|
 Birmingham
Budapest
Regione
Liguria
Leipzig
 Alphen
a.d.Rijn
Antwerp
Dublin
Helsinki
Istanbul
Ljubljana
Malaga
Montpellier
Sofia
Tirana
Zurich
|
Istanbul is the only city in the world that's surface area arises
on two continents - Europe and Asia. The Bosporus, a narrow strait
that links the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, separates Istanbul's
European and Asian sections. The European section is twice the size
of the Asian section and contains three-quarters of the city's population.
European Istanbul is separated into old and modern sections by the
Golden Horn, a narrow channel of the Bosporus. The modern part is
the city's main business centre, with hotels and office buildings
which form the skyline there. Asian Istanbul consists mainly of
residential houses and port facilities.
Istanbul was
founded in the 7th century BC as Byzantium. In the 4th
century AD it was renamed Constantinople by Roman emperor Constantine
the Great. The city served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire
until it was captured by the Ottomans in 1453 and made the capital
of the Ottoman Empire. In 1923 the newly founded Turkish Republic
declared, Ankara as the capital city.
The city has
been called for years Istanbul by the Turkish, it gained officially
its name, in 1930 seven years after the Turkey independence.
|
