Crimea ( ) is a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

, on the northern coast of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller

Sea of Azov The Sea of Azov is an inland Continental shelf#Shelf seas, shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, and sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea. The sea is bounded by Ru ...

. The

Isthmus of Perekop The Isthmus of Perekop, literally Isthmus of the Trench (; transliteration: ''Perekops'kyi pereshyiok''; ; transliteration: ''Perekopskiy peresheek,'' , ; ; transliteration: ''Taphros''), is the narrow, wide strip of land that connects the C ...

connects the peninsula to

Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast (, ; ), also known as Khersonshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank ...

in mainland

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. To the east, the

Crimean Bridge The Crimean Bridge (, ; ), also called Kerch Strait Bridge or Kerch Bridge, is a pair of parallel bridges, one for a four-lane road and one for a double-track railway, spanning the Kerch Strait between the Taman Peninsula of Krasnodar Krai in ...

, constructed in 2018, spans the

Strait of Kerch The Kerch Strait is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar Krai in the east. The strait is to wide and u ...

, linking the peninsula with

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and is administratively a part of the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the t ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. The

Arabat Spit The Arabat Spit (; ; ) or Arabat Arrow is a spit (landform), barrier spit that separates the large, shallow, salty Syvash lagoons from the Sea of Azov. The spit runs between the Henichesk Strait in the north and the north-eastern shores of Crim ...

, located to the northeast, is a narrow strip of land that separates the

Syvash The Syvash or Sivash ( Russian and Ukrainian: ; , Cyrillic: Сываш, "dirt"), also known as the or (, ''Gniloye More''; , ''Hnyle More''; ), is a large area of shallow lagoons on the western edge of the Sea of Azov. Separated from the sea ...

lagoons from the Sea of Azov. Across the Black Sea to the west lies Romania and to the south is Turkey. The population is 2.4 million, and the largest city is

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

. The region, internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, has been under Russian occupation since 2014. Called the Tauric Peninsula until the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

, Crimea has historically been at the boundary between the

classical world Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the interwoven civilization ...

and the

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

colonized its southern fringe and were absorbed by the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Empires and

successor Successor may refer to: * An entity that comes after another (see Succession (disambiguation)) Film and TV * ''The Successor'' (1996 film), a film including Laura Girling * The Successor (2023 film), a French drama film * ''The Successor'' ( ...

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

while remaining culturally Greek. Some cities became trading colonies of

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, until conquered by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. Throughout this time the interior was occupied by a changing cast of steppe nomads, coming under the control of the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

in the 13th century from which the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate, self-defined as the Throne of Crimea and Desht-i Kipchak, and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary, was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the longest-lived of th ...

emerged as a successor state. In the 15th century, the Khanate became a dependency of the Ottoman Empire. Lands controlled by Russia and Poland-Lithuania were often the target of

slave raids Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

during this period. In 1783, after the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

annexed Crimea. Crimea's strategic position led to the 1854

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and many short lived regimes following the 1917

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

. When the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

s secured Crimea, it became an autonomous soviet republic within the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

. It was occupied by Germany during World War II. When the Soviets retook it in 1944,

Crimean Tatars Crimean Tatars (), or simply Crimeans (), are an Eastern European Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group and nation indigenous to Crimea. Their ethnogenesis lasted thousands of years in Crimea and the northern regions along the coast of the Blac ...

were ethnically cleansed and deported under the orders of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

, in what has been described as a cultural genocide. Crimea was downgraded to an oblast in 1945. In 1954, the USSR transferred the oblast to the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

on the 300th anniversary of the Pereyaslav Treaty in 1654. After Ukrainian independence in 1991, most of the peninsula was reorganized as the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is a ''de jure'' administrative division of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was unilaterally annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,Soviet fleet in Crimea was in contention, but a 1997 treaty allowed Russia to continue basing its fleet in Sevastopol. In 2014, the peninsula was occupied by

Russian forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces—two independent combat ...

and annexed by Russia, but most countries recognise Crimea as Ukrainian territory.

Name

In English, the omission of the definite article ("Crimea" rather than "the Crimea") became common during the later 20th century. The spelling "Crimea" is from the Italian form, , since at least the 17th century and the "Crimean peninsula" becomes current during the 18th century, gradually replacing the classical name of ''Tauric Peninsula'' in the course of the 19th century. In English usage since the

the Crimean Khanate is referred to as ''Crim Tartary''. Today, the Crimean Tatar name of the peninsula is ''Qırım'', while the Russian is Крым (''Krym''), and the Ukrainian is Крим (''Krym''). The city ''

Staryi Krym Staryi Krym (; ; ; in all four languages) is a small historical city and former bishopric in Kirovske Raion, Kirovske (Isliam-Terek) Raion of Crimea, Ukraine. It has been occupied by Russia since 2014 (see Annexation of Crimea by the Russian ...

'' ('Old Crimea'), served as a capital of the Crimean province of the

. Between 1315 and 1329 CE, the Arab writer Abū al-Fidā recounted a political fight in 1300–1301 CE which resulted in a rival's decapitation and his head being sent "to the Crimea", apparently in reference to the peninsula, although some sources hold that the name of the capital was extended to the entire peninsula at some point during Ottoman suzerainty (1441–1783). The word is derived from the Turkic term ("fosse, trench"), from ("to fence, protect"). Another classical name for Crimea, '' Tauris'' or ''Taurica'', is from the Greek Ταυρική (''Taurikḗ''), after the peninsula's Scytho-Cimmerian inhabitants, the

Tauri The Tauri (; in Ancient Greek), or Taurians, also Scythotauri, Tauri Scythae, Tauroscythae ( Pliny, ''H. N.'' 4.85) were an ancient people settled on the southern coast of the Crimea peninsula, inhabiting the Crimean Mountains in the 1st millen ...

. The name was revived by the Russian Empire during the mass hellenization of Crimean Tatar place names after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate, including both the peninsula and mainland territories now in Ukraine's Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. In 1764 imperial authorities established the

Taurida Oblast Taurida Oblast () was an administrative-territorial unit (''oblast'') of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of the Crimean Peninsula and parts of the Southern Ukraine regions. It was created out of territories of the Crimean Khan ...

(), and reorganized it as the

Taurida Governorate Taurida Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. It included the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and the mainland between the lower Dnieper River with the coasts of the Black Sea and Sea o ...

in 1802. While the Soviets replaced it with ''Krym'' (; ) depriving it of official status since 1921, it is still used by some institutions in Crimea, such as the

Taurida National University The Taurida University, or officially the V.I. Vernadsky Taurida National University (, ) is a public university in Simferopol, Ukraine, currently temporarily relocated to Kyiv. The university was originally founded in 1918 in Simferopol () as ...

established by the

Crimean Regional Government The Crimean Regional Government ( ') refers to two successive short-lived regimes in the Crimean Peninsula during 1918 and 1919. History Following Russia's 1917 October Revolution, an ethnic Tatar government proclaimed the Crimean People's Rep ...

in 1918, the Tavriya Simferopol football club so named in 1963, and the Tavrida federal highway being built under Russian occupation from 2017. Other suggestions either unsupported or contradicted by sources, apparently based on similarity in sound, include: # the name of the

Cimmerians The Cimmerians were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, equestrian nomadic people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe, part of whom subsequently migrated into W ...

