This article will discuss an unusual and unique corner of the globe - the beautiful Tauris! How many people live on the peninsula and what is the size of the territory of Crimea? The area, nature, ethnic and religious composition of the population of Crimea will be the subjects of consideration of this information article.
Crimea: origin of the name of the peninsula
Once upon a time, back in ancient times, where now is the south of Crimea, there were the oldest Taurian settlements. Even then, the peninsula bore the loud name of Taurica. The name Crimea, under which its modern world knows, ancient Taurica received centuries later. This happened only at the beginning of the 14th century. Researchers suggest that the name is connected with the Mongolian city called Kırym. And the thing is that after the Mongols took possession of the northern part of the Black Sea, the Horde Khan settled in this city and named his possessions in honor of his native lands.
There is another version of the origin of the name. Perhaps there is a connection between the Crimea and the Perekop Isthmus. Indeed, in Turkic, “digging” sounds like “kyry”, that is, a “ditch”. During the Middle Ages, the peninsula was renamed to Tavria. This name was slightly changed after its territory was annexed to the Russian Empire. Since the end of the XVIII century, the peninsula with the closest to it edge was called Tavrida.
What is the total area of Crimea? This will be discussed later.
Territory of Crimea: area and geographical location
The Crimea is washed by two whole seas at once: Azov and Black. The coastline of the peninsula reaches 2.5 thousand kilometers! Half of this length is attributed to Squat.
In its shape, Crimea resembles an irregular quadrangle. Actually, why is Crimea called a peninsula and not a full-fledged island? The case is the Perekop Isthmus, 8 km wide, which connects it to the mainland. At this point is the extreme northern point of the peninsula. South is located on Cape Sarych.
What is the area of Crimea? As for the length of the sea and land borders, it is 2500 kilometers. If you connect the imagination, then in the silhouette of the Crimea you can see a grape brush, heart or even a flying bird. The area of the Crimean peninsula is about 27 thousand square kilometers.
Nature and relief
The area of Crimea is small, but the peninsula has a unique feature: it is an amazing variety of natural conditions and landscapes. The flora and fauna of the peninsula amaze with their beauty and richness. In Crimea, you can visit the wild steppe, enjoy the views of green vineyards or exotic vegetation of the southern coast, admire the rocks of volcanic origin or go down to the karst cave.
As for the nature of the relief, Crimea can be divided into 3 parts:
• More than 7/10 - this is the North Crimean plain.
• The Kerch Peninsula with its ridge-hilly plains.
• The mountainous part of the peninsula.
The main ridge of the mountains of Crimea has the highest height. It is a chain of separate massifs consisting of limestone with flat tops. Separate from each other these massifs (yayl) deep canyons.
Crimean population
Judging by the data for October 2014, the Crimean peninsula has about 2 million inhabitants. Over the past year, according to information received from Ukraine, about 20.5 thousand Crimeans moved to the territory of this country. However, at the same time, 200,000 people moved from the Lugansk and Donetsk regions to the Crimea. About 50,000 foreigners live and work on the peninsula.
At the end of the XVIII century, the majority of the population of Crimea was Tatars. However, two centuries later, the peninsula became a multi-ethnic territory, populated by representatives of all kinds of cultures. Today, more than 100 different ethnic groups live in Crimea, the most numerous of which are Russians (68%), Ukrainians (16%), Crimean Tatars (11%), Armenians (about 1%).
The most common religion in Crimea is Orthodoxy. Slightly fewer Muslims, there are also Protestants and Catholics, Jews.
Peninsular urbanization processes
According to 2014 data, the number of urban residents of the peninsula was 1.3 million, or 58% of the total population. Over the past 15 years, the number of citizens has significantly decreased. This indicator is a consequence of the fact that absolutely all urban settlements of the republic in 2014 were legally assigned to the number of villages.
The nationality that prevails in number on the peninsula is Russians. There are more of them among the townspeople, but not among the rural population. In villages, they are still fewer, because Ukrainians and, of course, Crimean Tatars prevail there.
Curious facts about the peninsula
1. Crimea is a unique peninsula, the area of which accommodates at the same time 3 natural zones. These are subtropics, mountains and steppes.
2. Flora of Crimea totals 240 species of unique vegetation peculiar only to its territory.
3. Crimea distinguished itself by the longest public transport route: the length of the trolleybus route between the cities of Simferopol and Yalta is almost 90 km!
4. The Crimean Trolleybus is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for one more parameter. True, this can hardly be called an achievement. The transport fleet is almost completely worn out, and the average age of the local trolleybus is 26 years, which is a record in the world!
5. Surprisingly, the peninsula has the shortest tram line. In length, it does not reach even two kilometers, and the goal of its creation is the same - to quickly transport tourists to the sea.
6. On the peninsula there is a solar-powered power station. Yes, not simple, but the most powerful in the whole world! It was built by the Austrians in the territory of the village of Perovo in 2011.
7. Representatives of about 130 nationalities live in Crimea today!
Conclusion
Now you know everything about the area of Crimea and the population of this marvelous peninsula. It penetrates deep into the Black Sea and is almost completely isolated from land. The area of Crimea is 27 thousand square kilometers. Almost two million people live in this territory.
The area of Crimea, as can be estimated, is very small. However, the territory of the peninsula boasts a unique variety of landscapes, flora and fauna.