Odessa region, located in the southern part of Ukraine with exit to the Black Sea and the Danube, has long been a marine gate to Europe and Asia. The region has state borders with Moldova and Romania. The area of the 'Odessa oblast' (Odessa region) is the largest in Ukraine, with a total area of 33,300 sq. kilometres (the approximate size of Moldova, Belgium or the Netherlands), which is about 5.5% of the territory of Ukraine. The distance form Odessa to Kiev by railway is 408 miles and by highway 310 miles. Odessa region consists of 26 districts; 19 cities, of which 7 are governed by the regional administration and 12 by district municipalities; 33 towns and 1,138 villages. Main cities: Odessa, Illichivsk, Yuzhny, Bilgorod-Dnistrovsky, and Izmail.

   Due to its proximity to the Black Sea, summer and winter temperatures tend to be several degrees higher then in the rest of Ukraine. The climate is moderately continental, with a short, mild winter and a long, hot summer. In the western steppe area the temperatures are the highest: there are often droughts and dry winds. The climate of the Danube and driest deltas is different from surrounding areas. Daily temperature variations are smaller and average humidity is higher than in adjacent steppe areas. Along the Black Sea coast the climate is milder and breezier. During the tourist season, from May till the end of September, temperatures average between 20 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius, with a maximum of 30-35 degrees Celsius.