Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul[a], is located on the Bosporus Strait, which separates Europe and Asia. It is regarded as the capital of the nation’s economy, culture, and history. With more over 15 million citizens, the city is home to 19% of Turkey’s total population[4]. It is also the most populated city in Europe[b] and the fifteenth largest in the world.

Greek settlers from Megara founded the city as Byzantium in the seventh century BCE.[10] It became the imperial capital of Rome in 330 CE when the Roman emperor Constantine the Great named it after himself. He originally called it New Rome (Ancient Greek: Νέα Ῥώμη Nea Rhomē; Latin: Nova Roma)[11] and subsequently Constantinople (Constantinopolis).[11][12] The name of the city was formally changed to Istanbul in 1930.