Istanbul

geographical name

Is·​tan·​bul ˌi-stən-ˈbül 

-ˌstan-,

-ˌstän-,

-ˈbu̇l,

ˈi-stən-ˌbül,

-ˌbu̇l,

 or with  m,

 for  n

variants or formerly Constantinople

ˌkän-ˌstan-tə-ˈnō-pəl 

or ancient Byzantium

bə-ˈzan-tē-əm 

-ˈzan-sh(ē-)əm

city in northwestern Turkey partly in Europe and partly in Asia on the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara; capital of Turkey before its independence in 1923 and earlier capital of the Ottoman Empire population 12,500,000