Editing Crimea

{{Short description|Peninsula in Europe}}
{{Other uses|Crimea (disambiguation)}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox peninsulas
| name               = Crimean Peninsula
| local_name         = 
| image_name         = [[File:Map of the Crimea.png|240px]]<br>Map of the Crimean Peninsula <br /><br /> {{Switcher|[[File:Flag of Crimea (Latest version).svg|220px]]|Flag of the [[Republic of Crimea (Russia)|Republic of Crimea]]|[[File:Flag of Crimea.svg|220px]]|Flag of the [[Autonomous Republic of Crimea]]}}
| image_alt          = 
| map_image          = Crimea (orthographic projection).svg
| map_size           = 220
| location           = [[Eastern Europe]]
| waterbody          = {{ubl|[[Black Sea]]|[[Sea of Azov]]}}
| coordinates        = {{Coord|45.3|34.4|scale:2000000_region:UA-43|display=inline,title}}
| area_km2           = 27000
| highest_mount      = [[Roman-Kosh]]
| elevation_m        = 1545
| country            = {{sp}}
| country_admin_divisions_title = [[Political status of Crimea|Status]]
| country_admin_divisions = [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262|Internationally recognized]] as Ukrainian territory occupied by [[Russia]] (''see [[Political status of Crimea]]'')
| country1           = <!--Note: Do not add flag icons for geographic articles per MOS:INFOBOXFLAG-->Ukraine (de jure but not in control)
| country1_admin_divisions_title = [[Territorial dispute|Contested]] regions
| country1_admin_divisions_1 = Northern Arabat Spit ([[Henichesk Raion]])<br />[[Autonomous Republic of Crimea]]<br />[[Sevastopol]]
| country1_largest_city = [[Sevastopol]]
| country2           = <!--Note: Do not add flag icons for geographic articles per MOS:INFOBOXFLAG-->Russia (de facto control)
| country2_admin_divisions_title = [[Territorial dispute|Contested]] regions
| country2_admin_divisions_1 = [[Republic of Crimea (Russia)|Republic of Crimea]]<br />[[Sevastopol]]
| country2_largest_city = [[Sevastopol]]
| demonym            = [[Crimean people|Crimean]]
| population         = {{increase}} 2,416,856<ref name="pop">{{cite web|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/of43wDjn/PrPopul2021_Site.xls|format=XLS|script-title=ru:Численность населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2021 года|trans-title=The population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2021|language=ru|work=[[Russian Federal State Statistics Service]]|access-date=31 January 2021|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204121301/https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/of43wDjn/PrPopul2021_Site.xls|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_as_of   = 2021
| utc_offset         = +3
| density_km2        = 84.6
| iso_code           = UA-43
}}
[[File:Satellite picture of Crimea, Terra-MODIS, 05-16-2015.jpg|thumb|May 2015 satellite image of the Crimean Peninsula]]

'''Crimea'''{{efn|{{bulleted list|{{langx|ru|Крым|Krym}}|{{langx|uk|Крим|Krym}}|{{crh|Qırım|Къырым}}|{{langx|grc|Κιμμερία, Ταυρική|translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ}}}}}} ({{IPAc-en|audio=Crimea pronunciation.mp3|k|r|aɪ|ˈ|m|iː|ə}} {{Respell|kry|MEE|ə}}) is a [[peninsula]] in [[Eastern Europe]], on the northern coast of the [[Black Sea]], almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller [[Sea of Azov]]. The [[Isthmus of Perekop]] connects the peninsula to [[Kherson Oblast]] in mainland [[Ukraine]]. To the east, the [[Crimean Bridge]], constructed in 2018, spans the [[Strait of Kerch]], linking the peninsula with [[Krasnodar Krai]] in [[Russia]]. The [[Arabat Spit]], located to the northeast, is a narrow strip of land that separates the [[Syvash]] lagoons from the Sea of Azov. Across the Black Sea to the west lies Romania and to the south is Turkey. The population is 2.4 million,<ref name="pop"/> and the largest city is [[Sevastopol]]. The region, internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, has been under [[Russian occupation of Crimea|Russian occupation since 2014]].

Called the '''Tauric Peninsula''' until the [[early modern period]], Crimea has historically been at the boundary between the [[Classical antiquity|classical world]] and the [[Pontic–Caspian steppe|steppe]]. [[Greeks in pre-Roman Crimea|Greeks]]  colonized its [[Southern Coast (Crimea)|southern fringe]] and were absorbed by the [[Roman Crimea|Roman]] and [[Cherson (theme)|Byzantine]] Empires and [[Empire of Trebizond|successor]] [[Theodoro|states]] while remaining culturally Greek. Some cities became trading colonies of [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]], until conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Throughout this time the interior was occupied by a [[The Crimean Steppe|changing cast]] of [[steppe nomads]], coming under the control of the [[Golden Horde]] in the 13th century from which the [[Crimean Khanate]] emerged as a successor state. In the 15th century, the Khanate became a dependency of the Ottoman Empire. Lands controlled by Russia{{efn|Russia underwent a series of political changes in the period of the raids. The [[Grand Duchy of Moscow]] overthrew Turco-Mongol lordship, and expanded into the [[Tsardom of Russia]] in 1547. From 1721, following the reforms of Peter the Great, it was the [[Russian Empire]].}} and [[Polish–Lithuanian union|Poland-Lithuania]] were often the target of [[Crimean–Nogai slave raids in Eastern Europe|slave raids]] during this period. In 1783, after the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), the [[Russian Empire]] [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire|annexed Crimea]]. Crimea's strategic position led to the 1854 [[Crimean War]] and [[Crimea during the Russian Civil War|many short lived regimes]] following the 1917 [[Russian Revolution]]. When the [[Bolshevik]]s secured Crimea, it became an [[Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|autonomous soviet republic]] within the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]]. It was [[German occupation of Crimea during World War II|occupied by Germany during World War II]]. When the Soviets retook it in 1944, [[Crimean Tatars]] were [[Deportation of the Crimean Tatars|ethnically cleansed and deported]] under the orders of [[Joseph Stalin]], in what has been described as a cultural genocide. Crimea was downgraded to [[Crimean Oblast|an oblast]] in 1945. In 1954, the USSR [[Transfer of Crimea in the Soviet Union|transferred the oblast]] to the [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic]] on the 300th anniversary of the [[Treaty of Pereyaslav|Pereyaslav Treaty]] in 1654.

