View source for Krasnodar Krai

{{short description|First-level administrative division of Russia}}
{{Distinguish|Krasnoyarsk Krai}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox Russian federal subject
|en_name=Krasnodar Krai
|ru_name=Краснодарский край
|image_map=Map of Russia (2014–2022) - Krasnodar Krai (Crimea disputed).svg
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 5
| mapframe-stroke-width = 1
|coordinates={{coord|45|22|N|39|26|E|type:adm1st_region:RU|display=inline,title}}
|image_coa=Coat of Arms of Krasnodar Krai.svg
|image_flag=Flag of Krasnodar Krai.svg
|anthem={{ill|Anthem of Krasnodar Krai|ru|Гимн Краснодарского края}}
|political_status=Krai
|political_status_link=Krais of Russia
|federal_district=[[Southern Federal District|Southern]]
|economic_region=[[North Caucasus economic region|North Caucasus]]
|adm_ctr_type=Administrative center
|adm_ctr_name=[[Krasnodar]]
|adm_ctr_ref=<ref name="AdmCtr">Charter of Krasnodar Krai, Article&nbsp;13</ref>
|pop_2021census= 5838273 {{increase}}
{{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap;
| 87.7% [[Russians]]|3.6% [[Armenians]]|0.5% [[Ukrainians]]|3.1% other|5% not stated}}
|pop_2021census_rank=3rd
|urban_pop_2010census=56.9%
|rural_pop_2010census=43.1%
|pop_2021census_ref=<ref name="2021Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2021Census}}</ref>
|pop_latest=5,570,945
|pop_latest_date=2017
|pop_latest_ref=<ref name="2017Est">[[Goskomstat|Rosstat]]. [http://www.poltavareview.com/?p=15917] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831085931/http://www.poltavareview.com/?p=15917 |date=August 31, 2017 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
|area_km2=75485
|area_km2_rank=42nd
|established_date=September&nbsp;13, 1937
|established_date_ref=<ref name="DateEstablished">Azarenkova et al., p.&nbsp;114</ref>
|license_plates=23, 93, 123, 193
|ISO=RU-KDA
|leader_title=[[Governor of Krasnodar Krai|Governor]]
|leader_title_ref=<ref name="HeadTitle">Charter of Krasnodar Krai, Article&nbsp;39</ref>
|leader_name=[[Veniamin Kondratyev]]
|leader_name_ref=<ref name="HeadName">Official website of Krasnodar Krai.  [http://admkrai.krasnodar.ru/content/24/show/6243/ Biography of Alexander Nikolayevich Tkachyov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814182649/http://admkrai.krasnodar.ru/content/24/show/6243/ |date=August 14, 2015 }}, Governor of Krasnodar Krai {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
|legislature=[[Legislative Assembly of Krasnodar Krai|Legislative Assembly]]
|legislature_ref=<ref name="Legislature">Charter of Krasnodar Krai, Chapter&nbsp;24</ref>
|website=http://admkrai.krasnodar.ru/
}}

'''Krasnodar Krai''' ({{langx|ru|Краснода́рский край|Krasnodarskiy kray}}, {{IPA|ru|krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj|}}) is a [[federal subjects of Russia|federal subject]] of [[Russia]] (a [[krai]]), located in the [[North Caucasus]] region in [[Southern Russia]] and is administratively a part of the [[Southern Federal District]]. Its [[administrative center]] is the [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|city]] of [[Krasnodar]]. The [[List of federal subjects of Russia by population|third most populous]] federal subject in Russia, it had a population of&nbsp;5,838,273 as of the [[Russian Census (2021)|2021 Census]].<ref name="2021Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2021Census}}</ref>

Krasnodar Krai is formally and informally referred to as '''Kuban''' ({{langx|ru|Кубань}}), a term denoting the historical region of [[Kuban]] situated between the [[Sea of Azov]] and the [[Kuban River]] which is predominantly within the krai. It is bordered by [[Rostov Oblast]] to the north, [[Stavropol Krai]] to the east, [[Karachay-Cherkessia]] to the south-east. [[Adygea]] is an [[enclave]] entirely within the krai. Krasnodar Krai shares an international border with [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and borders [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexed]] [[Crimea]] to the west, across the [[Kerch Strait]].

The northern part of the krai takes in a part of the [[Don Steppe]], while the southern part has a distinctive [[Mediterranean climate]] which has made it a popular tourist location. [[Novorossiysk]] is Russia's main port on the [[Black Sea]], one of the few cities awarded the title of the [[Hero City (Soviet Union)|Hero City]],{{not verified in body|date=November 2024}} 
and [[Sochi]] was the host of the [[XXII Olympic Winter Games]] in 2014. Krasnodar Krai is home to significant infrastructure of the [[Russian Navy]]'s [[Black Sea Fleet]].

==Geography==
{{Location map+|Russia Southern Federal District|width=250px|float=left|relief=1|thumb|caption=Federal subjects in the Black Sea-Caspian area.<br/>*Smaller areas along the north Caucasus are the republics: Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia, and Chechnya <br/>*Yellow is the [[Southern Federal District]] and below it is the [[North Caucasian Federal District]] (light grey) 
|places=
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=43.92|long=41.78|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=bottom|label=[[Karachay-Cherkessia|KC]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=43.70|long=43.40|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=bottom|label=[[Kabardino-Balkaria|KB]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=43.50|long=44.50|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=bottom|label=[[North Ossetia-Alania|Oss]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=43.20|long=44.97|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=top|label=[[Ingushetia|In]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=43.70|long=45.72|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=bottom|label=[[Chechnya|Ch]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=45.03|long=38.97|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=top|label=Krasnodar Krai}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=44.80|long=40.70|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=left|label=[[Adygea]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=45.20|long=41.98|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=right|label=[[Stavropol Krai]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=47.00|long=41.00|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=top|label=[[Rostov Oblast]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=49.00|long=44.52|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=top|label=[[Volgograd Oblast]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=47.68|long=46.20|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=right|label=[[Astrakhan Oblast]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=46.50|long=44.00|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=right|label=[[Kalmykia]]}}
{{Location map~|Russia Southern Federal District|lat=43.75|long=46.20|mark=Clear pog.svg|position=right|label=[[Dagestan|Dage-<br/>stan]]}}
}}

Krasnodar Krai is located in the southwestern part of the [[North Caucasus]] and borders  [[Rostov Oblast]] in the northeast, [[Stavropol Krai]] and [[Karachay-Cherkessia]] in the east, and with the [[Abkhazia]] region (internationally recognized as part of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]) in the south.<ref name="OffSiteGeo">Official website of Krasnodar Krai. [http://krasnodar.ru/content/36/show/29838/ General Information About the Region] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011200855/http://krasnodar.ru/content/36/show/29838/ |date=October 11, 2017 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref> The [[Republic of Adygea]] is completely encircled by the krai territory. The krai's [[Taman Peninsula]] is situated between the [[Sea of Azov]] in the north and the [[Black Sea]] in the south.<ref name="Gorshenyov">Gorshenyov</ref> In the west, the [[Kerch Strait]] separates the krai from the [[status of Crimea|contested]] [[Crimean Peninsula]], internationally recognised as [[Autonomous Republic of Crimea|part]] of [[Ukraine]] but under ''[[de facto]]'' [[Russia]]n [[Republic of Crimea (Russia)|control]].<ref name="Gorshenyov" /> At its widest extent, the krai stretches for {{convert|327|km|sp=us}} from north to south and for {{convert|360|km|sp=us}} from east to west.<ref name="OffSiteGeo" />

The krai is split into two distinct parts by the [[Kuban River]], which gave its name to this entire geographic region.<ref name="Gorshenyov" /> The southern, seaward part is the western extremity of the [[Caucasus]] range, lying within the [[Crimean Submediterranean forest complex]] ecoregion;<ref name="WWF">[[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]]. [http://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/pa0416 Central Asia: Southwest Russia and the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea coast]</ref> the climate is [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] or, in the southeast, [[subtropics|subtropical]].<ref name="Gorshenyov" /> Historically it is known as [[Circassia]]. The northern part is a [[Pontic–Caspian steppe|steppe zone]] which shares [[continental climate]] patterns.<ref name="Gorshenyov" /> It is also known as [[Kuban]] region.
{{see also|Kuban Oblast|Black Sea Governorate}}
The height of the mountains exceeds {{convert|3000|m|sp=us}}, with [[Mount Tsakhvoa]] being the highest at {{convert|3346|m|sp=us}},<ref name="Gorshenyov" /> with [[Mount Fisht]], at {{convert|2867|m|sp=us}}, being the Great Caucasus' westernmost peak with a [[glacier]].<ref name="Gorshenyov" />

The Black Sea coast stretches from the Kerch Strait to [[Adler Microdistrict|Adler]] and is shielded by the [[Caucasus Mountains]] from the cold northern winds.<ref name="Gorshenyov" /> Numerous small mountain rivers flow in the coastal areas, often creating picturesque waterfalls.<ref name="Gorshenyov" />

[[Lake Abrau]], located in the wine-making region of [[Abrau-Dyurso]], is the largest lake in the northeastern Caucasus region.<ref name="Gorshenyov" />

<gallery class="center" widths="160px">
File:Goryachiy Kluch.jpg|<div style="text-align: center;">A hilly landscape near [[Goryachy Klyuch, Krasnodar Krai|Goryachy Klyuch]]</div>
File:Tsakhvoa mount 2008.jpg|<div style="text-align: center;">[[Mount Tsakhvoa]] is the highest peak in Krasnodar Krai</div>
File:Водопад пшада.jpeg|<div style="text-align: center;">Pshadskiye Waterfalls</div>
File:Abrau.jpg|<div style="text-align: center;">[[Lake Abrau]]</div>
File:RIAN archive 499451 On a beach in Sochi.jpg|<div style="text-align: center;">On a beach in [[Sochi]]</div>
File:Apsheronsk.jpg|<div style="text-align: center;">[[Apsheronsky District]]</div>
</gallery>

==History==
[[File:Phanagoria excavations (2008).JPG|thumb|[[Phanagoria]], ancient Greek city and former capital of early medieval [[Old Great Bulgaria]]]]
The region's earliest known inhabitants are referred to, generally, as the [[Maeotians|''Maiōtai'']], who are the ancestors of the modern-day [[Circassians]], [[Abkhazians]] and [[Abazins]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Адыги – Энциклопедия, Большая Советская |url=http://gatchina3000.ru/big/002/515_bolshaya-sovetskaya.htm |access-date=March 11, 2023 |website=gatchina3000.ru}}</ref> (after the Greek name for the [[Maeotian Swamp|Sea of Azov]]). During the 6th century BC, [[Pontic Greeks]] founded the area's first cities, such as ''[[Phanagoria]]'' (near modern [[Sennoy, Krasnodar Krai|Sennoy]]) and ''[[Hermonassa]]'' (on the [[Taman Peninsula]]), who traded with nomadic tribes including the [[Scythians|''Skuthai'']] (Scythians) and [[Sindi people|''Sindi'']].

In the 7th century, Phanagoria served as the capital of [[Old Great Bulgaria]]. From the 8th to the 10th centuries, the area was dominated by the [[Khazars]], a [[Turkic people]] who had earlier migrated from the east onto the [[Pontic-Caspian Steppe]], where [[Khazar hypothesis of Ashkenazi ancestry|a hypothesis claims that they converted]] to [[Judaism]].  After the defeat of the [[Khazar Khanate]] in 965 [[Grand Prince of Kiev|Kievan Prince]] [[Svyatoslav I of Kiev|Svyatoslav]] conquered the area, it came under the rule of [[Kievan Rus']], and it then formed the [[Tmutarakan]] principality. Later, due to the increasing claims of the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]] at the end of the 11th century, the Tmutarakan principality came under the authority of the Eastern Roman Emperors (until 1204).{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In that period of history, the [[Circassians]] were first mentioned, under the ethnonym ''[[Kassogs]]''. For example, the [[Kassoges|Kassog]] Prince [[Rededya]] was mentioned in ''[[The Tale of Igor's Campaign]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Song of Igor's Campaign, Igor son of Svyatoslav and grandson of Oleg |url=https://lib.ru/NABOKOW/slovo.txt |access-date=March 11, 2023 |website=lib.ru}}</ref>

In 1243–1438, the current territory of the Kuban was part of the [[Golden Horde]]. After the latter's collapse, parts of Kuban were held under the [[Crimean Khanate]], [[Circassia]], and the [[Ottoman Empire]], which dominated the region. The [[Lesser Nogai Horde]] was the [[Nogais|Nogai Tatar]] territory in Kuban, allied with the Crimean Khanate.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=Brian |title=Empire and Military Revolution in Eastern Europe Russia's Turkish Wars in the Eighteenth Century |date=2011 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9781441168801 |pages=17–20 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H1cSBwAAQBAJ}}</ref> The [[Tsardom of Russia]] began to challenge the protectorate of the Ottoman Empire in the area during the [[History of the Russo-Turkish wars|Russo-Turkish wars]].

[[File:Krasnodar Krai map-en.svg|right|thumb|Krasnodar Krai]]

In April 1783, after the liquidation of the [[Crimean Khanate]], right-bank Kuban and Taman Peninsula were annexed to the [[Russian Empire]] by decree of [[Catherine II]]. In 1792–1794, the [[Cossacks]] moved there from [[Zaporizhzhia]], now located in Ukraine, and formed the Black Sea Area troops, with the creation of a solid cordon line for the [[Kuban River]] and [[Circassian genocide|the marginalization]] of the neighboring [[Circassians]]. The administrative region was accorded the status of "Land of Black Sea Cossack Army", with its center in the city of [[Yekaterinodar]] (renamed Krasnodar by the Bolsheviks in 1920).

In 1900, the region's population numbered around two million people. In 1913, the gross grain harvest Kuban region entered second place in Russia, for the production of marketable grain – in first place.{{clarify|date=May 2020}} During the [[Russian Civil War]], the anti-communist [[Kuban People's Republic]] was established on January 28, 1918. It sought union with the [[Ukrainian People's Republic]] during its brief independence until Soviet forces occupied the latter in May 1920.

Krasnodar Krai was founded on September 13, 1937, when [[Azov-Black Sea Krai]] of the [[Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic|Russian SFSR]] was split up in Krasnodar Krai and [[Rostov Oblast]]. The [[Greek Autonomous District]] and [[Shapsug national district]] were located within the Krai. On January 30, 1996, Krasnodar Krai signed a power-sharing agreement with the federal government, granting it autonomy.<ref name="asymmetries">{{Cite journal|last=Solnick|first=Steven|date=May 29, 1996|title=Asymmetries in Russian Federation Bargaining|url=https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/nceeer/1996-810-08-Solnick.pdf|journal=The National Council for Soviet and East European Research|pages=12|archive-date=October 9, 2022|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/nceeer/1996-810-08-Solnick.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> This agreement would be abolished on April 12, 2002.<ref name="demokratiztsiya">{{Cite journal|last=Chuman|first=Mizuki|title=The Rise and Fall of Power-Sharing Treaties Between Center and Regions in Post-Soviet Russia|url=http://demokratizatsiya.pub/archives/19_2_L7H017206G216817.pdf|journal=Demokratizatsiya|pages=146|archive-date=March 8, 2019|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308002915/http://demokratizatsiya.pub/archives/19_2_L7H017206G216817.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{see also|Kuban-Black Sea Oblast}}

===2012 floods===
{{Main|2012 Russian floods}}

On July&nbsp;7, 2012, at least 171 people died in Krasnodar Krai, after torrential rains overnight caused the worst flooding and landslides in more than seventy years.<ref name="Russia144">{{Cite news|title=Russia Flash Floods: 144 Killed in Krasnodar Region |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18751198|access-date=July 7, 2012|newspaper=BBC News|date=July 7, 2012|location=London}}</ref><ref name="Russia150">{{cite news|last=Elder|first=Miriam|title=Russian Floods Kill 150 and Leave Thousands Homeless|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/08/russia-floods-deaths|access-date=July 9, 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=July 9, 2012|location=London}}</ref> Over {{convert|280|mm|sp=us}} of rain – the typical amount for a four- or five-month period – was reported to have fallen within forty-eight hours.<ref name="Russia100" />  A local police spokesman stated that most of the dead were in [[Krymsky District]], where at least 159 died when a wave of water {{convert|5|m|sp=us}} high swept through the town of [[Krymsk]] in the middle of the night.<ref name="Russia150" /><ref name="Russia100">{{cite news|title=Over 100 Die in Russia as Floods and Landslides Hit Krasnodar Region|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/07/45-die-russia-floods|access-date=July 7, 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=July 7, 2012|location=London}}</ref> Ten more deaths occurred in [[Gelendzhik]], including five electrocuted when a [[transformer]] fell into the floodwater, and two in [[Novorossiysk]].<ref name="Russia144" /><ref name="Russia100" />  Authorities stated that 17 people had been officially reported missing, and there were fears the death toll would rise further, while medics had hospitalized 210 people, including 16 children.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

The regional government claimed that over 24,000 people were affected by the floods, with more than 3,000 evacuated, and that more than 10,000 rescuers and 140 helicopters were searching for victims and evacuating survivors.<ref name="Russia144" /><ref name="Russia100" /> In [[Krymsk]], 14 temporary shelters were set up to house around 2,000 evacuees.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} The transport system in the region was said to have collapsed, while oil shipments from Novorossiysk were halted when [[port of Novorossiysk|the port]], located in the lower part of the city, was threatened by landslides.<ref name="Russia144" /><ref name="Russia100" /><ref name="Putin">{{cite news|title=Vladimir Putin Flies to Flood-hit Southern Russia as Death Toll Rises|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/08/putin-flood-russia-death-toll|access-date=July 9, 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=July 8, 2012|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710000739/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/08/putin-flood-russia-death-toll|archive-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref> Russia's President [[Vladimir Putin]] flew to the area to hold emergency talks with officials in Krymsk, while authorities in [[Perm Krai]] dispatched a rescue team to evacuate dozens of children from the region, who had been staying at summer camps on the [[Black Sea]] coast.<ref name="Russia144" /><ref name="Putin" />

Residents of Krymsk claimed the wave of water that hit the town resulted from the [[sluice gate]]s of a nearby reservoir being opened, although the prosecutor general's investigative committee denied this. Local prosecutors had earlier confirmed that the gates were opened, but stated that it was too early to determine whether this was the cause of the flooding.<ref name="Russia150" />{{update after|2014}}<!-- what became of the investigation?  were the results ever made public?  or kept private to the Russian government? -->

==Politics==
[[File:Krasnodar 002.JPG|thumb|Krai Administration building in Krasnodar]]

During the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] period, the high authority in the krai was shared between three persons: the first secretary of the Krasnodar CPSU Committee (who in reality had the greatest authority), the chairman of the Krai Soviet (legislative power), and the chairman of the Krai Executive Committee (executive power). In 1991, the CPSU lost power, and the head of the krai administration, and eventually the governor have been since appointed/elected alongside elected [[Regional parliaments of Russia|regional parliament]].

The Charter of Krasnodar Krai is the fundamental law of the region. The [[Legislative Assembly of Krasnodar Krai]] is the province's standing legislative (representative) body. The assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it. The highest executive body is the krai government, which includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day-to-day matters of the province. The krai administration supports the governor's activities, who is the highest official and acts as the guarantor of the observance of the Krai Charter in accordance with the [[Constitution of Russia]].

==Administrative divisions==
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Krasnodar Krai}}

Krasnodar Krai is administratively divided into thirty-eight [[raion|districts]] (''raions'') and fifteen [[city of federal subject significance|cities of district equivalence]]. The districts and cities are further subdivided into eleven [[town of district significance|towns]], plus [[urban-type settlement of district significance|urban-type settlements]], and [[selsoviet|rural okrugs and stanitsa okrugs]].

==Economy==

As a result of [[2014 Winter Olympics]], Krasnodar Krai has seen significant infrastructure spending.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Filipov |first1=David |title=Russia spent $50 billion on the Sochi Olympics. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/that-sochi-olympic-boondoggle-russians-say-all-the-investment-is-paying-off/2017/11/13/65014bd0-b82c-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html |access-date=February 4, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Over $50&nbsp;billion has been spent on various infrastructure projects including a bullet train.

Large companies in the region include [[Magnit|Tander]], Novorossmetal, Autonomous Heat Energy Company, Gazprom gas distribution Krasnodar, and Evrokhim Chemical Fertilizers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Krasnodar Territory Industries |url=https://www.investinregions.ru/en/regions/krasnodarsky/industries/ |website=investinregions.ru |access-date=November 7, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

===Transportation===
Several lines of [[Russian Railways]] cross the region and link it with [[Abkhazia]], [[Ukraine]], and neighboring Russian regions. There are direct trains from resort cities like [[Sochi]] and [[Anapa]] to [[Moscow]], via [[Krasnodar]], which become very popular during the summer vacation season. There are also suburb train connections.
The [[Apsheronsk narrow-gauge railway]], the longest [[Mountain railway|mountain]] [[narrow-gauge railway]] in Russia, runs through Krasnodar Krai.

There are several airports in the region, including [[Krasnodar International Airport]], [[Sochi International Airport]], [[Anapa Airport]], and [[Gelendzhik Airport]].

The biggest ports are [[Novorossiysk]] and [[Tuapse]]. Others are [[Eisk]] and [[Temryuk]] on the [[Azov Sea]], and [[Port Kavkaz]],   [[Taman, Russia|Taman]], [[Anapa]], [[Gelendzhik]], and [[Sochi]] on the [[Black Sea]]. The [[Crimean Bridge]] connects Krasnodar Krai and [[Crimea]].

<gallery class="center" widths="160px">
File:Railroad snow blower SO750 (left-front view).jpg|<div style="text-align: center;">[[Apsheronsk narrow-gauge railway]]</div>
File:E-train Lastochka on station Sochi.jpg|<div style="text-align: center;">EMU train Lastotschka, [[Sochi]]</div>
File:Novo-2010-08-27-043.jpg|<div style="text-align: center;">The [[port]] of [[Novorossiysk]]</div>
</gallery>

==Demographics==
===Population===
{{ru-census|p2021=5,838,273|p2010=5,226,647|p2002=5,125,221|p1989=5,113,148}}{{Historical populations|3=1926|4=2934000|7=1959|8=3762499|9=1970|10=4509807|11=1979|12=4814835|13=1989|14=5113148|15=2002|16=5125221|17=2010|18=5226647|19=2021|20=5838273|type=|footnote=Source: Census data}}'''Vital statistics for 2024:<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 21, 2025 |title=Естественное движение населения в разрезе субъектов российской федерации за декабрь 2024 года |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/EDN_12-2024.htm |access-date=February 25, 2025 |website=Rosstat}}</ref>'''
*Births: 51,509 (8.8 per 1,000)
*Deaths: 73,705 (12.7 per 1,000)

'''Total fertility rate (2024):<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 25, 2025 |title=Рейтинг рождаемости в регионах: кто в лидерах, а кто в аутсайдерах {{!}} Москва |url=https://fedpress.ru/article/3365231 |access-date=February 26, 2025 |website=ФедералПресс |language=ru-RU}}</ref>'''<br />
1.51 children per woman

'''Life expectancy (2021):'''<ref name="rosstat">{{cite web|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/folder/210/document/13207 |title=Демографический ежегодник России |publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service of Russia]] (Rosstat) |access-date=June 1, 2022 |language=ru |trans-title=The Demographic Yearbook of Russia}}</ref>  <br />
Total — 70.53 years (male&nbsp;— 66.08, female&nbsp;— 74.90)

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Life expectancy in Russian subject -Krasnodar Krai.png|Life expectancy at birth in Krasnodar Krai
File:Life expectancy in Russian subject -Krasnodar Krai -diff.png|Life expectancy with calculated differences
File:Life expectancy in Russia -Krasnodar Krai.png|Life expectancy in Krasnodar Krai and neighboring regions 
File:Life expectancy in Russia -Krasnodar Krai (after 2014).png|Zoomed version of the chart since 2014
</gallery>

===Settlements===
{{Largest cities
| country      = Krasnodar Krai
| stat_ref     = 2021 Russian Census
| list_by_pop  =
| div_name     =
| div_link     = Administrative divisions of Krasnodar Krai{{!}}Administrative Division
| city_1 = Krasnodar
| div_1 = Krasnodar{{!}}City of krai significance of Krasnodar
| pop_1 = 1,099,344
| img_1 = Krasnodar teatr.jpg
| city_2 = Sochi
| div_2 = Sochi{{!}}City of krai significance of Sochi
| pop_2 = 466,078
| img_2 = Аэрофотоснимок Зимнего театра 02.jpg
| city_3 = Novorossiysk
| div_3 = Novorossiysk{{!}}City of krai significance of Novorossiysk
| pop_3 = 262,293
| img_3 = Novo-2010-08-27-043.jpg
| city_4 = Armavir, Russia{{!}}Armavir
| div_4 = Armavir, Russia{{!}}City of krai significance of Armavir
| pop_4 = 187,177
| img_4 = Armavir - panoramio.jpg
| city_5 = Yeysk
| div_5 = Yeysk{{!}}Town of krai significance of Yeysk
| pop_5 = 82,943
| city_6 = Anapa
| div_6 = Anapa{{!}}Town of krai significance of Anapa
| pop_6 = 81,863
| city_7 = Gelendzhik
| div_7 = Gelendzhik{{!}}Town of krai significance of Gelendzhik
| pop_7 = 80,204
| city_8 = Kropotkin, Krasnodar Krai{{!}}Kropotkin
| div_8 = Kropotkin, Krasnodar Krai{{!}}Town of krai significance of Kropotkin
| pop_8 = 75,858
| city_9 = Slavyansk-na-Kubani
| div_9 = Slavyansk-na-Kubani{{!}}Town of krai significance of Slavyansk-na-Kubani
| pop_9 = 62,985
| city_10 = Tuapse
| div_10 = Tuapse{{!}}Town of krai significance of Tuapse
| pop_10 = 61,571
}}

The population of Krasnodar Krai is concentrated in the [[Kuban River]] drainage basin, which was traditionally [[Cossack]] land (see'' [[History of Cossacks]]''). The [[Kuban Cossacks]] are now generally considered{{according to whom|date=October 2022}} to be ethnic Russians, even though they are still an important minority in their own right in the area. [[Kuban Cossacks#National identity|Historically]], they were considered to be ethnic Ukrainian{{according to whom|date=October 2022}}, and reported their language as Ukrainian in censuses well into the 20th century (see [[Kuban Cossacks#National identity|''National Identity of Kuban Cossacks'']]). This change in identity is due to assimilation and historical persecution of the Kuban Cossacks, which was particularly prominent due to questions of their loyalty to Moscow and the Communist state during the Russian Revolution and First World War.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}

Other notable ethnic groups include the [[Adyghe people|Adyghe]], who are the region's indigenous population and were nearly completely annihilated following the [[Circassian genocide]],<ref name="RLS">{{cite book |last1=Richard |first1=Walter |title=The Circassian Genocide |date=April 9, 2013 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-0-8135-6069-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LHlwZwpA70cC}}</ref> and the [[Armenians]] (including Christian [[Hamsheni]] and [[Cherkesogai]]), who have lived in the region since at least the 18th century.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Ethnic groups===
The [[Russian Census (2021)|2021 Census]] identified ethnic groups, as shown in the following table:<ref name="census2021">{{cite web|title=Национальный состав населения|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/Tom5_tab1_VPN-2020.xlsx|publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service]]|accessdate=December 30, 2022}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Ethnic<br />group
! colspan=2| 1926 Census
! colspan=2| 1939 Census
! colspan=2| 1959 Census
! colspan=2| 1979 Census
! colspan=2| 1989 Census
! colspan=2| 2002 Census
! colspan=2| 2010 Census
! colspan=2| 2021 Census
|-
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
| align=left|[[Russians]] || 1,358,996 || 46.67 || 2,754,027 || 86.80 || 3,163,219 || 91.54 || 3,873,463 || 89.29 || 4,006,811 || 86.71 || 4,436,272 || 86.55 || 4,522,962 || 86.55 || 5,121,482 || 87.72
|-
| align=left|[[Armenians]] || 77,751 || 2.67 || 60,501 || 1.91 || 75,163 || 2.18 || 114,438 || 2.64 || 171,757 || 3.72 || 274,566 || 5.36 || 281,680 || 5.39 || 211,132 || 3.62
|-
| align=left|[[Ukrainians]] || 1,418,820 || 48.72 || 149,874 || 4.72 || 137,604 || 3.98 || 156,500 || 3.61 || 182,128 || 3.94 || 131,774 || 2.57 || 83,746 || 1.60 || 29,317 || 0.50
|-
| align=left|[[Tatars]] ||  ||  ||  ||  || 5,036 || 0.15 || 19,093 || 0.44 || 14,547 || 0.31 || 25,589 || 0.50 || 24,840 || 0.48 || 18,912 || 0.32
|-
| align=left|[[Caucasus Greeks]] ||  ||  || 42,568 || 1.34 || 11,989 || 0.35 || 20,650 || 0.48 || 28,337 || 0.61 || 26,540 || 0.52 || 22,595 || 0.43 || 13,117 || 0.22
|-
| align=left|[[Georgians]] ||  ||  ||  ||  || 5,128 || 0.15 || 8,085 || 0.19 || 12,105 || 0.26 || 20,500 || 0.40 || 17,826 || 0.34 || 12,451 || 0.21
|-
| align=left|[[Gypsies]] ||  ||  ||  ||  || 4,428 || 0.13 || 6,499 || 0.15 || 8,186 || 0.18 || 10,873 || 0.21 || 12,920 || 0.25 || 11,590 || 0.20
|-
| align=left|[[Adyghe people|Adyghe]] ||  ||  || 64,177 || 2.02 || 10,384 || 0.30 || 16,584 || 0.38 || 20,795 || 0.45 || 15,821 || 0.31 || 13,834 || 0.26 || 10,484 || 0.18
|-
| align=left|[[Azerbaijanis]] ||  ||  ||  ||  || 1,264 || 0.04 || 2,806 || 0.06 || 10,343 || 0.22 || 11,944 || 0.23 || 10,165 || 0.19 || 8,804 || 0.15
|-
| align=left|[[Turkish people|Turks]] ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 267 || 0.01 || 2,119 || 0.05 || 13,496 || 0.26 || 8,527 || 0.16 || 8,070 || 0.14
|-
| align=left|[[Circassians]] ||  ||  ||  ||  || 2,213 || 0.06 || 3,849 || 0.09 || 3,562 || 0.08 || 4,446 || 0.09 || 5,258 || 0.10 || 6,166 || 0.11
|-
| align=left|[[Belarusians]] || 23,302 || 0.80 ||  ||  ||  ||  || 29,789 || 0.69 || 34,688 || 0.75 || 26,260 || 0.51 || 16,890 || 0.32 || 5,923 || 0.10
|-
| align=left|[[Russian Germans]] || 33,041 || 1.13 || 34,287 || 1.08 || 4,510 || 0.13 || 22,849 || 0.53 || 29,946 || 0.65 || 18,469 || 0.36 || 12,171 || 0.23 || 5,678 || 0.10
|-
| align=left|[[Kurds]] ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 537 || 0.01 || 2,262 || 0.05 || 5,022 || 0.10 || 5,899 || 0.11 || 5,609 || 0.10
|-
| align=left|Other ethnicities ||  ||  || 67,240 || 2.12 || 34,465 || 1.00 || 62,434 || 1.44 || 93,284 || 2.02 || 90,622 || 1.77 || 85,121 || 1.63 || 77,389 || 1.33
|-
| align=left|Ethnicity not stated ||  ||  ||  ||  || 23 || 0.00 || 4 || 0.00 || 6 || 0.00 || 13,190 || 0.26 || 101,657 || 1.95 || 292,149 || 5.00
|}

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===Religion===
{{Bar box
|title=Religion in Krasnodar Krai as of 2012 (Sreda Arena Atlas)<ref name="2012ArenaAtlas">[https://sreda.org/en/arena "Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia"]. Sreda, 2012.</ref><ref name="2012Arena-religion-maps">[http://c2.kommersant.ru/ISSUES.PHOTO/OGONIOK/2012/034/ogcyhjk2.jpg 2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps]. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), August 27, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170421154615/http://c2.kommersant.ru/ISSUES.PHOTO/OGONIOK/2012/034/ogcyhjk2.jpg Archived].</ref>
|float=right
|bars=
{{Bar percent|[[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodoxy]]|DarkOrchid|52.2}}
{{Bar percent|Other [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]]|MediumOrchid|0.9}}
{{Bar percent|[[Old Believers]]|Purple|0.5}}
{{Bar percent|Other [[Christianity in Russia|Christians]]|DeepSkyBlue|3.5}}
{{Bar percent|[[Islam in Russia|Islam]]|Green|1.3}}
{{Bar percent|[[Spiritual but not religious]]|DarkSlateGray|22.5}}
{{Bar percent|[[Atheism]] and [[irreligion]]|Black|13.2}}
{{Bar percent|Other and undeclared|Gray|5.9}}
}}

According to a 2012 survey<ref name="2012ArenaAtlas"/> 52.2% of the population of Krasnodar Krai adheres to the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], 3% are [[nondenominational Christianity|unaffiliated]] generic [[Christians]], 1% are either Orthodox Christian believers who do not belong to church or members of non-Russian Orthodox churches, and 1% are [[Muslim]]s. In addition, 22% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 13% is [[atheism|atheist]], and 7.8% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.<ref name="2012ArenaAtlas"/>
{{clear}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{Cite Russian law
|ru_entity=Законодательное Собрание Краснодарского края
|ru_type=Закон
|ru_number=5-КЗ
|ru_date=5 мая 1995 г.
|ru_title=О символах Краснодарского края
|ru_effective_date=31 мая 1995 г
|ru_published_in="Кубанские новости", №87
|ru_published_date=24 мая 1995 г
|ru_url=
|ru_amendment_type=Закона
|ru_amendment_number=2957-КЗ
|ru_amendment_date=8 мая 2014 г.
|ru_amendment_title=О внесении изменений в Закон Краснодарского края "О символах Краснодарского края"
|en_entity=Legislative Assembly of Krasnodar Krai
|en_type=Law
|en_number=5-KZ
|en_date=May&nbsp;5, 1995
|en_title=On the Symbols of Krasnodar Krai
|en_effective_date=May&nbsp;31, 1995
|en_url=
|en_amendment_type=Law
|en_amendment_number=2957-KZ
|en_amendment_date=May&nbsp;8, 2014
|en_amendment_title=On Amending the Law of Krasnodar Krai "On the Symbols of Krasnodar Krai"
}}
*{{RussiaBasicLawRef|kda}}
*{{Cite book
|last=Горшенёв
|first=М.&nbsp;А.
|script-title=ru:Путешествия по Краснодарскому краю
|year=1983
|publisher=Физкультура и спорт
|language=ru
}}
*{{Cite book
|last=Азаренкова
|first=А.&nbsp;С.
|author2=И.&nbsp;Ю.&nbsp;Бондарь
|author3=Н.&nbsp;С.&nbsp;Вертышева
|title=Основные административно-территориальные преобразования на Кубани (1793–1985&nbsp;гг.)
|orig-date=1986
|year=1986
|publisher=Краснодарское книжное издательство
|language=ru
}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Krasnodar Krai}}
{{Commons category|Krasnodar Krai}}
* [http://admkrai.krasnodar.ru/ Official website of Krasnodar Krai] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140922011643/http://admkrai.krasnodar.ru/ |date=September 22, 2014 }} {{in lang|ru}}

{{Subdivisions of Russia}}
{{Krasnodar Krai}}
{{Countries and regions of the Caucasus}}
{{Geographic location
|Center={{flag|Krasnodar Krai}} (surrounding {{flag|Adygea}})
|North=''[[Sea of Azov]]''<br />{{flag|Donetsk Oblast}}, {{flag|Ukraine}}
|Northeast={{flag|Rostov Oblast}}
|East={{flag|Karachay-Cherkessia}} and {{flag|Stavropol Krai}}
|Southeast=
|South={{flag|Abkhazia}}, {{flag|Georgia}}
|Southwest=''[[Black Sea]]''
|West={{flag|Republic of Crimea|name=Cri}}[[Autonomous Republic of Crimea|mea]], {{flag|Russia}}/{{flag|Ukraine}}
|Northwest = ''[[Sea of Azov]]''<br />{{flag|Zaporizhzhia Oblast}}, {{flag|Ukraine}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Krasnodar Krai| ]]
[[Category:Historical regions]]
[[Category:Southern Federal District]]
[[Category:Kuban]]
[[Category:Krais of Russia]]
[[Category:North Caucasus]]
[[Category:Countries and territories where Russian is an official language]]