KRASNODAR

kray (region), southwestern Russia. The kray extends northward from the crestline of the Caucasus Mountains across the plains east of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov as far as the Gulf of Taganrog. The plains, crossed by the Kuban and other rivers flowing to the Sea of Azov, form two-thirds of the kray. Their steppe-grass vegetation on rich soils has been almost entirely plowed under. Widespread salt marshes and lagoons line the Azov coast. The southern third of the kray is occupied by the western Caucasus, which reach 12,434 feet (3,790 m) in Mount Psysh (in the neighbouring Karachay-Cherkessia republic) and fall gradually in height westward as they run parallel to the Black Sea, from which they are separated by a narrow coastal plain. The mountains' lower slopes are covered by deciduous forest; higher up are conifers and alpine meadows. The kray was established in 1937 with its headquarters at Krasnodar city in an area originally occupied by Kuban Cossacks. The population is overwhelmingly Russian but also includes some Adygey, Ukrainians, Armenians, Belarusians, and Tatars. The northern plains form a major agricultural region that produces grains, especially winter wheat and, in the south, winter barley. Along the lower Kuban River, much swamp has been reclaimed for rice growing. Industrial crops, notably sunflowers, tobacco, and sugar beets, are important, as are vegetables along the Kuban and fruit and vines on the Caucasus foothills. Large numbers of cattle, pigs, and poultry are kept. Petroleum and natural gas are exploited on the Taman Peninsula and in the north. Novorossiysk and Tuapse are major oil-exporting ports. There are oil refineries at Krasnodar and Tuapse and a chemical complex at Belorechensk. Area 29,300 square miles (76,000 square km). Pop. (1995 est.) 5,004,000. formerly (until 1920) Yekaterinodar, or Ekaterinodar, city and administrative centre of Krasnodar kray (region), southwestern Russia, lying along the Kuban River. Founded about 1793 as a Cossack guardpost on the Kuban frontier, it developed as a military town. In 1867, after the Caucasian wars, it became a city and centre of the fertile Kuban region, and its prosperity increased following the arrival of the railways in the 1890s. The city's industries are largely concerned with processing the agricultural products of the region; there are also considerable engineering industries. Petroleum is refined and lubricants are produced. The city has a gridiron pattern of streets densely lined by poplar, acacia, and plane trees. Cultural institutions include Kuban State University (1920); teaching establishments (pedagogic, medical, agricultural, cultural, and food industry); research institutes for agriculture, tobacco, vegetable fats, canning, and the petroleum industry; and several theatres and museums. Pop. (1995 est.) 646,000.