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 with the continents and is 4-5 km wide Kerch Strait in the east (the length of the strait is about 41 km) - they separate 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 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 water.
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. There are about 50 ozerlimans in the coastal zone of the Crimean plain with total area 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 the Sivash lagoon Sea of Azov. 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 its high proportion of urban population, but also high level literacy and education of 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.
Agriculture Crimea 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.
It is important for the republic sea transport. 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 industry operates on beach, balneological and climatic resources, medicinal mud, sea water, 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 is located within 44o23′ (Cape Sarych) and 46o15′ (Perekopsky Ditch) northern latitude and 32o30′ (Cape Karamrun) and 36o40′ (Cape Lantern) eastern longitude. The area of the Crimean Peninsula is 26.0 thousand km2, the maximum distance from north to south is 205 km, from west to east – 325 km.
A narrow eight-kilometer strip of land in the north (Perekop Isthmus) connects Crimea with the mainland, 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 Feodossiysky; The Sea of Azov also forms three bays: Kazantipsky, Arabatsky and Sivashsky.
Physical-geographical position of Crimea generally distinguished by the following most characteristic features. Firstly, the location of the peninsula at 45° north latitude determines its equal distance 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 found nowhere else except in this area) and endemics (similar animal species); on the other hand, this explains the significant deprivation of the Crimean fauna; In addition, the climate and other natural components 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 of westerly winds in Crimea. Crimea occupies a border position between the temperate and subtropical geographical zones.
Features 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 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 Scandinavia, and through the Don and the canal system of European Russia - to the Baltic and White Seas, the 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 region of the Russian Federation.
State and territorial structure
The capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is the city of Simferopol. The territorial-administrative structure of Crimea includes villages, urban-type settlements, and cities. Sevastopol has a special status as a “separate administrative unit”, but is an integral part of Crimea.
Languages used in Crimea– Russian, Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar.
The central figure of the Crimean coat of arms is a white (silver) griffin holding a shell with a blue (azure) pearl in its raised paw. The griffin (a winged lion with an eagle head) is a mythological creature - a symbol of the ancient cities of Chersonesus, Panticapaeum and others, and in later times - the cities of Sevastopol and Kerch.
Since ancient times, the griffin has been credited with protective properties. On the coat of arms of Crimea he is depicted as a symbol of the guardian and defender of the republic. The Blue Pearl symbolizes Crimea as a unique corner of the planet, the unity of all its peoples, religions and cultures.
The griffin is placed on the Varangian shield (small coat of arms) - a symbol of the intersection of important trade routes, and its red color is a symbol of courage, bravery and courage of the peoples of Crimea of all centuries.
The shield is supported by antique marble columns. The top of the coat of arms is the rising golden sun - a symbol of revival and prosperity, warmth and light.
Under the shield, wrapped in rings around the columns, there is a blue-white-red (the colors of the Crimean flag) motto ribbon with the inscription: “Prosperity in unity.”
Nature of Crimea
The nature of Crimea is called a natural museum. There are few places in the world where a variety of comfortable and picturesque landscapes are so originally combined. 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 on the extreme temperate zone, the southern one - the Crimean sub-Mediterranean - belongs to the northern edge of the subtropical zone.
Particularly rich and interesting vegetable world Crimea. 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.
Climate of most of Crimea– this is a temperate zone 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.
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.
Crimea receives the greatest amount of 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 sharply aggravate cardiovascular diseases in people who are not entirely 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, a long dry summer, 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 estuary lakes with a total area of 5.3 thousand sq. km.
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 (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 rivers Beshterek, Zuya, Burulcha, and 27 km from Sivash - Biyuk-Karasu. The Taiganskoye and Belogorskoye reservoirs were built on Biyuk-Karasu.
Population of Crimea
The population of Crimea is distributed unevenly across the territory. 50% of the republic's population lives on the coast. In 1991, 69% lived in cities, 31% of the population lived in rural areas. 43% of the Crimean population lives in four large 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, Krasnoperekopsk, Armyansk, 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.
Education
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. There are several professional theaters and a philharmonic society, an art gallery in Feodosia. A large number of newspapers are published. 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.
Economic appearance of Crimea
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 production 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.
Recreational economy is one of the leading industries of the republic. From Latin, recreation is translated as “restoration,” meaning the restoration of a person’s physical and psychophysiological conditions. The recreational facilities include; sanatoriums, boarding houses, houses and recreation centers, tourist hotels and camp sites, campsites, children's camps. The recreational sector operates on beach, balneological and climatic resources, therapeutic mud, sea water, and landscape resources.
Sectors of social infrastructure of Crimea- 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.
The Republic of Crimea occupies the territory of the Crimean Peninsula.
