The 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic forum (APEC) opened here on Sunday. It is the first time for Russia to host the 21-economy gathering.P Located on the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, Vladivostok is the administrative capital of Primorsky Territory, the home port of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the largest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean with links to other eastern Russian ports as well as ports of China, Japan and South Korea.

Vladivostok is also the eastern starting point of the Trans-Siberian Railway, which was built to connect the city with European Russia.

With an area of 561.54 square km, the city comprises five districts -- Leninskiy, Pervomaiskiy, Pervorechenskiy, Sovetskiy and Frunzenskiy.

As the largest city in Russia's Far East, Vladivostok has a population of more than 622,700, according to statistics in 2011. Its main industries are shipping, commercial fishing and wood-processing.

When attending the 2006 APEC forum in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was seeking to host the APEC meeting in 2012, and the ideal host city was Vladivostok.

He saw the APEC forum as a good opportunity "to present Vladivostok as 'the Pacific Gate' of Russia and a promising center of international cooperation."