Stavropol Krai
A multi-ethnic krai in the North Caucasus, home to the Kuban Cossacks and the birthplace of Soviet leaders.
Stavropol Krai, also known as Stavropolye, is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is geographically located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia, and is administratively part of the North Caucasian Federal District. Stavropol Krai has a population of 2,907,593, according to the 2021 Census.
- population
- 2,907,593 (2021 Census)
- capital
- Stavropol
- established
- October 17, 1924 (as North Caucasus Krai)
- area
- Not specified in source
- federal_district
- North Caucasian Federal District
- governor
- Not specified in source
Lore & Background
The krai was established as North Caucasus Krai on October 17, 1924. After undergoing numerous administrative changes, it was renamed Ordzhonikidze Krai in March 1937, and Stavropol Krai on January 12, 1943.
Reader's Guide
Stavropol is the largest city and the capital of Stavropol Krai, and Pyatigorsk is the administrative center of the North Caucasian Federal District. The krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major. It borders with Rostov Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, Kalmykia, Dagestan, Chechnya, North Ossetia–Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay–Cherkessia. Most of Stavropol Krai experiences hot-summer humid continental climate. Irrigated agriculture is well-developed, with major canals including the Nevinnomyssk Canal, the Great Stavropol Canal, and the Terek-Kuma and Kuma–Manych canals.
Did You Know?
- Stavropol Krai is one of the most multi-ethnic federal subjects in Russia, with thirty-three ethnic groups of more than 2,000 persons each.
- Mikhail Gorbachev, a native of Stavropol Krai, served as First Secretary of the Krai's Communist Party Committee from 1970 to 1978.
- The krai was renamed from Ordzhonikidze Krai to Stavropol Krai on January 12, 1943.
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