After Ukrainian independence in 1991, most of the peninsula was reorganized as the [[Autonomous Republic of Crimea]]. The [[Black Sea Fleet|Soviet fleet]] in Crimea was [[Black Sea Fleet dispute|in contention]], but a [[Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet|1997 treaty]] allowed Russia to continue basing its fleet in Sevastopol. In 2014, the peninsula was [[Russian occupation of Crimea|occupied]] by [[Little green men (Russo-Ukrainian War)|Russian forces]] and [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexed by Russia]], but most countries [[International reactions to the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|recognise Crimea]] as Ukrainian territory.<ref name="INTLCOM">{{Cite web |date=23 August 2021 |title=Ukraine's president pledges to 'return' Russia-annexed Crimea |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/23/ukraines-president-pledges-to-return-russia-annexed-crimea |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Name==
In English, the omission of the definite article ("Crimea" rather than "the Crimea") became common during the later 20th century.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

The spelling "Crimea" is from the Italian form, {{Langx|it|la Crimea|label=none}}, since at least the 17th century<ref>Maiolino Bisaccioni, Giacomo Pecini, ''Historia delle guerre ciuili di questi vltimi tempi, cioe, d'Inghilterra, Catalogna, Portogallo, Palermo, Napoli, Fermo, Moldauia, Polonia, Suizzeri, Francia, Turco''. per Francesco Storti. Alla Fortezza, sotto il portico de' Berettari, 1655, [https://books.google.com/books?id=o1AQbgLabIoC&pg=PA349 p. 349]: "dalla fortuna de Cosacchi dipendeva la sicurezza della Crimea". Nicolò Beregani, ''Historia delle guerre d'Europa'', Volume 2 (1683), [https://books.google.com/books?id=28BCAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA251 p. 251].</ref> and the "Crimean peninsula" becomes current during the 18th century, gradually replacing the classical name of ''Tauric Peninsula'' in the course of the 19th century.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oY1h2Pa1kaUC&pg=PA364 |title=The Annual Register or a View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the Year 1783 |publisher=J. Dodsley |year=1785 |isbn=9781615403851 |page=364 |chapter=State Papers}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=this primary source doesn’t directly support the statement|date=December 2023}} In English usage since the [[early modern period]] the Crimean Khanate is referred to as ''Crim Tartary''.<ref>[[Edward Gibbon]], ''[[The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]]'', Volume 1, [https://books.google.com/books?id=LvENAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA306 306f.] "the peninsula of Crim Tartary, known to the ancients under the name of Chersonesus Taurica"; ibid. Volume 10 (1788), p. 211: "The modern reader must not confound this old Cherson of the Tauric or Crimean peninsula with [[Kherson|a new city]] of the same name". See also John Millhouse, ''English-Italian'' (1859), [https://books.google.com/books?id=jfAPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA597 p. 597]</ref>

Today, the Crimean Tatar name of the peninsula is ''Qırım'', while the Russian is Крым (''Krym''), and the Ukrainian is Крим (''Krym'').<ref>{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Adam |date=2021-12-01 |title=To understand Crimea, take a look back at its complicated history |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/02/27/to-understand-crimea-take-a-look-back-at-its-complicated-history/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

The city ''[[Stary Krym|Staryi Krym]]'' ('Old Crimea'),<ref>William Smith, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'' (1854), s.v. ''Taurica Chersonesus''. vol. ii, p. 1109.</ref> served as a capital of the Crimean province of the [[Golden Horde]]. Between 1315 and 1329 CE, the Arab writer [[Abu'l-Fida|Abū al-Fidā]] recounted a political fight in 1300–1301 CE which resulted in a rival's decapitation and his head being sent "to the Crimea",<ref>Abū al-Fidā, Mukhtaṣar tāʾrīkh al-bashar ([[Concise History of Humanity|"A Brief History of Mankind"]]), 1315–1329; English translation of chronicle contemporaneous with Abū al-Fidā in ''The Memoirs of a Syrian Prince : Abul̓-Fidā,̕ sultan of Ḥamāh (672-732/1273-1331)'' by Peter M. Holt, Franz Steiner Verlag, 1983, pp. 38–39.</ref> apparently in reference to the peninsula,<ref>Edward Allworth, ''The Tatars of Crimea: Return to the Homeland: Studies and Documents'', Duke University Press, 1998, p.6</ref> although some sources hold that the name of the capital was extended to the entire peninsula at some point during [[Crimean Khanate|Ottoman suzerainty]] (1441–1783).<ref>[[Vasily Radlov|W. Radloff]], ''Versuch eines Wörterbuches der Türk-Dialecte'' (1888), ii. 745</ref>

The word {{crh|Qırım|lead=no}} is derived from the [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] term {{transliteration|crh|qirum}} ("fosse, trench"), from {{transliteration|crh|qori-}} ("to fence, protect").<ref>George Vernadsky, Michael Karpovich, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=sfANAQAAMAAJ A History of Russia]'', Yale University Press, 1952, [https://books.google.com/books?id=sfANAQAAMAAJ&q=qirim p. 53]. "The name Crimea is to be derived from the Turkish word ''qirim'' (hence the Russian ''krym''), which means "fosse" and refers more specifically to the Perekop Isthmus, the old Russian word ''perekop'' being an exact translation of the Turkish ''qirim''."</ref><ref>The Proto-Turkic root is cited as *''kōrɨ-'' "to fence, protect" [[Georgiy Starostin|Starling]] (citing Севортян Э. В. и др. [E. W. Sewortyan et al.], '' Этимологический словарь тюркских языков'' [An Etymological Dictionary of the Turkic languages] (1974–2000) 6, 76–78).</ref><ref>Edward Allworth, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=srR_4d3mjTAC The Tatars of Crimea: Return to the Homeland : Studies and Documents]'', Duke University Press, 1998, pp. 5–7</ref>