The territory of the Republic of Crimea is 26.1 thousand square meters. km.
Length: from west to east – 360 km, from north to south – 180 km.
Extreme points: in the south – Cape Sarych; in the west – Cape Priboyny; in the east – Cape Lantern.
The most important sea ports– Evpatoria, Yalta, Feodosia, Kerch.
Related regions: Krasnodar region Russian Federation, Kherson region of Ukraine.
The climate of the peninsula differs in its different parts: in the northern part it is temperate continental, in south coast with subtropical features. Crimea is characterized by a small amount of precipitation throughout the year, a large number of sunny days, and the presence of breezes on the coast.
The relief of the Crimean peninsula consists of three unequal parts: the North Crimean Plain with the Tarkhankut Upland (about 70% of the territory), the Kerch Peninsula and in the south - the mountainous Crimea stretches in three ridges. The highest is the Main Range of the Crimean Mountains (1545 m, Mount Roman-Kosh), consisting of individual limestone massifs (yayls) with plateau-like peaks, deep canyons. The southern slope of the Main Ridge stands out as the Crimean sub-Mediterranean. The Inner and Outer ridges form the Crimean foothills.
The Crimean peninsula is washed by the Black and Azov seas.
The natural reserve fund includes 158 objects and territories (including 46 of national importance, the area of which is 5.8% of the area of the Crimean Peninsula). The basis of the reserve fund is made up of 6 nature reserves with a total area of 63.9 thousand hectares: Krymsky with the branch “Swan Islands”, Yalta Mountain Forest, Cape Martyan, Karadagsky, Kazantipsky, Opuksky.
Crimea is a peninsula richly endowed with natural resources. In its depths and on the adjacent shelf there are industrial deposits of iron ore, combustible gas, mineral salts, construction raw materials, oil and gas condensate.
Of greater importance are the natural recreational resources of the peninsula: mild climate, warm sea, healing mud, mineral waters, picturesque landscapes.
The largest rivers are Salgir, Indol, Biyuk-Karasu, Chornaya, Belbek, Kacha, Alma, Bulganakh. The longest river in Crimea is Salgir (220 km), the deepest is Belbek (water flow - 1500 liters per second).
There are more than 50 salt lakes in Crimea, the largest of them is Lake Sasyk (Kunduk) - 205 sq. km.
The population of Crimea as of January 1, 2013 is 1 million 965.2 thousand people. Including the economically active population is 970.3 thousand people, or less than 50% of the total population.
About 130 ethnic groups live in the Republic of Crimea. The largest ethnic groups are Russians (58.3%), Ukrainians (24.3%) and Crimean Tatars (12.1%).
Official languages: Russian, Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar.
Time zone: MSK (UTC+4).
Administrative-territorial structure: cities of republican significance - 11, districts - 14.
The capital of the Republic of Crimea is the city of Simferopol.
The representative body of the Republic of Crimea is the State Council of the Republic of Crimea.
The executive body of the Republic of Crimea is the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea.
The Republic of Crimea has symbols: coat of arms, flag and anthem.
The Crimean Peninsula is located in southern Russia. Latitude of southern France or northern Italy. From the east, the shores of Crimea are washed by the waters of the Sea of Azov, and from the west and south - by the Black Sea. The Crimean Peninsula is connected to the continent only by a narrow isthmus, a maximum of eight kilometers wide. The name of the isthmus seems unexpected at first glance - Perekopsky (what did they want to dig up, but didn’t have time?!).
Crimea also includes two peninsulas:
- Kerch, it is located in the east between the Black and Azov seas,
- Tarkhankutsky, occupies the western part of Crimea.
It is not for nothing that the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula is considered the most favorable: the sea is located in the southeast, and the mountains protect from the winds in the northwest. Thanks to this, a velvety climate of dry subtropics is created. 
The Crimean peninsula has borders with Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Georgia. The capital and largest transport hub on the peninsula is the city of Simferopol. The population of Simferopol is about 400 thousand inhabitants.
Geographical characteristics
Territory - 26860 km². Length: from east to west – 360 km, from south to north – 180 km.
The southernmost part is Cape Sarych; the westernmost cape is Priboyny; the cape with the telling name Lantern is in the east.
There are many seaports, the largest are Evpatoria, Feodosia, Yalta, and Kerch.
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The length of the coastline of the Crimean peninsula is more than 2,500 km. Of these, almost 50% are on the Sivash Bay, 750 km on the Black Sea coast and about 500 km on the Azov Sea coast. The shores of the peninsula are indented with numerous bays, bays and coves.
The territory of Crimea is 72% plains, 20% mountains and 8% lakes and rivers.