, although this derivation is however no longer generally held. # a derivation from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

''Cremnoi'' (Κρημνοί, in post-classical

Koiné Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-regional form of Greek spoken and written during the Hellenistic ...

pronunciation, ''Crimni'', i.e., "the Cliffs", a port on

Lake Maeotis The Sea of Azov is an inland Continental shelf#Shelf seas, shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, and sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea. The sea is bounded by Ru ...

(Sea of Azov) cited by

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

in ''The Histories'' 4.20.1 and 4.110.2). However, Herodotus identifies the port not in Crimea, but as being on the west coast of the Sea of Azov. No evidence has been identified that this name was ever in use for the peninsula. # The Turkic term (e.g., in ) is related to the

Mongolian Mongolian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a country in Asia * Mongolian people, or Mongols * Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the government of Mongolia, 1911–1919 and 1921–1924 * Mongolian language * Mongolian alphabet * ...

appellation ''kerm'' "wall", but sources indicate that the Mongolian appellation of the Crimean peninsula of ''Qaram'' is phonetically incompatible with ''kerm/kerem'' and therefore deriving from another original term.

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

(''Geography'' vii 4.3, xi. 2.5),

Polybius Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...

, (''Histories'' 4.39.4), and

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

(''Geographia''. II, v 9.5) refer variously to the

as the Κιμμερικὸς Βόσπορος (''Kimmerikos Bosporos'', romanized spelling: ''Bosporus Cimmerius''), its easternmost part as the Κιμμέριον Ἄκρον (''Kimmerion Akron'', Roman name: Promontorium Cimmerium), as well as to the city of Cimmerium and thence the name of the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (Κιμμερικοῦ Βοσπόρου).

History

Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0669 1725

Ancient history

The recorded history of Crimea begins around 5th century BCE when several

Greek colonies Greek colonisation refers to the expansion of Archaic Greeks, particularly during the 8th–6th centuries BC, across the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The Archaic expansion differed from the Iron Age migrations of the Greek Dark Ages ...

were established on its south coast, the most important of which was

Chersonesos Chersonesus, contracted in medieval Greek to Cherson (), was an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia established the colon ...

near modern-day

, with

Scythians The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Eurasian noma ...

and

in the hinterland to the north. The Tauri gave the name the Tauric Peninsula, which Crimea was called into the

. The southern coast gradually consolidated into the

Bosporan Kingdom The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (; ), was an ancient Greco-Scythians, Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, centered in the present-day ...

which was annexed by

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

in Asia Minor and later became a

client kingdom A client state in the context of international relations is a state that is economically, politically, and militarily subordinated to a more powerful controlling state. Alternative terms for a ''client state'' are satellite state, associated state ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

from 63 BCE to 341 CE.

Medieval history

The south coast remained Greek in culture for almost two thousand years including under Roman successor states, the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

(341–1204 CE), the

Empire of Trebizond The Empire of Trebizond or the Trapezuntine Empire was one of the three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire that existed during the 13th through to the 15th century. The empire consisted of the Pontus, or far northeastern corner of A ...

(1204–1461 CE), and the independent

Principality of Theodoro The Principality of Theodoro (), also known as Gothia () or the Principality of Theodoro-Mangup, was a Greek principality in the southern part of Crimea, specifically on the foothills of the Crimean Mountains. It represented one of the final rump ...

(ended 1475 CE). In the 13th century, some Crimean port cities were controlled by the Venetians and by the

Genovese Genovese is an Italian surname meaning, properly, someone from Genoa. Its Italian plural form '' Genovesi'' has also developed into a surname. People * Alfred Genovese (1931–2011), American oboist * Alfredo Genovese (born 1964), Argentine arti ...

, but the interior was much less stable, enduring a long series of conquests and invasions. In the medieval period, it was partially conquered by

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

whose

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

was baptized at

starting the

Christianization of Kievan Rus' The Christianization of Kievan Rus' was a long and complicated process that took place in several stages. In 867, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople told other Christian patriarchs that the Rus' people were converting enthusiastically, but his ...

Mongol Conquest (1238–1449)

The north and centre of Crimea fell to the

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

, although the south coast was still controlled by the Christian

and

Genoese colonies The Genoese colonies were a series of economic and trade posts in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and Black Seas. Some of them had been established directly under the patronage of the republican authorities to support the economy of the loca ...

. The

Genoese–Mongol Wars The Genoese–Mongol Wars were a series of conflicts in the early 14th century and the mid-15th century, intermittently fought between the Republic of Genoa and several successor states of the Mongol Empire, most notedly the Golden Horde (later ...

were fought between the 13th and 15th centuries for control of south Crimea.

Crimean Khanate (1443–1783)

In the 1440s the

formed out of the collapse of the horde but quite rapidly itself became subject to the

, which also conquered the coastal areas which had kept independent of the Khanate. A major source of prosperity in these times were frequents raids into Eastern Europe for slaves.

Russian Empire (1783–1917)

In 1774, the Ottoman Empire was

defeated Defeated may refer to: * "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song) * "Defeated" (Anastacia song) *"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love'' *Defeated, Tennessee Defeated is an unincorporated community in Smith County, Tennessee ...

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

with the

Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (; ), formerly often written Kuchuk-Kainarji, was a peace treaty signed on , in Küçük Kaynarca (today Kaynardzha, Bulgaria and Cuiugiuc, Romania) between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, ending the R ...

making the Tatars of the Crimea politically independent. Catherine the Great's incorporation of the Crimea in 1783 into the Russian Empire increased Russia's power in the Black Sea area. which would later see Russia's frontier expand westwards to the

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

. From 1853 to 1856, the strategic position of the peninsula in controlling the Black Sea meant that it was the site of the principal engagements of the

, where Russia lost to a French-led alliance.

Russian Civil War (1917–1921)

During the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, Crimea changed hands many times and was where

Wrangel Wrangel or Wrangell is a Germanic surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Wrangel family, or Wrangell, a Baltic German noble family, including a list of notable family members *Basil Wrangell (1906–1977), Italian film and television ...

's anti-Bolshevik

White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...

made their last stand. Many anti-Communist fighters and civilians escaped to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

but up to 150,000 were killed in Crimea.

