Istanbul from space: 1990 to 2026

A third bridge, a new airport and a city that swallowed its forests. Drag the handle to compare 1990 (Landsat) with 2026 (Sentinel-2).

Istanbul in 1990, satellite view Istanbul in 2026, satellite view 19902026

Explore Istanbul in the satellite tool → Every year since 1990, radar, temperature, change maps and more.

Land cover around the centre

1990-09-01

  • Dense vegetation7%
  • Healthy vegetation17%
  • Sparse vegetation41%
  • Bare ground27%
  • Water / built-up8%

2026-10-22

  • Dense vegetation12%
  • Healthy vegetation13%
  • Sparse vegetation19%
  • Bare ground39%
  • Water / built-up17%

Plant-health classes (NDVI) over roughly 10 km around the centre, clouds removed. Landsat and Sentinel-2 differ slightly in resolution; read the shares as a trend, not a survey.

How to read it

The left image is a Landsat scene from 1990-09-01, 30 metres per pixel. The right is a Sentinel-2 scene from 2026-10-22, 10 metres per pixel. Both are true colour: what a person would see from orbit. Sand is pale, water dark, vegetation green, cities grey.

In the satellite tool you can step through every year in between, switch to plant health, water, burn or surface temperature, draw an area to measure what changed, and watch the place for new passes.

More places from space

Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026 · Landsat courtesy USGS · via Microsoft Planetary Computer.