Another classical name for Crimea, ''[[History of Crimea#Antiquity|Tauris]]'' or ''Taurica'', is from the Greek Ταυρική (''Taurikḗ''), after the peninsula's Scytho-Cimmerian inhabitants, the [[Tauri]]. The name was revived by the Russian Empire during the mass hellenization of [[Crimean Tatar language|Crimean Tatar]] place names after the [[Annexation of the Crimean Khanate by the Russian Empire|annexation of the Crimean Khanate]], including both the peninsula and mainland territories now in Ukraine's Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.<ref>[[Edith Hall]], ''Adventures with Iphigenia in Tauris'' (2013), [https://books.google.com/books?id=CjwfAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA176 p. 176]:
"it was indeed at some point between the 1730s and the 1770s that the dream of recreating ancient 'Taurida' in the southern Crimea was conceived. [[Catherine the Great|Catherine]]'s plan was to create a paradisiacal imperial 'garden' there, and her Greek archbishop [[Eugenios Voulgaris]] obliged by inventing a new etymology for the old name of Tauris, deriving it from ''taphros'', which (he claimed) was the ancient Greek for a ditch dug by human hands."</ref> In 1764 imperial authorities established the [[Taurida Oblast]] ({{Transliteration|ru|Tavricheskaia oblast}}), and reorganized it as the [[Taurida Governorate]] in 1802. While the Soviets replaced it with ''Krym'' ({{langx|uk|Крим}}; {{langx|ru|Крым}}) depriving it of official status since 1921, it is still used by some institutions in Crimea, such as the [[Taurida National University]] established by the [[Crimean Regional Government]] in 1918, the [[FC Tavriya Simferopol|Tavriya Simferopol football club]] so named in 1963, and the [[Tavrida Highway|Tavrida federal highway]] being built under [[Russian occupation of Crimea|Russian occupation]] from 2017.

Other suggestions either unsupported or contradicted by sources, apparently based on similarity in sound, include:
# the name of the [[Cimmerians]], although this derivation is however no longer generally held.{{sfn|Sulimirski|Taylor|1991|p=558}}
# a derivation from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''Cremnoi'' (Κρημνοί, in post-classical [[Koiné Greek]] pronunciation, ''Crimni'', i.e., "the Cliffs", a port on [[Maeotian Swamp|Lake Maeotis]] (Sea of Azov) cited by [[Herodotus]] in ''The Histories'' 4.20.1 and 4.110.2).<ref>A. D. (Alfred Denis) Godley. ''Herodotus''. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. vol. 2, 1921, p. 221.</ref> However, Herodotus identifies the port not in Crimea, but as being on the west coast of the Sea of Azov. No evidence has been identified that this name was ever in use for the peninsula.
<!--Κριμαία ?-->
<!--Κριμαία is the Modern Greek rendering of the Italian form-->
# The Turkic term (e.g., in {{Langx|tr|Kırım}}) is related to the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] appellation ''kerm'' "wall", but sources indicate that the Mongolian appellation of the Crimean peninsula of ''Qaram'' is phonetically incompatible with ''kerm/kerem'' and therefore deriving from another original term.<ref>See [[John Krueger|John Richard Krueger]], specialist in the studies of Chuvash, Yakut, and the Mongolian languages in Edward Allworth, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=srR_4d3mjTAC The Tatars of Crimea: Return to the Homeland : Studies and Documents]'', Duke University Press, 1998, p. 24.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FdsyAQAAQBAJ Jews in Byzantium: Dialectics of Minority and Majority Cultures], BRILL, 2011, p.753, n. 102.</ref><ref>The Mongolian ''kori<sup>−</sup>'' is explained as a loan from Turkic by Doerfer ''Türkische und mongolische Elemente im Neupersischen'' 3 (1967), 450 and by Щербак, ''Ранние тюркско-монгольские языковые связи (VIII-XIV вв.)'' (1997) p. 141.</ref>
<!-- you give two references. Who is arguing this, and is it an original argument or are they citing someone??-->
<!--if ''kori<sup>−</sup>'' is a loan word into Mongolian, it cannot be of Mongolian origin.  This is consistent with above.-->[[Strabo]] (''Geography'' vii 4.3, xi. 2.5), [[Polybius]], (''Histories'' 4.39.4), and [[Ptolemy]] (''Geographia''. II, v 9.5) refer variously to the [[Strait of Kerch]] as the Κιμμερικὸς Βόσπορος (''Kimmerikos Bosporos'', romanized spelling: ''Bosporus Cimmerius''), its [[Kerch Peninsula|easternmost part]] as the Κιμμέριον Ἄκρον (''Kimmerion Akron'', Roman name: Promontorium Cimmerium),<ref name="history1779">{{cite book |author=Compiled from original authors |title=An Universal History, From the Earliest Accounts to the Present Time |year=1779 |pages=127–129 |chapter=The History of the Bosporus |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CCsIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA129}}</ref> as well as to the city of [[Kimmerikon|Cimmerium]] and thence the name of the [[Bosporan Kingdom|Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus]] (Κιμμερικοῦ Βοσπόρου).

==History==
{{main|History of Crimea}}
[[File:Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0669 1725.jpg|thumb|Ruins of the ancient Greek colony of [[Chersonesus]]]]

===Ancient history===
{{further|Bosporan Kingdom|Greeks in pre-Roman Crimea|Crimea in the Roman era}}

The recorded history of Crimea begins around 5th century BCE when several [[Greeks in pre-Roman Crimea|Greek colonies]] were established on its [[Southern Coast (Crimea)|south coast]], the most important of which was [[Chersonesos]] near modern-day [[Sevastopol]], with [[Scythians]] and [[Tauri]] in the hinterland to the north. The Tauri gave the name the Tauric Peninsula, which Crimea was called into the [[early modern period]]. The southern coast gradually consolidated into the [[Bosporan Kingdom]] which was annexed by [[Kingdom of Pontus|Pontus]] in Asia Minor and later became a [[client kingdom]] of [[Roman Crimea|Rome]] from 63 BCE to 341 CE.

===Medieval history===
[[File:Sudak, Crimea, The Genoese Fortress.jpg|thumb|Genoese fortress in [[Sudak]], 13th century, [[Republic of Genoa]], originally a fortified [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] town, seventh century]]

The south coast remained Greek in culture for almost two thousand years including under Roman successor states, the [[Cherson (theme)|Byzantine Empire]] (341–1204 CE), the [[Empire of Trebizond]] (1204–1461 CE), and the independent [[Principality of Theodoro]] (ended 1475 CE). In the 13th century, some Crimean port cities were controlled by the [[Republic of Venice|Venetians]] and by the [[Republic of Genoa|Genovese]], but the interior was much less stable, enduring a [[The Crimean Steppe|long series of conquests and invasions]]. In the medieval period, it was partially conquered by [[Kievan Rus']] whose [[Vladimir the Great|prince]] was baptized at [[Chersonesus Cathedral|Sevastopol]] starting the [[Christianization of Kievan Rus']].<ref name="Norwich2013">{{cite book|author=John Julius Norwich|title=A Short History of Byzantium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7JtvMQEACAAJ|year=2013|publisher=Penguin Books, Limited|isbn=978-0-241-95305-1|page= 210}}</ref>

