Location
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and the country's economic, cultural and historic center. The city straddles the Bosphorus strait, and lies in both Europe and Asia, with a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is the most populous city in Europe,and the world's fifteenth-largest city.
Climate
The climate of Istanbul can be defined as transitional Mediterranean, in fact, it has quite cold winters, but otherwise it has Mediterranean characteristics: the rainiest seasons are autumn and winter, and summer is hot and sunny.