An overview of Istanbul City
Istanbul is a locality with a total area of 5,196 Km2.
By comparison, the total area of some the Principality of Luxembourg is 2,586 Km2 and that of some other big cities areas are as follows:
New York City: 883 km2
Moscow: 1,000km2
London: 1,580km2
Historical Milestones
3000 BC: First settlements, on the Asian side.
1850 BC: According to ancient mythology, the city was founded by the Phenicians.
700 BC: The colony of Byzantium is founded.
395 AD: Byzantium becomes the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.
470 AD: Constantinople becomes the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
1453: Conquest by the Ottoman Empire.
1923: Establishment of the Turkish Republic.
Demographics
Istanbul is the most populated city in Turkey, with 12,000,000 inhabitants.
This represents about 15% of Turkey’s total population.
The city’s population is highly concentrated: there are 1,928 inhabitants per km2 – which is 22 times the average concentration of the country as a whole. Daytime population is drastically higher, due to commuting workers.
Istanbul still receives much migration from the rest of the country, and it has the highest yearly population growth rate in the country, with 3.3% growth per annum.
35% of the population lives on the Asian side, while 65% resides on the European side.
Istanbul’s Economy
Being the heart of Turkey’s economy, Istanbul is the primary city in the country’s GDP: it accounts for around 22% of Turkey’s overall income, and average per capita income is about 35% higher than the country average.
Istanbul stands as the center of the country’s industry, trade, transportation, communications, and financial services.
The city accounts for 30% of the country’s total industrial production, and is the main service provider for all the other Turkish cities (35% of all trade services). Moreover, a great part of overall financial services is also provided from Istanbul.