Soviet Union (1921–1991)

In 1921 the

Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic Several different governments controlled the Crimean Peninsula during the period of the Soviet Union, from the 1920s to 1991. The government of Crimea from 1921 to 1936 was the Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic, which was an Autonomo ...

was created as part of the

. It was occupied by Germany from 1942 to 1944 during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the Soviets regained control in 1944, they deported the Crimean Tartars and several other nationalities to elsewhere in the USSR. The autonomous republic was dissolved in 1945, and Crimea became an oblast of the Russian SFSR. It was transferred to the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

in 1954, on the 300th anniversary of the

Treaty of Pereyaslav The Pereiaslav Agreement or Pereyaslav AgreementPereyaslav Agreement

Independent Ukraine (since 1991)

With the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

and Ukrainian independence in 1991 most of the peninsula was reorganized as the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is a ''de jure'' administrative division of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was unilaterally annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,''National Identity and Ethnicity in Russia and the New States of Eurasia'' edited by Roman Szporluk (page 174) A 1997 treaty partitioned the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, allowing Russia to continue basing its fleet in Sevastopol, with the lease extended in 2010.

Russian occupation (from 2014)

In 2014, Crimea saw demonstrations against the removal of the Russia-leaning

Ukrainian president The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

in Kyiv and protests in support of

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

. Ukrainian historian Volodymyr Holovko estimates 26 February protest in support of the integrity of Ukraine in Simferopol at 12,000 people, opposed by several thousand pro-Russian protesters. On 27 February, Russian forces occupied parliament and government buildings and other strategic points in Crimea and the Russian-organized Republic of Crimea declared independence from Ukraine following an illegal and internationally unrecognized

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

. Russia then annexed Crimea, although most countries (100 votes in favour, 11 against, 58 abstentions) continued to recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine.

Geography

Covering an area of , Crimea is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea and on the western coast of the

; the only land border is shared with Ukraine's

on the north. Crimea is almost an island and only connected to the continent by the

, a strip of land about wide. Much of the natural border between the Crimean Peninsula and the Ukrainian mainland comprises the

or "Rotten Sea", a large system of shallow lagoons stretching along the western shore of the Sea of Azov. Besides the isthmus of Perekop, the peninsula is connected to the Kherson Oblast's

Henichesk Raion Henichesk Raion () is one of the five administrative Raions of Ukraine, raions (districts) of Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine. Its administrative centre is located in the city of Henichesk. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the 2020 adm ...

by bridges over the narrow

Chonhar Chonhar (), transliterated sometimes as Chongar (), is a village on the Chonhar Peninsula, within the swampy region of Syvash, in Henichesk Raion, Kherson Oblast. The village is a seat of the Chonhar rural community (selsoviet, silrada). It belon ...

and

Henichesk Henichesk (, ; , ) is a port city along the Sea of Azov in Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Henichesk Raion. Since 9 November 2022, it has served as the temporary administrative centre of the Russian o ...

straits and over Kerch Strait to the

. The northern part of

is administratively part of Henichesk Raion in Kherson Oblast, including its two rural communities of Shchaslyvtseve and Strilkove. The eastern tip of the Crimean peninsula comprises the

Kerch Peninsula The Kerch Peninsula is a major and prominent geographic peninsula located at the eastern end of the Crimean Peninsula. This peninsula stretches eastward toward the Taman Peninsula between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Most of the peninsula i ...

, separated from Taman Peninsula on the Russian mainland by the

Kerch Strait The Kerch Strait is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar Krai in the east. The strait is to wide and up ...

, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, at a width of between . Geographers generally divide the peninsula into three zones: the

, the Crimean Mountains, and the Southern Coast.

Places

Given its long history and many conquerors, most towns in Crimea have several names. West: The

Perekop Perekop ( Ukrainian & Russian: Перекоп; ; ) is a village located on the Perekop Isthmus connecting the Crimean peninsula to the Ukrainian mainland. It is known for the Or Qapi fortress, which served as the gateway to Crimea. The villa ...

/ Or Qapi, about wide, connects Crimea to the mainland. It was often fortified and sometimes garrisoned by the Turks. The

North Crimean Canal The North Crimean Canal, formerly known as the North Crimean Canal of the Lenin's Komsomol of Ukraine in Soviet times, is a land improvement canal for irrigation and watering of Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula. The c ...

now crosses it to bring water from the Dnieper. To the west

Karkinit Bay Karkinit, Karkinitski, Carcinites, or Karkinitsky Bay (, ''Karkinits'ka zatoka''; , ''Karkinitskiy zaliv'', ) is a bay of the Black Sea that separates the northwestern Crimean Peninsula from the mainland Ukraine. It was named after the early Gr ...

separates the

Tarkhankut Peninsula The Tarkhankut Peninsula (; ; ) is the peninsula which constitutes the western extremity of Crimea into the Black Sea. Its northern shore is a southern coast of the Karkinit Bay. Its westernmost point is ; to the south of it is Cape Tarkhankut. ...

from the mainland. On the north side of the peninsula is

Chernomorskoe Chornomorske or Chernomorskoye (; ; ) is an urban-type settlement and the administrative center of Chornomorske Raion in Crimea, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine (the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) and occupied ...

/Kalos

Limen In physiology, psychology, or psychophysics, a limen or a liminal point is a sensory threshold of a physiological or psychological response. Such points delineate boundaries of perception; that is, a limen defines a sensory threshold beyond which ...

. On the south side is the large

Donuzlav Lake Donuzlav (Russian and Ukrainian: Донузлав, ), also referred to as Donuzlav Bay, is the deepest lakeOliferov, A.M. Donuzlav (ДОНУЗЛА́В)'. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine. of Crimea () and biggest in Chornomorske Raion (). It ...

Bay and the port and ancient Greek settlement of

Yevpatoria Yevpatoria (; ; ; ) is a city in western Crimea, north of Kalamita Bay. Yevpatoria serves as the administrative center of Yevpatoria Municipality, one of the districts (''raions'') into which Crimea is divided. It had a population of His ...

/Kerkinitis/Gözleve. The coast then runs south to

Chersonesus Chersonesus, contracted in medieval Greek to Cherson (), was an Greeks in pre-Roman Crimea, ancient Greek Greek colonization, colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlers from He ...

, a good natural harbor, great naval base and the largest city on the peninsula. At the head of

Sevastopol Bay Sevastopol Bay (; ) is a city harbor that includes a series of smaller bays carved out along its shores. The bay of Sevastopol splits the city of Sevastopol into the Southern side and the Northern side. It serves as an extension of the Chorna (r ...

stands

Inkermann Inkerman (; ; ) is a city in the Crimean peninsula. It is '' de facto'' within the federal city of Sevastopol within the Russian Federation, but ''de jure'' within the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine. It lies 5 kilometres (3 miles) ...

/Kalamita. South of Sevastopol is the small Heracles Peninsula. South: In the south, between the Crimean Mountains and the sea runs a narrow coastal strip which was held by the Genoese and (after 1475) by the Turks. Under Russian rule it became a kind of

riviera () is an Italian word which means , ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria (the Genoa region in northwestern Italy) in the form , then shortened in English. Riviera may a ...

