At the south of Istanbul the Marmara Sea, and at the north the Black Sea takes place. The Western part of the city is in Europe, and the Eastern is in Asia. The important watercourse that divides Istanbul is the Bosporus. As a seaport both the closest Asian city to Europe and the closest European City to Asia, and the passage of all commerce ways from here, increases the importance of Istanbul.

Positioned between 28o 01' and 29o 55' eastern longitudes and 41o 33' and 40o 28' northern latitudes, Istanbul is among the numbered cities of the world with it's location as a bridge between Europe and Asia. This geographical location gives characteristics of East and West to the city at the same time.

There are 27 boroughs within the province of Istanbul:
On West: Avcilar, Kucukcekmece, Bakirkoy, Bahcelievler, Bagcilar, Gungoren, Esenler, Bayrampasa, Zeytinburnu, Fatih, Eminonu, Beyoglu, Besiktas, Sisli, Kâgithane, Sariyer, Gaziosmanpasa, Eyup.
On East: Uskudar, Beykoz, Kadikoy, Kartal, Pendik, Tuzla, Umraniye, Adalar, Maltepe, Sultanbeyli.

Independent municipalities are Buyukcekmece, Catalca, Silivri and Sile.

Istanbul has a total area of 5.512 kilometers. Covering 7% of the land of Turkey, Istanbul has a population of 10.041.477 according to the census of 2000. Moreover, there is the population density of 1822 people per kilometer in the city.

Climate

It is possible to live four seasons together in Istanbul. Although it is the Mediterranean climate most of the time, it is also possible to see the effects of the continental climate.

In April and May, a short and cool spring is experienced in Istanbul. In June, you feel both summer and spring. In July and August, a moist summer with 30 degrees on average goes on.

From September till December, a long fall meets you... In fact the weather doesn't get cooler, and in this season when it often rains, it is possible to swim almost till September. But it also rains frequently.

From December till March, especially nights are cold, but you face a soft winter. Rarely snowy and freezing winter days...

Average temperature throughout a year: 13.7oC
The coldest month: February, 5oC
The hottest months: July - August, 25-30oC
Average of annual rainfall: 691 mm
Average of snowy days: 7

Economy

Never having lost its position as an "economy center" since the first day it was established, Istanbul still keeps this characteristic of it with all its speed. Indeed, the city forms the backbone of Turkish economy.

Istanbul has an important contribution share of 46 per cent of total export and of 40 per cent of total import of Turkey.

At the same time, having many advantages from the historical and cultural perspectives on its way to become a worldwide tourism center, Istanbul has made important progress on its way to become the center of "congress tourism" as well, due to it's facilities and geographical location.

Briefly on Turkey.

Capital: Ankara
Area: 780.000 kilometers
Population: 72.3 million
Language: Turkish
Currency: New Turkish Lira
Phone code: 00 90

Official holidays

There are two great festivals celebrated in the religious sense: The Ramadan Bairam (3-5 November 2006) and The Kurban Bairam (10-14 January 2006). During Ramadan Bairam, for three days, and the Kurban Bairam, for four days, all institutions and organizations in the country are closed.

As majority of the country is Muslim, the months of Ramadan are celebrated with great enthusiasm in Turkey. With the secular understanding, bars, restaurants and night clubs continue to serve during Ramadan month in the country.

Moreover, such national festivals as 29th October the Republic Festival, 30th August Victory Festival, 23rd April National Independence and Children's Festival and 19th May Commemoration of Ataturk and Youth and Sports Festival are also celebrated. Again all official institutions and organizations are closed throughout the celebrations.