Istanbul Istanbul Istanbul (, or or ; ), historically known as Byzantium and before 1924 as Constantinople, is the most populous city in Turkey and the country's economic, cultural, and historic center. Istanbul is a transcontinental city in Eurasia, straddling the Bosporus strait (which separates Europe and Asia) between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies on the European side and about a third of its population lives on the Asian side. The city is the administrative center of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (coterminous with Istanbul Province), both hosting a population of around 15
Economy of Istanbul Economy of Istanbul Economy of Istanbul covers the issues related to the economy of the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Historically, Istanbul has been the center of the country's economic life because of its location as an international junction of land and sea trade routes. In 2012 the City of Istanbul had a GDP of $332,4 billion. In 2008, companies based in Istanbul made exports worth $41,397,000,000 and imports worth $69,883,000,000; which corresponded to 56.6% and 60.2% of Turkey's exports and imports, respectively, in that year. In 2006 Turkey's exports grew a further +16.1% while imports grew +17.6% because of a