===Mongol Conquest (1238–1449)===
The north and centre of Crimea fell to the [[Mongol]] [[Golden Horde]], although the south coast was still controlled by the Christian [[Principality of Theodoro]] and [[Gazaria (Genoese colonies)|Genoese colonies]]. The [[Genoese–Mongol Wars]] were fought between the 13th and 15th centuries for control of south Crimea.<ref>Slater, Eric. "Caffa: Early Western Expansion in the Late Medieval World, 1261–1475." ''Review (Fernand Braudel Center)'' 29, no. 3 (2006): 271–83. {{JSTOR|40241665}}. pp. 271</ref>

===Crimean Khanate (1443–1783)===
{{Main|Crimean Khanate}}
[[File:Crimean Khanate Map 1502.svg|thumb|The Crimean Khanate after the destruction of the [[Great Horde]] in 1502]]
In the 1440s the [[Crimean Khanate]] formed out of the collapse of the horde<ref>{{cite web|author=[[Brian Glyn Williams]]|title=The Sultan's Raiders: The Military Role of the Crimean Tatars in the Ottoman Empire|url=http://www.jamestown.org/uploads/media/Crimean_Tatar_-_complete_report_01.pdf|publisher=[[The Jamestown Foundation]]|year=2013|page=27|access-date=30 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021092115/http://www.jamestown.org/uploads/media/Crimean_Tatar_-_complete_report_01.pdf|archive-date=21 October 2013}}</ref> but quite rapidly itself became  subject to the [[Ottoman Empire]], which also conquered the coastal areas which had kept independent of the Khanate. A major source of prosperity in these times were [[Crimean–Nogai slave raids in Eastern Europe|frequents raids into Eastern Europe for slaves]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Mikhail Kizilov |author-link=Mikhail Kizilov |title=Slave Trade in the Early Modern Crimea From the Perspective of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources |url=https://www.academia.edu/2971600 |journal=[[Journal of Early Modern History]]|year=2007 |volume=11 |issue=1–2 |page=1 |doi=10.1163/157006507780385125 }}</ref>

===Russian Empire (1783–1917)===
{{see also|Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire|Novorossiya|Taurida Governorate}}
[[File:Siege of Sevastopol by George Baxter.jpg|thumb|The 11-month [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55)|siege of Sevastopol]] during the [[Crimean War]]]]

In 1774, the Ottoman Empire was [[Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774)|defeated]] by [[Catherine the Great]] with the [[Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca]] making the Tatars of the Crimea politically independent. Catherine the Great's [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire|incorporation of the Crimea]] in 1783 into the Russian Empire increased Russia's power in the Black Sea area.<ref name="GP223">{{cite journal|jstor=4205010|title=The Great Powers and the Russian Annexation of the Crimea, 1783-4|author=M. S. Anderson|journal=The Slavonic and East European Review|date=December 1958|volume=37|issue=88|pages=17–41}} which would later see Russia's frontier expand westwards to the [[Dniester]].</ref>

From 1853 to 1856, the strategic position of the peninsula in controlling the Black Sea meant that it was the site of the principal engagements of the [[Crimean War]], where Russia lost to a French-led alliance.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Crimean War (1853–1856)|journal=Gale Encyclopedia of World History: War|year=2008|volume=2|url=http://www.omnilogos.com/2015/01/crimean-war-1853-1856.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416183025/http://www.omnilogos.com/2015/01/crimean-war-1853-1856.html|archive-date=16 April 2015}}</ref>

=== Russian Civil War (1917–1921) ===
{{main|Crimea during the Russian Civil War}}
During the [[Russian Civil War]], Crimea [[Crimea during the Russian Civil War|changed hands many times]] and was where [[Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel|Wrangel]]'s anti-Bolshevik [[White movement|White Army]] made their last stand. Many anti-Communist fighters and civilians escaped to [[Istanbul]] but up to 150,000 were killed in Crimea.

===Soviet Union (1921–1991)===
{{see also|Crimea in the Soviet Union|Transfer of Crimea in the Soviet Union}}

[[File:Jalta-confer.jpg|thumb|The "[[Allies of World War II|Big Three]]" at the [[Yalta Conference]] in Crimea: [[Winston Churchill]], [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], and [[Joseph Stalin]]]]
In 1921 the [[Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic]] was created as part of the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]].<ref name="blacksea-crimea/hist">{{Cite web | url= http://www.blacksea-crimea.com/history1.html | title= History | access-date= 28 March 2007 | work= blacksea-crimea.com | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070404102214/http://www.blacksea-crimea.com/history1.html | archive-date= 4 April 2007 | url-status= usurped }}</ref> It was [[Taurida Subdistrict|occupied by Germany]] from 1942 to 1944 during the [[Crimean campaign|Second World War]]. After the Soviets regained control in 1944, they [[Deportation of the Crimean Tatars|deported the Crimean Tartars]] and several other nationalities to elsewhere in the USSR. The autonomous republic was dissolved in 1945, and Crimea became [[Crimean Oblast|an oblast]] of the Russian SFSR. [[Transfer of Crimea in the Soviet Union|It was transferred]] to the [[Ukrainian SSR]] in 1954, on the 300th anniversary of the [[Treaty of Pereyaslav]].

===Independent Ukraine (since 1991)===
{{main|History of Crimea (1991–2014)}}

With the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] and Ukrainian independence in 1991 most of the peninsula was reorganized as the [[Autonomous Republic of Crimea]].<ref>''The Strategic Use of Referendums: Power, Legitimacy, and Democracy'' By Mark Clarence Walke (page 107)</ref><ref name="szporluk">''National Identity and Ethnicity in Russia and the New States of Eurasia'' edited by Roman Szporluk (page 174)</ref><ref name="5 May 1992 in Crimea">{{cite book|author=Paul Kolstoe|author2=Andrei Edemsky|title=Russians in the Former Soviet Republics|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i1C2MHgujb4C&pg=PA194|date=January 1995|publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers|isbn=978-1-85065-206-9|page=194|chapter=The Eye of the Whirlwind: Belarus and Ukraine}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Doyle |editor1-first=Don H. |title=Secession as an International Phenomenon: From America's Civil War to Contemporary Separatist Movements |date=2010 |publisher=University of Georgia Press |isbn=9780820337371 |page=285}}</ref>  A [[Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet|1997 treaty]] partitioned the [[Black Sea Fleet|Soviet Black Sea Fleet]], allowing Russia to continue basing its fleet in Sevastopol, with the [[Kharkiv Pact|lease extended]] in 2010.

