Sevastopol’s Economics

Sevastopol (see pronunciation below) is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 (2001).[1] The city, formerly the home of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, is now a Ukrainian naval base mutually used by the Ukrainian Navy and Russian Navy.
The unique geographic location and navigation conditions of the city's harbours make Sevastopol a strategically important naval point. It is also a popular seaside resort and tourist destination, mainly for visitors from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.
The trade and shipbuilding importance of Sevastopol's Port has been growing since the fall of the Soviet Union,[citation needed] despite the difficulties that arise from the joint military control over its harbours and piers.
Sevastopol is also an important centre of marine biology research. In particular, studying and training of dolphins has been conducted in the city since the end of World War II. It was first conducted as a secret naval program to use the animals for special undersea operations.
Administratively, Sevastopol is a municipality excluded from the surrounding Autonomous Republic of Crimea (see Administrative divisions of Ukraine for more details). The territory of the municipality is 863.5 km² and it is further subdivided into four raions (districts). Besides the City of Sevastopol proper, it also includes 2 towns — Balaklava, Inkerman, urban-type settlement Kacha, and 29 villages.
After World War II, Sevastopol was entirely rebuilt. Many top architects and civil engineers from Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and other cities and thousands of workers from all parts of the USSR took part in the rebuilding process which was mostly finished by the mid-1950s. The downtown core situated on a peninsula between two narrow inlets, South Bay and Artillery Bay, features mostly Mediterranean-style, three-story residential buildings with columned balconies and Venetian-style arches, with retail and commercial spaces occupying the ground level. Some carefully restored landmarks date back to the early 20th c. (e.g., the Art Nouveau Main Post Office on Bolshaya Morskaya St and the Art Museum on Nakhimovsky Prospect). It has been a long-time tradition for the residents of surrounding suburbs to spend summer evenings by coming to the downtown area for a leisurely stroll with their families along the avenues and boulevards encircling the Central Hill, under the famous Sevastopol chestnut trees, and usually ending up on the waterfront with its famous Marine Boulevard.
Due to its military history, most streets in the city are named after Russian and Soviet military heroes. There are hundreds of monuments and plaques in various parts of Sevastopol commemorating its military past.

History

Sevastopol together with Kronstadt and Gibraltar is one of the most famous naval citadels in Europe. It was founded as Akhtiar in 1783 by admiral Thomas Mackenzie, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula. It became an important naval base and later a commercial port. In 1797 under an edict issued by Emperor Paul I, the military stronghold was renamed Akhtiar. Finally, on April 29 (May 10), 1826, the city was returned to the name of Sevastopol.

Panorama Museum of Sevastopol
One of the most notable events involving the city is the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) carried out by the British, French, Sardinian, and Turkish troops during the Crimean War, which lasted for 11 months. Despite its efforts, the Russian army had to leave its stronghold and evacuate over a pontoon bridge to the north shore of the inlet. The Russians had to sink their entire fleet to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemy and at the same time to block the entrance of the Western ships into the inlet. When the enemy troops entered Sevastopol, they were faced with the ruins of a formerly glorious city. A panorama of the siege created by Franz Roubaud and which was restored after its destruction in 1942 is housed in a specially constructed circular building in the city. It portrays the situation in the height of the siege, on 18 June 1855.

Eduard Totleben Monument in Sevastopol (1909).

During World War II Sevastopol withstood bombardment by the Germans in 1941–1942, during the Axis siege which lasted for 250 days before it fell in July 1942. The city was renamed as "Theodorichhafen" in 1942. It was liberated by the Red Army on May 9, 1944 and was awarded with the Hero City title a year later.

In 1957, the town of Balaklava was incorporated into Sevastopol.

During the Soviet era, Sevastopol, became a so-called "closed city". This meant that any non-residents had to apply to the authorities for a temporary permit to visit the city. It was directly subordinate to the central Russian SFSR authorities rather than the local oblast and later (after 1978) to the Ukrainian administration. In May 1997, Russia and Ukraine signed the "Peace & Friendship" treaty ruling out Moscow's territorial claims to Ukraine.
Like in the rest of the Crimea, Russian remains the predominant language in the city, although following the independence of Ukraine there have been some attempts at Ukrainization that have had very little success.

