Protected from the cold north winds by the mountains and open to the warmth and moisture of the Black sea in the south Sochi has a surprisingly warm climate for the latitude. Sochi is a Russian resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the southern Russian border. It sprawls along the shores of the Black Sea against the background of the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. At 145 km (90 mi), Greater Sochi is claimed to be the longest city in Europe.

As of the 2002 Census, it had a population 328,809, down from 336,514 recorded in the 1989 Census. In 2006, the population was estimated to be 395,012. The city has been selected to host the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014. Sochi is almost alone among larger Russian cities as having the aspect of a subtropical resort. Apart from the scenic Caucasus Mountains, pebbly and sand beaches, the city attracts vacation-goers with its subtropical vegetation, numerous parks, monuments, and extravagant Stalinist architecture. About two million people visit Greater Sochi each summer, when the city is home to the annual film festival "Kinotavr" and a getaway for Russia's elite. View the Sochi Webcam

Wikipedia articles for Sochi

• Sochi Ferris Wheel
• Sochi
• Sochi Thermal Power Plant
• Sochi Central Stadium