====Russian occupation (from 2014)====
{{main|Russian occupation of Crimea|Republic of Crimea (Russia)}}
{{further|Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Crimea attacks (2022–present)}}
[[File:VOA-armed men 01-03-14.jpg|thumb|Unmarked Russian soldiers ("[[Little green men (Russo-Ukrainian War)|Little Green Men]]") outside the occupied [[Verkhovna Rada of Crimea|parliament of Crimea]]]]

In 2014, Crimea saw demonstrations against the removal of the Russia-leaning [[President of Ukraine|Ukrainian president]] [[Viktor Yanukovych]] [[Revolution of Dignity|in Kyiv]] and protests in support of [[Euromaidan]].<ref name="EN25214">{{cite news|url=http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/25/ukraine-leader-turchynov-warns-of-danger-of-separatism/|title=Ukraine leader Turchynov warns of 'danger of separatism'|publisher=[[Euronews]]|date=25 February 2014|access-date=10 March 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073813/http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/25/ukraine-leader-turchynov-warns-of-danger-of-separatism/}}</ref><ref name=guardian226>{{cite news|title=Russia puts military on high alert as Crimea protests leave one man dead |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/26/ukraine-new-leader-disbands-riot-police-crimea-separatism|work=The Guardian|date=26 February 2014|access-date=27 February 2014}}</ref> Ukrainian historian Volodymyr Holovko estimates 26 February protest in support of the integrity of Ukraine in Simferopol at 12,000 people, opposed by several thousand pro-Russian protesters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Головко |first=Володимир |date=2021 |title=ЗАХОПЛЕННЯ БУДІВЛІ ВЕРХОВНОЇ РАДИ АВТОНОМНОЇ РЕСПУБЛІКИ КРИМ 2014 |url=http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?Z21ID=&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=zakhoplennja_budivli_verkhovnoji_rady_avtonomnoji_respubliky_krym_2014 |website=Енциклопедія історії України}}</ref> On 27 February, Russian forces occupied parliament and government buildings<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fedorchak |first=Viktoriya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EWjwEAAAQBAJ&dq=parliamentary+building+in+Simferopol+and+other+main+governmental&pg=PT58 |title=The Russia-Ukraine War: Towards Resilient Fighting Power |date=2024-03-19 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-040-00731-0 |pages=44–45 |language=en}}</ref> and other strategic points in Crimea<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/world/europe/crimea-ukraine.html?_r=0|title=Gunmen Seize Government Buildings in Crimea|author=Andrew Higgins|author2=Steven Erlanger|work=The New York Times|date=27 February 2014|access-date=25 June 2022}}</ref> and the Russian-organized [[Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Crimea|Republic of Crimea declared independence]] from Ukraine following an illegal and internationally unrecognized [[2014 Crimean status referendum|referendum]].<ref>Marxsen, Christian (2014). [http://www.mpil.de/files/pdf4/Marxsen_2014_-_The_crimea_crisis_-_an_international_law_perspective.pdf The Crimea Crisis – An International Law Perspective]. Max-Planck-Institut. Retrieved 25 June 2022.</ref> Russia then annexed Crimea, although most countries (100 votes in favour, 11 against, 58 abstentions) continued to recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine.<ref name=":0">{{cite news| title=General Assembly Adopts Resolution Calling upon States Not to Recognize Changes in Status of Crimea Region | website=UN Press | date=27 March 2014 | url=https://press.un.org/en/2014/ga11493.doc.htm}}</ref><ref name="UNGA">{{Cite web |date=1 April 2014 |title=Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 27 March 2014 |url=https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n13/455/17/pdf/n1345517.pdf?token=QCsLVasx7bgFzsMcTD&fe=true |access-date=2024-06-27 |publisher=[[United Nations Secretariat|United Nations Department of General Assembly and Conference Management]] |language=en }}</ref><ref name="INTLCOM">{{Cite web |date=23 August 2021 |title=Ukraine's president pledges to 'return' Russia-annexed Crimea |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/23/ukraines-president-pledges-to-return-russia-annexed-crimea |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="UKRMFA">{{Cite web |date=22 July 2022 |title=Temporary Occupation of Crimea and City of Sevastopol |url=https://mfa.gov.ua/en/temporary-occupation-autonous-republic-crimea-and-city-sevastopol |access-date=8 July 2024 |website=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Location map+|Crimea|relief=1|width=350|places=
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|44|23|14|N|33|44|17|E}}|label=[[Sarych]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|44|57|7|N|34|6|8|E}}|label=[[Simferopol]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|44|36|N|33|32|E}}|label=[[Sevastopol]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|45|21|43|N|36|28|16|E}}|label=[[Kerch]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|46|08|58|N|33|40|20|E}}|label=[[Isthmus of Perekop]]|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{Coord|45|22|58|N|36|38|43|E}}|label=[[Cape Fonar]]|position=top}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|45.40|32.48}}|label=[[Cape Priboiny]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|45|48|N|32|37|E}}|label=''[[Karkinit Bay]]''|mark=Blue pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|46|05|N|34|20|E}}|label=''[[Syvash]]''|mark=Blue pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|45|03|N|33|28|E}}|label=''[[Kalamita Bay]]''|position=left|mark=Blue pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|44.5|36.25}}|label=''[[Black Sea]]''|mark=Blue pog.svg|position=bottom}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|coordinates={{coord|46|36.25}}|label={{nowrap|''[[Sea of Azov]]''}}|mark=Blue pog.svg|position=top}}
|caption = Geography of Crimea
}}
{{further|East European Plain|Black Sea Lowland}}
Covering an area of {{convert|27000|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, Crimea is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea and on the western coast of the [[Sea of Azov]]; the only land border is shared with Ukraine's [[Kherson Oblast]] on the north. Crimea is almost an island and only connected to the continent by the [[Isthmus of Perekop]], a strip of land about {{convert|5|–|7|km|mi|1}} wide.

Much of the natural border between the Crimean Peninsula and the Ukrainian mainland comprises the [[Syvash]] or "Rotten Sea", a large system of shallow lagoons stretching along the western shore of the Sea of Azov. Besides the isthmus of Perekop, the peninsula is connected to the Kherson Oblast's [[Henichesk Raion]] by bridges over the narrow [[Chonhar Strait|Chonhar]] and [[Henichesk Strait|Henichesk]] straits and over Kerch Strait to the [[Krasnodar Krai]]. The northern part of [[Arabat Spit]] is administratively part of Henichesk Raion in Kherson Oblast, including its two rural communities of [[Shchaslyvtseve]] and [[Strilkove]]. The eastern tip of the Crimean peninsula comprises the [[Kerch Peninsula]], separated from [[Taman Peninsula]] on the Russian mainland by the [[Kerch Strait]], which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, at a width of between {{convert|3|–|13|km|mi|1}}.

