Crimea has long been rightfully called the natural pearl of Europe. Here, at the junction of temperate and subtropical latitudes, as if in focus, the characteristic features of their nature are concentrated in miniature: mountains and plains, ancient volcanoes and modern mud hills, seas and lakes, forests and steppes, landscapes of the Black Sea sub-Mediterranean region and the semi-deserts of the Sivash region...
The Crimean Peninsula is located in southern Russia at the latitude of southern France and northern Italy.
His outlines are unique, some see them as a flying bird, others as a bunch of grapes, and still others as a heart.
But each of us, looking at the map, immediately finds in the middle of the blue oval of the sea an irregular quadrangle of a peninsula with a wide protrusion of the Tarkhankut Peninsula in the west and a long, narrower protrusion of the Kerch Peninsula in the east. The Kerch Strait separates the Crimean Peninsula from the Taman Peninsula, the western tip of the Krasnodar Territory.
Crimea, washed on almost all sides by the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, could have been an island if not for the narrow, only 8 kilometers wide, Perekop Isthmus connecting it to the mainland.
The total length of the borders of Crimea– more than 2500 km.
Square– 27 thousand sq. km.
Maximum distance from north to south it is 207 km, from west to east – 324 km.
Extreme points: in the north – the village of Perekop (46°15′ north latitude), in the south – Cape Sarych (44°23′ north latitude), in the east – Cape Fonar (36°40′ east longitude), in the west – Cape Kara-Mrun (32°30′ E long.).
Water Black Sea(area – 421 thousand sq.
sq. km, volume - 537 thousand cubic km) wash Crimea from the west and south. The largest bays are: Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky and Feodosiya.
From the east and northeast, the peninsula is surrounded by the Kerch Strait (width 4-5 km, length 41 km) and Sea of Azov(area - 38 thousand sq. km, volume - 300 cubic km), which forms the Kazantip, Arabat and Sivash bays.
Shorespeninsula strongly indented by numerous bays, coves and bays.
Crimean mountains divided the peninsula into two uneven parts: a large steppe and a smaller mountain one.
They stretch from southwest to northeast from the outskirts of Sevastopol to Feodosia in three almost parallel ridges, separated by longitudinal green valleys. The length of the Crimean Mountains is about 180 km, width – 50 km.
The main ridge is the highest, the most famous mountain peaks are located here: Roman-Kosh - 1545 m, Chatyrdag - 1525 m, Ai-Petri - 1231 m.
The southern slopes facing the sea are steep, while the northern slopes are gentle.
The peaks of the Crimean Mountains are treeless, undulating plateaus called yayls (translated from Turkic as “summer pasture”). Yayls combine the properties of plains and mountains. They are connected by narrow, low ridges along which mountain passes pass. The routes from the steppe part of Crimea to the southern coast have long been located here.
The beginning of the ascent to the Devil's Staircase pass, an ancient road that leads from the forest areas of the mountainous Crimea to the Southern Coast.
The highest yaylas in Crimea: Ai-Petrinskaya (1320 m), Yalta (1406 m), Nikitskaya (1470 m), Gurzufskaya (1540 m).
The limestone surface of the villages was dissolved by rainwater for many centuries; water flows made numerous passages, deep wells, mines, and amazingly beautiful caves in the thickness of the mountains.
The inner ridge of the Crimean Mountains below the Main ( highest point– Mount Kubalach reaches 739 m). It stretches from the Mekenzi Mountains near Sevastopol to Mount Agarmysh for 125 km.
The outer, or Northern, ridge is even lower - from 150 to 340 m, it is called the foothills.
The rocks from which it is composed lie at an angle: the southern slopes end with steep cliffs, and the northern slopes are gentle, long, and gradually turn into a plain.
Steppe occupies a large territory of Crimea. It represents the southern edge of the East European, or Russian, Plain and decreases slightly to the north. The Kerch Peninsula is divided by the Parpach ridge into two parts: the southwestern - flat and the northeastern - hilly, which is characterized by alternating ring-shaped limestone ridges, gentle depressions, mud hills and coastal lake basins.
However, mud volcanoes have nothing in common with real volcanoes, since they erupt not hot lava, but cold mud.
In the flat part of the peninsula, varieties of southern and carbonate chernozems predominate; dark chestnut and meadow-chestnut soils of dry forests and shrubs, as well as brown mountain-forest and mountain-meadow chernozem-like soils (on yailas), are less common.
More than 52% of the republic’s territory is occupied by arable land, 4.7% by orchards and vineyards.
The remaining lands are predominantly pastures and forests.
Expanses of Crimea
Square forests reaches 340 thousand.
ha. The slopes of the Crimean Mountains are occupied predominantly by oak forests (65% of the area of all forests), beech (14%), hornbeam (8%) and pine (13%).
On South Coast In the forests grow relict tall juniper, evergreen small-fruited strawberry, blunt-leaved pistachio, a number of evergreen shrubs - Pontic broom, Crimean cistus, red pyracantha, bush jasmine, etc.
On the peninsula 1657 rivers and temporary gutters.
Their total length is 5996 kilometers. However, the vast majority of them are small, almost all watercourses that dry up in the summer. There are only 257 rivers longer than 5 km.
The most significant of the rivers, according to their geographical location, are divided into several groups: rivers of the northern and northeastern slopes of the Crimean Mountains (Salgir, the longest river of the peninsula, - 232 km; Wet Indol - 27 km; Churuksu - 33 km, etc.); rivers of the northwestern slope (Chernaya - 41 km, Belbek - 63 km, Kacha - 69 km, Alma - 84 km, Western Bulganak - 52 km, etc.); rivers of the southern coast of Crimea (Uchan-Su - 8.4 km, Derekoyka - 12 km, Ulu-Uzen - 15 km, Demerdzhi - 14 km, Ulu-Uzen East - 16 km, etc.); small rivers of the plain Crimea and the Kerch Peninsula.
The rivers of the northwestern slopes of the Crimean Mountains flow almost parallel to each other, until the middle of the flow they are typically mountainous.
The rivers of the northern slopes on the plain deviate to the east and flow into the Sivash. The short rivers of the Southern Coast flowing into the Black Sea are typically mountainous throughout their entire length.
The Uchan-Su mountain river runs down to the sea, forming waterfalls in four places.
Crimea. Baydarsky reserve. Kozyrek waterfall during the snowmelt period (left).
One of the tributaries of the Black River during high water (right).
The main source of river nutrition is rainwater - 44-50% of the annual flow; groundwater provides 28-36% and snow nutrition - 13-23%. The average long-term surface and underground flow of Crimea is slightly more than 1 billion cubic meters. water. This is almost three times less than the volume of water supplied annually to the peninsula via the North Crimean Canal. Natural reserves of local waters are used to the limit (73% of reserves are used).
The main surface flow is regulated: several hundred ponds and more than 20 large reservoirs have been built (Simferopol on the Salgir River, Chernorechenskoye on the Chernaya River, Belogorskoye on the Biyuk-Karasu River, etc.).
The North Crimean Canal transports 3.5 billion tons of water annually to the peninsula.
m3 of water, which made it possible to increase the area of irrigated land from 34.5 thousand hectares (1937) to 400 thousand hectares (1994).
In Crimea, mainly along the coasts, there are more than 50 lakes-estuaries with a total area of 5.3 thousand square meters. km used to obtain salts and medicinal mud: Saksky, Sasyk, Donuzlav, Bakal, Staroe, Krasnoe, Aktashskoye, Chokrakskoye, Uzunlarskoye, etc.