. In Soviet times the many palaces were replaced with

dacha A dacha (Belarusian, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of former Soviet Union, post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ...

s and health resorts. From west to east are: Heracles Peninsula;

Balaklava Balaklava ( Ukrainian and , , ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklavsky District that used to be part of the Crimean Oblast before it was transferred to Sevast ...

/Symbalon/Cembalo, a smaller natural harbor south of Sevastopol; Foros, the southernmost point;

Alupka Alupka (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and Russian language, Russian: ; ; , Alòpex) is a resort city located in the Crimea, Crimean peninsula, a territory of Ukraine currently annexed by Russian Federation (see 2014 Crimean crisis). It is located ...

with the

Vorontsov Palace (Alupka) The Vorontsov Palace (; ) or the Alupka Palace is a historic palace situated at the foot of the Crimean Mountains near the town of Alupka in Crimea. The Vorontsov Palace is one of the oldest and largest palaces in Crimea, and is one of the most ...

;

Gaspra Gaspra (; ; ; from Greek , 'white'), officially transliterated Haspra, is a spa town, an urban-type settlement in Yalta Municipality in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. It is located on the Black Sea coast, west of Yalta, and is a popular ho ...

;

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

;

Gurzuf Gurzuf or Hurzuf (, , , ) is a resort town (urban-type settlement) in Yalta Municipality of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine but incorporated by Russia as the Republic of Cri ...

;

Alushta Alushta (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and Russian language, Russian: ; ; ) is a city of regional significance on the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula which is within the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a region internationally recognised as ...

. Further east is

Sudak Sudak ( Ukrainian and Russian: ; ; ; sometimes spelled Sudac or Sudagh) is a city, multiple former Eastern Orthodox bishopric and double Latin Catholic titular see. It is of regional significance in Crimea, a territory recognized by most countri ...

/Sougdia/Soldaia with its Genoese fort. Further east still is Theodosia/Kaffa/

Feodosia Feodosia (, ''Feodosiia, Teodosiia''; , ''Feodosiya''), also called in English Theodosia (from ), is a city on the Crimean coast of the Black Sea. Feodosia serves as the administrative center of Feodosia Municipality, one of the regions into ...

, once a great slave-mart and a kind of capital for the Genoese and Turks. Unlike the other southern ports, Feodosia has no mountains to its north. At the east end of the

Kerch Kerch, also known as Keriç or Kerich, is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of Crimea. It has a population of Founded 2,600 years ago as the Colonies in antiquity#Greek colonies, ancient Greek colony Pantik ...

Panticapaeum Pantikapaion ( , from Scythian 'fish-path'; ) was an ancient Greek city on the eastern shore of Crimea, which the Greeks called Taurica. The city lay on the western side of the Cimmerian Bosporus, and was founded by Milesians in the late 7t ...

, once the capital of the

Bosporian Kingdom The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (; ), was an ancient Greco-Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, centered in the present-day Strait of ...

. Just south of Kerch the new Crimean Bridge (opened in 2018) connects Crimea to the Taman Peninsula. Sea of Azov: There is little on the south shore. The west shore is marked by the

. Behind it is the

or "Putrid Sea", a system of lakes and marshes which in the far north extend west to the Perekop Isthmus. Road- and rail-bridges cross the northern part of Syvash. Interior: Most of the former capitals of Crimea stood on the north side of the mountains.

Mangup __NOTOC__ Mangup (, , ) also known as ''Mangup Kale'' (''kale'' means "fortress" in Turkish) is a historic fortress in Crimea, located on a plateau about 13 kilometres east of Sevastopol (ancient Chersonesus). Names It was known as Dory (), lat ...

/Doros (Gothic, Theodoro).

Bakhchysarai Bakhchysarai is a city in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Bakhchysarai Raion (district), as well as the former capital of the Crimean Khanate. Its main landmark is Hansaray, the only extant ...

(1532–1783). Southeast of Bakhchysarai is the cliff-fort of

Chufut-Kale __NOTOC__ Chufut-Kale ( ; Russian and Ukrainian: Чуфут-Кале - ''Chufut-Kale''; Karaim: Кала - קלעה - ''Kala'') is a medieval city-fortress in the Crimean Mountains that now lies in ruins. It is a national monument of Crimean Kar ...

/Qirq Or which was used in more warlike times.

Simferopol Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, but controlled by Russia. It is considered the cap ...

/Ak-Mechet, the modern capital. Karasu-Bazar/Bilohorsk was a commercial center. Solkhat/

was the old Tatar capital. Towns on the northern steppe area are all modern, notably

Dzhankoi Dzhankoi or Jankoy is a city of regional significance in the northern part of Crimea, internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, but since 2014 occupied by Russia. It also serves as administrative centre of Dzhankoi Raion although it is not a ...

, a major road- and rail-junction. Rivers: The longest is the Salhyr, which rises southeast of Simferopol and flows north and northeast to the Sea of Azov. The

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'', an upcoming film by Sally Potter * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' ( ...

flows west to reach the Black Sea between Yevpatoria and Sevastopol. The shorter Chornaya flows west to Sevastopol Bay. Nearby: East of the Kerch Strait the Ancient Greeks founded colonies at

Phanagoria Phanagoria (; ) was the largest ancient Greek city on the Taman peninsula, spread over two plateaus along the eastern shore of the Cimmerian Bosporus. The city was a large emporium for all the traffic between the coast of the Maeotian marshe ...

(at the head of

Taman Bay The Taman Bay (Russian language, Russian: Таманский залив) is a shallow bay or gulf on the east coast of the Strait of Kerch shaped on the southern side by the Tuzla Spit and to the north by the Chushka Spit. It dips into the Taman P ...

), Hermonassa (later Tmutarakan and

Taman Taman may refer to: Places Africa * Taman, Togo, a town in Bassar Prefecture Asia *Taman, Nepal * Taman, Pemalang, a district in Pemalang Regency, Central Java *Taman, a district in Madiun, East Java, Indonesia *Taman, a district in Sidoarjo Re ...

Gorgippia Anapa (, , ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. As of the 2021 Russian census, it had a population of 81,863. It is one of the largest children's resorts in Russia. In ancien ...

(later a Turkish port and now Anapa). At the northeast point of the Sea of Azov at the mouth of the Don River were

Tanais Tanais ( ''Tánaïs''; ) was an ancient Greek city in the Don river delta, called the Maeotian marshes in classical antiquity. It was a bishopric as Tana and remains a Latin Catholic titular see as Tanais. Location The delta reaches into the ...

