 |
|
| Credits |
 |
Istanbul, Turkey: The Crossroads of Europe and Asia 29 May 2004 
This metropolis of 15
million people occupies both sides of the entrance to the narrow,
20-mile long Bosporus Strait connecting the Mediterranean and Sea of
Marmara (south) to the Black Sea (north). From its founding as Byzantium
by the Greeks in 600 B.C., this strategically located city has been a
focus of maritime trade and commerce as well as an outpost and threshold
for cultural exchange and conflict between Europe and Asia. The modern
city’s layout and architecture show the influences of both the
Roman-Byzantine era when it became Constantinople, the world’s first
Christian capital, as well as that of the conquering Ottoman Turks, from
1453, when it became the seat of the world’s largest Muslim Empire.
Today Istanbul is Turkey’s economic capital and home to nearly half
the country’s wealth.
This digital camera image was taken by the crew of the International Space Station on April 16, 2004. When this image was taken, strong currents carried turbid coastal waters from the Black Sea through the Strait and into the Sea of Marmara. The rugged uplands to the north of the city are forested and contain vital reservoirs. Note the picturesque Prince Islands in the Sea of Marmara, and the sinuous waterway and harbor on the western shore known as the Golden Horn.
|
|