Relief
The Crimean peninsula, and in distant years, judging by the results of the study, had favorable natural conditions. People have lived here for a very long time. Monuments from the Middle Paleolithic (about 150 thousand years ago), Mesolithic, Neolithic, Eneolithic and Bronze Age were found here. 
Many Crimean local history museums store unique archaeological finds found in grottoes, caves, under rock overhangs, where primitive people found natural shelter.
Here are some natural and historical monuments Crimea:
- burial of Neanderthals in the Kiik-Koba cave, located near the village. Zuya in Belogorsky district,
- Wolf Grotto and Chokurcho near Simferopol,
- Staroselye near Bakhchisarai,
- Ak-Kaya near Belogorsk.
No more ancient finds are known in Europe. 
The relief of the Crimean peninsula consists of three unequal parts:
- North Crimean Plain with Tarkhankut Upland (about 70% of the territory),
- Kerch Peninsula
- and in the south, the mountainous Crimea stretches in three ridges.
The highest of the Crimean Mountains is Mount Roman-Kosh (1545 m).
Crimean mountains
Once upon a time, 200 million years ago, the waves of the primordial Tethys Ocean rested in this place. The Crimean and Caucasus mountains rose from it 7-8 million years ago. These mountains divided the ocean waters, forming the Black and Caspian seas.
They have three main ridges, which are separated by valleys. These ridges begin in the southwest of Crimea. Here are their names:
- Main (aka South) - starts at and follows along the coast to Feodosia. It has a length of almost 180 km. Ends at Cape St. Elijah;
- The inner ridge (Middle), stretches from the Mekenzi Mountains towards the Old Crimea;
- External - starts from the Kara-Tau hill, which is on the watershed of the Belbek and Kacha rivers, and follows to Simferopol.
The width of the mountain strip reaches 50 km. 
The Crimean mountains are very picturesque and unlike others. They are like huge frozen waves. The main ridge to the north has gentle slopes, and to the south it ends with high, steep walls. It has its own peculiarity - it does not have the usual sharp peaks, but undulating mountain plateaus. In Crimea they are called yayla (translated as summer pasture).
In Alushta, the Main Ridge is divided into separate massifs called Babugan, Chatyr-Dag and Demerdzhi. The gently sloping Dolgorukovskaya yayla goes to the north, and Karabi-yayla, the largest in area, goes to the east. It is connected to Demerdzhinskaya only by a “bridge” in the form of Table Mountain.
After this, the Main Range finally disintegrates, leaving only individual mountain ranges, peaks and volcanic massifs, of which the most interesting and unusual is Karadag.
In many places on the Eastern Bank, the ancient “Tauride platform” protrudes directly from the ground, forming unusually shaped elevations with landslides, cracks, and ravines. Further, to the east from Feodosia there are roads and paths of sparsely populated land, the topography of which is called the Kerch Hills.
To the north and northwest of Feodosia Bay, almost the entire small Crimea was occupied by the Crimean steppe, which was huge compared to the coastal resort strip. So “Cimmeria” (sometimes called “Kimtavria”) is a land of contrasts - mountains, coast, flat hills, steppe.
Steppe
The steppe occupies the largest part of the Crimean territory. It is 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. 
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.
The Crimean peninsula has extensive agricultural land. More than 52% of the territory is occupied by arable land; there are not so many gardens and vineyards - about 5%. It’s not even clear where Crimean wine appears in our stores now! Part of the land is used for pastures. There are also forests.
Rivers and lakes
On the Crimean Peninsula more than 1600 rivers and temporary gutters. Their total length is about 6000 kilometers. However, these are usually small watercourses, which almost all dry up in the summer. There are only 257 rivers longer than 5 km.
The most significant 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.
There are also many lakes and estuaries on the peninsula - over three hundred. Some of them are mud. The lakes located along the coast are predominantly salty. On the Tarkhankut Peninsula there is a fairly large freshwater lake, Ak-Mechetsky. Mountain lakes are mainly artificial reservoirs. There are more than 50 salt lakes in Crimea, the largest of them is Lake Sasyk (Kunduk) - 205 sq. km.
Weather in Crimea
The natural conditions of the Crimean peninsula are very extraordinary. This amazing region is endowed with fertile lands, a magnificent sea coast, and majestic mountain ranges unique in their beauty. The Crimean peninsula has a mild climate throughout the entire peninsula.
However, there are differences in the south and north. On the southern coast, the Crimean peninsula is close to the Mediterranean and subtropical, and in the northern part of the peninsula it is continental.
Summers are sunny and quite hot, with rare but plentiful rains. It usually begins in mid-May and lasts until the end of September. The air in these places is not characterized by high humidity. Autumn in Crimea is rainy, but warm, almost windless, smoothly turning into a winter with little snow with rare, not severe frosts.
