Sudak

SUDAK, a seaside and climatic resort in the Crimean ASSR, in the eastern part of the Southern Coast of Crimea, on the shore of the open Sudak Bay of the Black Sea in the Sudak Valley. Latitude 44°51' 52", longitude 32°40' 39". Communication is by steamship and automobile along the South Coast highway, 52 km from Feodosia. The shore is sandy and gently sloping, one of the best in Crimea. The coast and mountains are poor in vegetation; in the height of summer they have a desert-like character, with the limestone and shale cliffs being especially bare. Among the trees, oak and hornbeam predominate. In the valley there are meadows, vineyards (1,700 hectares), orchards of poplars, walnut, mulberry, and fruit trees; at the resort along the shore there are only young plantings; 6 km away, at the "Novy Svet" grape state farm, a grove of relict Pitsunda pine has been preserved. Summer in Sudak is hot, with an average temperature of 23°, with significant air humidity; the best time of year is autumn, up until November. In winter, the average temperature does not drop below +2.7° (January), and there are often warm, clear, quiet days, although sometimes frosts here reach -12-15°. The relatively high temperature of the sea water in winter is noteworthy, exceeding the air temperature in December by 6.4°, in January by 6°, and only in February by 3.3°; throughout the year the sea is 1.9° warmer than the air. This is partly explained by the absence of sea currents, which affects the constancy of the sea water temperature and makes the bathing season longer. The average annual precipitation in Sudak is 295 mm—the lowest in Crimea; the main maximum is in June and July, the secondary one in December. At the same time, summer rains fall mainly in the form of downpours with significant fluctuations from year to year. In the valley there are two mineral springs, one of which is 2 km from the sea at the foot of Mount Perchem—a sulfurous one with a significant flow rate. Strictly speaking, by Sudak one understands: 1) Sudak-Shore (the resort), 2) Sudak-Settlement or village 2 km from the shore, and 3) the German colony 1.5 km from the shore on the western edge of the valley, where the Genoese town was located. Sudak-Shore, 2 km in length, is the center of resort life; a number of sanatoriums and rest homes are located here. There are sea baths, sports grounds, a club, and a summer theater. The German colony is a small, well-appointed settlement with its own beach (1.5 km from the colony). The Sudak settlement is the administrative center of Sudak. In total, the resort, the colony, and the settlement can accommodate more than 1,000 visitors; construction is currently underway. There are many grapes, and they are cheaper, but of lower quality than in other South Coast resorts. The season is from May to November. Sudak is not used as a winter resort. Indications and contraindications are the same as those for other resorts on the Southern Coast of Crimea (see Crimean Resorts). Due to the great heat in Sudak, the indications are somewhat more limited. The importance of Sudak among the South Coast resorts is currently not great.