Sources:
All about Crimea: Reference and information publication / Under the general.
ed. D.V. Omelchuk. - Kharkov: Karavella, 1999.
Ena V.G. Nature of Crimea // Crimea: present and future: Sat. articles - Simferopol: Tavria, 1995.
In this article we will tell you about Crimea sk peninsula. Despite the fact that in recent years more and more tourists have been flocking to vacation on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, as well as on the tropical islands of Thailand.
However, Crimea still still remains popular place recreation for hundreds of thousands of people. Foreign tourists, first of all, they visit the capital city of Ukraine - Kyiv, which has many historical and architectural attractions.
Crimea Peninsula and the Sea of Azov. View from space
In addition, in the city of Kyiv you can use the Internet directly in recreation parks.
Crimea map
And if one of the tourists did not take his tablet computer on a trip, then he can buy a Kiev laptop at an affordable price in numerous FoxMart stores in the city, which offer a wide range of laptops from various world-famous brands, such as: SAMSUNG, ACER, LENOVO, ASUS, HP, SONY and some others.
Thanks to the Internet and a laptop, you can learn a lot of necessary, useful and, of course, interesting information, for example, about the Crimean peninsula.
Peninsula Crimea located in the southern part of the Republic of Ukraine. Geographically Crimea The Russian Peninsula belongs to the Northern Black Sea region.
On the peninsula Crimea are located in the Autonomous Republic Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, as well as part of the Kherson region. Peninsula Crimea in the documents of the Russian Empire until the 20s of the 20th century it was called Taurida.
After the creation of the Soviet Union, the Tauris Peninsula was renamed and received the name " Crimea».
Toponym " Crimea“probably comes from the Turkic word “kyrym”, which literally means rampart, wall, ditch.
The Crimean peninsula is washed by: in the west and south - the Black Sea, in the east - the Sea of Azov, including Sivash Bay. Peninsula Crimea goes far into the Black Sea.
The area of the Crimean Peninsula is approximately 26,860 km², of which 72% is flat, 20% is occupied Crimea ski mountains, 8% are water bodies - lakes, rivers.
Length of the peninsula's coastline Crimea is over 1000 km.
The total length of the sea and land borders of the peninsula Crimea is more than 2500 km.
Greatest length Crimea of the Russian Peninsula in the direction from west to east between the picturesque capes Kara-Mrun and Fonar is approximately 325 km, and in the direction from north to south from the narrow Perekop Isthmus to Cape Sarych it is 205 km.
On the Black Sea coast there are the largest bays: Karkinitsky Gulf, Kalamitsky Gulf, Feodosiya Gulf.
On the coast Sea of Azov– the following bays: Sivash Bay, Kazantip Bay and Arabat Bay.
In the east Crimea peninsula between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov is the Kerch Peninsula, and in the west the tapering part Crimea and forms the relatively small Tarkhankut Peninsula.
In the northern part of the peninsula Crimea It is connected to the continent by the rather narrow Perekop Isthmus, the width of which at its widest point does not exceed 8 km.
Peninsula Crimea according to the nature of the relief, it is divided into platform-plain, which occupies 70% of the entire territory, the rest falls on the folded mountainous surface. On the southern part of the peninsula Crimea beautiful spread out Crimea skie mountains. The most high mountain peninsula Crimea– Mount Roman-Kosh, which reaches a height of 1545 meters above sea level.
Northernmost point Crimea The Russian Peninsula is located on the Perekop Isthmus, its southernmost point is the beautiful Cape Sarych, the westernmost point is Cape Kara-Mrun (Priboyny) on the Tarkhankut Peninsula, the extreme eastern point of the peninsula is Cape Lantern on the Kerch Peninsula.
Picturesque nature of the Crimean peninsula
Crimea is a popular seaside resort located in southwest Russia. The main reasons why people flock to the peninsula are: the sea and the mountains. Crimea washed by two seas: the Black and Azov. Most of the resorts are located on the southern coast, whose climate is comparable to the Cote d'Azur.
Crimea: history of the name of the peninsula
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the peninsula: from Turkic " Crimea"translated as "ditch".
Another version says that the name comes from the city of Kyrym, which was the former residence of the Golden Horde governor and became popular in the 13th century. This name was not the first for the peninsula - others are also known in history:
- Tavrika is the ancient name of the peninsula, derived from the Tauri tribe who previously inhabited these places.
- Tavria is a name that came into use in the 15th century.
- Tavrida - came into use in 1783, when the peninsula became part of the Russian Empire.
Also, Crimea in different years was identified with Cimmeria and Lesser Scythia.
During the years of Soviet power, the Crimean region existed, after Ukraine gained independence, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea existed, and since 2014, the Republic of Crimea has appeared as part of Russia.
Geographical position of Crimea briefly
Crimea is washed from the east by the Azov Sea, from the south and west by the Black Sea, and in the north of the peninsula is the salty Sivash Bay. Most of the territory of the peninsula is located in the temperate zone, and the South Coast is in the subtropical zone, thereby providing favorable geographical location of Crimea like a resort.
The peninsula is divided into 3 conventional parts: steppe, mountains, southern coast. Extreme points of Crimea:
- north – Perekop Isthmus;
- south – Cape Sarych (located at 44°23′14″ N);
- west – Cape Priboyny;
- east – Cape Lantern.
The highest point is Roman-Kosh (1545 meters), located on Babugan-yayla.
18 settlements in Crimea have city status. The most populated among them are Sevastopol, Simferopol and Kerch. The main resorts are Yalta, Alushta and Evpatoria.
The area of Crimea is 27 thousand km².
Cape Sarych is the southernmost point of Crimea
The capital of Crimea is Simferopol, whose name translates as “gathering city.”
History of Crimea
Since ancient times, the peninsula has been an arena of military operations. Many nomadic tribes came here, then giving way to stronger ones. That's why history of Crimea contains many bloody pages and has preserved them in its legends and traditions.
The first settlers of the peninsula in the Middle Paleolithic were Neanderthals, whose sites were discovered in several places: Kiik-Koba, Chokurcha (considered the oldest human habitation in Europe).
A little later, in the Mesolithic, the Cro-Magnons appeared here.
These places were later inhabited by the Cimmerians in the 12th century BC. e., as well as the Tauri and Scythians who came to these lands in the 7th century BC.
e. Later, Greek settlers came to the lands of Taurida, who organized many cities on the coast and began trading with the local population. This is how the Bosporan kingdom, Chersonesos, Kerkinitis and a number of other cities appeared.
The Goths, Huns, Khazars, Byzantines, Tatars, Genoese, and Turks left their mark here.
For a long time (1441 - 1783) the Crimean Khanate was located here with its capital in Bakhchisarai.
Most of the time it was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, and after coming under Russian rule, the Khanate was disbanded.
In 1475, these lands were captured by the Ottoman Empire, which defeated both the Genoese and the mountain principality of Theodoro. The Turks ruled here for 3 centuries, but in 1774 Prince Dolgoruky annexed Taurida to the Russian Empire.
Before 1954 Crimea was part of Russia until it was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR.
In 2014, the peninsula returned to Russia again.
The peninsula is full of unusual, interesting and mysterious things. I suggest you find out some Interesting Facts about Crimea:
You can find out more about Crimea on other pages of our website.
