The Primorsky Territory, which is also sometimes referred to as the Maritime Territory, is located in the very south of Russia’s Far East.  It shares international borders with North Korea and China and with Russia’s Khabarovsk Territory.  It has a coastline on the Sea of Japan and just across the water is the island of Sakhalin and Japan.

  The administrative centre of the territory is the city of Vladivostok which is the final destination of the Trans-Siberian Railway and is often called the Russian San Francisco.  As the major city in the Russian Far East, it acts as its unofficial capital.  Up until 1992 it was a closed-city for foreigners as it is the main base of Russia’s Pacific Fleet.  Located in the city and its surroundings are many old fortifications.  Also located in the territory is the Sikhote-Alinsky National Park which is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.