The city in Turkey and one of the country's 81 provinces. It is the country's most populous, economically, historically and socio-culturally leading city. In terms of economic size, the city ranks 34th in the world in terms of population, and ranks first in Europe and sixth in the world, according to the ranking made considering the municipal borders.
Istanbul was established in the northwest of Turkey, along the Marmara coast and the Bosphorus, surrounding the Golden Horn. Istanbul is a transcontinental city and its part in Europe is called the European Side or the Rumeli Side, and the Asian part is called the Anatolian Side or the Asian Side. The Istanbul Walls formed the western border of Istanbul, which was founded on a peninsula surrounded by the Marmara Sea, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn for the first time in history. During the development and growth process, the city has 39 districts, which were expanded 4 times as the walls were built each time by advancing further to the west. Within its borders, there are a total of 40 municipalities including the metropolitan municipality.
