It is located in the southern part of the Azov-Kuban Lowland within the East European Plain, which surrounds the Sea of Azov for most of the stretch of coastline.

In its earlier history, the region was ruled by Scythia, Old Great Bulgaria, Khazars, Kipchaks, the Mongol Empire, and the Crimean Khanate.

Tsarist Russia forcibly resettled many Greeks from Crimea to Pryazovia, as well as some Poles from territories annexed in the Partitions of Poland,[5] yet Ukrainians formed the majority of the population.

In March-April 1918, Taganrog served as the capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic,[6] and was the place of establishment of the Communist Party of Ukraine.

[7] According to the 1897 census, Ukrainians formed a majority (56.2%) of the population of the four coastal districts of Pryazovia (Berdyansky Uyezd, Melitopolsky Uyezd, Mariupol uezd, Taganrog Okrug), forming the largest ethnicity in each of the districts, with sizeable minorities being Russians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Germans, Tatars, Jews, Belarusians, Poles and Turks.