, Azak/

Azov Azov (, ), previously known as Azak ( Turki/ Kypchak: ), is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. The population is History Early settlements in the vici ...

and now

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

. North of the peninsula the Dnieper turns westward and enters the Black Sea through the east–west Dnieper-Bug Estuary which also receives the Bug River. At the mouth of the Bug stood Olvia. At the mouth of the estuary is

Ochakiv Ochakiv (, ), also known as Ochakov (; ; or, archaically, ) and Alektor (), is a small city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Ochakiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. ...

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

stands where the coast turns southwest. Further southwest is

Tyras Tyras () was an ancient Greek city on the northern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by colonists from Miletus, probably about 600 BC. The city was situated some 10 km from the mouth of the Tyras River, which is now called the Dn ...

/Akkerman/

Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (, ; ; ), historically known as Aq Kirmān () or by other names, is a port city in Odesa Oblast, southwestern Ukraine. It is situated on the right bank of the Dniester Estuary leading to the Black Sea, in the historical r ...

Crimean Mountains

The southeast coast is flanked at a distance of from the sea by a parallel range of mountains: the Crimean Mountains. These mountains are backed by secondary parallel ranges. The main range of these mountains rises with extraordinary abruptness from the deep floor of the Black Sea to an altitude of , beginning at the southwest point of the peninsula, called Cape Fiolent. Some Greek myths state that this cape was supposedly crowned with the temple of

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

where

Iphigeneia In Greek mythology, Iphigenia (; , ) was a daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and thus a princess of Mycenae. In the story, Agamemnon offends the goddess Artemis on his way to the Trojan War by hunting and killing one of Artemi ...

officiated as priestess. Uchan-su (waterfall), Uchan-su, on the south slope of the mountains, is the highest waterfall in Crimea.

Hydrography

There are 257 rivers and major streams on the Crimean peninsula; they are primarily fed by rainwater, with snowmelt playing a very minor role. This makes for significant seasonal fluctuation in water flow, with many streams drying up completely during the summer. The largest rivers are the Salhyr (Salğır, Салгир), the Kacha (Кача), the Alma (Crimea), Alma (Альма), and the Belbek (Бельбек). Also important are the Kokozka (Kökköz or Коккозка), the Indole (Indol or Индо́л), the Chyornaya (Crimea), Chorna (Çorğun, Chernaya or Чёрная), the Derekoika (Dereköy or Дерекойка), the Karasu-Bashi (Biyuk-Karasu or Биюк-Карасу) (a tributary of the Salhyr river), the Burulcha (Бурульча) (also a tributary of the Salhyr), the Uchan-su (river), Uchan-su, and the Ulu-Uzen'. The longest river of Crimea is the Salhyr at . The Belbek has the greatest average discharge at . The Alma and the Kacha are the second- and third-longest rivers. Nord-Krim-Kanal

There are more than fifty salt lakes and Salt pan (geology), salt pans on the peninsula. The largest of them is Lake Sasyk (Сасык) on the southwest coast; others include Aqtas Lake, Aqtas, Koyashskoye, Kiyatskoe, Kirleutskoe, Kizil-Yar, Bakalskoe, and

. The general trend is for the former lakes to become salt pans. Lake Syvash (Sıvaş or Сива́ш) is a system of interconnected shallow lagoons on the north-eastern coast, covering an area of around . A number of dams have created reservoirs; among the largest are the Simferopolskoye, Alminskoye, the Taygansky and the Belogorsky just south of Bilohirsk in Bilohirsk Raion. The North Crimean Canal, North Crimea Canal, which transports water from the Dnieper, is the largest of the man-made irrigation channels on the peninsula.Tymchenko, Z.
North Crimean Canal. History of construction
'. (Russian) Ukrainska Pravda. 13 May 2014 (Krymskiye izvestiya. November 2012) Crimea was facing an unprecedented water shortage crisis following the blocking of the canal by Ukraine in 2014. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2022 Russian invasion, the flow of water was restored however the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam could lead to problems with water supply again.

Steppe

Seventy-five percent of the remaining area of Crimea consists of semiarid prairie lands, a southward continuation of the Pontic–Caspian steppe, which slope gently to the northwest from the foothills of the Crimean Mountains. Numerous kurgans, or burial mounds, of the ancient Scythians are scattered across the Crimean steppes.

Southern Coast

The terrain that lies south of the sheltering Crimean Mountain range is of an altogether different character. Here, the narrow strip of coast and the slopes of the mountains are covered with greenery. This "riviera" stretches along the southeast coast from capes Cape Fiolent, Fiolent and Cape Aya, Aya, in the south, to Feodosia. There are many summer sea-bathing resorts such as

, and

. During the years of Soviet rule, the resorts and

s of this coast were used by leading politicians and served as prime perquisites of the politically loyal. In addition, vineyards and fruit orchards are located in the region. Fishing, mining, and the production of essential oils are also important. Numerous Crimean Tatar villages, mosques, monastery, monasteries, and palaces of the Russian imperial family and nobles are found here, as well as picturesque ancient Greek and medieval castles. The Crimean Mountains and the southern coast are part of the Crimean Submediterranean forest complex ecoregion. The natural vegetation consists of scrublands, woodlands, and forests, with a climate and vegetation similar to the Mediterranean Basin.

Climate

Crimea is located between the temperate and subtropical climate belts and is characterized by warm and sunny weather. It is characterized by diversity and the presence of microclimates. The northern parts of Crimea have a moderate continental climate with short but cold winters and moderately hot dry summers. In the central and mountainous areas the climate is transitional between the continental climate to the north and the Mediterranean climate to the south. Winters are mild at lower altitudes (in the foothills) and colder at higher altitudes. Summers are hot at lower altitudes and warm in the mountains. A subtropical, Mediterranean climate dominates the southern coastal regions, is characterized by mild winters and moderately hot, dry summers. The climate of Crimea is influenced by its geographic location, relief, and influences from the

. The Southern Coast is shielded from cold air masses coming from the north and, as a result, has milder winters. Maritime influences from the Black Sea are restricted to coastal areas; in the interior of the peninsula the maritime influence is weak and does not play an important role. Because a high-pressure system is located north of Crimea in both summer and winter, winds predominantly come from the north and northeast year-round. In winter these winds bring in cold, dry continental air, while in summer they bring in dry and hot weather. Winds from the northwest bring warm and wet air from the Atlantic Ocean, causing precipitation during spring and summer. As well, winds from the southwest bring very warm and wet air from the subtropical latitudes of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean sea and cause precipitation during fall and winter. Mean annual temperatures range from in the far north (Armiansk) to in the far south (

). In the mountains, the mean annual temperature is around . For every increase in altitude, temperatures decrease by while precipitation increases. In January mean temperatures range from in Armiansk to in Myskhor. Cool-season temperatures average around and it is rare for the weather to drop below freezing except in the mountains, where there is usually snow. In July mean temperatures range from in Ai-Petri to in the central parts of Crimea to in Myskhor. The frost-free period ranges from 160 to 200 days in the steppe and mountain regions to 240–260 days on the south coast. Precipitation in Crimea varies significantly based on location; it ranges from in Chornomorske to at the highest altitudes in the Crimean mountains. The Crimean mountains greatly influence the amount of precipitation present in the peninsula. However, most of Crimea (88.5%) receives of precipitation per year. The plains usually receive of precipitation per year, increasing to in the southern coast at sea level. The western parts of the Crimean mountains receive more than of precipitation per year. Snowfall is common in the mountains during winter. Most of the peninsula receives more than 2,000 sunshine hours per year; it reaches up to 2,505 sunshine hours in Qarabiy yayla in the Crimean Mountains. As a result, the climate favors recreation and tourism. Because of its climate and subsidized travel-packages from Russian state-run companies, the southern coast has remained a popular resort for Russian tourists.

