maslak is one of the newly developing commercial centers of Istanbul.]] The economy in Istanbul registered an upward trend in the last years. The gross domestic product (GROS DOMESTIC PRODUCT) grew since 1980 by on the average five per cent per year. The Asia crisis between July 1997 and at the beginning of 1998 and the crisis in Russia between August 1998 and in the middle of 1999 was in all ranges, particularly with the export, felt and showed negative effects to the economy. Despite this load, in the middle of 1999 a slow reorganization of the economy of Istanbul was observed , till the earthquake caused the second large economic shock for the city from the east with center Kocaeli in 17 August 1999 after the crisis in Russia. Apart from the capital losses caused by the disaster and the human losses, a decrease in GROS DOMESTIC PRODUCT of approximately up to two per cent was observed. Istanbul is today the controlling market and place of transshipment of Turkey.Turkey's major manufacturing factories are settled in the city. Istanbul province produces cotton, fruit, olive oil, silk, and tobacco. Food processing, textile production, oil products, rubber, metal ware, leather, chemicals, electronics, glass, machinery, paper and paper products and alcoholic drinks are among the major industrial products. The city also has plants that assemble automobiles and trucks. Turkish investors and investors from all world made and make Istanbul an important commercial metropolis. One of the most important commercial branches is the tourism: The offer at hotels is large, from styleful luxury lodgings to inexpensive establishments are present everything. Istanbuls historical buildings, its cosmopolit charm, its many plates of satisfying Orientalism, its rising internationalism and its rich culture life attract many foreign and domestic tourists.

Traffic


Long-distance traffic
The city is an important junction in national and international long-distance traffic.

=Air traffic
= Istanbul has two international airports: The larger is the Atatürk International Airport Ataturk International in Yesilkoy, 24 kilometers from the city center which used to be at the edge of the European part but now inside of the city, the more modern is the airport Sabiha Gokcen, 20 kilometers east of Asiatic side and 45 kilometers eastern from the European city centre.

=Railroad traffic
= The station Sirkeci is final stop for all railways on the European side. In long-distance traffic only one course drives daily (to Bucharest). Beyond the Bosphorus at the station Haydarpasa drive several times daily courses to Ankara, more rarely to other goals into Anatolia. For now the two stations are connected by ferry across the Bosphorus.The Marmaray project will connect the rail system with an interchange station which will also connect the metro system.

=Traffic
= The E5, E90 and Trans European Motorway (TEM) are the three main roads leading to Turkey from European borders; and the innercity borders to the east. The motorway net around Istanbul is developed and is constantly extended very well. Motorways lead after Ankara and Edirne. There are 2 express roads circling the city. The older one called E5 is mostly used for inner city traffic while the more recent TEM highway is mostly used by intercity or intercontinental traffic. Bogazici Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge respectively, provide the Bosphorus Strait passes for these two highways.

=Navigation
= The port of Istanbul is the most important of the country. The old port at the golden horn serves primarily for the personal navigation. Regular transport service exists after Haifa and Odessa.

City and suburban traffic
Main article: Public transport in Istanbul =Districts= {{Template:Districts of Istanbul}} =Sister cities= İstanbul has 26 sister cities (aka "twin towns"): *Image:Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg 20px Almaty, Kazakhstan *Image:Flag_of_Jordan.svg 20px Amman, Jordan *Image:Flag_of_Spain.svg 20px Barcelona, Spain *Image:Flag_of_South_Korea.svg 20px Busan, South Korea *Image:Flag_of_Egypt.svg 20px Cairo, Egypt *Image:Flag_of_Germany.svg 20px Cologne, Germany *Image:Flag_of_Romania.svg 20px Constanta, Romania *Image:Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates.svg 20px Dubai, United Arab Emirates *Image:Flag_of_Albania.svg 20px Durres, Albania *Image:Flag_of_the_United_States.svg 20px Houston, United States of America *Image:Flag_of_Indonesia.svg 20px Jakarta, Indonesia *Image:Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg 20px Jeddah, Saudi Arabia *Image:Flag_of_Malaysia.svg 20px Johor Bahru, Malaysia *Image:Flag_of_Russia.svg 20px Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia *Image:Flag_of_Sudan.svg 20px Khartoum, Sudan *Image:Flag_of_Turkmenistan.svg 20px Mari, Turkmenistan *Image:Flag_of_Ukraine.svg 20px Odessa, Ukraine *Image:Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg 20px Osh, Kyrgyz Republic *Image:Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg 20px Plovdiv, Bulgaria *Image:Flag_of_Morocco.svg 20px Rabat, Morocco *Image:Flag_of_Brazil.svg 20px Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *Image:Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg 20px Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina *Image:Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg 20px Shanghai, People's Republic of China *Image:Flag_of_Japan.svg 20px Shimonoseki, Japan *Image:Flag_of_Macedonia.svg 20px Skopje, Republic of Macedonia Macedonia *Image:Flag_of_Russia.svg 20px Saint Petersburg St. Petersburg, Russia =Prominent Istanbulites = * Ahmet Ertegun, Founder of Atlantic Records * Ajda Pekkan, Singer * Arto Tunçboyacıyan, Musician * Daron Acemoglu Daron Acemoğlu, Economist * Fatma Girik, Actress * Hedo Türkoğlu, Basketball Star * Hülya Koçyiğit, Actress * Müjde Ar, Actress * Pekinel sisters, Pianists * Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey * Semiha Berksoy, Opera singer * Sertab Erener, Singer * Ara Güler, Photographer * Yousuf Karsh Yusuf Karş, Portrait photographer * Orhan Pamuk, Novelist * Aziz Nesin, Novelist See also, List of Istanbulites =Buildings and Structures= * Akmerkez * Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadyumu * Bosphorus Bridge * Camlica TV Tower * Cevahir Mall * Endem TV Tower * Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge * Galata Bridge * List of hospitals in Istanbul Hospitals in İstanbul * Istanbul Racing Circuit Istanbul Park - Offical Formula 1 Grand Prix Circuit * List of shopping malls in Istanbul Shopping malls in İstanbul * Tünel =Sports=

