10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SOCHI

1. Sochi is the largest resort region of the Russian Federation. It stretches for 147 km along the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar region and includes the Krasnaya Polyana mountain resort area.

2. Sochi is divided into four administrative districts: Adler, Khosta, Central and Lazarevsky, and it borders the Georgian Republic in the south.

3. On the map, Sochi can be found on the same latitude with Toronto, Nice and the Gobi desert. As its charming landscapes and scenery are so reminiscent of the Mediterranean, Sochi is often referred to as the «Russian Riviera».

4. As Sochi is situated between the Caucasian Mountains and the Black Sea, it enjoys the most northern subtropical climate on earth. As a result, its Krasnaya Polyana mountains have great snow conditions and are largely protected from the wind. These unique conditions cannot be found anywhere else in Europe.

5. Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) in the Russian Caucasus is considered the highest mountain in Europe. Mont Blanc in comparison is 4,810 m. The average height of the Caucasus mountains around Sochi are 2,000m.

6. The climate in Sochi is subtropical and the city usually has 200 sunny days a year. The average summer temperature is +26° C and -3° C in the winter. You can swim in the sea from April until October, and go skiing from October through May.

7. There are no large industrial facilities in the Sochi area, so the air quality, especially in Sochi?s Krasnaya Polyana area, is considered among the very best in the world.

8. Sochi is a city with more then 400,000 inhabitants representing over 100 nationalities. Over Two million tourists visit Sochi annually and with over 250 spa facilities in the area, health and leisure tourism are the city?s leading sources of economy.

9. Sochi has over 200,000 hectares of forests, 4,000 of which are within Sochi Centre. Sochi encompasses several specially protected natural zones: the Caucasian National Biosphere Reserve, Sochi National Park, the Russian Federation National Wildlife Sanctuary, and over 30 botanical gardens and parks and nature sanctuaries housing over 30,000 wild-life plant species.

10. The Sochi tennis school became the launching pad for the careers of many Russian tennis stars, including Maria Sharapova and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.