YESSENTUKI

also spelled Jessentuki, or Essentuki city, Stavropol kray (region), southwestern Russia, in the valley of the Podkumok River. It was founded in 1798, developed as a fortress in the 1830s, and became a city in 1917. It is located at mineral springs at the base of the Caucasus Mountains. The city is composed of an old Cossack village in the southern sector and a newer city in the north. It is a major health resort, with sanatoriums and medicinal mud baths. It also has food-processing and garment industries. Pop. (1991 est.) 95,500.