Sochi

Edit links
Coordinates: 43°35′7″N 39°43′13″E / 43.58528°N 39.72028°E / 43.58528; 39.72028
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Okino (talk | contribs) at 23:15, 4 July 2007 (+iw cs). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sochi
Flag of Sochi
Flag
Coat of arms of Sochi
Coat of arms
Location of Sochi
Map
Sochi is located in Russia
Sochi
Sochi
Location of Sochi
Coordinates: 43°35′7″N 39°43′13″E / 43.58528°N 39.72028°E / 43.58528; 39.72028
CountryRussia
Federal subjectKrasnodar Krai
Founded1838Edit this on Wikidata
Elevation
65 m (213 ft)
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)[1]
424,281
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK Edit this on Wikidata[2])
Postal code(s)[3]
354000–354999Edit this on Wikidata
OKTMO ID03726000001
Train station of Sochi hidden behind palm trees

Sochi (Russian: Со́чи) is a Russian resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai near the southern Russian border. It is located among the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains overlooking the shores of the Black Sea. At 147 km, Greater Sochi is claimed to be the longest city in Europe.[4] As of the 2002 Census, it had a population of 328,809, down from 336,514 recorded in the 1989 Census.

History

From the 6th to the 15th centuries the area successively belonged to the Khazars, kingdoms of Abkhazia, and Georgia who built a dozen churches in modern Sochi. Ruins of an 11th century Byzantine basilica still survive in Loo. From the 15th century the coast was controlled by the Ottoman Empire and partially by the local mountaineer clans. It was ceded to Russia in 1829 as a result of the Russo-Turkish War.

In 1838, a fort of Alexandriya (Александри́я) was founded in the territory of modern Sochi. The fort was renamed Navaginsky (Навагинский) in 1839. During the Crimean War the fort was abandoned by the Russian troops and was not re-built until 1864 as the outpost of Dakhovsky (Даховский). In 1874 the outpost was renamed Dakhovsky Posad (Даховский Посад). The settlement got its present name after the name of the local river (Шәача (Š°ača, /ʃʷaʨʰa/) in Abkhaz, Шъачэ in Adyghe, Шьача in Ubykh) in 1896. Town status was granted to Sochi in 1917.

From 1918 to 1919 the town and its environs saw sporadic armed clashes involving the Red Army, White movement forces and the Democratic Republic of Georgia.

Sochi was established as a fashionable resort area in the years of the Soviet Union when Joseph Stalin had his favourite dacha built in the city.[citation needed]

Climate

Sochi has a surprisingly warm climate for the latitude; winter temperatures rarely fall much below freezing. The average summer high temperature ranges between Template:C to F and Template:C to F with occasional extreme heat in some interior locations exceeding Template:C to F.

Resort

The resort has the warmest climate in Russia, averaging Template:C to F in January and February, and boasts many sanatoria and mineral baths. There are also tea plantations, the most northerly in Europe. The permanent population is about 315,400 (2004) but thousands more arrive each summer, when the city is home to the annual film festival "Kinotavr" and the vacation place of Russian leaders. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve, sprawls just north from the city.

Apart from the majestic Caucasus Mountains, pebbly and sand beaches, Sochi attracts vacation-goers with its subtropical vegetation, numerous parks, monuments, and extravagant Stalinist architecture. The local markets are made primarily of kiosks grouped together in areas with pavilions and more permanent larger structures. The second Russian president Vladimir Putin has a dacha in Sochi, called Bocharov Ruchey (Russian: Бочаров Ручей).

Sochi is also known for its sport facilities: a local tennis school spawned the careers of such notable players as Maria Sharapova and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Kafelnikov spent much of his childhood here, while Sharapova relocated to Florida at the age of 7. Both are Grand Slam champions. In late 2005, the Russian Football Union announced that it was planning to establish a year-round training center for the country's national teams in Sochi. The city's warm climate was cited as one of the main incentives (the city's temperature averages above 14 degrees Celsius).

2014 Winter Olympic Candidate City

Main article: 2014 Winter Olympics bids
Olympic bid logo
Olympic bid logo

In June 2006, IOC president Jacques Rogge announced that Sochi had been selected as a finalist city to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. The other two finalists are Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Salzburg, Austria.[5]

In contrast to what was perceived as a lukewarm bid by Russia for Moscow to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, the Russian government has committed to a $12 billion investment package, shared 60-40 between the government and private sector, should Sochi be successful. The IOC will vote on a final candidate on July 4, 2007 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. If the current bid is unsuccessful Sochi is widely expected to try through at least the 2022 games to attempt to win a bid.

Environmental organisation Greenpeace has objected to Sochi being a candidate, because, according to Greenpeace, several of the planned sport resorts are located in natural reserves.[6]

Sister cities

Sochi is twinned with the following cities:

See also

  • Sochi Sea Port. View from downtown
    Sochi Sea Port. View from downtown
  • Sochi Monument to Archangel Michael.
    Sochi Monument to Archangel Michael.

References

  1. ^ "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). 3 June 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  3. ^ Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
  4. ^ Port of Sochi at Russia.com
  5. ^ "Olympics: Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia Await Decision On 2014 Bid". Radio Free Europe. 21 June 2006. Retrieved December 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Olimpic Games at the Cost of World Heritage?". greenpeace.org. 13 July 2006. Retrieved December 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

Olympic-related

Other

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sochi.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sochi&oldid=142555763"