The Crimean peninsula was an integral part of the Russian Empire; in the Soviet Union, it also occupied a significant place. It is famous for its resorts, wine and multinational population, as well as for its rich history, without having studied which, it is hardly possible to fully understand what the Crimean economy is today.
Resources
In Crimea, there are different types of soils, including chernozems, which occupy more than 45% of the peninsula. They are successfully used for growing various crops. There are few rivers on the peninsula; to solve this problem, its inhabitants have long since learned to use groundwater and create artificial reservoirs, however, the vital functions and economy of Crimea in our time are largely dependent on the supply of fresh water from the mainland.
There are also deposits of various natural resources in the bowels of the peninsula, such as iron ore, salt, oil and gas, and various construction materials are mined here.
Of course, the main wealth of Crimea is precisely recreational resources, which are widely used here for recreation, tourism, and treatment. This healing mud, and specialized resorts, and just beaches on the shores of the Black and Azov Seas, which are visited annually by millions of tourists.
Crimea in antiquity
It is quite obvious that people tend to populate the most profitable areas for living. The fertile lands on which you can engage in cattle breeding and agriculture are rich in Crimea. The economy of the peninsula for many times was largely dependent on trade, because its geographical location just contributes to this.
It is believed that the first people in Crimea appeared another 250 thousand years ago, and written sources indicate the Cimmerians who inhabited the peninsula in the XV-VII centuries. BC e. After them, whatever nations lived here: Tauris, Sarmatians and Scythians, Romans and Greeks, Khazars, Polovtsy and Pechenegs, Byzantines, Turks and Tatars, Armenians and Slavs. All of them left their mark on the culture of the peninsula.
Crimea as part of the Russian Empire
The peninsula, formerly the Crimean Khanate, joined Russia in 1783. In the same year, the naval port of Sevastopol was founded. And from that moment, the Crimean economy received significant injections of funds from the Russian treasury for its development.
New cities, settlements, and estates were founded, and newly arrived industrialists built factories, plants, and other enterprises. In those years, many immigrants, free and serf peasants who came from Russia and other European countries settled on the lands of the peninsula. There was work for everyone here - people were engaged in gardening, viticulture, beekeeping, produced grain and tobacco, and mined salt. The construction of military and merchant ships was also launched.
The Crimean war, which began in 1853, and then the revolution of 1917, prevented the economic progress of the peninsula, but in peacetime the government made every effort to ensure the development of Tauris.
Crimea as part of the USSR
The economy of Crimea as part of the RSFSR, since 1954 annexed to the Ukrainian SSR, has traditionally been focused on tourism, and the peninsula itself has been designated as an all-Union health resort. However, this area is hardly the main one in the economy of the region. It is worth noting that the social structure of the Soviet Union implied that the state paid most of the costs of recreation and recreation, so the contribution of the tourism industry to the region's economy can be considered rather symbolic.
In addition to the usual use of recreational resources, along with agriculture, the Crimea is becoming a large naval base, providing the influence of the USSR on the Black Sea. Industrial production is developing quite successfully on the peninsula - first of all, it is a military instrument and shipbuilding industry. In addition, there are open enterprises engaged in the processing of fish, fruits, vegetables and grapes, whose products are also exported.
The economy of Crimea as part of Ukraine
This is a special page in the life of the peninsula. From the first years of perestroika and the subsequent collapse of the USSR, the economy of the Republic of Crimea undergoes serious changes. And the point is not so much that since then the peninsula has been left alone with independent Ukraine - the economic model of the free market that has been introduced in most of the post-Soviet space is to blame.
The reforms resulted in a significant decrease in production, a reduction in the area of orchards and vineyards, and the military sector was completely abolished. Various sectors of the economy have lost state support, now everything was built on the principles of private property and personal gain. Most of the Soviet agricultural enterprises disappeared, and many sanatoriums and other health-improving complexes also closed or became desolate.
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea has ceased to be an all-Union health resort - tourists now prefer beach vacations more, and sometimes it was more profitable for them to go to Egypt or Turkey.
Tourism as the basis of the Crimean economy
For 20 years, attempts to attract private investment in the autonomous republic have not been particularly successful, apart from the relatively small amount of funds of Ukrainian and Russian investors. Only in 2010, tourism was officially declared a priority, and the state began to finance the development of the economy in Crimea. Significant funds were invested in its infrastructure.
Against the backdrop of general decline, the tourism industry is becoming increasingly important, and together with the services sector it brings to the peninsula budget at least 25% of its income. At the beginning of 2014, the service of visiting holidaymakers to various degrees became a source of income for 50% of Crimeans. More than 75% of all tourists accept Yalta, Alushta and Yevpatoriya.
After joining Russia
After the annexation of Crimea, the Russian economy suffered no more than the economy of the peninsula itself. Although pensions and salaries in the public sector are gradually increased by 50%, but prices are rising at about the same rate, as cheaper Ukrainian goods no longer have access to the Crimean market.
In addition, most of the tourists who came to rest on the peninsula were represented by residents of Ukraine. Now the Republic of Crimea and its population, due to the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia, have lost a significant part of their income.
In fact, there are many difficulties: this is a shortage of water and electricity on the Crimean peninsula, and an unstable banking system - the problems, of course, can be solved, but it takes time.
Future plans
Although Crimea is more important for Russia from a geopolitical point of view, the government plans to develop this region. During the year, the Ministry of Economy of Crimea twice changed its head - Svetlana Verba, who worked in the department since 2011, in October 2014 was replaced by Nikolai Koryazhkin, to whose place, in turn, in June 2015, Valentin Demidov was appointed, before that he held the post of mayor of Armyansk .
The new Minister of Economy of Crimea plans to seriously engage in improving the free economic zone and attracting investors. According to him, first of all, it is necessary to start struggling with bureaucracy, and also to create an understandable and affordable system in which investors will be comfortable working so that they are not frightened by the prospect of getting stuck in the offices of various services and bodies when starting a business.