When you look at the World map, you see that lstanbul has a magnificent geographical position which enables people to arrive easily and combines two old continents, Europe and Asia as well as being connected to Africa by sea.When you consider that international trade is done substantially by the sea, you’ll see that istanbul has a huge advantage thanks to its strategic location.
Istanbul is in such a climate zone that satisfies anybody. Equidistant to poles and equator. Besides, being a mid-season region between Mediterranean and Black Sea climate makes it a temperature zone ith rich seasonal variation.
When we look back at urbanism history, we see that all these metropolitans have been positioned waterfront. For instance London is located on the margin of the River Thames, also the others established riverfront such as Paris with the River Seine, Budapest and Vienna with the Danube River or Rome with Elbe River However, a strait, even much more beautiful than a river, cuts lstanbul in the middle and also connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea Haliç, popularly known as Golden Horn makes the city attractive as well as the Bosporus.
The topography of lstanbul is very suitable for settlement. Most of the houses established on Yeditepe, a chain of hills with fair heights, have ide points of view with sea and Bosporus view.
Because all these features have attracted people’s attention since the early ages, Istanbul has been considered as a center of attraction and become capital city of several civilizations such as Ottoman Empire and East Roman Empire, Historical heritages such as churches mosques, palaces of Ottoman and Constantinople, monuments and various artworks constitute a cultural and visual richness for Istanbul even at the present time.
Istanbul not only distinguishes with its rich history, but also attracts the whole world’s attention as a colorful city with its operas, ballets, movie theatres, stages, art exhibitions and festivals, restaurants that combines Turkish cuisine, which offers a great variety and taste, with the alternatives of the World cuisine, and also the vibrant nightlife that meets the modern parties with its mystical environment and the way that it blends the old and new and east and west.
All these characteristics makes lstanbul unrivaled as a capital of the World. As Napoleon Bonaparte says
‘IF THE WHOLE WORLD WERE ONE COUNTRY ISTANBUL WOULD BE ITS CAPITAL’
by ÖZLEM DEMİR
