Anapa is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. Population:
53,493 (2002 Census); 54,796 (1989 Census). It boasts a number of sanatoria and hotels; along with Sochi and several
other cities along the Russian coast of the Black Sea, it has enjoyed a substantial increase in popularity since the
fall of the Soviet Union, which left traditional Soviet resort cities in Crimea and the breakaway republic of Abkhazia
in Georgia on the other side of a national border. Anapa is served by Anapa Airport (AAQ).
Anapa, like the other Black Sea coast resorts, has a superb sunny summer climate. Anapa shows beautiful (and mostly sandy)
beaches. Anapa is also the proposed home of the new Golden Sands Gambling Zone. However, Anapa seldom attracts vacation-goers from outside Russia due to its modest infrastructure and its inconvenient
accessibility from Western Europe via Moscow or Krasnodar. Anapa remains an attractive and inexpensive option for
Russians who prefer traditional Russian resorts to more expensive international destinations.
