Odessa is the largest seaport of Ukraine as well as an important rail junction and highway hub. Odessa is a major industrial center. Grain, sugar, machinery, coal, petroleum products, cement, metals, jute, and timber are the chief items of trade at the port of Odessa, which is the leading Ukrainian Black Sea port. Odessa is also a naval base and the home port of a fishing and an Antarctic whaling fleet.By European standards, Odessa is a young city. It was founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great, when the Russian Queen decided her empire could use a port on the Black Sea. Nowadays, Odessa apartments is home to 1.1 million people, and growing. Its development as a seacoast resort community has contributed to a population that has almost tripled over the last hundred years. A mild climate, plenty of beaches, and the Black Sea attract thousands of tourists to Odessa throughout the year, earning it the title of "Southern Palmira." Odessa possesses plenty of attractions - sites to see, fine arts, museums, stores, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, casinos, etc. Odessa has regular air connections with Vienna (Austrian Airlines and Air Ukraine International, daily), Tel Aviv (ElAl), Istanbul (Turkey Airlines), Athens, Aleppo, Larnaka, Moscow, Kiev, Kishineu, Yerevan, Tiflis as well as with some other cities of Europe and Asia.There is regular passenger ship transportation between Odessa and Istanbul, Haifa and Varna.