Sochi

   A resort city in Krasnodar Krai, Sochi is the site of the 2014 Winter Olympiad. The federal government has committed $12 billion in investment to the region to prepare for the games. While the city enjoys warm weather and access to Black Sea beaches, it is quite close to the Caucasus Mountains, making it an ideal destination for tourism. Under Vladimir Putin, who has a dacha in the region, the city experienced a major revival, capturing tourism dollars that would otherwise be spent in Crimea. Sochi has a population of 320,000 and stretches for 145 kilometers along the coast. Less than 15 kilometers from Abkhazia, the resort’s location is of some concern to Olympic organizers in the wake of the 2008 South Ossetia War, which resulted in Moscow’s recognition of the breakaway Georgian republic’s independence; a spate of unexplained bombings in the city since 2008 have also unnerved the Olympic Committee.

   See also Sport.