What is Odesa?
[[File:Flag of Odesa.svg|thumb|250px|Flag of Odesa]] [[File:Coat of Arms of Odesa.svg|thumb|250px|Coat of arms of Odesa]] '''Odesa'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://zakon2.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/55-2010-%D0%BF|title=Resolution no. 55 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, January 27, 2010|website=zakon2.rada.gov.ua|language=uk|accessdate=2017-04-15}}</ref> ({{lang-uk|Одеcа}}, {{IPA|[ɔˈdɛsɑ]}}; also known as '''Odessa''', {{Lang-ru|Одесса}}) is a city in southwestern [[Ukraine]] on the [[Black Sea]] shore. It is the [[Capital city|administrative center]] of the province of [[Odesa Oblast]]. It is a major port on the [[Black Sea]]. The mayor of Odesa is [[Hennadiy Trukhanov]]. In 2024, about 997,000 people lived in Odesa. == Overview == Odesa is a [[warm water port]]. However, it is thought to be of small military value. Since [[Turkey]] controls the [[Dardanelles]] and [[Bosphorus]], [[NATO]] can control ships moving between Odesa and the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. === Ports === The city has two important ports: Odesa itself and '''Pivdennyi Seaport''' , which used to be called Yuzhne. In December 2021, Pivdennyi port handled 5.77 million tons of cargo.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pryma|first=Andrew|date=2022-01-12|title=The seaport of Pivdennyi has set a record of cargo turnover|url=https://ubn.news/the-seaport-of-pivdennyi-has-set-a-record-of-cargo-turnover/|access-date=2023-12-19|website=UBN|language=en-US}}</ref> Another important port, [[Chornomorsk]], is in the same [[oblast]], to the south-west of Odesa. . Railways and pipelines come to these ports. Pipelines connect Odesa's oil and chemical factories to [[Russia]]'s and the [[EU]]'s. [[File:Odessa downtown.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Odesa Сircuit Court building and Church of the monastery of St. Panteleimon (church consecrated in 1895; used as a planetarium in 1961–1991).]] Odesa is the fifth-largest city in [[Ukraine]]. It is important in the country's trading. In the [[19th century]], it was the fourth city of [[Imperial Russia]]. It was just smaller than [[Moscow]] and