Geographers generally divide the peninsula into three zones: the [[Pontic steppe|steppe]], the [[Crimean Mountains]], and the [[Southern Coast (Crimea)|Southern Coast]].

===Places===
{{Location map+ | Crimea
| AlternativeMap = |Relief map of Crimea (disputed status).jpg|relief=1|float=right|width=350
| caption =Places in Crimea
| places  =
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=46.17|long=33.69|label=[[Perekop]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=45.50|long=32.70|label=[[Chornomorske]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=45.33|long=33.00|label=[[Donuzlav]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=45.19|long=33.37|label=[[Yevpatoria]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.60|long=33.53|label=[[Sevastopol]]|position=left}}

{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.50|long=33.60|label=[[Balaklava]]|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.39|long=33.79|label=[[Foros, Crimea|Foros]]|position=bottom}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.42|long=34.04|label=[[Alupka]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.50|long=34.17|label=[[Yalta]]|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.55|long=34.29|label=[[Gurzuf]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.67|long=34.40|label=[[Alushta]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.85|long=34.97|label=[[Sudak]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=45.05|long=35.38|label=[[Feodosia]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=45.36|long=36.47|label=[[Kerch]]}}

{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.59|long=33.81|label=[[Mangup]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.75|long=33.86|label=[[Bakhchysarai]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=44.95|long=34.10|label=[[Simferopol]]}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=45.05|long=34.60|label=[[Bilohirsk|Karasu]]|position=top}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=45.03|long=35.09|label=[[Stary Krym|Stary<br />Krym]]|position=top}}
{{Location map~|Crimea|lat=45.71|long=34.39|label=[[Dzhankoy]]|position=bottom}}

}}
Given its long history and many conquerors, most towns in Crimea have several names.

'''West:''' The [[Isthmus of Perekop]]/[[Perekop]]/[[Or Qapi]], about {{convert|7|km|mi|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} wide, connects Crimea to the mainland. It was often fortified and sometimes garrisoned by the Turks. The [[North Crimean Canal]] now crosses it to bring water from the Dnieper. To the west [[Karkinit Bay]] separates the [[Tarkhankut Peninsula]] from the mainland. On the north side of the peninsula is [[Chernomorskoe]]/Kalos [[Liman (landform)|Limen]]. On the south side is the large [[Donuzlav]] Bay and the port and ancient Greek settlement of [[Yevpatoria]]/Kerkinitis/Gözleve. The coast then runs south to [[Sevastopol]]/[[Chersonesus]], a good natural harbor, great naval base and the largest city on the peninsula. At the head of [[Sevastopol Bay]] stands [[Inkermann]]/Kalamita. South of Sevastopol is the small [[Heracles Peninsula]].

[[File:Mountains by the sea, Горы на побережье, море, Судак, Крым, Crimea.jpg|thumb|Coastline between [[Sudak]] and [[Novy Svet]]]]

'''South:''' In the south, between the [[Crimean Mountains]] and the sea runs a narrow coastal strip which was [[Gazaria (Genoese colonies)|held by the Genoese]] and (after 1475) by the Turks. Under Russian rule it became a kind of [[riviera]]. In Soviet times the many palaces were replaced with [[dacha]]s and health resorts. From west to east are: [[Heracles Peninsula]]; [[Balaklava]]/Symbalon/Cembalo, a smaller natural harbor south of Sevastopol; [[Foros, Crimea|Foros]], the southernmost point; [[Alupka]] with the [[Vorontsov Palace (Alupka)]]; [[Gaspra]]; [[Yalta]]; [[Gurzuf]]; [[Alushta]]. Further east is [[Sudak]]/Sougdia/Soldaia with its Genoese fort. Further east still is Theodosia/Kaffa/[[Feodosia]], once a great [[slave market|slave-mart]] and a kind of capital for the Genoese and Turks. Unlike the other southern ports, Feodosia has no mountains to its north. At the east end of the {{convert|90|km|mi|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} [[Kerch Peninsula]] is [[Kerch]]/[[Panticapaeum]], once the capital of the [[Bosporian Kingdom]]. Just south of Kerch the new Crimean Bridge (opened in 2018) connects Crimea to the [[Taman Peninsula]].

'''Sea of Azov:''' There is little on the south shore. The west shore is marked by the [[Arabat Spit]]. Behind it is the [[Syvash]] or "Putrid Sea", a system of lakes and marshes which in the far north extend west to the Perekop Isthmus. Road- and rail-bridges cross the northern part of Syvash.

'''Interior:''' Most of the former capitals of Crimea stood on the north side of the mountains. [[Mangup]]/Doros (Gothic, Theodoro). [[Bakhchysarai]] (1532–1783).
Southeast of Bakhchysarai is the cliff-fort of [[Chufut-Kale]]/Qirq Or which was used in more warlike times. [[Simferopol]]/Ak-Mechet, the modern capital. [[Karasu-Bazar]]/Bilohorsk was a commercial center. Solkhat/[[Stary Krym|Staryi Krym]] was the old Tatar capital. Towns on the northern steppe area are all modern, notably [[Dzhankoi]], a major road- and rail-junction.

'''Rivers:''' The longest is the [[Salhyr]], which rises southeast of Simferopol and flows north and northeast to the Sea of Azov. The [[Alma River (Crimea)|Alma]] flows west to reach the Black Sea between Yevpatoria and Sevastopol. The shorter [[Chornaya River (Crimea)|Chornaya]] flows west to Sevastopol Bay.

'''Nearby:''' East of the Kerch Strait the Ancient Greeks founded colonies at [[Phanagoria]] (at the head of [[Taman Bay]]), [[Hermonassa]] (later Tmutarakan and [[Taman, Russia|Taman]]), [[Gorgippia]] (later a Turkish port and now Anapa). At the northeast point of the Sea of Azov at the mouth of the Don River were [[Tanais]], Azak/[[Azov]] and now [[Rostov-on-Don]]. North of the peninsula the Dnieper turns westward and enters the Black Sea through the east–west [[Dnieper-Bug Estuary]] which also receives the Bug River. At the mouth of the Bug stood [[Olbia (Pontic)|Olvia]]. At the mouth of the estuary is [[Ochakiv]]. [[Odesa]] stands where the coast turns southwest. Further southwest is [[Tyras]]/Akkerman/[[Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi]].

