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 Turkey  

Country: Republic of Turkey  

Capital: Ankara

Surface: 780.580 km²

Population (2001): 67.000.000 

^{Official Language: Turkish}

^{Literacy Rate (2001):} 89% 

^{Life Expectancy (2001):} 70 

^{GDP: 200 Billion USD}

^{Currency: Turkish Lira}

^{Ethnicity: 92% Turkish, 6% Kurdish, 2% Others (Jewish, Armenian, Arab, Greek)}

^{Nationality: Turkish}

^{Major Cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Bursa}

Istanbul, the only city that greets two continents every morning in the world. The city that hosted Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, two of the most powerful empires in the universe, as capital city.

The Queen of the Cities

Istanbul, located on a triangular peninsula between Europe and Asia, divided and united by the Bosphorus, thus functioning sometimes as a bridge and sometimes as a barrier, has stood between conflicting surges of religion, culture, and imperial power for almost 2,500 years. For most of this period it was one of the most coveted cities in the world and no other city in the world could deserve the name of "the queen of the cities" more than Istanbul.

A Gifted City

Istanbul is a gifted city. A sharp eye immediately conceives how it is favoured by, first of all, natural, geographical, historical, and then the human elements. The city owes its very existence: Firstly, to the Bosphorus, the natural waterway, connecting the two continents, Europe and Asia, and the two seas, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, 

Secondly to the Golden Horn, the natural harbour and fortification. As well as good physical conditions as the mild climate, good soil and abundant water supply favouring human settlements.

Istanbul Today

Istanbul today embodies an exceptional accumulation of wealth and culture, an articulation of different life styles and beliefs, a profound feeling of tolerance of "the other" and finally a sophisticated cosmopolitan environment conducive to handling and resolving diverse problems. 

Once you step into the city, you inevitably feel the shadow of the glorious past as well as the hi-tech, modern, rational, and somewhat hectic present. Its contrast of the old and the new, its tolerance of traditional and modern qualities, its amalgamation of Western and Eastern modes of life, its combination of local and international tastes, so moulded into one another as to create a distinctive new reality strikes you like a strong, yet delightful wind.

Orientation

For those who are coming to Istanbul for the first time, the first thing to remember is that Istanbul is a two-part city, one part in Europe and the other in Asia, gently divided by the Bosphorus and connected by the two bridges over it. The European Istanbul is composed of parts also: The Old City, and Pera/Beyoglu.

Tourism

Istanbul is also an important tourism center, with its unequalled historical and natural beauties. The city itself is almost an open exhibition center with its numerous Byzantine and Ottoman monuments, such as palaces, mosques, churches, cisterns, citadels, walls, cemeteries, houses, gardens, narrow streets, museums, libraries. The Bosphorus is another center of attraction with its historical and natural beauties. In 1995, 1 out of every 4 foreign visitor coming to Turkey visited Istanbul.

Useful Links             

       www.istanbulshotels.com   www.oldistanbul.com   www.istanbulguide.net   www.istanbul.com.tr

       www.bookinturkey.com   www.turkey.org   www.turizm.gov.tr                                 

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This site has been created by  M.Onur Inan and has been dedicated to my friends living all around the world.  © 2002