Demographics

The population of Sevastopol is 342,451 (2001), making it the 15th largest city in Ukraine and the second largest in Crimea (after its capital Simferopol).[1] According to the Ukrainian National Census, 2001, the ethnic groups of Sevastopol include Russians (71.6%), Ukrainians (22.4%), Belarusians (1.6%), Tatars (0.7%), Crimean Tatars (0.5%), Armenians (0.3%), Jews (0.3%), Moldovans/Romanians (0.2%), and Azerbaijanis (0.2%)

Economy

Apart from navy-related civil facilities, Sevastopol hosts some other notable industries, such as "Phiolent" - Ukraine's largest power tools manufacturer and Stroitel one of the leading plastics manufacturers in Ukraine.
The Sevastopol Marine Plant was founded in 1783 and occupies three production sectors alongside the Sevastopol Bay.The Sevastopol Shipyard Lazarevskoe Admiralteystvo Ltd. company was named after admiral Lazarev who was assigned as the general commander of the Black Sea Ports and fleet in 1834. He was a major contributor to the development of the Black Sea fleet and to the building and development of Sevastopol itself.[2]
In 1997, the Bulgarian company Bulmar Consult Ltd. (Bulgarian: Булмар Консулт ООД) entered into an agreement with the JSC Sevastopol Marine Plant. Bulmar Consult Ltd. was established in 1993 as a private ship repair company in the town of Varna, Bulgaria. Created 210 years ago as base of Black Sea fleet, the city for a long time has developed frameworks of navy base, by becoming largest in Ukraine centre of fishing industring, transport - refrigerators and scientific - research fleet, having advanced ship repair, electronic industry, powerful building and agroindustrial complexes. In city administrative borders functions more than 5 thousand enterprises of a various branch orientation and pattern of ownership.
The industry of city is submitted, basically, series of the large industrial enterprises fishing and fish-processing branches. The floating and coastal canning factories let out annually millions pieces of conditional jars of fish canned food and thousands tons various smoked, dreaded, marinaded production. In Sevastopol is based practically all sea transport - refrigerators fleet of Ukraines making 4 % from world refrigerators fleet. Ship repair of an opportunity of city are submitted by six factories, which can make repair of courts of all types and classes. Sevastopol wokers of ship repair have rich experience to repair of courts of the various countries of the world. The most powerful sea floating cranes of former Soviet Union by carrying capacity from 100 up to 1600 tons were under construction on a Sevastopol sea factory. Floating cranes are universal in work, them apply as in ports and on ship-building factories, and on opened water area. They execute all kinds sea carry lifting, build - assembly and under abnormal condition - saving works.

The special role in industrial potential of city is played by a series of the enterprises former war industry complex USSR, enterprise of radioelectronics and instrument making. The appreciable role in economy of city is played Balaklava's ore managment, letting out metallurgical limestone, and from raw material which was not adequate for their manufacturing, making building materials - by road metal of various fractions, marble crumb, other. The building enterprises of Sevastopol make production of a building material from Incerman's stone, which is exported to many countries of the world. The sewing and knitted industry is submitted by a series of the enterprises which are letting out a products, using wide demand in all regions of Ukraine. Sewing factory is supplied with difficult agregates with program management. From conveyors of factory some thousands man's costumes annually descend. The agriculture of region specializes on a gardening, viticulture, vegetable-growing. Sevastopol - one of major grape areas of Ukraine, the area under vineyardes makes about 8.000 hectares. The Sevastopol grapes differs by high quality and variety of grades, perfect restaurants of a grade of a grapes here are deduced. Rich technological, industrial base of winemaking and saved experience make city by the supplier of the best grape faults and champagne in Ukraine.

Foreign economic relations of city of Sevastopol with other countries constantly extend. In city more than 100 joint ventures work. The enterprises of city carry out export operations with the partners from 50 countries of the world, import - with the partners from 48 countries of the world. The commodity structure of export has developed basically at the expense of deliveries abroad fish and fish production - 55 % from total volume, canned fish - 34,2 %, and also at the expense of production of black metallurgy, ship engines with spares and so on. The products of colour metallurgy, varnishes and paints, cable, plastic products, videoequipment, measuring devices, perfumery and cosmetics, black oil, diesel fuel, technical oil are imported. Through Sevastopol sea trade and fish ports all-the-year-round is carried out reloading of various loads, switching and petroleum, which total volume reaches up to one million tons per one year. The transport complex of city consists of 6 railway stations with extent of access roads of 35 kms. And processing 600 freight cars per day. The throughput makes 23 pairs trains per day. Railway branch lines and the deadlock stations approach to the majority of Sevastopol bays, through which is carried out reloading of loads. The basic automobile lines provide Sevastopol - Simferopol (throughput of 18 thousands units per day) and Sevastopol - Yalta (same throughput) road communication(connection) of Sevastopol with all regions of Crimea. In urban feature the berthing front is well advanced, which length makes more than 30 kms. The city has more than 100 moorings, part which from - deep-water, are equipped for loading large-capacity vesseles with deposit up to 10-12 m. The cities, located in territory, two air stations of the first class (take-off strip of 3,2 kms) allow to accept passenger and transport planes of all types. The air station Belbek is capable to carry out processing of 500 tons of loads and up to 500 passengers per day.