Strategic value

The Black Sea ports of Crimea provide quick access to the Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans and Middle East. History of Crimea, Historically, possession of the southern coast of Crimea was sought after by most empires of the greater region since antiquity (

, Gedik Ahmed Pasha, Ottoman, Taurida Governorate, Russian, Crimean War, British and French, Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942), Nazi German, Black Sea Fleet#Soviet Navy, Soviet). The nearby Dnieper River is a major waterway and transportation route that crosses the European continent from north to south and ultimately links the Black Sea with the Baltic Sea, of strategic importance since the historical trade route Route from the Varangians to the Greeks, from the Varangians to the Greeks. The Black Sea serves as an economic thoroughfare connecting the Caucasus region and the Caspian Sea to central and Eastern Europe. According to the International Transport Workers' Federation, there were at least 12 operating merchant seaports in Crimea.

Economy

In 2016 Crimea had Nominal GDP of US$7 billion and US$3,000 per capita. The main branches of the modern Crimean economy are agriculture and fishing oysters pearls, industry and manufacturing, tourism, and ports. Industrial plants are situated for the most part in the southern coast (Yevpatoria, Sevastopol, Feodosia, Kerch) regions of the republic, few northern (Armiansk, Krasnoperekopsk, Dzhankoi), aside from the central area, mainly Simferopol okrug and eastern region in Nizhnegorsk (few plants, same for Dzhankoj) city. Important industrial cities include

, housing a major railway connection, Krasnoperekopsk and Armiansk, among others. After the Russian annexation of Crimea in early 2014 and subsequent sanctions targeting Crimea, the tourist industry suffered major losses for two years. The flow of holidaymakers dropped 35 percent in the first half of 2014 over the same period of 2013. The number of tourist arrivals reached a record in 2012 at 6.1 million. According to the Russian administration of Crimea, they dropped to 3.8 million in 2014, and rebounded to 5.6 million by 2016. The most important industries in Crimea include food production, chemical fields, mechanical engineering, and metalworking, and fuel production industries. Sixty percent of the industry market belongs to food production. There are a total of 291 large industrial enterprises and 1002 small business enterprises. In 2014, the republic's annual GDP was $4.3 billion (500 times smaller than the size of Russia's economy). The average salary was $290 per month. The Government budget balance, budget deficit was $1.5 billion.

Agriculture

Agriculture in the region includes cereals, vegetable-growing, gardening, and Winemaking in Crimea, wine-making, particularly in the Yalta and Massandra regions. Livestock production includes cattle breeding, poultry keeping, and sheep breeding. Other products produced on the Crimean Peninsula include salt, Porphyry (geology), porphyry, limestone, and ironstone (found around

) since ancient times. The vine mealybug (''Planococcus (bug), Planococcus Planococcus ficus, ficus'') was first discovered here in 1868. First discovered on grape, it has also been found as a pest (organism), pest of some other crops and has since spread worldwide. Sunn pests—especially ''Eurygaster integriceps'' and ''Eurygaster maura, E. maura''—are significant grain pests. Scelioninae and Tachinidae are important parasitoids of sunn pests. Bark beetles are pests of Tree fruit, tree crops, and are themselves hosts for ''Elattoma'' mites and various entomopathogenic fungus, entomopathogenic fungi transmitted by those ''Elattomae''.

Energy

Crimea possesses several natural gas fields both Onshore (hydrocarbons), onshore and Offshore (hydrocarbons), offshore, which were starting to be drilled by western oil and gas companies before annexation. The inland fields are located in Chornomorske Raion, Chornomorske and Dzhankoi Raion, Dzhankoi, while offshore fields are located in the western coast in the Black Sea and in the northeastern coast in the Azov Sea: The republic also possesses two oil fields: one onshore, the Serebryankse oil field in Rozdolne Raion, Rozdolne, and one offshore, the Subbotina oil field in the Black Sea. ; Electricity Crimea has 540 MW of its own electricity generation capacity, including the 100 MW Simferopol Thermal Power Plant, the 22 MW Sevastopol Thermal Power Plant and the 19 MW Kamish-Burunskaya Thermal Power Plant. This local electricity generation has proven insufficient for local consumption, and since annexation by Russia, Crimea has been reliant on an underwater power cable to mainland Russia. Power generation is set to be increased by two combined-cycle gas steam turbo thermal plants PGU, each providing 470 MW (116 167 MW GT, 235 MW block), built by TPE (among others) with turbines provided by Power Machines; NPO Saturn with Perm PMZ; either modified GTD-110M/GTE-160/GTE-180 units or UTZ KTZ, or a V94.2 supplied by MAPNA, modified in Russia by PGU Thermal. Solar photovoltaic SES plants are plentiful on the peninsula, including a small facility north of Sevastopol. There also is the Saky gas thermal plant near the Jodobrom chemical plant, featuring SaKhZ(SaChP) boosted production with Perm GTE GTU25P (PS90GP25 25 MW aeroderivative GP) PGU turbogenerators. Older plants in operation include the Sevastopol TEC (close to Inkerman) which uses AEG and Ganz Elektro turbines and turbogenerators generating about 25 MW each, Simferopol TEC, Yevpatoria, Kamysh Burun TEC (Kerch south – Zaliv) and a few others.