Where is Crimea?
Where is Crimea located on the map of Russia? The Crimean Peninsula is located in the northern part of the Black Sea, and from the northeast it is washed by the Sea of Azov. In the north of Crimea it is connected with the mainland of Perekop by Isthmus (bay).
Now, of course, many Russians are interested and curious to know how long it takes to fly to Crimea from different cities in Russia, because the Crimean peninsula has become part of the Russian Federation and will likely break the flow of tourists here.
On a detailed map of the Crimean coast you can see that the entire coastline extends for 2.5 thousand kilometers.
It is also interesting that on Black Sea coast The main resort cities are Sochi and Abkhazia, which are competitors of Crimea in terms of tourism, so it is recommended to read an interesting article about comparing these places for the quality of recreation and leisure - if it is better to relax: in Sochi or in Crimea?
There are many on the peninsula mountain peaks, of which the highest is Roman Kosh, height 1545 meters.
The northernmost point of the peninsula is the Perekop Strait, to the south - at Cape Miklavts, to the west - at Cape Kara-Mran, to the east - at the cape, on the Kerch Peninsula.
Geography of Crimea
The North Channel is the largest on the peninsula.
Detailed map of the Crimean coast
In Yandex and Google you can find detailed map cities of Crimea and cities where the most popular settlements on the peninsula will be identified as Yalta, Alushta, Alupka, Feodosia, Dzhalty, Sudak and others.
Sevastopol is a heroic city with many landmarks during World War II. The most famous natural and historical attractions are the Crimean caves: marble, red and Emine-Bayr-Khosar cave.
Map of cities and places
What is Crimea
climate and natural zones of Crimea
Answers:
Crimea, despite its relatively small territory, has a varied climate. The climate of Crimea is divided into three subzones: Steppe Crimea (most of Crimea, the north, west and center of Crimea). Crimean Mountains. Southern coast of Crimea. The climate of the northern part is temperate continental, on the southern coast - with features similar to subtropical.
The average January temperature is from −1… −3 °C in the north of the steppe zone to +1… −1 °C in the south of the steppe zone, on the southern coast of Crimea from +2… +4 °C. The average July temperature of the South Coast and the eastern part of Crimea: Kerch and Feodosia is +23...+25 °C. Precipitation ranges from 300-400 mm per year in the north to 1000-2000 mm in the mountains. In summer (in the second half of July) in the steppe part of Crimea, daytime air temperatures reach +35...+37 °C in the shade, at night up to +23...+25 °C.
The climate is predominantly dry, with seasonal dry winds prevailing. The Black Sea warms up to +25 °C in summer. The Sea of Azov warms up to +27…+28 °C. The steppe part of Crimea lies in the steppe zone of temperate climate. This part of Crimea is characterized by long, dry and very hot summers and mild, little snowy winters with frequent thaws and very changeable weather.
The Crimean Mountains are characterized by a mountain type of climate with pronounced zonality in altitude. Summers are also very hot and dry, while winters are wet and mild. The southern coast of Crimea is characterized by a sub-Mediterranean climate.
Snow cover is only temporary, established on average once every 7 years, frosts only during the passage of the Arctic anticyclone.
Crimea is not only an administrative and resort unit. First of all, it is a peninsula, a geographical unit. Consequently, during geography lessons of their native land, local schoolchildren remember extreme points Crimea - their coordinates, names and features.
Extreme northern point in Crimea
- Coordinates – 46.161050, 33.692249.
It is difficult to name a specific point for this tip of the peninsula - the northern cordon of Crimea runs across the Perekop Isthmus. But what is its place? Theoretically, exactly in the middle. Where is his middle?
As a result, geographers took the path of least resistance, issuing a conditional border, indicating that the settlement closest to the northern point of Crimea is the village of Perekop. It is subordinate to the City Council of Armyansk (the city is also located on the isthmus). The village was the result of an attempt to restore the town of the same name - it was destroyed during Civil War. Nowadays about 1000 people live in it, in fact it is a district. Nearby is the border zone. But the village itself is not included in it.
As for, it has always been considered the most vulnerable and “responsible” part of Crimea. It connects it to the mainland, but is very narrow (no more than 9 km). When trying to attack Taurida from land, Perekop took the brunt of the attack - for this reason, even in ancient times it was blocked by defensive structures called. Due to the narrowness of the perimeter, the defense could be held for a long time and reliably - this task was always entrusted to the best military leaders, and the reliable defense of Perekop greatly increased the overall security of Crimea (it is also not easy to take it from the sea).
Of the “warriors of Perekop”, the most famous are the Tatar Murza Tugai Bey (a comrade-in-arms of B. Khmelnitsky) and M.V. Frunze, who in 1920 organized a unique military operation to defend the White Army of Baron Wrangel.
Extreme point in the south of Crimea
- Coordinates – 44.386747, 33.777032.
With the south, everything is also difficult, the sources name two capes - and Nikolai (both are next to and adjacent to each other).
In fact, the extreme southern point of Crimea is the Nikolai metro station, but Sarych is 3 geographical minutes further north. It’s just more famous, in particular, for the legendary battle of the Russian squadron with the cruisers Breslau and Goeben at the initial stage of the First World War.
Its name is associated with the name of N.N. Raevsky, general, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, father-in-law of the Decembrist S.G. Volkonsky. For his military exploits, the commander was granted a dacha estate near the cape, and geographical feature named after the patron saint of himself and his father.
Nowadays it is difficult to get to the ledge itself - there is a border post on it. The Foros camp was located near it.
Extreme point in the west of Crimea
- Coordinates – 45.390415, 32.480458.
The extreme western point of Crimea will not provide a comfortable holiday - the shores of Cape Priboyny (the Tatar name Kara-Mrun is also common) are steep, and there are no tolerable roads on its plateau.
But it is located in a romantic resort area - it is part of the Tarkhankut Peninsula. The nearest settlement to it is popular. Priboiny distinguishes between and. Its neighbor to the north is Ocheretai Bay, also famous among tourists.
A geodetic sign is installed on the cape. Its plateau is covered with ordinary annual meadow herbs and, in principle, is not very interesting. Usually regulars come here to take pictures “in the very west of Crimea.”
Extreme eastern point in Crimea
- Coordinates – 45.382946, 36.644643.
But not all extreme points of Crimea are so mysterious or everyday. Its eastern end has a clear location on the map, a rich and, moreover, well-studied history, and no one disputes its right to be called a “border”.
The cape is found on the outskirts of modern Kerch and marks the entrance to it from the side. For this reason, it has been celebrated by people since ancient times. Archaeologists have recorded the existence of Bronze Age settlements and the ancient Greek settlement of Parthenium on the Lantern.
There is an active lighthouse on the cape. It appeared there in 1820, but now you can only see new buildings - the old ones were destroyed during the Great Patriotic War (participants of the Kerch-Eltingen operation landed here). The lighthouse complex still does not guarantee against wrecks - in 1995, the Dozha cargo ship under the Syrian flag sank abeam the Lantern - the now abandoned ship is a bait
Crimea today is the blessed land of the Crimean Peninsula, washed by the Black and Azov Seas. In the north there is a plain, in the south - the Crimean Mountains with a necklace near the coastal strip of seaside resort cities: Yalta, Miskhor, Alupka, Simeiz, Gurzuf, Alushta, Feodosia, Evpatoria and seaports - Kerch, Sevastopol.
