Odesa

"Odessa" redirects here. For other uses, see Odesa (disambiguation) and Odessa (disambiguation).

Odesa Одеса Odessa
City
Vorontsov Lighthouse Odesa-Holovna railway station Odesa City Garden Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre Potemkin Stairs Square de Richelieu and Monument to the Duc de Richelieu
Flag Coat of arms Logo
Nicknames:  Pearl by the Sea, Southern Palmyra, Southern Capital, Odesa-mama
Odesa Location in Odesa Oblast Odesa Odesa (Ukraine) Odesa Odesa (Europe)
Coordinates: 46°29′8.6″N 30°44′36.4″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Odesa Oblast
Raion	Odesa Raion
Hromada	Odesa urban hromada
First mentioned	19 May 1415
Government
• Head of the Odesa city military administration	Serhiy Lysak
Area
• City	162.42 km2 (62.71 sq mi)
• Metro	3,656 km2 (1,412 sq mi)
Elevation	40 m (130 ft)
Highest elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Lowest elevation	−4.2 m (−14 ft)
Population  (2022)
• City	1,010,537
• Rank	3rd in Ukraine
• Density	6,221.8/km2 (16,114/sq mi)
• Metro	1,378,490
Demonym(s)	English: Odesan, Odesite, Odessan, Odessite Ukrainian: одесит, одеситка Russian: одессит, одесситка
GDP (nominal, 2020)
• City	US$10.712 billion
• Per capita	US$10,600
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal codes	65000–65480
Area code	+380 48
Website	omr.gov.ua
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	The Historic Centre of Odesa
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Designated	2023 (18th extraordinary World Heritage Committee session)
Reference no.	1703
UNESCO region	Europe
Endangered	2023–present

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Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third-most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative centre of the Odesa Raion and Odesa Oblast, as well as a multiethnic cultural centre. As of January 2021, Odesa's population was approximately 1,010,537. On 25 January 2023, its historic city centre was declared a World Heritage Site and added to the List of World Heritage in Danger by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in recognition of its multiculturality and 19th-century urban planning. The declaration was made in response to the bombing of Odesa during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has damaged or destroyed buildings across the city.

In classical antiquity a large Greek settlement existed no later than the middle of the 6th century BC. It has been researched as a possible site of the ancient Greek settlement of Histria. The first chronicle mention of the Slavic settlement-port of Kotsiubijiv, which was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, dates back to 1415, when a ship was sent from here to Constantinople by sea. After the Grand Duchy lost control, the port and its surroundings became part of the domain of the Ottoman Empire in 1529, under the name Hacibey, and remained in the empire until the Ottomans' defeat in the Russo-Turkish War in 1792. In 1794, a decree of the Russian empress Catherine II was issued to establish a navy harbor and trading place in Khadjibey, which was renamed Odessa soon after. From 1819 to 1858, Odesa was a free port. During the Soviet period, it was an important trading port and a naval base. During the 19th century, Odesa was the fourth largest city of the Russian Empire, after Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Warsaw. Its historical architecture is more Mediterranean than Russian, having been heavily influenced by French and Italian styles. Some buildings were built in a mixture of styles, including Art Nouveau, Renaissance and Classicist.

Odesa is a warm-water port. The city of Odesa hosts both the Port of Odesa and Port Pivdennyi, a significant oil terminal situated in the city's suburbs. Another notable port, Chornomorsk, is located in the same oblast, to the south-west of Odesa. Together they represent a major transport hub integrating with railways. Odesa's oil and chemical processing facilities are connected to the Russian and other European networks by strategic pipelines. In 2000, the Quarantine Pier at Odesa Commercial Sea Port was declared a free port and free economic zone for a period of 25 years.