Stavropol-The City of the Cross
Here is a great way to see our city whenever
you like. Go to this website address below and you will see a web cam of Stavropol.
You are watching Lenin's Square. (If it is really dark and hard to
see anything- it is night!)
http://212.96.116.27/view/view.shtml
Geography
Stavropol is both the name
of the territory and the name of its capitol city. Coincidentally, Des Moines and Stavropol have similar sized
populations.
Located on the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, between the
Caspian and the Black sea, Stavropol was founded in
1777 around one of a series of fortresses. It sits between the Manych River and the Caucasus foothills, where
it shares common borders with all the North Caucasus republics,
including Chechnya. Its climate is
moderate, with warm summer days, cool evenings and relatively mild winters.
Major cities and towns in the territory
The Caucasian Mineral Waters Area (CMW) is an ecologically protected resort
region in the foothills covering 5,828 square kilometers. Within this region
there are 118 health centers which are located in four cities: Kislovodsk; Yessentucki; Pyatigorsk; Zheleznovodsk.
Population
2,650,300 (1995), which is said to be l.79% of Russia's
total. Urban population is considered to be 53.7% Stavropol Krai's population comprises a rich mixture of ethnicities,
languages, religions and cultural traditions.
Language
Russian.
Main agricultural products
Apart from the semi-desert east, the extensive Stavropol
Plain is covered with fertile soil used for highly developed agriculture. Stavropol Krai produces l.92% of Russia's agricultural
output. Principal agricultural crops are sunflowers, sugar beets, potatoes,
wheat, dairy, fruit, vegetables, wine, cattle, hogs, and sheep.
Industries
Stavropol Krai produces
0.73% of Russia's industrial
output. There is some light industry, exploitation of natural gas deposits and
several mineral water bottling plants in the Krai.
These mineral waters are said to have certain curative powers and are
distributed in Europe and the Middle East.
Transportation
The Caucasian Mineral Waters Area has a major regional airport at Mineralny Vody. Federal highways
and passenger train service link the territory to major cities in the Russian
Federation and other countries.
Scenic areas
The Mountains and forested foothills in the North Caucasus region are
considered by many to be unsurpassed in beauty. Skiing and hiking are major
sports here, as are soccer, basketball, etc.