ABSTRACT
This chapter provides all basic political, economic, and demographic data on a territorial unit of the Russian Federation, Krasnodar Krai, which lies in the western part of the North Caucasus. The krai also has a well-developed transport infrastructure. The city of Krasnodar is an important railway junction, and there are large Black Sea ports at Novorossiisk and Tuapse. Krasnodar Krai is called “the breadbasket of Russia”. It is also one of ten regions that provide 60 percent of all federal taxes. However, Kondratenko’s policies sometimes squander these riches. In November 1998 the Krasnodar Krai Legislative Assembly elections brought 38 Fatherland members to the 50-member body. The remaining 12 spots were filled by one Yabloko member and eleven independents. Krasnodar Mayor Valerii Samoilenko, who campaigned with his own candidates strongly against Fatherland, said that the krai had acquired a “one-party parliament” to go with its one-party administration.