Football
Istanbul is the homeland of many soccer teams; among them are four first division teams: Galatasaray SK, Fenerbahçe SK, Besiktas JK and Istanbulspor AS. * Galatasaray (1905) have been Turkish national champions 15 times since 1959 and won the UEFA cup and the UEFA super Cup in the year 2000. They play in the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, which has a capacity of scarcely 22,500 seats. A modern arena, which is to replace the current stadium, is planned within Seyrantepe. It will have up to 50,000 seats. Galatasaray SK currently plays its european fixtures in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium. This was built for Turkey's bid to host the Olympics. Despite Turkey failing to win its bid, the stadium now hosts football matches, was awarded the accolade of five-star stadium in 2004, and is now the second largest football stadium in Europe. The Atatürk Stadium hosted the 2005 UEFA Champions League Champions League final between Liverpool F.C. Liverpool and AC Milan, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest Champions League finals of all time. * Fenerbahçe SK Fenerbahçe (1907) have been national champions 16 times since 1959. The club's home games take place in the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in the Kadiköy quarter. Its capacity is 51,500 spectators. Since the summer of 2003, Christoph Daum has been Coach of the Turkish first league side. * Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü Beşiktaş is the oldest Turkish sports association (1903). The 12-time national champion plays home games in the Inonu Stadium in the Beşiktaş district. It has a capacity of 32,000.

Other Sports
Also, other sports like basketball and volleyball are very popular. In addition to Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, which field teams in multiple sports, other clubs have high profiles in those sports—among them Turkey's most prominent basketball clubs, Efes Pilsen SK Efes Pilsen and Ülkerspor Ülker; and the Eczacıbaşı Eczacibasi (Eczacıbaşı) and Vakıfbank Vakifbank volleyball clubs. Golf, shooting, riding and tennis gain ever more significance, by foreigners and wealthy native ones are however predominantly operated. For Aerobic, bodybuilding and equipment gymnastic, numerous fitness clubs are available. Paintball belonges to the new kinds of sport, is however represented already in two large clubs in the proximity of Istanbul. Eastern kinds of sport such as Aikido and Yoga became more popular in the last years ever. There are several centers in the city, where they can be exercised. =See also= * Byzantium * Constantinople * Fall of Constantinople * List of mayors of Istanbul =External links= {{sisterlinks|Istanbul}}
- About Ä°stanbul in English
- Istanbul Photos from Fotoajans website
- Various Istanbul Photos from Wowturkey website
- Istanbul Photos sorted by category (In Turkish)
- Bahçeşehir University's Istanbul Page
- Municipality of Greater Ä°stanbul (Turkish and English)
- Byzantine antiquities of Ä°stanbul
- Byzantine antiquities of Ä°stanbul
- Historic Pictures Kagan Tuncay
- Museum in Ä°stanbul
- Ä°stanbul from Space
- Ä°stanbul Weather Forecast Information
- From Constantinople to Istanbul
- Free travel guide to Istanbul
- Pictures from the Archaeological Museum
- An article about Istanbul as an example of religious tolerance from Voice of America website
- Photo Album and Guide to Istanbul
- a map and a short guide for Sinan's works in Istanbul(in Turkish) Category:Archaeological sites in Turkey Category:Byzantine Empire Istanbul Category:Cities along the Silk Road Category:Cities in Turkey Istanbul Category:Coastal cities Istanbul Category:Eurovision host cities Category:Holy cities Istanbul Category:Istanbul Istanbul Category:Ottoman Empire Istanbul Category:Roman sites in Turkey Istanbul Category:Transcontinental Cities Istanbul an:Istambul ar:%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%84 bg:ИÑ?танбул br:Kergustentin bs:Istanbul ca:Istanbul cs:Istanbul cy:Istanbul da:Istanbul de:Istanbul el:ΚωνσταντινοÏ?πολη eo:Istanbulo es:Estambul et:Ä°stanbul fa:استانبول fi:Istanbul fr:Istanbul ga:Iostanbúl gl:Istambul he:×?יסטנבול hi:इसà¥?तांबà¥?ल hr:Istanbul hu:Isztambul ia:Istanbul id:Istanbul io:Konstantinopolo it:Istanbul ja:イスタンブール jv:Istanbul ka:სტáƒ?მბáƒ?ლი ko:ì?´ìŠ¤íƒ„불 ku:Stenbol la:Constantinopolis lv:Stambula mk:ИÑ?танбул nl:Istanbul nn:Istanbul no:Istanbul os:Стамбул pl:StambuÅ‚ pt:Istambul ro:Istanbul ru:Стамбул simple:Istanbul sk:Istanbul sl:Istanbul sr:ИÑ?танбул sv:Istanbul tk:Istanbul tr:Ä°stanbul (ÅŸehir) uk:Стамбул zh:伊斯å?¦å ¡

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