Crimea is located within 44°23" (Cape Sarych) and 46°15" (Perekopsky Ditch) northern latitude, 32°30" (Cape Karamrun) and 36°40" (Cape Lantern) eastern longitude. The area of the Crimean peninsula is 26.0 thousand km the maximum distance from north to south is 205 km, from west to east – 325 km.
A narrow eight-kilometer strip of land to the north (Perekop Isthmus) connects Crimea from the continents, and 4-5 km - the width of the Kerch Strait in the east (the length of the strait is about 41 km) - separates it from the Taman Peninsula. The total length of the borders of Crimea exceeds 2,500 km (taking into account the extreme tortuosity of the coastline of the northeast). In general, the coasts of Crimea are little indented; the Black Sea forms three large bays: Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky and Feodosiya; The Sea of Azov also formed three bays: Kazantipsky, Arabatsky and Sivashsky.
The physical and geographical position of Crimea as a whole is distinguished by the following most characteristic features. Firstly, the location of the peninsula at 45° north latitude determines its equidistance from the equator and the North Pole, which is associated with a fairly large amount of incoming solar energy and a large number of hours of sunshine. Secondly, Crimea is almost an island. This is associated, on the one hand, with a large number of endemics (plant species that are not found anywhere except in a given area) and endemics (similar animal species); on the other hand, this explains the significant depletion of the Crimean fauna; In addition, the climate and other components of nature are significantly influenced by the marine environment. Thirdly, the position of the peninsula relative to the general circulation of the Earth’s atmosphere is especially important, leading to the predominance in Crimea western winds. Crimea occupies a border position between the temperate and subtropical geographical zones.
The peculiarities of the transport and geographical position of Crimea in the past determined the nature of the population of the peninsula and the specifics of its economy. In the Middle Ages, Crimea was a kind of dead end on the path of many nomadic tribes. Many settled here and adopted the local languages, culture and religion.
The maritime environment of Crimea determined not only the peculiarities of external economic relations, but also the development of coastal recreation. Through the Danube and Dnieper rivers, Crimea has access to the ports of Central Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, and through the Don and the canal system of European Russia - to the Baltic and White seas, Caspian states.
A favorable feature of the economic and geographical position of Crimea is its proximity to the economically developed Kherson and Zaporozhye regions of Ukraine and the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation.
The nature of Crimea is called a natural museum. There are few places in the world where diverse, comfortable and picturesque landscapes are combined in such an original way. They are largely due to the unique geographical location, geological structure, relief, and climate of the peninsula. The Crimean Mountains divide the peninsula into two unequal parts. The large one - the northern one - is located in the extreme south of the temperate zone, the southern one - the Crimean sub-Mediterranean - belongs to the northern edge of the subtropical zone.
The flora of Crimea is especially rich and interesting. Wild higher plants alone account for more than 65% of the flora of the entire European part of the Commonwealth countries. Along with this, about 1000 species of foreign plants are cultivated here. Almost the entire flora of Crimea is concentrated in its southern mountainous part. This is truly a museum richness of flora.
The climate of most of Crimea is a temperate climate: mild steppe - in the flat part; more humid, characteristic of deciduous forests - in the mountains. The southern coast of Crimea is characterized by a sub-Mediterranean climate of dry forests and bushes.
Crimea, especially its mountainous part, thanks to its comfortable climate, rich clean air, toned with phytoncides, sea salts, and the pleasant aroma of plants, also has great healing powers. The depths of the earth also contain healing mud and mineral waters.
The Crimean peninsula is provided with a large amount of heat not only in summer, but also in winter. In December and January, 8-10 times more heat per unit of earth's surface per day is received here than, for example, in St. Petersburg. Largest quantity Crimea receives solar heat in the summer, especially in July. Spring here is cooler than autumn. And autumn is the best season of the year. The weather is calm, sunny and moderately warm.
True, sharp fluctuations in pressure during the day aggravate cardiovascular diseases in people who are not completely healthy. In Crimea, which is well supplied with heat, the biological productivity of plants, including agricultural crops, and the resistance of landscapes to stress largely depend on the amount of moisture. And the need for water is constantly increasing both among the local population and the national economy, primarily in agriculture and resorts. So water in Crimea is the true engine of life and culture.
A relatively small amount of precipitation, long dry summers, and the spread of karst rocks in the mountains have caused the Crimea to be poor in surface water.
Crimea is divided into two parts: a flat steppe with a very small number of surface watercourses and a mountain forest with a relatively dense river network. There are no large fresh lakes here. In the coastal strip of the Crimean plain there are about 50 lakes with a total area of 5.3 thousand km2.
In Crimea there are 1657 rivers and temporary watercourses with a total length of 5996 km. Of these, about 150 rivers are dwarf rivers up to 10 km in length. The Salgir River alone is more than 200 km long. The river network is developed extremely unevenly on the peninsula.
Depending on the direction of surface water flow, it is customary to divide the rivers of Crimea into three groups: rivers on the northwestern slopes of the Crimean Mountains, rivers on the southern coast of Crimea, and rivers on the northern slopes of the Crimean Mountains.
All rivers on the northwestern slopes flow almost parallel to each other. Until about the middle of their course, they look like typical mountain streams. The largest of them are Alma, Kacha, Belbek and Chernaya.
The rivers of the southern coast of Crimea are short, have very steep channel slopes, and are violent during floods.
In the west, in addition to the usually dry ravines and the Khastabash stream, the largest is the Uchan-Su River. Rapidly running down to the sea, it forms waterfalls in four places. The uppermost and largest of them is Uchan-Su (Flying Water).
The rivers of the northern slopes of the Crimean Mountains are distinguished by the fact that outside the mountains they deviate to the east and flow into Sivash, a lagoon of the Azov Sea. In the upper reaches of the river there is always water, but within the plains in summer their beds are often dry.
Salgir is the longest river in Crimea. Together with the Biyuk-Karasu tributary, it represents the largest water system in Crimea. The upper reaches of the Salgir are formed from the confluence of the Angara and Kizil-Koba rivers. Near the village of Zarechnoye, a large tributary, the Ayan, flows into the Salgir.
Salgir fills the large Simferopol reservoir, built in 1951-1955. Below Simferopol, the river receives right tributaries - the Beshterek, Zuya, Burulcha rivers, and 27 km from Sivash - Biyuk-Karasu. The Taiganskoye and Belogorskoye reservoirs were built on Biyuk-Karasu.
The population of Crimea is distributed unevenly across the territory. 50% of the republic's population lives on the coast. In 1991, 69% of the population lived in cities, and 31% of the population lived in rural areas. 43% of the Crimean population lives in four major cities: Sevastopol (371.4 thousand people in 1991), Simferopol (357 thousand people), Kerch (189.5 thousand people) and Evpatoria (113.3 thousand people).
Crimea is characterized by an increase in the number of cities and towns and relative stability of rural settlements. In recent years, cities such as Sudak, Krasnoperekopsk, Armyansk, and Shchelkino have appeared on the map of Crimea. The number of urban-type settlements is growing rapidly—more than doubling since 1959.
The bulk of the population of Crimea are workers (about 60 percent), office workers - 28, peasants - less than 11 percent.
Crimea has always been distinguished not only by a high proportion of the urban population, but also by a high level of literacy and education of its residents. For every thousand inhabitants in cities there were 900, and in villages 730 people with higher, secondary specialized and secondary education.
