Tuapse is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. Population:

Tuapse is a sea port and the northern center of a resort zone that extends south to Sochi.

History

Early history

alt=|left|thumb|Map of Circassia in 1840

Tuapse was a large center (native land) for the Shapsugs tribe, along other areas in Circassia. The name of the town is itself Adyghe (literally meaning "two waters").

The modern settlement dates back to 1838, when the Russian fort of Velyaminovsky was established in the area after this region became a part of Russia in 1829 by the Treaty of Adrianople.

The Soviets developed Tuapse as an oil terminal and depot. An oil pipeline from Grozny and Maykop was in operation by 1928, designed by Vladimir Shukhov. An oil refinery dates from the same period. No later than 1941, Tuapse's status was changed to that of a town of the krai subordination. In April 2026, Tuapse became the site of a major industrial and environmental disaster at its oil port facilities following Ukrainian attacks.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Tuapse serves as the administrative center of Tuapsinsky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the Town of Tuapse—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of a district. Tuapse has warm to hot summers and cool winters with frequent rainfall year-round.

{| class="wikitable"

|+Average sea temperature (1977–2006)

|-

!Month

!Jan

!Feb

!Mar

!Apr

!May

!Jun

!Jul

!Aug

!Sep

!Oct

!Nov

!Dec

|-

|Average temperature

|style="background: #33CCFF; color: black;"|8.9 °C

|style="background: #33CCFF; color: black;"|8.0 °C

|style="background: #33CCFF; color: black;"|8.7 °C

|style="background: #99FFCC; color: black;"|11.0 °C

|style="background: #CCFF99; color: black;"|15.2 °C

|style="background: #FFFF99; color: black;"|19.5 °C

|style="background: #FFFF00; color: black;"|23.7 °C

|style="background: #FFCC66; color: black;"|25.0 °C

|style="background: #FFFF66; color: black;"|22.4 °C

|style="background: #CCFF33; color: black;"|18.8 °C

|style="background: #CCFFCC; color: black;"|14.2 °C

|style="background: #99FFFF; color: black;"|10.7. °C

|}

Economy and transport

thumb|Express train [[Moscow–Adler leaving platform 1 of Tuapse station]]

Tuapse is home to the Tuapse oil terminal and the Tuapse Refinery.

Tuapse is one of the key transport hubs of the Black Sea coast of Russia. The city's location determines its key importance to ensure a ground connection with the spa capital of the country – the city of Sochi – and makes it important for the export commodities of the country (oil, fertilizer, coal, etc.).

There is a railway station in Tuapse.

thumb|The sea coast between [[Dzhubga and Tuapse]]

Twin towns and sister cities

Tuapse is twinned with:

  • Agen, France

Notable people

  • Natalie Glebova, 2005 Miss Universe winner, born here
  • Vladimir Kramnik, Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion, born here
  • Eduard Lusikyan, Russian former professional football player of Armenian descent

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

  • Official website of Tuapse
  • Unofficial website of Tuapse