Where is Turkiye?

    The lands of Turkey are located at a point where the three continents of the old world, Asia, Africa and Europe are closest to each other. Turkey is located in the northern half of the hemisphere at a point that is about halfway between the equator and the north pole. The country is much larger than many European countries and even Texas (18%) in the US. It is 1,660 kilometres wide and the actual area of Turkey inclusive of its lakes, is 814,578 square kilometres. 790,200km of its lands are in Asia and 24,378km are located in Europe.

    Because of its geographical location, the mainland of Anatolia has always found favour throughout history and is the birthplace of many great civilizations. It has also been prominent as a centre of commerce because of its land connections to three continents and the sea surrounding it on three sides. The capital city of Turkey is Ankara.   

 

Where is Istanbul?

Istanbul, Where The Two Continents Meet

click here for a larger map

    Istanbul is Turkey's largest city with a population of 7,309,190 according to year 1990's data. Probably around 12 million today. It is the only city in the world which is on two continents, Europe & Asia. The actual area is 5,712 kmē(square kilometres). It was also the former capital of three successive empires- Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empire. Today it is not the capital city as to many people's surprise. The capital city of Turkey is Ankara.

    Istanbul lies along the two shores of the Istanbul Bogazi (Bosphorus)  that links the Sea of Marmara in the South with the Black Sea in the North. And since Marmara Sea is connected to Mediterranean Sea, Bosphorus becomes the  only gate way between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea (You can visualize this more clearly with the help of the maps above). So Istanbul's port area is very important and visited by all manners of ships, including cargo vessels, naval vessels and cruise ships.

 

     On one side of the Bosphorus lies  the lands of Anatolia (Asia side), and on the other side lie the eastern shores of Europe. There are two bridges on Bosphorus that unite these two continents. The first one is called "Bogazici Koprusu" (Bosphorus Bridge) and was opened in 1974 (pic.1). It is 64m (210ft) in height, 1,560m (5,117ft) in length and has 6 lanes. The distance between the two legs is 1,074m (3,523ft). The construction took 3 years at a cost of 22 million US Dollars. During its first years it was open to pedestrians and the elevators inside the legs were open to the public. However today it is no longer open to pedestrians.

Bagazici Koprusu

 

      The second bridge takes it's name from "Fatih Sultan Mehmed" the conqueror of Istanbul. So is called "Fatih Sultan Mehmet Koprusu" (Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge) and was built in 1985 due to the need aroused by the heavy traffic in Istanbul (pic2). It is 64m (210ft) in height, 1,510m (4,953ft) in length, and has 8 lanes. The distance between the two legs is 1,090m (3,575ft). It is built between the narrowest shores on Bosphorus and the cost was 125 million US Dollars. Fatih Sultan Mehmet Koprusu

 

    Istanbul is very rich in art & culture with a rich tradition in opera and ballet, theatres performing Turkish and foreign plays, concerts, exhibitions, festivals, auctions and conferences. The country's largest and finest universities are also in Istanbul.

    At every turn in the city you are faced with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman palaces, mosques, churches, synagogues, monasteries, monuments, walls and ruins. Yet Istanbul is not a city living only in its past. It is a vibrant, modern and future-oriented metropolis. Bazaars and ultra-modern supermarkets and department stores, street vendors and stock-brokers, old crumbling buildings and skyscrapers, horse-drawn carts and sumptuous limousines coexist and this gives the city a multifaceted outlook and flavour. It has a blend of eastern and western cultures.

 

PLAN OF BOSPHORUS

 

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