KerchKerch (Керч; Керчь, ˈkjertɕ; Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ; Ancient Greek: Παντικάπαιον, Pantikápaion; Medieval Greek: Βόσπορος Bosporos; Keriç, Керич; Kerç) is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of Crimea. Kerch has a population of about Founded 2,600 years ago as an ancient Greek colony, Kerch is considered to be one of the most ancient cities in Crimea. The city experienced rapid growth starting in the 1920s and was the site of a major battle during World War II.
NovorossiyskNovorossiysk (Новоросси́йск, nəvərɐˈsjijsk) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: In antiquity, the shores of the Tsemes Bay were the site of Bata (Βατά), an ancient Greek colony that specialized in the grain trade. It is mentioned in the works of Strabo and Ptolemy, among others. Following brief periods of Roman and Khazar control, from the 9th century onwards, the area was part of the Byzantine θέμα Χερσῶνος Thema Khersonos (Province of Cherson).
TuapseTuapse (Туапсе́; Тӏуапсэ twʼapsə) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. Population: Tuapse is a sea port and the northern center of a resort zone which extends south to Sochi. Tuapse was a large center (native land) for the Shapsugs tribe along other areas in Circassia, with about 10,000 speakers of the language living in Tuapse currently.
RosneftPJSC Rosneft Oil Company (Росне́фть stylized as ROSNEFT) is a Russian integrated energy company headquartered in Moscow. Rosneft specializes in the exploration, extraction, production, refining, transport, and sale of petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products. The company is controlled by the Russian government through the Rosneftegaz holding company. Its name is a portmanteau of the Russian words Rossiyskaya neft (Российская нефть). Rosneft was founded in 1993 as a state enterprise and then incorporated in 1995, acquiring a number of state-controlled gas and oil assets.
Sindi peopleThe Sindi (Sindoi; Sindi) were an ancient Scythian people who primarily lived in western Ciscaucasia. A portion of the Sindi also lived in Central Europe. Their name is variously written, and Pomponius Mela calls them Sindones, Lucian, Sindianoi. The Sindi were a tribe of the Scythians who established themselves on the Taman peninsula, where they formed a ruling class over the indigenous North Caucasian Maeotians. Archaeologically, the Sindi belonged to the Scythian culture, and they progressively became Hellenised due to contact with the Bosporan Kingdom.
MaykopMaykop is the capital city of Adygea, Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River (a tributary of the Kuban). It borders Maykopsky District, from which it is administratively and municipally separate, to the east and south; Giaginsky District to the north, and Belorechensky District of Krasnodar Krai to the west. Population: The city gave its name to the early Bronze Age Maykop culture after the discovery of a royal burial site there in 1897.
MaeotiansThe Maeotians (МыутIэхэр; Μαιῶται; Maeōtae) were an ancient people dwelling along the Sea of Azov, which was known in antiquity as the "Maeotian marshes" or "Lake Maeotis". They are often considered to be the ancestors of the Circassians, Abkhazians, and Abazins. The etymology of the name and identity of the people remain unclear. Edward James and William Smith were of the opinion that the term Maeotian was applied broadly to various peoples around the Sea of Azov, rather than the name of the sea deriving from a certain people.
ShapsugsThe Shapsug (шапсыгъ ʃaːpsəʁ, шапсуги, Şapsığlar, الشابسوغ, שפסוגים) (also known as the Shapsugh or Shapsogh) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes. Historically, the Shapsug tribe comprised one of the largest groups of the Black Sea Adyghe (Причерноморские адыги). They inhabited the region between the Dzhubga (in Жьыбгъэ means "Winds" or "The Valley of Winds") River and the Shakhe Rivers (the so-called Maly Shapsug, or Little Shapsug) and high-altitude mountainous areas of the northern slopes of the Caucasus range along the Antkhir, Abin, Afips, Bakan, Ships, and other rivers (Bolshoy Shapsug, or Greater Shapsug).
Ubykh peopleThe Ubykh (Ubykh: Пэху / Туахы, Pəxu / Tuaxy; Убых, Ubyx; Убыхи; Ubıhlar / Vubıhlar) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, represented by one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. Along with the Natukhai and Shapsug tribes, the Ubykh were one of three coastal Circassian tribes to form the Circassian Assembly (Adyghe: Адыгэ Хасэ) in 1860. Historically, they spoke a distinct Ubykh language, which never existed in written form and went extinct in 1992 when Tevfik Esenç, the last speaker, died.
