What world cities would you consider to be at the crossroads of commerce, culture, and language? This week, I am attending a GIS conference in a city has an excellent claim to be the crossroads of the world. The city has existed for 5,000 years, has undergone name changes, has been the capital of three great empires, but is even more important on the world stage now than ever before.

A strait runs through the middle of the city, meaning "Ford of the Cow” in one of the languages spoken just west of here. This came from the legend of Io, one of Zeus’ lovers, who swam across the sea here as a cow chased him. In the language now spoken at this location, this drowned river valley is known simply as “The Strait,” which connects two of the world’s largest seas. This is the world’s only city on not one but two continents.

During the 7th Century BC, King Byzas established a colony here for the Greeks, which became part of the Roman Empire 800 years later. In 306 AD, Emperor Constantine the Great made Byzantium the capital of the entire Roman Empire. Constantinople remained the capital of the eastern part of the empire, though subject to invasion due to its prime location. Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453, when it became the third and last capital of the Ottoman Empire, all the way up to 1918.

Start ArcGIS Explorer (visit http://www.esri.com/arcgisexplorer to download) to explore for yourself. Under Tools, select “Go To Location,” enter the following latitude and longitude, and press “Go To.”

By now you know that I am in Istanbul. Over 13 million people live here, with 700,000 immigrants arriving annually.

Add a historical map (below). What country names and boundaries are different between 1812 and today?

I am attending the GIS International Conference at Fatih University (http://icgis2008.fatih.edu.tr/). Is Fatih University is on the European side or the Asian side of the Bosphorus? Use ArcGIS Explorer to investigate, and use it to explore other world “crossroads” cities.

- Joseph Kerski, ESRI Education Manager