Vladivostok is a port city located in the Russian Far East (RFE). It began as a military outpost in 1849 and has been a strategic naval seaport since 1860, when the city was officially founded. It is the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the center of the Russian administrative region of Primorye Krai ("Maritime State").

Vladivostok is located at the southernmost tip of Russia, on the coast of the Asian mainland, across from Japan (the city is located on the Sea of Japan). This area of Russia is bordered by China to the west (45 miles away) and North Korea to the southwest (100 miles away). The city is seven time zones east of Moscow and is the last stop on the Trans-Siberian railroad, which begins 6000 miles away in Moscow.

The terrain of Vladivostok is similar to that of San Francisco. It is located at 43º latitude, and its weather is similar to that of Minneapolis, though milder because of the surrounding sea. It is 16 hours ahead of Central Standard Time.

Despite its location in the Far East, Vladivostok is a European-style city. It has a very small percentage of ethnic oriental Asians. This can be explained by the high level of Polish and Ukrainian immigration that took place from 1860 to 1922.

The RFE declared its independence from Russia in 1917 after the czar was assassinated by the Communists, but the Communists nevertheless conquered the region on October 25, 1922. They closed Vladivostok to nonresidents (even to Russian nonresidents) during the Soviet era, and the city was not reopened to the public until January 1, 1992.