The training of highly qualified specialists is carried out by 6 state higher educational institutions (Simferopol State University, Crimean Medical Institute, Crimean Agricultural Institute, Sevastopol Instrument-Making Institute, Crimean Institute of Environmental and Resort Construction, Crimean State Industrial Pedagogical Institute), two branches of universities - Kiev Economic University (in Simferopol) and the Kaliningrad Fishing University (in Kerch), as well as several commercial universities.
Military specialists are trained by the military institute in Sevastopol and the civil engineering school in Simferopol.
In recent years, colleges have been created on a commercial basis. 30 secondary specialized educational institutions are engaged in training specialists. Vocational schools train personnel in 120 specialties.
Academic institutes and cultural institutions operate in Crimea. In Simferopol there is the Crimean branch of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the production association "Efirmaslo", "KrymNIIproekt", in the village of Nauchny - the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory and others.
There are several professional theaters and a philharmonic society, an art gallery in Feodosia. A large number of newspapers are published. There are publishing houses “Tavrida”, “Tavriya”, “Krymuchpedgiz” and others. There are a large number of museums in Crimea, many of which are associated with the destinies of outstanding writers, artists, and scientists who lived on the peninsula.
The economic appearance of Crimea, its structure, and the nature of the location of production and population developed mainly in accordance with its natural and socio-economic conditions.
Until 1917, the republic's economy was predominantly agricultural. Gradually it developed into an industrial-agrarian one.
Crimea is distinguished by its diversified agricultural and recreational industries, the production of soda ash, titanium dioxide, sulfuric acid, technological equipment for the food industry, televisions, ocean-going ships, fish and fish products. In addition to mechanical engineering, the chemical industry, agriculture and recreation, sectors of specialization also include the food industry, producing grape wines, canned fruits and vegetables, and essential oils.
In the structure of industrial production, the leading place belongs to the food industry, followed by mechanical engineering and metalworking, the chemical industry, and the building materials industry.
Crimean agriculture is specialized in grain and livestock farming, viticulture, horticulture, vegetable growing, as well as in the cultivation of essential oil crops (lavender, roses, sage). The volumes of gross production of livestock and crop products are balanced.
Maritime transport is important for the republic. Export-import transportation of various cargoes is carried out through Crimean ports. The most important ports are Kerch, Feodosia, Yalta, Evpatoria. The largest port city is Sevastopol.
By air, Crimea is connected with all CIS countries and many foreign countries.
The recreational sector is one of the leading sectors of the republic. WITH Latin language recreation is translated as “restoration”, meaning the restoration of a person’s physical and psychophysiological conditions. The recreational sector includes: sanatoriums, boarding houses, houses and recreation centers, tourist hotels and tourist centers, campsites, children's camps. The recreational sector operates on beach, balneological and climatic resources, therapeutic mud, sea water, and landscape resources.
The sectors of Crimea's social infrastructure - public utilities, consumer services, public education, public catering, trade, healthcare, social security, culture, physical education, lending and insurance, science and scientific services - are distinguished by a high level of development.Crimea - the golden mean of the earth
This land is beautiful, washed by one of the most festive seas on the globe.
K. Paustovsky.
Each of us has the inalienable right to love our motherland and claim that there is no land more beautiful, more fertile, more unique. Only a fool would argue, but a wise person would agree, although he would add: “Of course, you are right, dear friend, but my homeland is also beautiful...”
Crimeans behave only this way and not differently: after all, millions of people from all over the world come to Crimea every year. Of course, Crimeans agree that there are still blessed corners of the earth somewhere. They don’t ask: “Why did you come to us, and not we to you?” Without a doubt, Crimeans are wise people, they say in such cases: “Of course, you are right, dear friend, but my Crimea is also beautiful, let me tell you about it.”
Let's open the map and get our bearings. The southernmost point of Crimea (44° 23") is Cape Sarych, near the village of Foros, located between Sevastopol and Alupka. The northernmost (46° 15") is located on the Perekop Isthmus, near the village of Perekop. This means that Crimea is located at latitude 45, midway between the North Pole and the equator. Perhaps someone has some other thoughts on this matter, but in the middle means in the middle, and not somewhere else. At latitude 45, by the way, are the geographical center of France, such European cities as Budapest, Bucharest, Milan, Bern, the Canadian city of Montreal, and the American cities of Minneapolis and Portland. Their latitude is fine, but their longitude...
The westernmost point of Crimea (32°29") is Cape Priboyny (Kapa-Mryn) on the Tarkhankut Peninsula, the easternmost (36°39") is Cape Fonar on the Kerch Peninsula. So, Crimea is located near 30° east longitude, that is, in the middle between the Greenwich meridian and the Urals, separating Europe and Asia. Please open the world map, don’t be lazy. At what length is it bent in half, where is its middle? Of course, along the line of 30" east longitude. At approximately this longitude there are St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kharkov, Ankara, Cairo, Lake Victoria, the highest point in Africa - Kilimanjaro volcano, Northern and South poles. They were lucky with the longitude, but only Crimea had a lucky latitude.
If you look at the sky, it will point to Crimea. The Milky Way is called Chumatskiy Shlyakh in Ukrainian. The nebula pointing to the south seemed to have been created for the correct orientation of our ancestors, the Chumaks, who went to the Crimea for salt.
Before closing the map, let's take another look at the peninsula depicted on it. What is Crimea like? Of course - in the heart. A heart shocked by the Creator's Plan. A heart delighted with the incomprehensible wisdom and endless beauty of Nature. Crimea also looks like arms outstretched for hugs and like a cross sent down to people to comprehend the great unity of Faith, Love and Hope. A cross connecting North and South, West and East. But most of all, Crimea is like a flower dropped by the Creator on Earth.
Of course, you are right, dear friend, your homeland is beautiful, but so is my Crimea! Let me tell you about it in a little more detail.
The area of the Crimean Peninsula exceeds 26 thousand km2, the maximum distance from north to south is 205 km, from west to east - 325 km. Yes, it is smaller than Switzerland, the Netherlands or Belgium, but Crimea is almost 56 times larger than Andorra, 82 times larger than Malta and 165 (!) times larger than such a venerable European principality as Liechtenstein. We will not compare Crimea with such small states as San Marino.
In many countries of the world there is not a single sea, but in Crimea there are two of them: the Black Sea and the Azov Sea. The Black Sea forms three large bays off the coast of the peninsula: Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky and Feodosiya; There are three large bays near the Sea of Azov: Kazantipsky, Arabatsky and Sivashsky.
Crimea in the north is connected to the mainland by a narrow eight-kilometer strip of land called the Perekop Isthmus. The Kerch Strait, whose width is 4-5 km, separates the Crimean Peninsula from the Taman Peninsula - the western tip of the Krasnodar Territory of Russia. The total length of the peninsula's borders exceeds 2,500 km, the shores are poorly indented, except for the very winding coastline of part of the peninsula near Sevastopol. In the coastal strip of the Crimean plain there are 50 estuary lakes with a total area of 53 thousand km2. Of course, this is not as much as, say, in Finland or Norway, but the Crimean lakes are valuable because they are filled with brine, a concentrated salt solution that has absorbed the power of the sea, sun and earth.
