Topkapi Palace - Hagia Sophia - Blue Mosque

Emblem of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

Istanbul Location of Istanbul on the Bosphorus Strait, Turkey Coordinates: 41°00'44?N 28°58'34?E? / ?41.01224, 28.976018 Country

 Turkey Region Marmara Province Istanbul Founded 667 BC as Byzantium Roman/Byzantine period AD 330 as Constantinople Ottoman period 1453 as Constantinople (internationally) and various other names in local languages Turkish Republic period 1923 as Constantinople, officially renamed as Istanbul in 1930 Districts 27 Area  - Total 1,830.92 km? (706.9 sq mi) Elevation 100 m (328 ft) Population (2007)[1]  - Total 11,372,613 (4th)  - Density 6,211/km? (16,086.4/sq mi) Time zone EET (UTC+2)  - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3) Postal code 34010 to 34850 and 80000 to 81800 Area code(s) (+90) 212 (European side) (+90) 216 (Asian side) Licence plate 34 Website: Istanbul Portal Historic Areas of Istanbul* UNESCO World Heritage Site State Party

 Turkey Type Cultural Criteria I, II, III, IV Reference 356 Region? Europe and North America Inscription history Inscription 1985  (9th Session) * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ? Region as classified by UNESCO. Istanbul (Turkish: Istanbul, historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see Names of Istanbul) is Europe's most populous city (the world's 4th largest city proper and 19th largest urban area) and Turkey's cultural and financial center. The city covers 27 districts of the Istanbul province.[2] It is located on the Bosphorus Strait, and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It 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 is situated on two continents. In its long history, Istanbul served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330-395), the Byzantine Empire (395-1204 and 1261-1453), the Latin Empire (1204-1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453-1922). The city was chosen as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.