Майкоп: столица Республики Адыгея

Capital city of Adygea, Russia

Maykop is the capital city of Adygea, Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River. It borders Maykopsky District, from which it is administratively and municipally independent, to the east and south; Giaginsky District to the north, and Belorechensky District of Krasnodar Krai to the west. Population:

The city gave its name to the early Bronze Age Maykop culture after the discovery of a royal burial site there in 1897. Following the establishment of a military camp in 1825, the Imperial Russian Army built a military fort at Maykop in 1857. In 1910 oil deposits were discovered in the vicinity of Maykop. The city was the administrative center of the Maykopsky Otdel of the Kuban Oblast. In 1936, Maykop and the surrounding region merged with Adyghe Autonomous Oblast and became the administrative centre of the autonomy. The Wehrmacht occupied Maykop on 10 August 1942 without a fight as a result of a Brandenburger commando operation. German attempts to re start oil production in the scorched earth area proved only minimally successful. On 29 January 1943, the Transcaucasian Front of the Red Army re took the town. Since 1991 Maykop has served as the capital of the Republic of Adygea in the Russian Federation.

The discovery of extensive underground oil reserves has made Maykop a major centre for oil extraction for the Soviet Union and, subsequently, Russia. Other economically important sectors are food processing and the timber industry.

Maykop is home to the Adyghe State University and Maykop State Technological University. There are also several facilities of professional education in Maykop. There are a lot of schools. For example, Adyghe Republican Gymnasium which is located near the mosque, the theatre and the park of friendship. It has 11 grades. There are a lot of rules: students must wear a uniform, girls must have pony tails or braids. The school has five buildings. There is a sports hall where students play basketball and volleyball. There is also a football pitch where boys play football. A canteen is a separate building.

Maykop lies within the humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa), according to the Köppen climate classification, or just within the humid continental climate (Dfa) zone according to the demarcation used by many United States climatologists. February 15, 2010 saw Maykop record the absolute maximum for any winter month in Russia: .

On the south side of the city, alongside the Belaya River is the military complex housing the 131st Motor Rifle Brigade of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces which took part in the First Chechen War.