Odessa is a big city-port located in the south of Ukraine. It lies at the Black Sea shore and is famous for the combination of beauty and economical power. Odessa is a big industrial city with about 1 million inhabitants, but in the same time it is a great resort with sunny beaches, warm sea and a special way of life.

Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast (province) located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of more than a million citizens.

The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement, was founded by Hacı I Giray, the Khan of Crimea, in 1240 and originally named after him as "Hacıbey". After a period of Lithuanian control, it passed into the domain of the Ottoman Sultan in 1529 and remained in Ottoman hands until the Ottoman Empire's defeat in the Russo-Turkish War of 1792. The city of Odessa was founded by a decree of the Empress Catherine the Great in 1794. From 1819 to 1858 Odessa was a free port. During the Soviet period it was the most important port of trade in the Soviet Union and a Soviet naval base. On January 1, 2000 the Quarantine Pier of Odessa trade sea port was declared a free port and free economic zone for a term of 25 years. The origin of the name, or the reasons for naming the town Odessa, are not known. A legend regarding a link with the name of the ancient Greek colony persists, so there might be some truth in the oral tradition. The Turkish name for the district was Yedisan.

The site of Odessa was once occupied by an ancient Greek colony. Archaeological artifacts confirm links between the Odessa area and the eastern Mediterranean. In the Middle Ages the Odessa region was ruled in succession by various nomadic tribes (Petchenegs, Cumans), the Golden Horde, the Crimean Khanate, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Ottoman Empire. Yedisan Crimean Tatars traded there in the 14th century. During the reign of Khan Hacı I Giray of Crimea, the Khanate was endangered by the Golden Horde and the Ottoman Turks and, in search of allies, the khan agreed to cede the area to Lithuania. The site of present-day Odessa was then a town known as Khadjibey (named for Hacı I Giray, and also spelled Kocibey in English, Hacıbey or Hocabey in Turkish, and Hacıbey in Crimean Tatar). It was part of the Dykra region. However, most of the rest of the area was largely uninhabited in this period.

Numerous historical places attract a lot of tourists to Odessa each year. Buildings with magnificent architecture and lightness of forms, wide streets of the city make the tourist feel the wellness and richness of the city. It seams that sun never leaves this city. The small yards (you will find a lot of them) with its own life and kind people make a very special atmosphere.

For its beauty and location Odessa is called the pearl of the Black Sea. Tourists will find a lot of hotels and restaurants located at the seaside. If you prefer to rent private apartment you may be assisted by on of real estate agencies which are always ready to offer you a nice apartment at a good price.

Odessa climate is famous by its softness and the abundance of sunny days. An original regulator of climatic conditions is Black Sea - it weakens heat in the summer and softens frosts in the winter. The combination of a sea and steppe climate, the warm sea, fine beaches, a plenty of sunny days an abundance of fruit and vegetables - all this creates here exclusive conditions for rest, tourism and strengthening of health of people.

In summer thank to breezes, even in hot days you don't feel heat of the nearby steppes. The cultivate dirt of estuaries and mineral sources attract to Odessa a lot of visitors. The resort zone of Odessa is stretched on ten kilometers along the coast of the Black Sea. One of the most popular entertainment summer arias in Odessa is Arcadia, which is situated on the coast of the sea and includes a lot of night clubs, famous beaches and places for summer activities.

On the coast of Odessa you can find such beaches as: Luzanovka, Lanzheron, The Joy, The Dolphin, the group of beaches of Big Fountain, Chernomorka and others. You also can visit very famous beach "the Gold Coast", it is a luxurious beach with soft white sand, small cafes where you can sit in the shadows of the tents, drinking cold ice beverages and watching the waves, playing around the berth. The increasing popularity is won with a new resort zone Carolina-Bugaz, Zatoka. In the summer about 100 bases of rest the Resort here operates to be in 60 kilometers on the South from Odessa.

Odessa is also well known for the beauty of its parks can find desired coolness under the leaves of age-old trees. From the first of May the citizens of Odessa begin the tradition of the pick nicks on the nature beside the sea. The tradition to have pick nicks at first days of May is very popular in Ukraine. Travel to Odessa and enjoy the beauty of this wonderful Ukrainian resort. Even during a short trip you will see that it is real Pearl of the Black Sea.

Odesa International Airport is located 7 km southwest from the centre of Odessa. It serves both domestic and international flights. Airport's runways either were or are co-used by the Ukrainian Air Force. The airport was built in 1961. In 2009, the airport served 651,000 passengers. In May 2007, the airport started construction work that includes extending the main runway. The airport has ILS CAT I status.