The city - Istanbul

The Bosphorus Strait split two continents: Asia and Europe

Istanbul is a very modern city with a population of around 12 million. Although it is the most densely populated urban center in Turkey, the capital is Ankara located approximately 450 km to the southeast -- in the center of the country. Istanbul is quite large and sits astride two continents, Europe and Asia.

If you look at the map you will see that a geological strait separates the European and the Asian parts of Istanbul. This strait is called the Bosphorus.

You can see also that the Bosphorus connects the Marmara Sea in the south to the Black Sea in the north. In the past, this city had been known as Byzantium and later as Constantinople.

The main district of what was once Constantinople is now called Sultan Ahmet.

Taksim is the main commercial center of Istanbul. Remember that this city is so large that there are many other commercial centers as well..