===Crimean Mountains===
{{main|Crimean Mountains}}
[[File:Eclizee-burun-mountain.jpg|thumb|Eclizee-Burun Mountain]]
The southeast coast is flanked at a distance of {{convert|8|–|12|km|mi|1}} from the sea by a parallel range of mountains: the Crimean Mountains.<ref>The [[Crimean Mountains]] may also be referred to as the Yaylâ Dağ or Alpine Meadow Mountains.</ref> These mountains are backed by [[Cuesta|secondary parallel ranges]].

The main range of these mountains rises with extraordinary abruptness from the deep floor of the Black Sea to an altitude of {{convert|600|–|1545|m|ft|0}}, beginning at the southwest point of the peninsula, called [[Cape Fiolent]]. Some Greek myths state that this cape was supposedly crowned with the temple of [[Artemis]] where [[Iphigeneia]] officiated as priestess.<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Crimea |volume= 07 |last1= Kropotkin |first1= Peter Alexeivitch|author1-link=Peter Kropotkin|last2= Bealby |first2= John Thomas | pages = 449–450; see line one |quote=...ancient Tauris or Tauric Chersonese, called by the Russians by the Tatar name Krym or Crim}}</ref>
[[Uchan-su (waterfall)|Uchan-su]], on the south slope of the mountains, is the highest waterfall in Crimea.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://extremetime.ru/en/tours/krim_3kaniona.aspx|publisher= extremetime.ru |title= Three canyons trekking (Chernorechensky Canyon, Uzunja Canyon and Grand Crimean Canyon). Journey by a mountainous part of Crimea.| access-date= 1 May 2016}}</ref>

===Hydrography===
{{redirect-distinguish|Crimea river|Cry Me a River (disambiguation){{!}}Cry Me a River}}
There are 257 rivers and major streams on the Crimean peninsula; they are primarily fed by rainwater, with snowmelt playing a very minor role. This makes for significant seasonal fluctuation in water flow, with many streams drying up completely during the summer.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jaoshvili |first=Shalva |year= 2002 |title= The rivers of the Black Sea |location= Copenhagen |publisher= European Environment Agency |page= 15 |oclc= 891861999 |url= http://edz.bib.uni-mannheim.de/daten/edz-bn/eua/02/C__DOKUME~1_ZEFZEI_LOKALE~1_TEMP_plugtmp_tech71_en.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160310073738/http://edz.bib.uni-mannheim.de/daten/edz-bn/eua/02/C__DOKUME~1_ZEFZEI_LOKALE~1_TEMP_plugtmp_tech71_en.pdf |archive-date= 10 March 2016 |url-status= live}}</ref> The largest rivers are the [[Salhyr]] (Salğır, Салгир), the Kacha (Кача), the [[Alma (Crimea)|Alma]] (Альма), and the Belbek (Бельбек). Also important are the Kokozka (Kökköz or Коккозка), the Indole (Indol or Индо́л), the [[Chyornaya (Crimea)|Chorna]] (Çorğun, Chernaya or Чёрная), the Derekoika (Dereköy or Дерекойка),<ref>{{Cite web|title= Дерекойка, река |trans-title= Derekoika river |work= Путеводитель по отдыху в Ялте |url= http://jalita.com/big_yalta/yalta/derekoika.shtml}}</ref> the Karasu-Bashi (Biyuk-Karasu or Биюк-Карасу) (a tributary of the Salhyr river), the Burulcha (Бурульча) (also a tributary of the Salhyr), the [[Uchan-su (river)|Uchan-su]], and the Ulu-Uzen'. The longest river of Crimea is the Salhyr at {{convert|204|km|mi|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}. The Belbek has the greatest average discharge at {{convert|2.16|m3/s|ft3/s}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Jaoshvili|2002|page= 34}}</ref> The Alma and the Kacha are the second- and third-longest rivers.<ref name="BSE">{{Cite encyclopedia|title= Alma, Kacha River |year= 2014 |editor= Grinevetsky, Sergei R. |encyclopedia= The Black Sea Encyclopedia|location= Berlin |publisher= Springer |page= [https://books.google.com/books?id=KFCqBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA38 38] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=KFCqBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA390 390]|isbn= 978-3-642-55226-7|display-editors= etal}}</ref>

[[File:Nord-Krim-Kanal.png|right|thumb|Following Russia's annexation of Crimea, Ukraine blocked the [[North Crimean Canal]], which provided 85% of Crimea's drinking and agriculture water.<ref name = canal>{{cite news |title=Dam leaves Crimea population in chronic water shortage |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/1/4/dam-leaves-crimea-population-in-chronic-water-shortage |work=Al-Jazeera |date=4 January 2017}}</ref>]]

There are more than fifty salt lakes and [[Salt pan (geology)|salt pans]] on the peninsula. The largest of them is Lake Sasyk (Сасык) on the southwest coast; others include [[Aqtas Lake|Aqtas]], Koyashskoye, Kiyatskoe, Kirleutskoe, Kizil-Yar, Bakalskoe, and [[Donuzlav]].<ref>{{Cite journal|author= Mirzoyeva, Natalya |year= 2015 |title= Radionuclides and mercury in the salt lakes of the Crimea |journal= Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology |volume= 33 |issue= 6 |pages= 1413–1425 |doi= 10.1007/s00343-015-4374-5|bibcode= 2015ChJOL..33.1413M |s2cid= 131703200 |display-authors= etal|issn = 0254-4059}}</ref> The general trend is for the former lakes to become salt pans.<ref>{{Cite book|author= Kayukova, Elena |title= Thermal and Mineral Waters |year= 2014 |chapter= Resources of Curative Mud of the Crimea Peninsula |editor1= Balderer, Werner |editor2= Porowski, Adam |editor3= Idris, Hussein |editor4= LaMoreaux, James W. |pages= 61–72 |location= Berlin |publisher= Springer |isbn= 978-3-642-28823-4 |doi= 10.1007/978-3-642-28824-1_6}}</ref> [[Lake Syvash]] (Sıvaş or Сива́ш) is a system of interconnected shallow [[lagoon]]s on the north-eastern coast, covering an area of around {{convert|2560|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}. A number of dams have created reservoirs; among the largest are the Simferopolskoye, Alminskoye,<ref>{{Cite web |author1= Bogutskaya, Nina |author2= Hales, Jennifer |title= 426: Crimea Peninsula |work= Freshwater Ecoregions of the World |publisher= The Nature Conservancy |url= http://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/crimea_peninsula |access-date= 10 March 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170116162528/http://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/Crimea_Peninsula |archive-date= 16 January 2017 |url-status= dead }}</ref> the Taygansky and the Belogorsky just south of [[Bilohirsk]] in [[Bilohirsk Raion]].<ref>{{Cite news |title= In Crimea has receded one of the largest reservoirs |date= 19 October 2015 |newspaper= News from Ukraine |url= http://en.reporter-ua.ru/in-crimea-has-receded-one-of-the-largest-reservoirs.html |access-date= 10 March 2016 |archive-date= 23 May 2016 |archive-url= http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160523160806/http://en.reporter-ua.ru/in-crimea-has-receded-one-of-the-largest-reservoirs.html |url-status= dead }}</ref> The [[North Crimean Canal|North Crimea Canal]], which transports water from the [[Dnieper]], is the largest of the man-made irrigation channels on the peninsula.<ref name=construction>Tymchenko, Z. ''[http://www.istpravda.com.ua/articles/2014/05/13/142692/ North Crimean Canal. History of construction]''. (Russian) [[Ukrainska Pravda]]. 13 May 2014 (Krymskiye izvestiya. November 2012)</ref> Crimea was facing an unprecedented [[water shortage]] crisis following the blocking of the canal by Ukraine in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pray For Rain: Crimea's Dry-Up A Headache For Moscow, Dilemma For Kyiv |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/pray-for-rain-crimea-s-dry-up-a-headache-for-moscow-dilemma-for-kyiv/30515986.html |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=29 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Crimea Drills For Water As Crisis Deepens In Parched Peninsula |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine--crimea-water-shortage-drought/30903039.html |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=25 October 2020}}</ref><ref name = canal/> After the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|2022 Russian invasion]], the flow of water was restored however the [[destruction of the Kakhovka Dam]] could lead to problems with water supply again.

