Being located on the Black Sea coast, Sochi is the only large city in Russia in a subtropical climate zone, enjoying approximately 300 days of sunshine a year with an average temperature of 66 F.
The Greater Sochi region includes several areas along the coast and up in the Caucasus Mountains, together with the administrative centre in Sochi itself. The total territory is about 1,361 sq mi and the city sprawls for 90 mi along the shore.
For a long time Sochi was mostly known as a beach resort and was even called “the summer capital of Russia”. Today the city is a developing center of ski tourism, and also promotes itself as a venue for major sports and business events.
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