> Located in southern Ukraine, the city of Odessa is located on which body ofwater?And the answer: Black Sea. Photo courtesy: Volodymyrkrasyuk/Dreamstime.comLocated on the Black Sea, Odessawas founded in the late 18th century on decree by Catherine the Great. Duringthe 19th century, it was the fastest growing and fourth largest city of ImperialRussia. Long after Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991,Odessa remains an important and strategic seaport for the region.This historic seaport has been conquered many times throughout history, creatinga city with a uniquely diverse face. Among the cities in 19th century Russia,Odessa was the one of the largest -- rivaling in expansion to American citiessuch as Chicago. Odessa’s ethnic population was also the most complex of all theRussian imperial cities. According to the 1837 census, there were over fiftylanguages (other than Russian) spoken in Odessa. Among these languages, Yiddishwas extremely prominent, as the city was home to a substantial and thrivingJewish population.While Catherine the Great took Odessa from the Turks in the late 18th century,it remains an ideological and even physical battleground even today. WithRussia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, Odessa continues to walkthe line of Ukranian and Russian control, the two nearby nations knockingshoulders for power in the integral seaport. Until an agreement is achieved, Odessa will forge on in its other diversepursuits. Highlights include the city's multiple institutes of higher education,their historic theater and opera houses, and their wide range of engineeringindustries. Learn more about this historic seaport here[https://traveltips.usatoday.com/life-odessa-ukraine-35194.html].