At the beginning of the 20th century. About 40% of the table salt of the Russian Empire was mined in Crimea. It is well known that D.I. Mendeleev said that using oil as fuel is tantamount to burning banknotes. To paraphrase the words of the great chemist, we can say that using Crimean salt as table salt is the same as salting soup with gold. The ecologically chaste chemical industry of the peninsula at the Saki and Krasnoperekopsk chemical plants produces various compounds of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and bromine from lake and Sivash salt. However, the medicinal use of the Crimean estuaries is much better known, but this will be a separate discussion.
Once upon a time, palaces were erected by monarchs and their entourage on the southern coast of Crimea. The ruler of the next historical period invited Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill to divide the post-war world here. Why did the highly respected guests of Crimea choose it over all other places on Earth? Yes, because they were attracted by the unique Crimean climate, whose undeniable advantages are caused by several reasons.
The first is the mentioned equidistance from the equator and the North Pole, which determines the longitude summer day, and not a miserable 12 hours in the tropics, and a sufficient amount of beneficial warmth - namely warmth, and not equatorial heat or polar cold.
The second is the union of sea and mountains. On hot sunny days of summer, Crimea is refreshed by a breeze, a cool breeze from the sea. In the cool evening hours it is replaced by warm air from the mountains.
The third is the unique position of the peninsula relative to the general circulation of the atmosphere, the predominance of westerly winds and stable anticyclones with clear weather and, as a result, a record number of sunny days, the absence of sweltering heat carried by air currents from Africa, and, naturally, minimal exposure to cold air masses from north, from which mountains serve as an additional barrier.
The Crimean mountains are small, their maximum height (Mount Roman-Kosh) reaches 1545 m, much less than Everest, but this height is quite enough to create a subtropical paradise on the South Coast, without simultaneously erecting an insurmountable barrier between the warm sea and the northern, steppe part of the peninsula .
Perhaps in some other place on Earth the expression “golden mountains” is an exaggeration, a metaphor, but not in Crimea. Crimean marls serve as raw materials for the production of cement, facing slabs are made from marble-like limestones, and beautiful white buildings are built from blocks of the famous Inkerman stone from the time of Chersonesos to the present day. Due to their high strength, rich color shades and good polishing properties, diabases of igneous origin are used for the manufacture of monuments and facing slabs. In Karadag and other places one can find such minerals (gems) as agate, jet, onyx, opal, carnelian, and brocade jasper.
Why are there gems? Even clay in Crimea is precious. Crimean bentonite formed from volcanic ash, popularly called keel, soap earth or mountain soap, has very unusual properties. Previously it was used for wine clarification, soap making, laundry and bleaching, but today it is used in high technology.
The flat plateaus of the Crimean Mountains combine the properties of plains and mountains, representing another “golden mean” of Crimea. Unprotected from the merciless sun, the yaylas seem to the uninitiated to be a symbol of dehydration, but this is not at all the case: underlain by porous limestones, they absorb precipitation like a sponge in order to, together with the shady forests, drop by drop accumulate water that feeds the Crimean rivers.
Crimea has everything, but in order not to jinx it, its residents like to grumble just in case. And since it is quite difficult to find a reason for grumbling in this corner of paradise, they are usually annoyed by the lack of water. Indeed, there are only 1657 rivers on the peninsula and only 150 of them are less than 10 km long. The total length of the watercourses is 5966 km, more than the length of the Amur from the mouth to the sources of the Argun, but slightly less than the Nile.
However, we must honestly say that natural water resources the peninsulas were clearly insufficient in its steppe part. We've heard a lot of bad things about global reclamation projects, and that's probably true. Probably, the turn of the northern rivers to the south threatened the Earth with an environmental disaster, but the turn of the southern river to the south, i.e. the creation of the North Crimean Canal, solved many of the problems of the peninsula.
Crimean drinking water is generally slightly mineralized, which is beneficial for the human body, but if you are used to water enriched with wastewater industrial giants, do not get upset prematurely. After all, Crimea has everything, even black water. Water saturated with hydrogen sulfide mineral spring Adzhi-Su in the village of Kuibyshevo, Bakhchisarai region, forms a black sediment of biologically active gums and bitumens, healing in hot medicinal baths. In total, more than a hundred healing springs have been discovered in Crimea. mineral waters, replete with many trace elements - from fluorine to radium.
Geographical position, climate, steppe areas on mountain tops, clear and black waters - everywhere we talk about the combination of opposite principles. If you mix all the colors into one, you will get a dirty gray color. To avoid misunderstandings, we will immediately make an official clarification: Crimea is the Golden Mean, not mediocrity. The colors of his palette sparkle without mixing, and at the same time create a unique flavor.
Combining steppe and subtropics, Crimea not only does not mix them, but complements them with a zone of forests and forest-steppe. Yayla is not a half-steppe, half-mountain, but a unique natural phenomenon for which it is difficult to find analogues. Combining different principles, Crimea preserves their originality and complements them with new, unique qualities. Natural sciences unanimously prove the island origin of Crimea - we will talk about this more than once and present scientific arguments - therefore, on the peninsula, in addition to the amazing combination of steppe and Mediterranean nature, there is a great variety of endemic plant and animal species found only on the peninsula.
Among the natural massifs of Crimea, man-made landscapes are scattered in a bizarre mosaic: intertwining architectural styles of many centuries and peoples of the city, town and village, majestic parks, well-groomed fields, lush gardens, fragrant plantations of roses and lavender, unique vineyards. Since 1963, a period of intensive irrigated agriculture began in Crimea. Almost 40 types of vegetable crops are grown in open and closed ground. The quality of Crimean products is famous far beyond the borders of the autonomous republic.
Essential oil enterprises in the cities of Simferopol, Bakhchisaray, Alushta, Sudak and the urban village of Nizhnegorsk produce rose, lavender and sage oils. One of the leading industries in Crimea is food. The largest fishing port on the Black Sea with refrigerators, canning and ship repair plants was built in Sevastopol. However high level the development of the peninsula's food industry is determined not only by highly commercial agriculture peninsulas and resource-rich seas. Its development is facilitated by a relatively high level of food consumption, especially in the summer. Thus, the issue of warmly treating guests is raised on a grand scale in Crimea.
Crimea is the unity of sea, steppe and mountains. It is worth removing a layer of soil from the surface of the earth in the steppe Crimea, and on the surface you will find a wonderful, easy-to-process building material - limestone-shell rock. Buildings with a layer of shell rock in their walls, like the sea, keep warm in winter and cool in summer.
One should not think, however, that only shell rock is hidden under the fertile Crimean soil. The iron ores of the Kerch basin lie so shallow that they are mined using opencast mining. These ores are unique in their high manganese content, so when smelting alloy steels, this element is added in minimal quantities or not at all.
Since the mid-60s. Industrial development of natural gas fields is underway on the Tarkhankut Peninsula, in Northern Crimea and on the Arabat Spit. The extensive system of gas pipelines made it possible to gasify most populated areas, convert thermal power plants to environmentally friendly fuel and enter the country’s unified gas pipeline system.
The top of the industrial pyramid of the Crimean Autonomous Republic are high-tech industries: electronics, automotive, defense, construction of supertankers.
The comprehensive development of the Crimean industry is based on an extensive network of communications. There are two railway lines in Crimea. Sea transport carries out small coastal communication in the Azov-Black Sea basin and distant international flights. However, main transport Autonomous Republic - automobile. It accounts for about 90% of domestic freight and passenger traffic. In the early 60s. The mountain trolleybus route Simferopol - Yalta came into operation, making it possible to connect the capital of the republic with the Southern Bank using convenient and inexpensive transport.