Transport

;Crimean Bridge Yalta Kanatka

In May 2015, work began on a multibillion-dollar road-rail link (a pair of parallel bridges) across the Kerch Strait. The road bridge opened in May 2018, and the rail bridge in December 2019. With a length of 19 km, it is the longest bridge in Europe, surpassing Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon. The Crimean Bridge was damaged by 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion, an attack on October 8, 2022, and July 2023 Crimean Bridge explosion, another on July 17, 2023. ;Public transportation Almost every settlement in Crimea is connected with another settlement by bus lines. Crimea contains the longest (96 km or 59 mi) Crimean Trolleybus, trolleybus route in the world, founded in 1959, stretching from Simferopol to Yalta. The trolleybus line starts near

's Railway Station (in Soviet times it started near Simferopol International Airport) through the mountains to

and on to Yalta. The length of line is about 90 km and passengers are assigned a seat. Simferopol, Yalta and Alushta also have an urban and suburban trolleybus network. Trolleybuses also operate in

and

. A tram system operates in the city of Yevpatoria. In the nearby urban-type settlement, townlet village of Molochnoye, a 1.6 km-long tram line provides the only connection between the sea shore and a holiday resort, but its operation is halted since 2015. ;Railway traffic There are two railroad lines running through Crimea: the non-electrified Armyansk, Armiansk–Kerch (with a link to Feodosia), and the electrified Melitopol–Simferopol–Sevastopol (with a link to Yevpatoria), connecting Crimea to the Ukrainian mainland. Until 2014 the network was part of the Cisdneper Directorate of the Ukrainian Railways. Long-distance trains provided connection to all major Ukrainian cities, to many towns of Russia, Belarus and, until the end of the 2000s, even to Vilnius, Riga, Warsaw and Berlin. Since 2014 the railways are operated by the Crimea Railway. Local trains belong to the ''Yuzhnaya Prigorodnaya Passazhirskaya Kompaniya'' (Southern Suburban Passenger Company), serving the entire network of the peninsula and via the Crimean Bridge three trains daily to Anapa. Long-distance trains under the name ''Tavriya'' – operated by the company ''Grand Servis Ekspress'' – connect Sevastopol and Simferopol daily with Moscow and Saint Petersburg; in the summer season Yevpatoria and Feodosia are also directly connected by them. Several times a week Simferopol is also linked with Volgograd, Sochi, Yekaterinburg, Omsk and even Murmansk by train. Further development plans consist of a bypass line between Simferopol and Kerch, and a complete electrification of the network with changing the voltage of the already electrified lines from 3 kV DC to 25 kV 50 Hz AC. ;Aviation *Simferopol International Airport is an air transport hub of Crimea. ;Highways * А-291 – Tavrida highway (route Yevpatoria-) Sevastopol – Simferopol (SW to W N to East ring) – Bilohirsk
– north Feodosia – Kerch south (strait bridge) * European route E105, E105/M18 –

(bridge, starts),

(bridge),

(ends) * European route E97, E97/M17 –

(starts), Armiansk,

(Kerch Strait ferry line, ferry, ends) * A290 highway (Russia), A290 – Novorossiysk to

via the Crimean Bridge (formerly known as Highway M25) * H05 – Krasnoperekopsk,

(access to the Simferopol International Airport) * H06 –

* H19 –

* P16 * P23 –

, Feodosiya, Feodosia * P25 –

* P27 –

, Inkerman (completely within the city of Sevastopol) * P29 –

, Feodosiya, Feodosia * P34 –

* P35 – Hrushivka,

* P58 –

, Port "Komysheva Bukhta" (completely within the city of Sevastopol) * P59 (completely within the city of Sevastopol) ;Sea transport The cities of Yalta, Feodosiya, Feodosia,

, Sevastopol, Chornomorske and

are connected to one another by sea routes.

Tourism

The development of Crimea as a holiday destination began in the second half of the 19th century. The development of the transport networks brought masses of tourists from central parts of the

. At the beginning of the 20th century, a major development of palaces, villas, and dachas began—most of which remain. These are some of the main attractions of Crimea as a tourist destination. There are many Crimean legends about famous touristic places, which attract the attention of tourists. A new phase of tourist development began when the Soviet government started promoting the healing quality of the local air, lakes and therapeutic muds. It became a "health" destination for Soviet workers, and hundreds of thousands of Soviet tourists visited Crimea. Artek (camp), Artek is a former Young Pioneer camp on the

in the town of Hurzuf, near Ayu-Dag, established in 1925. By 1969 it had an area of , and consisted of 150 buildings. Unlike most of the young pioneer camps, Artek was an all-year camp, due to the warm climate. Artek was considered to be a privilege for Soviet children during its existence, as well as for children from other communist countries. During its heyday, 27,000 children a year vacationed at Artek. Between 1925 and 1969 the camp hosted 300,000 children. After the breaking up of the Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union, Young Pioneers in 1991 its prestige declined, though it remained a popular vacation destination. In the 1990s, Crimea became more of a get-away destination than a "health-improvement" destination. The most visited areas are the south shore of Crimea with cities of Yalta and Alushta, the western shore – Yevpatoria and Saky, and the south-eastern shore – Feodosia and Sudak. According to National Geographic Society, National Geographic, Crimea was among the top 20 travel destinations in 2013. Places of interest include

Sanctions

Following Russia's largely unrecognized annexation of Crimea, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and several other countries (including Ukraine) imposed economic sanctions against Russia, including some specifically targeting Crimea. Many of these sanctions were directed at individuals—both Russian and Crimean. In general they prohibit the sale, supply, transfer, or export of Good (economics), goods and technology in several sectors, including services directly related to tourism and infrastructure. They list seven ports where cruise ships cannot dock. Sanctions against individuals include travel bans and asset freezes. Visa Inc., Visa and MasterCard temporarily stopped service in Crimea in December 2014. The Russian national payment card system allows Visa and MasterCard cards issued by Russian banks to work in Crimea. The Mir (payment system), Mir payment system operated by the Central Bank of Russia operates in Crimea as well as MasterCard and Visa. However, there are no major international banks in Crimea.

Politics

Crimea is Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia; Ukraine has not relinquished title over the Crimean territory since Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, the events of 2014, and Crimea is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine. They exercise administration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea#Government and administration, Autonomous Republic of Crimea from Kyiv in the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew attention to this fact in August 2022 when he stated that it was "necessary to liberate Crimea" from Russian occupation and to re-establish "world law and order".

Demographics

, the total population of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol was 2,248,400 people (Republic of Crimea: 1,889,485; Sevastopol: 395,000). This was down from the Ukrainian Census (2001), 2001 Ukrainian Census figure of 2,376,000 (Autonomous Republic of Crimea: 2,033,700; Sevastopol: 342,451). According to the 2014 Russian census, 84% of Crimean inhabitants named Russian as their native language; 7.9% Crimean Tatar; 3.7% Tatar language, Tatar; and 3.3% Ukrainian. It was the first official census in Crimea since a Ukrainian-held census in 2001. According to the 2001 census, 77% of Crimean inhabitants named Russian language in Ukraine, Russian as their native language; 11.4% Crimean Tatar; and 10.1% Ukrainian. In 2013, however, the Crimean Tatar language was estimated to be on the brink of extinction, being taught in Crimea in only about 15 schools at that time. Turkey provided the greatest support to Tatars in Ukraine, which had been unable to resolve the problem of education in their mother tongue in Crimea, by bringing the schools to a modern state. The ethnic composition of Crimea's population has changed dramatically since the early 20th century. The 1897 Russian Empire Census for the

reported 196,854 (13.06%) Crimean Tatars, 404,463 (27.94%) Russians and 611,121 (42.21%) Ukrainians. But these numbers included Berdyansky, Dneprovsky and Melitopolsky uyezds, which were on the mainland, not in Crimea. At the beginning of the 19th century, Italian diaspora, Italian emigration to the Crimea came from various Italian regions (Liguria, Campania, Apulia), with immigrants settling mainly in the coastal cities of the

and the

, as well as in

, Mykolaiv,

, Mariupol, Berdiansk and Taganrog. With the October Revolution of 1917, with which the

became the Soviet Union, a bitter period began for minorities in Russia. Italians of Crimea therefore faced much repression. Between 1936 and 1938, during

