Stavropol Krai
Multi-ethnic Russian krai in the North Caucasus region.
Stavropol Krai, also known as Stavropolye, is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia located in the North Caucasus region of Southern Russia. It is administratively part of the North Caucasian Federal District, with Stavropol as its capital and largest city, while Pyatigorsk serves as the administrative center of the district. The krai is notable for its multi-ethnic population, with thirty-three ethnic groups of more than 2,000 persons each, and for being the birthplace of two Soviet leaders, Mikhail Gorbachev and Yuri Andropov.
- 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
Stavropol Krai was established as North Caucasus Krai on October 17, 1924. After several administrative changes, it was renamed Ordzhonikidze Krai in March 1937, and finally Stavropol Krai on January 12, 1943. The region is geographically located in the Fore-Caucasus and northern slopes of the Caucasus Major, bordered by Krasnodar Krai, Rostov Oblast, Kalmykia, Dagestan, Chechnya, North Ossetia–Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay–Cherkessia.
Reader's Guide
Stavropol Krai holds historical significance as the native region of two Soviet leaders: Mikhail Gorbachev, who served as First Secretary of the Krai's Communist Party Committee from 1970 to 1978 before becoming General Secretary and later President of the Soviet Union, and Yuri Andropov, who briefly led the Soviet Union. The krai's economy includes large companies such as Stavrolen, Arnest, Concern Enorgomera, Nevinomiskiy Azot, and Stavropolskiy Gres. Agriculture is well-developed, with extensive irrigation canals including the Nevinnomyssk Canal, the Great Stavropol Canal, and the Terek-Kuma and Kuma–Manych canals. The population is concentrated in the drainage basins of the Kuban and Kuma rivers, traditional home of the Kuban Cossacks. Religiously, a 2012 survey found 46.9% of the population adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, with significant numbers identifying as spiritual but not religious (19%) or atheist (16%).
Did You Know?
- Stavropol Krai has thirty-three ethnic groups with more than 2,000 persons each, making it one of the most multi-ethnic federal subjects in Russia.
- Mikhail Gorbachev, the last President of the Soviet Union, served as First Secretary of the Stavropol Krai Communist Party Committee from 1970 to 1978.
- The krai has 3,361 km of irrigation canals, including the Great Stavropol Canal which transports water from the Kuban River eastward across the entire krai.
- Stavropol Krai was originally established as North Caucasus Krai on October 17, 1924, and was renamed Stavropol Krai on January 12, 1943.
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