Environmental safety of the Crimean industry has long traditions. Back in 1931, the first in the USSR, the most powerful at that time in Europe power plant powered by wind, was built in Balaklava. The generator blades had a diameter of 30 meters. The unique power plant was destroyed during the war. In 1986, a solar power plant with a capacity of 5 MW was built in Crimea. total area mirrors is 40 thousand m2. Several environmentally friendly projects have been implemented on the peninsula, using tidal energy to generate electricity, solar and geothermal energy to supply heat to residential buildings, resorts and hotels.
The intercity trolleybus service very clearly demonstrates the level of environmental requirements for the development of the Crimean industry.
We could talk for a very long time about Crimean science, about the great scientists who worked here, but instead of a huge list of discoveries, we will limit ourselves to a single brief remark: several sciences were created in Crimea, including virology, marine physics, helioseismology.
People of many nationalities inhabit Crimea, all of them are representatives of an endemic species called “Crimeans”. Crimeans are hardworking, smart, hospitable and prone to fun. Men are wise, strong, women are kind and incredibly beautiful. In a word, they are the same as the rest of the people on Earth, and only one thing distinguishes them from the rest of the planet’s inhabitants: they are more patient with the geographical boasting of visitors. Crimeans listen carefully to their guests, treat them to amazing Crimean wines, feed them dishes made from organic Crimean products, take them to caves, nature reserves, beaches, dolphinariums, tasting rooms, arrange sea excursions... Further - the entire contents of the book.
The population of Crimea increases many times in summer and early autumn. When millions of guests go home, it turns out that there are about 2.5 million true Crimeans. According to 1998 data, 363.8 thousand people lived in the capital of Crimea, Simferopol, 167.4 thousand in Kerch, 371.4 thousand in Sevastopol, 113.5 thousand in Evpatoria. Considering the small number of the endemic species described above, we propose to include it in the Red Book and, if there is no way to stop all talk about the unsurpassed (?!) charm of other lands, then at least give the Crimeans a word in defense of their homeland.
Alas, this is not always possible, because in holiday season Crimeans are a minority on the peninsula. But they came up with a way out and told about themselves and their region in the coat of arms.
Coat of arms of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
The columns are a symbol of the ancient Crimean civilization, a memory of Naples, Panticapaeum, Tmutarakan, Chersonese, Theodoro, and other cities and kingdoms that once existed on the territory of Crimea. The griffin is a symbol of the guardian and defender of Crimea. The blue pearl in his paw symbolizes the uniqueness of Crimea, the unity of all its peoples, religions and cultures. The Varangian shield is a symbol of the intersection of trade routes, and its red color is a symbol of courage and bravery of the peoples of Crimea. The rising sun at the top is a symbol of rebirth, prosperity, warmth and light.
In general, everything that is reflected in the words of the wise writer is embodied: “Everyone is rewarded according to his faith...”
© Chapters from the book "All about Crimea. With love." Publishing house "World of Information", 2002 (text - G. Dubovis, responsible for the issue A. Ganzha, R. Tsyupko, editor T. Esadze)
Geographical location of Crimea.
The Crimean Peninsula is located in the extreme south of the European part of Russia and extends from north to south for 195 km, from west to east - 325 km. The area of Crimea is 26 thousand square meters. km, population 1 million 600 thousand people.
The sea surrounds the peninsula on all sides, and only in the north does the narrow (up to 8 km) Perekop Isthmus connect it to the mainland. From the west and south, Crimea is washed by the Black Sea, from the east by the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.
The Crimean region was formed in June 1945. In February 1954, it became part of Ukraine. In 2014 joined Russian Federation. Administrative center region - Simferopol. The administrative map of Russia shows the borders of the Crimean region, settlements, communication routes.
Geological past of Crimea.
The geological map and geological profile introduce the geological past of Crimea and its constituent rocks. In geological periods of the sea millions of years distant from us, replacing each other, they either covered or exposed the territory of present-day Crimea. The distribution of rocks in Crimea is mainly connected with their existence.
In the Crimean Local History Museum you can see sandstones, shales, limestones and other rocks. There is also a collection of fossils and prints of the inhabitants of the ancient seas: mollusks and fish, the cetacean citoterium prescum, sea turtles, etc.
During the millions of years of the Tertiary period, Central and Southern Europe was warm and humid, and mastodons, hipparions, and antelopes lived here. The glaciation that occurred in the Quaternary period changed the landscape, flora and fauna.
The glacier did not reach Crimea, but the climate here was very harsh. At this time, the Crimea was inhabited by a mammoth, a woolly rhinoceros, a giant and reindeer, a cave bear, and a cave hyena.
Minerals in Crimea.
About 200 deposits of various minerals have been discovered and studied in Crimea, which are widely used in the national economy. Kerch iron ores are of the most industrial importance. The ores lie close to the surface and are mined in open pits. Crimea is rich in chemical raw materials - salts of chlorine, sodium, potassium, bromine, magnesium, which are contained in huge quantities in the Sivash brine and numerous salt lakes. Gypsum, table salt, magnesium chloride, etc. are obtained from brine. The use of these salts opens up great prospects for the development of the chemical industry.
A variety of building materials are mined on the territory of Crimea. Some of them are very important and are almost never found in other places in Russia. Diorite and andesite are used in road construction, for cladding monuments and large buildings, and ground trass is added to cement to improve its properties. Marble-like limestones are used in construction and used in metallurgical plants as a flux.
Some Crimean minerals - rock crystal, chalcedony, carnelian, jasper - are used as ornamental stones and are valued for their rich colorful range. Crimea is rich in mineral water resources from hydrogen sulfide springs to Narzan and Borjomi.
Relief of Crimea.
According to the nature of the surface, Crimea is divided into two parts: steppe and mountain. In the north and central Crimea lies a calm, undulating plain. The steppe occupies about 2/3 of the entire area of the peninsula. In the west it gradually turns into the ridges and hills of Tarkhankut. Interesting feature In the eastern part - the slightly hilly Kerch Peninsula - there are mud volcanoes, which have nothing in common with volcanism and spew out cold mud, and troughs - bowl-shaped depressions filled with iron ore. In the southern part of Crimea there are mountains consisting of three parallel ridges separated by narrow valleys. The mountains stretch from southwest to northeast, bending in a weak arc to the north - their length is 150 km, width - 50 km. The most significant peak of the Crimean Mountains - Roman-Kosh (1545), is located in the Main (southern) ridge, in the Babugan mountain range. The highlands of the Main ridge consist of undulating plateaus (pastures) - Ai-Petrinskaya, Nikitskaya, Karabi, etc. In the east of Crimea, the main ridge is closed by the Kara-Dag mountain group, most interesting monument volcanic activity of the Jurassic geological era. The main ridge is largely composed of limestones, which, when exposed to atmospheric and groundwater, give clear manifestations of karst processes (karst sinkholes, cavities and caves).
Flora of Crimea.
The flora of Crimea is very rich, it is represented by more than two thousand species of plants. The distribution of vegetation depends on the climate, topography and soils of the peninsula.