's Great Purge, many Italians were accused of espionage and were arrested, tortured, deported or executed. The few survivors were allowed to return to Kerch in the 1950s and 1960s during Nikita Khrushchev's administration. The descendants of the surviving Italians of Crimea currently account for people, mainly residing in Kerch. The population number excluding these uyezds is given in the table below. Crimean Tatars, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority who in 2001 made up 12.1% of the population, formed in Crimea in the early modern era, after the Crimean Khanate had come into existence. The Crimean Tatars were Deportation of the Crimean Tatars, forcibly expelled to Central Asia by

's government as a form of collective punishment, on the grounds that some had joined the invading Waffen-SS, forming Tatar Legions, during World War II. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Crimean Tatars began to return to the region. According to the Ukrainian Census (2001), 2001 Ukrainian population census, 60% of the population of Crimea are ethnic Russians and 24% are ethnic Ukrainians. History of the Jews in Russia, Jews in Crimea were historically Krymchaks and Crimean Karaites, Karaites (the latter a small group centered at

). The 1879 census for the Taurida Governorate reported a Jewish population of 4.20%, not including a Karaite population of 0.43%. The Krymchaks (but not the Karaites) were The Holocaust in Russia, targeted for annihilation during Taurida Subdistrict, Nazi occupation. The Nazis The Holocaust in Ukraine, murdered around 40,000 Crimean Jews. The number of Crimea Germans was 60,000 in 1939. During WWII, they were forcibly deported on the orders of Stalin, as they were regarded as a potential "fifth column". This was part of the 800,000 History of Germans in Russia, Ukraine and the Soviet Union, Germans in Russia who were relocated within the Soviet Union during Stalinist times. The 2001 Ukrainian census reports just 2,500 ethnic Germans (0.1% of population) in Crimea. Besides the Crimean Germans, Stalin in 1944 also deported 70,000 Greeks, 14,000 Crimean Bulgarians and 3,000 Italians of Crimea. ;Life expectancy at birth File:Life expectancy in Russian subject -Republic of Crimea.png, Life expectancy in File:Life expectancy in Russian subject -Sevastopol.png, Life expectancy in Sevastopol File:Life expectancy in Russia -Crimea.png, Life expectancy in Crimea and neighboring regions ;Religion In 2013, Orthodox Christians made up 58% of the Crimean population, followed by Muslims (15%) and believers in God without religion (10%). Following the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, 38 out of the 46 Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate parishes in Crimea ceased to exist; in three cases, churches were seized by the Russian authorities. Notwithstanding the annexation, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) kept control of its eparchies in Crimea.

Culture

What is thought to be the first work of literature in the Crimean Tatar language, a version of ''Yusuf and Zulaykha'', was composed around the early thirteenth century, apparently by Mahmud Qırımlı. Alexander Pushkin visited

in 1820 and later wrote the poem The Fountain of Bakhchisaray. Crimea was the background for Adam Mickiewicz's seminal work, The Crimean Sonnets inspired by his 1825 travel. A series of 18 sonnets constitute an artistic telling of a journey to and through the Crimea, they feature romantic descriptions of the oriental nature and culture of the East which show the despair of an exile longing for the homeland, driven from his home by a violent enemy. Ivan Aivazovsky, the 19th-century marine painter of Armenian origin, who is considered one of the major artists of his era was born in

and lived there for the most part of his life. Many of his paintings depict the Black Sea. He also created battle paintings during the Crimean War. ESC2016_winner%27s_press_conference_01

Crimean Tatar singer Jamala won the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 representing Ukraine with her song "1944 (song), 1944", about the historic deportation of Crimean Tatars in that year by Soviet authorities. File:Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovsky - The Russian Squadron on the Sebastopol Roads.jpg, Painting of the Russian squadron in Sevastopol by Ivan Aivazovsky (1846) File:Могила поета і художника М. О. Волошина.JPG, The grave of Russian poet and artist Maximilian Voloshin People at KaZantip.jpg, People at the Kazantip music festival in 2007

Sport

Following 2014 Crimean status referendum, Crimea's vote to join Russia and subsequent Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexation in March 2014, the top football clubs withdrew from the Ukrainian football league system, Ukrainian leagues. Some clubs registered to join the Russian leagues but the Football Federation of Ukraine objected. UEFA ruled that Crimean clubs could not join the Russian leagues but should instead be part of a Crimean league system. The Crimean Premier League is now the top professional football league in Crimea. A number of Crimean-born athletes have been given permission to compete for Russia instead of Ukraine at future competitions, including Vera Rebrik, the European javelin champion. Due to Doping in Russia, Russia currently being suspended from all international athletic competitions, Rebrik participates in tournaments as a "neutral" athlete.14 Russians bid to take part in IAAF World Championships
TASS news agency (5 July 2017)

Gallery

File:Hansaray1.jpg, Bakhchisaray Palace File:Dulber Palace.JPG, Dulber Palace in Koreiz File:Комплекс споруд Воронцовського палацу.jpg, Vorontsov's Palace (Alupka), Vorontsov Palace File:Лівадійський палацовий комплекс 002.jpg, Livadia Palace File:Yalta-catholic church.jpg, Catholic church in Yalta File:St. Volodymyr's Cathedral, Chersones.jpg, St. Vladimir's Cathedral, Sevastopol, St. Vladimir's Cathedral, dedicated to the Heroes of Sevastopol (

Notes

References

Sources

External links

*
Lists of Crimean Tartar villages emptied in the May 1944 deportations, and most of them renamed in Russian
{{Authority control Crimea, Crimean Tatars Geographic regions of Ukraine Peninsulas of Europe Turkic toponyms

Name

History

Ancient history

Medieval history

Mongol Conquest (1238–1449)

Crimean Khanate (1443–1783)

Russian Empire (1783–1917)

Russian Civil War (1917–1921)

Soviet Union (1921–1991)

Independent Ukraine (since 1991)

Russian occupation (from 2014)

Geography

Places

Crimean Mountains

Hydrography

Steppe

Southern Coast

Climate

Strategic value

Economy

Agriculture

Energy

Transport

Tourism

Sanctions

Politics

Demographics

Culture

Sport

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links