Istanbul in the 1970s, as people from Anatolia migrated to the city to find employment in the many new factories that were built on the outskirts of the sprawling metropolis. This sudden, sharp rise in the city's population caused a large demand for housing, and many previously outlying villages and forests became engulfed into the metropolitan area of Istanbul. Istanbul is located in north-western Turkey within the Marmara Region on a total area of . The Bosphorus, which connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea, divides the city into a European, Thracian side—comprising the historic and economic centers—and an
Names of Istanbul form of "Istambuł" is also universally accepted and employed in many translations), Latvian, Lithuanian, Georgian and Albanian. The Albanian form is "Stamboll"; the Spanish form is "Estambul"; the Portuguese form is "Istambul", with an "m" instead of an "n". Armenian uses "Bolis", based on the Greek "Poli(s)" 'City'. Icelandic preserves the old Norse name "Mikligarður", though the form "Istanbúl" is generally used. In Slovene "Carigrad" is still largely used and often preferred over the official name. Names of Istanbul The city of Istanbul has been known by a number of different names. The most notable names besides the modern Turkish