Istanbul or İstanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) is the largest city in Turkey and Europe, the thirteenth most populous city in the world (as of 2021 - 15.4 million people). An important seaport, a large industrial and cultural center of Turkey. Located on the coast of the Bosphorus, it has great international, historical and cultural significance.
Istanbul is located in a hilly area in the north-west of Turkey on both sides of the Bosphorus strait, from the south it is washed by the Sea of Marmara. The main part of the city is located in Europe, the smaller part is in Asia. The European part of the city is separated by the Golden Horn bay. The area of the city is 1,538.77 km². Not far from Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara are the Prince's Islands.
Istanbul is located in a temperate climate zone. Winter is cold and wet. Temperatures in spring and autumn are moderate. In summer, the weather is very warm and humid. (The average temperature in January is from +3 to 9 °C, in August from 18 to 28 °C). Precipitation — 870 mm per year. Winters are rainy, from November to April it snows, but it lasts a little more than 4-5 days. Hail falls more often than snow, and mainly during the autumn and spring months. Thunderstorms usually occur in spring and summer. The lowest temperature (−16.1 °C) was recorded on February 15, 1927. The highest temperature (40.5 °C) was recorded on August 12, 2000. The most precipitation per day fell on September 9, 2009 — (342 mm).