On the border of two climatic zones, where the East meets the West, this unique region is located - the Crimean peninsula. How many people live here today? What features of the nature of the peninsula can be distinguished? What is the area of Crimea in square. Km? The answers to all these questions are in this article.
Crimea is a special and amazing land!
Crimea, Tauris is a real peninsula of treasures: natural, architectural, cultural and historical. Here you can see the rocky peaks of the mountains, high waterfalls, the ruins of ancient Greek cities and beautiful caves.
General information about Crimea:
- total population - about two million people;
- almost 60% of them live in cities;
- the capital of Crimea is the city of Simferopol;
- the peninsula is multinational: today there are about 130 different ethnic groups;
- the southern coast of Crimea is a continuous chain of resort villages, resorts, children's camps and recreation centers.
The nature of Crimea is unique and inimitable . Three natural zones converged here at once: these are steppes, mountains and the sea coast with a subtropical climate. On the peninsula of botany, they counted 240 species of endemic plants - plants that can not be found anywhere else in the world!
Crimea is also known for its other records. So, the city of Simferopol is connected with the coast by the longest trolleybus line in the world. Its length is 90 kilometers! At the same time, in Crimea (in the village of Molochnoe near Yevpatoriya) there is the shortest tram line on the planet. It was built solely in order to deliver vacationers to the sea.
What is the area of Crimea in square. km and the extent of its borders? This will be discussed in the next section.
Geographical position, area of Crimea
The Crimean Peninsula is located in the southern part of Eastern Europe. It separates two seas - the Black and Azov. Crimea is separated from the neighboring Taman Peninsula by the narrow Kerch Strait.
Quite often, Crimea is called an island, since it deeply extends into the sea surface and is almost completely isolated from the mainland. Only two isthmuses and a narrow Arabatskaya Strelka connect it with the mainland.
In many geographical directories you can find information that the area of Crimea in square. km is 26 100. This figure is not entirely true, and the data is outdated. Indeed, a sensible inventory of the lands of Crimea has not been carried out since the 1980s. Only in 2009, Ukrainian surveyors determined the exact area of Crimea. It amounted to 25.6 thousand square kilometers. Thus, the Crimea "decreased" by almost 500 square meters. Km! This is not so little. For example, almost 4 Simferopol could be located on such a territory!
The total length of the borders of Crimea (all, including land) is 2500 kilometers. The peninsula resembles a quadrangle of irregular shape. Someone sees a grape brush in its shape, which is very symbolic, given the age-old local traditions of winemaking.
Where did the name Crimea come from?
Since ancient times, the peninsula, along with the adjacent Black Sea region, has been proudly named Tavrika. This toponym, obviously, came from the name of the Tauri tribes. It could be found on geographical maps up to the 17th century.
Since the middle of the 15th century, another name for the peninsula - Crimea - has spread more and more. Most likely, it comes from the name of the Mongolian city of Kyrym. It was from him that the khan of the Horde was born, who conquered and settled on the lands of the Northern Black Sea Coast.
After the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire, it began to be called in a different way - Tavrida.
Features of the nature of Crimea
Despite its small area, the peninsula boasts a unique variety of natural conditions, as well as landscapes. Well, where else in the world can you visit the wild and deserted semi-desert, and then, after driving some 50 kilometers, find yourself in the subtropics, surrounded by lush vegetation?
Crimea is striking in its beauty and diversity of its flora and fauna. More than 200 endemic species of flora can be found here. And according to the species diversity of insects, Crimea has no equal in all of Europe!
There are dozens of seaside parks with exotic plantations on the peninsula, and the most beautiful grandiose caves underground, and even the so-called failed volcanoes - outlier mountains. The most famous of these peaks is Ayu-Dag Mountain - a symbol of Gurzuf and the entire South Coast.
In terms of relief, the territory of Crimea can be divided into three parts: flat, mountain and hilly (Kerch Peninsula). Crimean mountains consist of three parallel ridges. The highest of them reaches a height of 1,500 meters (the highest point of the peninsula is Mount Roman-Kosh, 1,545 m). The main ridge of the Crimean mountains, in turn, consists of separate massifs - yail. Each of them has its own name (for example, Demerdzhi-yayla, Karabi-yayla, etc.).
The population of Crimea and its ethnic composition
According to statistics at the end of last year, about two million people live in Crimea. According to Ukrainian sources, for the whole of 2014, almost 20,000 Crimeans left the peninsula. At the same time, the population of Crimea was replenished due to a significant influx of refugees from the war zone in the Donbass (about 200 thousand people per year).
The ethnic composition of Crimea is very colorful. Representatives of more than 120 different nationalities live here. 250 years ago, the Tatars were the most numerous people of Crimea. However, over time, the situation has changed dramatically. After the end of World War II, most of the Crimean Tatars were deported outside their historical homeland.
Today, Russians are the most numerous ethnic group on the peninsula (68%). Next come Ukrainians (16%), Crimean Tatars (12%) and Armenians (no more than 1%). Most residents of Crimea are Orthodox.
Conclusion
The exact area of the Crimea in square. km is 25.6 thousand. The total length of the borders of the peninsula is 2500 kilometers. Almost two million people now live on this territory.
The geographical location of Crimea is very favorable and has always been so. It is not for nothing that the ancient Greeks built their colony cities on its shores. The peninsula is deeply cut into the Black Sea and is connected with the mainland by only two rather thin isthmuses.