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
20th Century Masters – The Christmas Collection: The Best of George Strait 20th Century Masters – The Christmas Collection: The Best of George Strait 20th Century Masters – The Christmas Collection: The Best of George Strait is a collection of some of George Strait's greatest Christmas songs. It was released in 2003 by MCA Nashville. "20th Century Masters – The Christmas Collection: The Best of George Strait" received three out of five stars from William Ruhlmann of Allmusic. In his review, Ruhlmann laments that "this compilation is not what it might have been" because "Strait seems intent on rewarding his current crop of contributing songwriters by including plenty of their mediocre contributions