On the plain, from north to south, zones of salt-tolerant vegetation inherent in the saline soils of the Sivash region (soleros, sarsazan, kermek and others), wormwood and wormwood-fescue steppes replace each other. Further to the south there are feather grass steppes, and in the foothills there are also shrubby forb steppes with thyme (thyme), rock alfalfa, and Tauride asphodel. Currently, virgin lands are plowed. The third mountain range (foothill zone) is occupied by the forest-steppe, where groves of low oaks, maples, and ash trees are especially common, as well as thickets of thorns, hawthorn, rose hips, and mackerel. The slopes of the mountains of the middle and Main ridges are covered with oak, beech and pine forests. The yayls are treeless and covered with herbaceous vegetation. Lonely pines and beeches are fancifully twisted by the wind and give the landscape a peculiar, harsh flavor. The flora of the southern slope of the Main Ridge is of great interest. The natural vegetation here is predominantly forest: pine, juniper, fluffy oak and Mediterranean species: pistachio, strawberry tree, yellow-flowered jasmine. But the typical landscape of the South Bank is created by decorative garden and park vegetation. As a result of human creative activity, exotic plants have become a permanent element of the landscape: Himalayan and Lebanese cedars, cypresses, magnolias, sequoias, ivy, Chinese wisteria. There are also endemic (inherent only in this area) plants in Crimea: Steven's maple (in the forests of the northern slope of the mountains), Biberstein's jasmine (Crimean edel-weiss, on high mountain plateaus and yaylas), Stankevich's pine, on seaside cliffs from Balaklava to the cape Aya and near Sudak).
Climate of Crimea.
The Crimean peninsula lies on the southern border of the temperate zone. The climate of Crimea is distinguished by some features related to its geographical location: great softness and humidity, significant sunshine. But the diversity of the relief, the influence of the sea and mountains create large differences in the climate of the steppe, mountainous and southern coastal parts of the peninsula. The steppe Crimea has hot summers and relatively warm winters (July temperature 23-24°, February temperature 0.5-2°), and annual precipitation is low. The mountainous Crimea is characterized by more significant precipitation and less hot summers.
The southern coast provides the most favorable combination of climatic factors: mild winters, sunny hot summers (the average temperature in February in Yalta is 3.5°, in July 24°), summer breezes that moderate the heat, the fresh breath of forests and parks. The climatic conditions of the Evpatoria region and the southeastern coast (Feodosia, Sudak, Planerskoye), as well as the mountainous Crimea (Old Crimea), are favorable.
Waters in Crimea.
The waters of Crimea are divided into surface (rivers, streams, lakes) and underground (ground, artesian, karst). The rivers originate on the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains; they are short, low-water and characterized by great uneven flow (they overflow in the spring and during rainstorms and dry up in the summer). The most significant river is Salgir (length 232 km). The water problem in Crimea is solved by the construction of artificial reservoirs and canals (reservoirs on Alma, Kach, Salgir, Simferopol reservoir, holding up to 36 million cubic meters of water). Reservoirs are being built on the river. Belbek and a tunnel about 7 km long was built through the main mountain range for the drainage of Belbek to Yalta.
The waters of the North Crimean Canal will water and irrigate the driest areas of the steppe Crimea from Perekop to Kerch. The construction of this canal will increase the yields of corn, wheat, rye, tobacco, and more intensively develop highly productive livestock farming. Industrial centers and villages of Crimea will be supplied with excellent Dnieper water.
Soils of Crimea.
The nature of soils depends on the parent rocks, topography, climate, plant and animal organisms. The diversity of physical and geographical conditions has created a very heterogeneous composition of soils across regions. The predominant type are southern chernozems and dark chestnut soils, occupying the central part of the steppe Crimea.
The soils of the foothills, mountain Crimea and the Southern Coast are varieties of chernozems: carbonate chernozems, brown mountain-forest soils, mountain-meadow subalpine chernozems, brown soils of forests and shrubs of the Southern Coast. Tobacco, vegetables, essential oils, grapes, stone fruits, ornamental trees and shrubs are well cultivated on these soils. The main place in agriculture in the steppe Crimea belongs to grain crops, and of these - wheat and corn. In modern conditions, the progressive role of the row crop farming system, which significantly increases grain yields, is especially important.
Black Sea.
The Black Sea belongs to the so-called inland seas, since it is not directly connected to the ocean. In terms of its hydrobiological and hydrophysical properties, the Black Sea stands out sharply among other marine bodies of water. Its feature is a sharp fluctuation in surface water temperatures (from one to twenty-eight degrees). The salinity of the Black Sea due to desalination by the waters of the Danube, Dniester and other rivers is relatively small: in the upper layers it is 17-18% (in 1 liter there are 17-18 g of salt), at depth it increases significantly, since the deep Bosphorus Current brings masses of more than salt water from Sea of Marmara. The greatest depth of the Black Sea is determined to be 2243 m. Oxygen is contained in the upper horizons, “and at a depth of 200 m and below, oxygen disappears and saturation with hydrogen sulfide increases.
The Black Sea is a source of fish wealth. The history of the formation of the Black Sea basin goes back several tens of millions of years, during which its outlines and hydrological regime repeatedly changed. That is why the composition of its animal world is diverse. In the Black Sea there are three groups of fish: relict (residual, these include herring, sturgeon, many types of gobies), freshwater - in estuaries and river mouths (pike perch, perch, ram), Mediterranean invaders (anchovy, sprat, mullet, mackerel , mackerel, bonito, tuna and others, over 100 species of fish in total). Tuna is the largest commercial fish, its length can reach three meters and weight five hundred kilograms.
Fauna of Crimea.
The fauna of Crimea is distinguished by a number of features and has a so-called island character. Many species of animals living in the territories close to Crimea are absent in Crimea, but endemic (local) forms of animals are found, the appearance of which is associated with the peculiar geological history of the peninsula (the geological age of the mountainous Crimea is older than the steppe part of the peninsula, and its fauna was formed much earlier and in other conditions). The steppe Crimea belongs to the European-Siberian zoogeographical subregion, and the mountainous one to the Mediterranean. On the territory of the peninsula, these subregions border along the foothills.
Crimean scorpion (poisonous), found in rock crevices on the South Coast, Crimean gecko, Crimean owl, black and long-tailed tits, goldfinch, linnet, mountain bunting and some others. Mediterranean forms of animals are identified: phalanx, scolopendra, leopard snake, yellow-bellied (legless lizard, very useful, as it destroys harmful rodents). In the same display case there is a rock lizard, a water snake, a marsh turtle; among amphibians, the crested newt, found in small mountain reservoirs, the tree frog, an inhabitant of tree plantations near fresh water bodies, as well as shrews, water shrews, bats, a reserved beech forest with protected animals: Crimean deer, roe deer and mouflon. For many centuries, Crimean forests and animals were mercilessly exterminated. Only after the Great October Socialist Revolution was an end put to the predatory destruction of the forests and animals of Crimea.
To protect nature and restore it in the central mountainous part of Crimea, a State Nature Reserve was created in 1923, reorganized in 1957 into the Crimean State Game Reserve. The flora and fauna of the Crimean Mountains on the territory of the farm has been largely restored. Many birds fly through the Crimea on the way to warm countries: ulit, golden plover, golden eagle, white heron, kite, night heron, golden eagle and others. These birds rest in Crimea before flying across the Black Sea, birds that fly to Crimea for the winter: tap dancers, bullfinches, waxwings, siskins, bramblings, larks, Siberian buzzard and others.
