The Sochi () is a river in the city of

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (, ) 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 t ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It is long, and the area of its basin . Originating at Bolshaya Shura Mountain in the

Greater Caucasus Mountains The Greater Caucasus, ''Didi K’avk’asioni''; is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains. It stretches for about from west-northwest to east-southeast, from the Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula of the ...

, it flows southwest and enters the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

at Sochi, itself named for the river and site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. It is the third longest river in Sochi after the

Mzymta The Mzymta (; Abkhaz: Мӡы́мҭа; , ''Mezmytha'') is a river in Northwestern Caucasus, flowing through Mostovsky District and the city of Sochi ( Adlersky City District) of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The Mzymta is the largest river in Russia ...

and the Shakhe. Administratively, the valley of the river belongs to

Khostinsky city district Khostinsky city district () is one of four city districts of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Sochi in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city district borders Maykopsky District of the Republic of Adygea in the northeast, Adlersky ci ...

of the city of Sochi, except for the lowest part, which belongs to Tsentralny city district. The upper course of the Sochi lies in the Caucasus Nature Reserve, a

World Heritage site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, whereas the middle course, down to Plastunka, belongs to

Sochi National Park Sochi National Park (, also Sochinsky National Park) is Russia's oldest national park, established on May 5, 1983. It is located in the Western Caucasus, near the city of Sochi, in Southern Russia. Topography Sochi National Park covers within t ...

. The Sochi River begins on the southern slopes of the Bolshaya Shura Mountain and flows toward the west-southwest through mountainous terrain and is joined by

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

such as the Ushkho and the Ats along the way. About before its end at Sochi proper, the Sochi River is joined by its main tributary, the Agva. Just beyond is site of scenic Orekhovka Falls on the Bezumenka River as it flows into the Sochi River at Nizhnaya-Orekhovka. The Sochi then turns southward and flows through the suburbs of Plastunka, Baranovka, and Navaginka before reaching the city centre of Sochi where it is contained by

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

embankments before it enters the Black Sea.

References

{{Authority control Sochi Rivers of Krasnodar Krai Tsentralny city district, Sochi Khostinsky city district Tributaries of the Black Sea