Odessa (Russian: Одесса, pronounced [ɐ'dʲesːə]) or Odesa (Ukrainian: Одеса,pronounced [ɔ'dɛsɑ]) is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast ($3Ca href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblast" title="Oblast">province) located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of theBlack Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 (as of the2001 census).[1]
The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement, was founded by Hacı I Giray, theKhan of Crimea, in 1240 and originally named after him as "Hacıbey". After a period ofLithuanian control, it passed into the domain of the Ottoman Sultan in 1529 and remained in Ottoman hands until the Ottoman Empire's defeat in the Russo-Turkish Warof 1792. The city of Odessa was founded by a decree of the Empress Catherine the Great in 1794. From 1819 to 1858 Odessa was a free port. During the Soviet period it was the most important port of trade in the Soviet Union and a Soviet naval base. On 1 January 2000 the Quarantine Pier of Odessa trade sea port was declared a free port andfree economic zone for a term of 25 years.
In the 19th century it was the fourth largest city of Imperial Russia, after Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Warsaw.[2] Its historical architecture has a style more Mediterraneanthan Russian, having been heavily influenced by French and Italian styles. Some buildings are built in a mixture of different styles, including Art Nouveau, Renaissanceand Classicist.[3]
Odessa is a warm water port, but is of limited military value.[4] The city of Odessa hosts two important ports: Odessa itself and Yuzhne (also an internationally important oilterminal), situated in the city's suburbs. Another important port, Illichivs'k, is located in the same oblast, to the south-west of Odessa. Together they represent a major transport hub integrating with railways. Odessa's oil and chemical processing facilities are connected to Russia's and EU's respective networks by strategic pipelines.
The origin of the name, or the reasons for naming the town Odessa, are not known. A legend regarding a link with the name of the ancient Greek colony persists, so there might be some truth in the oral tradition. The Turkish name for the district was Yedisan, meaning "seven flags", and this is a more likely explanation[citation needed] of the name Odessa.
There is opinion that the city was named "Odessa" by a result of an error. It was considered to be named "Odessa" after the ancient Greek city of Odessos (or Odissos), which was believed (by mistake) to have been founded in the area of Odessa. That is why the city got this name. In fact Greek colony Odessos was not here but somewhere near the present day town of Varna in Bulgaria. [5]
Location
The Vorontsov Lighthouse in the Gulf of Odessa. The city is located on the Black Sea.
Odessa is situated (
46°28′N 30°44′E) on terraced hills overlooking a small harbor on theBlack Sea in the Gulf of Odessa, approximately 31 km (19 mi) north of the estuary of theDniester river and some 443 km (275 mi) south of the Ukrainian capital Kiev. The average elevation at which the city is located is around 50 metres, whilst the maximum is 65 and minimum (on the coast) amounts to 4.2 metres above sea level. The city currently covers a territory of 163 км², the population density for which is around 6,139 persons/км². Sources of running water in the city include the Dniester River, from which water is taken and then purified at a processing plant just outside of the city. Being located in the south of Ukraine, the geography of the area surrounding the city is typically flat and there are no large mountains or hills for many miles around. Flora is of the deciduous variety and Odessa is famous for its beautiful tree-lined avenues which, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, made the city a favourite year-round retreat for the Russian aristocracy.[citation needed]

The city's location on the coast of the Black Sea has also helped to create a booming tourist industry in Odessa.[citation needed] The city's famous Arkadia beach has long been a favourite place for relaxation, both for the city's inhabitants and its many visitors. This is a large sandy beach which is located to the north of the city centre. Odessa's many sandy beaches are considered to be quite unique in Ukraine, as the country's southern coast (particularly in the Crimea) tends to be a location in which the formation of stoney and pebble beaches has proliferated.
[Climate
Odessa has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb)[6] near the borderline of the continental climate (Dfb) and the semi-arid climate (BSk). This has, over the past few centuries, aided the city greatly in creating conditions necessary for the development of tourism. During the tsarist era, Odessa's climate was considered to be beneficial for the body, and thus many wealthy but sickly persons were sent to the city in order to relax and recuperate. This resulted in the development of a spa culture and the establishment of a number of high-end hotels in the city. The average annual temperature of sea is 13–14 °C (55–57 °F), whilst seasonal temperatures range from an average of 6 °C (43 °F) in the period from January to March, to 23 °C (73 °F) in August. Typically, for a total of 4 months – from June to September – the average sea temperature in the Gulf of Odessa and city's bay area exceeds 20 °C (68 °F).[7] The city typically experiences dry, relatively mild winters, which are marked by temperatures which rarely fall below −3 degrees Celsius. Summers on the other hand do see an increased level of precipitation, and the city often basks in warm weather with temperatures often reaching into the high 20s and mid 30s. Snow cover is often only light and municipal services rarely experience the same problems that can often be found in other, more northern, Ukrainian cities. This is largely because the higher winter temperatures and coastal location of Odessa prevent significant snowfall. Additionally the city does not suffer from the phenomenon of river-freezing.
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