Krasnodar Krai

Krasnodar Krai is a federal subject of Russia, located in the Southern Federal District. With a modest 76,000 km? territory (Russia's 43rd largest), it is the most populous krai (and the third most populous federal subject) of the nation. Its administrative center is the city of Krasnodar.Contents :
1) Geography
2) Time zone
3) Demographics
4) Anapa
5) History

Geography

Krasnodar Krai encompasses the western part of the Forecaucasus and a part of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major. Krasnodar Krai borders, clockwise from the west, Ukraine—from which it is separated by the Strait of Kerch and the Sea of Azov—Russia's Rostov Oblast, Stavropol Krai, and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, and Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia. The krai territory encompasses the Republic of Adygea. Krasnodar Krai's southern border is formed by what is left of Russia's Black Sea coast, with the most important port (Novorossiysk) and resort (Sochi) in this part of the country.

Geographically, the area is split by the Kuban River into two distinct parts. The southern, seaward third (historically known as Circassia) is the western extremity of the Caucasus range, lying within the Crimean Submediterranean forest complex ecoregion; the climate is Mediterranean or, in the south-east, subtropical. The northern two-thirds lies on the Pontic Steppe and shares continental climate patterns.

Time zone

Krasnodar Krai is located in the Moscow Time Zone (MSK/MSD). UTC offset is +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD).

Demographics

Population: 5,125,221. The population is concentrated in the Kuban River drainage basin, which used to be traditional Cossack land (see History of Cossacks). The Kuban Cossacks are now generally considered to be ethnic Russians, even though they are still an important minority in their own right in this area. Other notable ethnic groups include the Armenians (mostly Christian Hamsheni) who have been settling here since at least the 18th century.

Anapa

Coordinates: 44°52??N, 37°22??E

Anapa is a seaport town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov.
Population: 53,493. It boasts a number of sanatoria and hotels; along with Sochi and several other cities along the Russian coast of the Black Sea, it has enjoyed a substantial increase in popularity since the fall of the Soviet Union, which left traditional Soviet resort cities in Crimea and the breakaway republic of Abkhazia in Georgia on the other side of a national border. Anapa is served by Vityazevo Airport (AAQ).

Anapa, like the other Black Sea coast resorts, has a superb sunny summer climate. Anapa shows beautiful (and mostly sandy) beaches. However, Anapa seldom attracts vacation-goers from outside Russia due to its modest infrastructure and its inconvenient accessibility from Western Europe via Moscow or Krasnodar. Anapa remains an attractive and inexpensive option for Russians who prefer traditional Russian resorts to more expensive destinations such as Antalya on Turkey's Mediterranean coast or Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, both noted for their popularity among Russians. Although home to many hospitals specializing in rehabilitation, Anapa and other cities along the Black Sea coast have not become havens for retirees, primarily because of the low Russian pensions.

History

The area around Anapa was settled in antiquity. It was at first a major port (Sinda) and then the capital of Sindica. The colony of Gorgippia was built on the site of Sinda in the sixth century BCE by Pontic Greeks, who named it after a king of the Cimmerian Bosporus. In the 2nd and 3th centuries BC, Gorgippia flourished, as did its guild of shipowners, which controlled maritime trade in the eastern part of the Black Sea. A fine statue of Neokles (a local potentate, son of Herodoros) was unearthed by Russian archaeologists and is now on exhibit at the Russian Museum. Gorgippia was inhabited until the third century CE, when it was overrun by nomadic tribes. These tribes, thought to be of Circassian or Adyghean origin, gave Anapa its modern name. The city was later conquered by Ottoman Turks, who completed a fortress in 1791. The fortress was repeatedly attacked by the Russian Empire and was all but destroyed during its last siege in 1829.