"There, the God and mankind, nature and art altogether have created such a magnificent place on earth that it is worth a visit," says Lamartine to describe the city encompassing two continents, Asia with one arm and Europe with the other.

The seas and lands divide the geography into four. On both flanks of the Golden Horn are the historical peninsula of Istanbul and Galata while on both flanks of the Bosphorus are the ex-villages, which have now joined the grand city. The settlements along the shores of the Sea of Marmara- the smallest sea in the world- bear witness to the present day size of the city.

Istanbul is the cultural and financial center of Turkey. The city covers 27 districts of the Istanbul province.

 It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country.

It extends both on the Europe (Thrace) and on the Asia (Anatolia) side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents.

In its long history, Istanbul served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330-395), the East Roman (Byzantine) Empire (395-1204 and 1261-1453), the Latin Empire (1204-1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453-1922). The city was chosen as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010.

The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.