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
Battle of the Strait of Gibraltar (1591) Battle of the Strait of Gibraltar (1591) The Battle of the Strait of Gibraltar was a naval action off Gibraltar on 24th of April, 1591. A fleet of three English merchant vessels escorted by a larger armed merchant vessel "Centurion" was attacked by five Spanish galleys. Ultimately, the Spanish were repelled, but not before the English vessel "Dolphin" was sunk by one of the galleys. The English merchants, which included ships of the Levant Company, were sailing for various ports but had banded together to sail through the heavily Spanish-dominated Straits of Gibraltar. Among these ships was the "Centurion", a