Istanbul- General Facts
A bit of history
Istanbul is Turkey’s biggest city. It is a city of great historical importance that has been the capital of three empires and now modern Turkey. It carried different names during the ages- Byzantium, Constantinople, Tsarigrad, and Istanbul. The city was named Constantinople after Emperor Constantine the Great- one of the last great emperors of the Roman Empire. He built the city as the new Christian capital of his newly Christianized empire. Later, the city became the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which was the successor of the great Roman civilization. For many centuries under the Byzantine rule it was the most magnificent and developed city in the known world. That city was the envy of all other states up to the late medieval times. After a period of decline the Byzantine Empire and the city of Constantinople were conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century and renamed Istanbul. The city was the capital of this huge empire for the next 5 centuries. After the proclamation of the Turkish republic the capital was moved to Ankara. Nonetheless, Istanbul remained the most important cultural, historic and economic city in the country.
Geography
Istanbul is the only city in the world that is situated on two continents. The two parts are divided by the Bosporus which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. The European side holds the historic and economic part of the city and the Anatolian (Asian) has the rest. A very prominent feature of the city is the Golden Horn. That was a famous harbor guarding the ancient cities of Byzantium and Constantinople. The old part of the city is historically considered to be built on seven hills. On each one of them there is an imperial mosque from the time of the Ottoman Empire.
Climate
Istanbul has a Mediterranean climate with a very strong influence of the two seas nearby. The Black Sea from the north brings in cooler air and the Sea of Marmara brings in the much warmer air from the Mediterranean. The summers in Istanbul are hot and dry with very few rain falls and the winters are cold and wet with rains. The average temperature in the summer does not exceed 23 °C and in the winter 10 °C. A very common occurrence in the city is fogs.
Transport
The city has a very well developed transportation system. There are two international airports that serve the city- the Ataturk International Airport and the Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. Ataturk Airport is a very modern airport that is among the busiest ones in the world.
Sea transport is very common and has good traditions in the city. It helps connect the two parts of the city. Those ferries are famous touristic attractions as well.
A well developed highway system connects Istanbul with the other Turkish cities and Europe. The city has an extensive network of motorway roads that span inside the city and through its surroundings. Famous bridges that are part of this network are the Bosporus, Ataturk, Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Galata bridges.
Moreover, the city has a good system of trains, light rails and metro trains that help alleviate the traffic and transport the daily commuters from the neighboring cities and the two parts of the city.
Car hire companies that operate in the city limits are Europcar, Filo Cars, Aga Oglu Rental and Miller Car Rental.
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