Istanbul is a village.
Istanbul . Istanbul is one of the world 's most populous cities and ranks as the world 's 7th-largest city proper and the largest European city . Founded under the name of Byzantion on the Sarayburnu promontory around 660 BCE , the city developed to become one of the most significant in history . The population of the city has increased tenfold since the 1950s , as migrants from across Anatolia have moved in and city limits have expanded to accommodate them . Considered a global city , Istanbul has one of the fastest-growing metropolitan economies in the world .