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Geonivora
Region

Istanbul

Local name: İstanbul ili

Located in Turkey Coordinates: 41°02′06″ N 28°59′00″ E

Istanbul
Istanbul · AlexTref871 , Piotr Matyja , Alexxx1979 , Moyan Brenn , Far-gh , İhsan Deniz Kılıçoğlu , Carlos Delgado · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Population
15,907,951
15.9M
Elevation
85 m
above sea level
Local time
UTC+03:00
Europe/Istanbul · UTC+03:00
Places inside
221
listed under Istanbul
When to go
May–October
See the climate
Airports
SAW Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport31 km
IST İstanbul Airport34 km

About Istanbul

Istanbul is a region. Location: Turkey. Population: 15,907,951.

From Wikipedia

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, a megacity, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical center. With a population of over 15 million, it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in the world by population. It is a city on two continents; about two-thirds of its population live in Europe and the rest in Asia.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

Built
1922
Area
5,343 km²
Official website
istanbul.gov.tr

Source: Wikidata

Travel notes for Istanbul

From Wikivoyage

Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) is a very large city of fantastic history, culture and beauty. Called Byzantium in ancient times, the city's name was changed to Constantinople in 324 CE when it was rebuilt by the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine. The name "Istanbul", perhaps surprisingly, comes from Greek and could be translated as a corruption of "to the city". While the term had been in widespread use for centuries, it only became the official name of the city upon the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in the 1920s.

The most populous city in Europe, Istanbul forms the financial and cultural center of Turkey and confidently straddles the borders between Asia and Europe as it has for millennia: this is the result when you mix ancient Christendom, a medieval metropolis and the modern Middle East. Situated on either side of the Bosphorus, Istanbul retains its metropolitan status: the city's population is more than 14 million people, making it one of the largest cities in the world.

Lauded in antiquity as "the second Rome", this is a city where you most certainly should roam — culture and excitement lie around every corner and more than 2,000 years of history await you.

Understand+

History:

While relics of prehistoric human settlement were found in the Yarımburgaz Cave near the Küçükçekmece Lake and during the construction of a subway station in Yenikapı, Greek colonists from Megara, directed by their legendary leader Byzas, have been traditionally accepted as the founders of Istanbul. Expanding the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium by the order of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, the imperial city of Constantinople was for nearly a thousand years the heavily-fortified capital of the Eastern Roman (later termed Byzantine) Empire. To this day, the Ecumenical Patriarch, head of the Eastern Orthodox Church continues to be the Archbishop of Constantinople, who is still based in Istanbul. It was finally conquered by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II on 29 May 1453, an event sometimes used to mark the end of the Middle Ages. It was the nerve centre for military campaigns that were to enlarge the Ottoman Empire dramatically. By the mid-1500s, Istanbul, with a population of almost half a million, was a major cultural, political, and commercial centre. Ottoman rule continued until it was defeated in the first World War and Istanbul was occupied by the allies. When the Republic of Turkey was born in 1923 after the War of Independence, Kemal Atatürk moved its capital to the city of Ankara, strategically located in the centre of the new republic. However, Istanbul has continued to expand dramatically; today its population is approximately 14 million and increases at an estimated 400,000 immigrants per year. Industry has expanded even as tourism has grown. It continues to be a city that creates its own history at the intersection where both continents meet.

Orientation:

Get in+

See Turkey#Get in for visa requirements. From 2020, most EU, UK, CIS and South American visitors do not need a visa. Those from many other countries including Australia, Canada and US can get an e-visa online, valid for 90 days.

By plane:

1 Istanbul Airport (IST IATA). Istanbul's chief airport, and the main port of entry into Turkey, is 30 km northwest of the city in Arnavutköy, on the Europe-side Black Sea coast. It was opened in 2018 / 19 and replaced Atatürk Airport. It has a very wide range of international flights, by Turkish Airlines and other carriers, and domestic flights at least daily to all the major Turkish cities. There's car hire and the usual passenger facilities. Metro line M11, public buses, and taxis are available to the city centre. A second metro line is under construction from the airport to the western district of Halkalı. (updated Feb 2023)

Getting to and from Istanbul International Airport

By metro – The M11 metro line connects the airport to the city, providing a fast and affordable option. The metro station is outside airport exit 11, in front of the parking lot, where you can purchase an 'Istanbulkart.' To reach your destination, you will likely need to transfer and possibly walk a short distance. The Istanbul metro operates from 06:15 to 00:15.

