Odessa (also known as Odesa) is the third largest Ukrainian city after Kiev and Kharkov, a major industrial, cultural, scientific, and resort center in the Northern Black Sea region. Territory 160 square km. Population 1.122.000. Odessa is cosmopolitan city where live people from more than 100 nationalities. Russians, Ukrainians, and Jews predominate in Odessa's cosmopolitan population.
Moderately continental and comparatively dry climate with a short mild winter and long hot summer (more than 290 sunny days in the year) make Odessa the largest resort on the coast of The Black Sea.
Winter is short and mild with an average temperature of around freezing point. Falling snow and temperatures below minus 5 Celsius are rare.Summer is long and hot with an average temperature of 25 Celsius. Temperatures above 35 Celsius are quite often.
A mild climate, plenty of beaches, and the Black Sea attract thousands of tourists to Odessa throughout the year, earning it the title of "Southern Palmira." Odessa is the southern gate of the state and the most important Ukrainian sea port. Odessa is also well-known for its rich history, beautiful buildings, inexhaustible humor.
Many world-famous musicians, writers and artists lived and worked here, not every city has so rich a cultural biography as Odessa does. The mixture of rich architecture, warm hospitality, and beautiful nature is the secret of Odessa’s popularity, and success as one of the leading Ukrainian resorts.
Odessa has regular air connections with Vienna, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Athens, Aleppo, Larnaka, Moscow, Kiev, Kishineu, Yerevan, Tiflis as well as with some other cities of Europe and Asia.
Trains connect Odessa with Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, Berlin, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, major cities of Ukraine and many other cities of the former Soviet Union.
Buses go between Odessa and Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich), Greece (Thessalonica, Athens), Bulgaria (Varna, Sophia) as well as major cities in Ukraine. There is regular passenger ship transportation between Odessa and Istanbul, Haifa and Varna.
