Places in Turkey   Istanbul Ephesus Selçuk Kuşadası Pergamon   index of contents contributors impressum sitemap Some of the places already on My Favourite Planet   Planet Earth England:    Avebury France:    Paris Greece:    Athens    Kastellorizo    Kavala    Patmos    Pella    Samos    Samothraki    Veria home   news   galleries   places   about MFP   contribute   contact   blogs My Favourite Planet > English > Middle East > Turkey > Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey on this page:   introduction • area map • facts and figures Istanbul introduction to Istanbul, Turkey page 1 "Istanbul Essentials" photo essays at The Cheshire Cat Blog As a foretaste of the My Favourite Planet guide to Istanbul which is due to be published soon, we have prepared three photo essays about life in the city: Istanbul essentials 1: Istanbul's other inhabitants Istanbul essentials 2: Making a living Istanbul essentials 3: video and photos of Köçek dancers Istanbul is Turkey's largest city, the fifth largest in the world, former capital of the Ottoman and Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empires and the only city to straddle two continents. Founded around 660 BC, it is also one of the planet's oldest continuously inhabited cities. The My Favourite Planet guide to Istanbul is currently in preparation. Istanbul, Turkey area map map of Aegean area and western Turkey Istanbul, Turkey facts and figures name: Istanbul Formerly known as known as: c. 660 BC Byzantium (Greek, Byzantion) 330 AD Constantinople (Konstantinoupolis, city of Constantine) region: Marmara province: Istanbul The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality consists of 39 districts. climate: Mediterranean, temperate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters language: Turkish population: 12,8 million (estimated) 5th largest city in the world by population population density: 2,392 per square km (estimated) local time: Eastern European Time (EET) Daylight Saving Schedule: Summer (from last Sunday in March) GMT/UTC +3 hours Winter (from last Sunday in October) GMT/UTC +2 hours currency: Turkish Lira (TRY) telephone code: +90 - 212 (European side) +90 - 216 (Asian side) Further information for Turkey, including visa details, can be found on the main page introduction to Turkey. Text, maps and photos: © David John 2004 - 2010 Turkey photo galleries: Kuşadası Pergamon Ephesus Selçuk See also: Istanbul Essentials photo essays Emblem of Istanbul My Favourite Planet Blogs Blogs home Edwin Drood's Column The Cheshire Cat Blog Guide to Planet Earth Blue Mosque minaret, Istanbul ceramic tile frieze in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul Copyright © 2003-2012 My Favourite Planet  |  contributors  |  impressum  |  index of contents  |  sitemap english deutsch   my-favourite-planet.com website design by Ursa Major Design