Istanbul is the capital of Turkey and is the only city in the world which straddles two continents, Europe and Asia. The city is split by the river Bosphorus which was formed by meltwaters at the end of the last Ice Age. It connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.
The Bosphorus has played an important role in Turkish history as it was an important trade route in ancient times. The current is extremely fast 2 m/s and the winds are predominantly from the north, and so it was difficult to move from the south to the north. This is thought to be the reason why Byzantine developed as a town. Being on the Southern entrance sailors were able to rest in Byzantine before embarking on the row to the Black Sea.
There are now two bridges which cross the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus Bridge is 1074m long and was completed in 1973. The Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Bosphorus II) Bridge is 1090m long and was completed in 1988.
Thursday 7 May 2009
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