Sochi, Russia. History, Tourism, Economy, Sports
Sochi is Russia’s only subtropical resort city located in Krasnodar krai, on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, 1,620 km south of Moscow. It has a total area of 3,526 square kilometers.
HISTORY:
Sochi has a long history that dates back to Ancient Greek and Roman times. The first people appeared in the vicinity of present Sochi about 400-350 thousand years ago. The most famous monument of the Stone Age is Akhshtyr cave inhabited about 250 thousand years ago. In the first half of the 6th century BC, a large group of Scythian tribes settled on the coast of the Black Sea.
Greek colonization of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus began with the appearance of city-states in the 6th-5th centuries BC, and lasted until the 1st century BC. The period from the 1st century till the 5th century AD was the time of Roman colonization of the Black Sea coast.
In the 6th-15th centuries, the region was under control of various Christian kingdoms. As a result of the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, the Russian Empire received the territory of present Sochi.
LOCATION
Sochi is located approximately midway between the North Pole and the equator, at the latitude of Nice, Toronto and Vladivostok. The length of the city on the Black Sea coastline is about 145 km. The urban area is located mainly along the coast, sometimes expanding into the mountain valleys.
TRANSPORT
Sochi is a major transportation hub of southern Russia. Sochi international airport offers flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Turkey, Armenia, Belarus and a number of other cities. Public transport is mainly represented by taxis and a small number of buses. An alternative way is to hire or rent a car.
TOURISM:
Tourism and related services are the backbone of the local economy. The Big Sochi has a lot of hotels, motels, restaurants, cafes, bars, entertainment centers, water parks, marinas, piers etc. The most important factors that attract tourists in Sochi are its warm, subtropical climate, the Black Sea, mineral sources, and the mountains. its many beaches make the city popular in summer, while skiing in the nearby mountain makes it an ideal place for winter vacations.
ENTERTAINMENT
Sochi is a Black Sea resort with a lively boardwalk and glorious sunsets. In summer, coastline nightclubs pump out booming baselines from dusk till dawn.
POPULATION:
Population approaching 350,000. There are more than 30 Orthodox churches and chapels in the city. The Byzantine Empire brought Christianity to the Sochi region in the Middle Ages. Sochi is a large predominantly Christian city, though there are thought to be around 20,000 Muslims (5% of inhabitants) living there now. A mosque was built in 2008 by United Arab Emirates in the central area of Bytkha, in addition to the old mosque being around 40 km north of the city center.
SPORTS:
In 2014, Sochi became the first city with a subtropical climate which held the Winter Olympics. Sochi tennis schools have trained such athletes as Maria Sharapova. Sochi is one of the host towns for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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