part of the district along the D100 Highway is known as Merter and is primarily industrial. The northern and western parts of the district and primarily residential. In the center of the district is the large Kale Shopping Center. Along the eastern border of the district is Yıldız Technical University. Population The population of Güngören has grown rapidly in the last 70 years. The area recorded a population of 259 in 1935 rising to a peak of 318,545 in 2007. Population growth was particularly pronounced between 1970 to 2000 when the population grew from 20,000 to 180,000. The district is now fully built out and has seen population decline as families have left cramped and poorly built structures and depart for more spacious, modern and better built suburban residential districts that are now accessible thanks to the expansion of the Istanbul Metro. Sports The Tozkoparan Olympic Swimming Pool is one of the four Olympic-size swimming pools in Istanbul. Güngören also has amateur football clubs belonging to districts such as Istanbul Güngörenspor, Haznedarspor, Tozkoparanspor and Güneştepespor which all play in the Istanbul amateur league. Reaction to Recep İvedik Güngören is the hometown of the main character of a 2008 Turkish comedy film, directed by Togan Gökbakar. The main character is an oafish man played by Şahan Gökbakar. The portrayal is partially based on cultural attitudes and stereotypes in Istanbul and Turkey about Güngören's socio-economic identity. Some residents of Güngören were displeased with the portrayal of the character and the community in the film. We are uneasy that our district is being mentioned by a character like İvedik, proclaimed Abdullah Yılmaz, the president of the Youth Council for Güngören District, in response to the release of the film Recep İvedik 3 which featured a "red neck" comedy character portrayed as residing in the district. Güngören is a district where educated and intellectual people live. It is not right to associate Güngören with an impolite character who does not know any manners, he continued before stating that the council would take action to prevent the district from being mentioned in a fourth film in the series. References External links District governor's official website District municipality's official website Miscellaneous images of Güngören Populated places in Istanbul Province Districts of Istanbul Province