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged

Places bordering Istanbul

Population of Istanbul over time

Population of Istanbul over time
2018 15,067,724
2021 14,567,918
2023 15,655,924

Censuses and official estimates; source: Wikidata.

Climate of Istanbul

Best months for sightseeing

Best months for sightseeing: May–October.

This month · November

Outside the best season

Day 15° · Night 8° · Rain 89 mm

Better nearby cities in November

  • Aydin · 368 km south19°
Hottest month
July (day 28°)
Coldest month
February (night 3°)
Wettest month
December (113 mm)
Driest month
July (25 mm)

Bars: average monthly low and high temperature. Below: precipitation. Monthly averages for 1970–2000 at about 18 km resolution, adjusted for elevation. Highlighted months are mild and relatively dry. Source: WorldClim 2.1 (CC BY 4.0).

Show values as a table
Climate of Istanbul
Month JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)9°9°11°17°21°26°28°28°25°20°15°11°
Average low (°C)3°3°4°8°12°16°19°19°15°12°8°5°
Precipitation (mm)9564644738312535427589113

Other places to visit in this season: May June July August September October

How to get to Istanbul

The nearest airport is Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), 31 km to the southeast as the crow flies. The nearest large city is Şişli, 3 km to the north.

Airports

  • Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) Pendik, Istanbul 31 kmsoutheast
  • İstanbul Airport (IST) Istanbul 34 kmnorthwest
  • Tekirdağ Çorlu Airport (TEQ) Çorlu 90 kmwest

Nearby large cities

  • Şişli Population: 314.7K 3 kmnorth
  • Üsküdar Population: 524.5K 3 kmsoutheast
  • Istanbul Population: 15.7M 4 kmsouthwest
  • Fatih Population: 356K 4 kmwest
  • Zeytinburnu Population: 280.9K 8 kmsouthwest

Straight-line distances; road distances are longer. Airport data: OurAirports.

Places in Istanbul

221 places
  1. 1 Istanbul 15.7M
  2. 2 Esenyurt 983.6K
  3. 3 Pendik 750.4K
  4. 4 Küçükçekmece 740.1K
  5. 5 Bağcılar 740.1K
  6. 6 Ümraniye 723.8K
  7. 7 Bahçelievler 602.9K
  8. 8 Sultangazi 542.5K
  9. 9 Maltepe 528.5K
  10. 10 Üsküdar 524.5K
  11. 11 Gaziosmanpaşa 495K
  12. 12 Sancaktepe 489.8K
  13. 13 Kartal 483.4K
  14. 14 Kadıköy 467.9K
  15. 15 Esenler 461.6K
  16. 16 Kagithane 455.9K
  17. 17 Fatih 425.9K
  18. 18 Eyüpsultan 422.9K
  19. 19 Avcılar 407.2K
  20. 20 Ataşehir 406K
  21. 21 Sarıyer 335.6K
  22. 22 Başakşehir 333K
  23. 23 Arnavutköy 326.5K
  24. 24 Sultanbeyli 309.3K
  25. 25 Çekmeköy 296.1K
  26. 26 Zeytinburnu 292.6K
  27. 27 Tuzla 288.9K
  28. 28 Güngören 282.7K
  29. 29 Şişli 274.4K
  30. 30 Bayrampaşa 269.7K
  31. 31 Beykoz 248.1K
  32. 32 Beylikdüzü 244.8K
  33. 33 Beyoğlu 225.9K
  34. 34 Bakırköy 221K
  35. 35 Silivri 217.2K
  36. 36 Beşiktaş 186.6K
  37. 37 Çatalca 77.5K
  38. 38 Şile 41.6K
  39. 39 Adalar 16.2K
  40. 40 Büyükçekmece 211

Bar: population relative to the most populous place in this list.

Cities & villages3

Mountains & nature4

Lakes, rivers & coasts12

Heritage & sights1

Largest cities and towns

Nature and heritage in Istanbul

Sources & licences

Data last updated: · 2 independent sources