Istanbul is located on earth.
Continent . Ordered from largest in size to smallest , they are : Asia , Africa , North America , South America , Antarctica , Europe , and Australia . Earth . The remaining 29 % is land consisting of continents and islands that together have many lakes , rivers and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere . Europe is a continent that comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia . Istanbul ( [ ˌɪstænˈbʊl ] , [ - ˈbuːl ] or [ - stɑːn - ] İstanbul [ isˈtɑnbuɫ ] ) , historically known as Constantinople and Byzantium , is the most populous city in Turkey and the country 's economic , cultural , and historic center . Turkey ( Türkiye Cumhuriyeti [ ˈtyɾcije d͡ʒumˈhuɾijeti ] ) , is a transcontinental country in Eurasia , mainly in Anatolia in Western Asia , with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe .