 Stavropolsky krai was formed on February 13, 1924, as Yugo-Vostochnaya Oblast (that meant Southeastern), on October 16, 1924 it was renamed into North Caucasian Territory, but on March 17, 1937 it became Ordzhonikidzevsky Territory. The regional centre is Stavropol (in 1935-1943 - Voroshilovsk). The area is 66,5 thousand sq. km. The population is 2888,8 thousand people.
The region includes 34 districts, 3 urban districts (in Stavropol), 20 cities and towns, 18 urban and resort settlements. Stavropolsky krai is situated on the southern side of the Caucasus. The territory borders upon Rostovskaya Oblast, Krasnodarsky krai, the republics of Kalmykia, Dagestan, Chechnya, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachayevo-Circassia.The minerals are gas, petroleum, complex ores and building materials. The most known gas- and oilfields are as follows: Sergileyevskoye, Severo-Stavropolsko-Pelagiadinskoye and Praskoveyskoye.
The basic branches are the machine-building (various electrical engineering, machine tools, devices, truck cranes, trailers), production of food, light, chemicals (mineral fertilizers), power, building materials, furniture, oil and gas recovery.
The main rivers here are the Kuban, the Kuma with the Podkumka and the Zolka, etc., the Kalaus, the Egorlyk. There are some lakes such as Tambukanskoye (with therapeutic muds), the lakes of Manych-Gudilo, Tsagan-Khak, etc.
The agriculture specializes on cultivation of grain and sunflower, cattle breeding, gardening, viniculture, poultry farming and swine-breeding.
The resorts are the city of Caucasian Mineral Waters, Teberda, Kumagorsk. The city of Caucasian Mineral Waters is the largest resort region of the Russian Federation, which has no rivals in Eurasia in its diversity, resources and value of mineral waters and therapeutic muds. The local population always knew about healing power of local mineral springs. There are lots of legends where truth is fancifully merged with poetic fiction. The name of one of the most popular local mineral waters Narzan is connected with such a legend. This word can be translated into Russian as "powerful drink", "water of athletes". Narzan was considered to be a power source of the tribe of Marts that is supposed to live once in the Northern Caucasus.
Stavropol is referred to the historical cities of the south of Russia. It is not because of its age but the value in the history of the country. The city arose as an advanced post that served to strengthen and expand the borders of the Russian State in the times of its turning into the great power.
Stavropol grew out of a fortress founded in 1777 on the Azov - Mozdok security line. Soon it got value of the important economic centre of the Northern Caucasus. Stavropol is the city, streets and houses of which call to mind the arrivals of A. Pushkin and M.Lermontov, L.Tolstoy and A.Griboyedov, V.Belinsky and A.Odoyevsky, and our contemporaries, descendants of the banished Decembrists, keep legends about their ancestors.
Stavropol is one of the centres of educa tion, science and culture of Stavropolsky krai. The first Russian drama theatre, the first newspaper "Stavropol provincial sheets", the first public library and the first museum of local lore are among the merits of Stavropol in development of culture and education of the Northern Caucasus.
The network of establishments of culture consists of 20 libraries, six museums, 15 clubs, 2 theatres, the philharmonic society, the circus, 2 recreation parks and the organ hall.
Nowadays the educational complex of the city consists of 48 institutions, including four grammar schools, seven licea, 12 schools with profound studying of various subjects. In the city there are 69 preschool institutions, 57 of them are municipal, five children's homes, 27 institutions of additional education.
Stavropol is the city of students with 20 higher educational institutions, nine of which are the state ones. Besides, the vocational training is carried out by 11 specialized secondary educational institutions.
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