Description:
Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul, historically known as Constantinople and Byzantium, is the most populous city in Turkey and the country's economic, cultural, and historic center. The city is the administrative center of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, which has a population of over 13 million residents. Istanbul was founded as Byzantium by the ancient Greeks. It became the capital of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire in 330 AD, and remained so until 1453, when the city was captured by the Ottoman Turks. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, Istanbul became the capital of the Republic of Turkey.
