Translation of Sevastopil from Greek -
is a city deserving of worship. The territory of Sevastopil was
inhabited at the beginning of the I century B.C.. At first, the
Tavrijski and then Greek settlements occupied the territory of the
present-day Balaklava. On the peninsula between the Karantyn and
Pisochna bays the ruins of ancient Greek city – colony of Khersones
Tavrijsky have been retained.
Khersones got under dependence of
the Pontijska Empire and later of Rome in the result of military rush
of the Bospor Empire and Scythians at the end of the II century B.C. In
V-VI centuries Khersones became the center of the Byzantium Empire at
the Black Sea coast. The surrounding territory at the beginning of the
IX century was a part of the Khersones region or military-administrative
district of Byzantium. In XII-XIII centuries it was a part of mountain
fortification of the Byzantium part of Tavryka.
When the Russian troops entered the
Crimea at the end of the XIII century Balaklavska bay became a boat
foundation of the Azov military flotilla. The letter of Catherine II to
Prince Potjomkin, dated
February 10, 1784, determined Sevastopil as a new harbor with its
settlement. On February 10, 1784 the Russian government officially
reported that the city of Sevastopil is the main military harbor of the
Black Sea Fleet.
The
situation with Sevastopil harshly deteriorated after the Soviet Union
collapse. Disregarding a number of signed documents the status of the
city had not been defined for a long time.
Today
on the territory of Sevastopil operate the Ukrainian Laws. The city has
a special status of central submission.
On
May 31, 1997, Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement on status and
conditions of the Black Sea Fleet basing of the Russian Federation on
the territory of Ukraine.
Political division
In the
frameworks of administrative borders of Sevastopil city council an
independent system of settling has been established, integrated in the
system of the Crimean settling. About 15 % of population of the Crimean
peninsula is concentrated on the territory of Sevastopil city soviet.
The structural frame of Sevastopil settling system comprises three
cities (Sevastopil, Balaklava and Inkerman) and urban-villages Kacha.
The village settling is represented by average settlements – centers of
village councils in the role of local subcenters and small village
settlements. In general, there are 29 settlements on the territory of
city soviet.
Authority
The system of local
self-government in the city of Sevastopil comprises: territorial communities
of Sevastopil, villages, settlements, towns; Sevastopil mayor,
Sevastopil city council; regional councils in the city of Sevastopil;
executive committees of regional councils in the city of Sevastopil;
village and settlement heads. Representative bodies of local
self-government operate in the city of Sevastopil – Sevastopil city
council, regional councils, village and settlement councils, and city
councils of urban villages referring to the city of Sevastopil.
Borders
Length of Sevastopil city
council from the west to the east is 43 km, from the north to the south
– 50 km, it occupies an area of 863,5 sq. km., including 8 city
districts (Balaklavsky, Hagarynsky, Leninsky, Nakhimovsky), 2 cities –
Sevastopil and Inekerman, urban village Kacha and 4 village councils.
Population
In general, 391,7 thousand
people reside on the territory of the city council that is less than 1%
of all Ukrainian population and more than 15% of the Crimean peninsula
population. The population of Sevastopil is 350,6 thousand people.
According to the density of population - 441,4 people on sq. km. and
city-dwellers share - 94,2% in general quantity of population the city
takes a leading place in Ukraine, ceding to Kyiv.
Economic potential
Sevastopil is a commercial, fish port,
industry, research recreation center of the south of Ukraine.
The foundation of the industry
represent engineering industry and metal working, light and food
industries. Sevastopil is the biggest center of fishing industry,
transport refrigerated cargo research fleet.
Food industry takes a leading place
in the structure of industry of Sevastopil representing basically
production industry, fish industry.
The specialization basis
are:engineering industry, shipbuilding, ship repair and
instrument-making industry.
Practically all transport refrigerated
cargo fleet of Ukraine is based in Sevastopil that constitutes about 4%
of the world refrigerated cargo fleet.
Culture and traditions
The main cultural and
historical memorials of Sevastopil are: the National Park “Khersones
Tavrijsky”, “Panorama of heroic defense of Sevastopil in 1854-1855”,
diorama “Shturm Sapun-hory”(Sapun mountain assault). The Crimean people
preserve memorial burial complexes of soldiers and people lost in the
struggles for the Crimea emancipation in the years of occupation from
German invaders (1941-1944).
Sevastopil is an important research
city. There are Sevastopil State Technical University and Sevastopil
Institute of Nuclear Power and industry.
Nature and ecology
A climate of Sevastopil is
Mediterranean with mild winter and tropical arid summer. In spite of
the fact thatSevastopil is a seaport,
one can find a number of beautiful beaches for repose by the sea. Clean
gold dust and soft sun create favorable atmosphere for the rest. There
are also parks giving an opportunity to delight exotic flora under the
shades of trees.
