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. 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.
Published May 10, 2004
A key city on the old Silk Road stands midway between Western Europe and China.
Published Sep 23, 2013
Planned at the end of the sixteenth century and built during the seventeenth, Amsterdam has inspired generations of city planners.
Published Jul 21, 2013
Buenos Aires is one of the larger cities seen by orbiting crews. Twelve million people, almost one third of all Argentines, live in this city, often called the “Paris of the South”.
Published Mar 16, 2003
The modern city of Constanta, is located on the western coast of the Black Sea and is the principal seaport for Romania. It is the site of the ancient Greek city of Tomis It acquired its current name from the emperor Constantine I. Today, Constanta is a thriving port-of-entry for Romania, offering both tourist attractions and an expanding, modern port facility that is among the largest on the Black Sea.
Published Nov 17, 2002
This “Gateway to Mecca” stands along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.
Published Nov 27, 2017
Juba, a port city on the White Nile, is the capital of the new nation of South Sudan and is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
Published Jul 2, 2012
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