===Steppe===
{{main|Pontic–Caspian steppe}}
Seventy-five percent of the remaining area of Crimea consists of semiarid [[prairie]] lands, a southward continuation of the Pontic–Caspian steppe, which slope gently to the northwest from the foothills of the Crimean Mountains. Numerous [[kurgan]]s, or [[burial mound]]s, of the ancient [[Scythia]]ns are scattered across the Crimean steppes.

===Southern Coast===
{{main|Southern Coast (Crimea)}}
[[File:Ялта Южный берег ДДима.jpg|thumb|The [[Crimean Mountains]] in the background and [[Yalta]] as seen from the [[Tsar's Path]].]]

The terrain that lies south of the sheltering Crimean Mountain range is of an altogether different character. Here, the narrow strip of coast and the slopes of the mountains are covered with greenery. This "riviera" stretches along the southeast coast from capes [[Cape Fiolent|Fiolent]] and [[Cape Aya|Aya]], in the south, to Feodosia. There are many summer sea-bathing resorts such as [[Alupka]], [[Yalta]], [[Gurzuf]], [[Alushta]], [[Sudak]], and [[Feodosia]]. During the years of Soviet rule, the resorts and [[dacha]]s of this coast were used by leading politicians<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Salem |first1=Harriet |last2=Makarova |first2=Ludmila |date=2014-03-28 |title=Crimean annexation brings dacha prize closer for Putin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/28/crimean-annexation-dacha-vladimir-putin-russian-president |access-date=2024-07-24 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and served as prime perquisites of the politically loyal.{{Citation needed|reason=''Politically loyal'', like whom? ''Served as prime perquisites'', according to whom?|date=December 2012}} In addition, vineyards and fruit orchards are located in the region. Fishing, mining, and the production of [[essential oil]]s are also important. Numerous Crimean Tatar villages, mosques, [[monastery|monasteries]], and palaces of the Russian imperial family and nobles are found here, as well as picturesque ancient Greek and medieval castles.

The Crimean Mountains and the southern coast are part of the [[Crimean Submediterranean forest complex]] ecoregion. The natural vegetation consists of scrublands, woodlands, and forests, with a climate and vegetation similar to the [[Mediterranean Basin]].

===Climate===
[[File:Novyi Svit IMG 2941 1725.jpg|thumb|Crimea's Southern Coast has a subtropical climate]]
Crimea is located between the [[temperate]] and [[subtropical climate]] belts and is characterized by warm and sunny weather.<ref name=crimeaclimate>{{cite web|url= http://old.crimea-portal.gov.ua/index.php?&v=8&tek=28&par=8&f=us |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100901153138/http://old.crimea-portal.gov.ua/index.php?&v=8&tek=28&par=8&f=us |archive-date= 1 September 2010 |title= Description of the Crimean Climate |publisher= Autonomous Republic of Crimea Information Portal |access-date= 1 October 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref> It is characterized by diversity and the presence of microclimates.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> The northern parts of Crimea have a moderate [[continental climate]] with short but cold winters and moderately hot dry summers.<ref name=crimeageography>{{cite web|url= http://old.crimea-portal.gov.ua/index.php?&v=8&tek=27&par=8&art=3&date=&f=us |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100903233704/http://old.crimea-portal.gov.ua/index.php?&v=8&tek=27&par=8&art=3&date=&f=us |archive-date= 3 September 2010 |title= Geographical Survey of the Crimean region |publisher= Autonomous Republic of Crimea Information Portal |access-date= 1 October 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref> In the central and mountainous areas the climate is transitional between the continental climate to the north and the [[Mediterranean climate]] to the south.<ref name=crimeageography/> Winters are mild at lower altitudes (in the foothills) and colder at higher altitudes.<ref name=crimeageography/> Summers are hot at lower altitudes and warm in the mountains.<ref name=crimeageography/> A subtropical, Mediterranean climate dominates the southern coastal regions, is characterized by mild winters and moderately hot, dry summers.<ref name=crimeageography/>

The climate of Crimea is influenced by its geographic location, relief, and influences from the [[Black Sea]].<ref name=crimeaclimate/> The Southern Coast is shielded from cold air masses coming from the north and, as a result, has milder winters.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> Maritime influences from the Black Sea are restricted to coastal areas; in the interior of the peninsula the maritime influence is weak and does not play an important role.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> Because a high-pressure system is located north of Crimea in both summer and winter, winds predominantly come from the north and northeast year-round.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> In winter these winds bring in cold, dry continental air, while in summer they bring in dry and hot weather.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> Winds from the northwest bring warm and wet air from the Atlantic Ocean, causing precipitation during spring and summer.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> As well, winds from the southwest bring very warm and wet air from the subtropical latitudes of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean sea and cause precipitation during fall and winter.<ref name=crimeaclimate/>

Mean annual temperatures range from {{convert|10|°C|°F|1}} in the far north ([[Armiansk]]) to {{convert|13|°C|°F|1}} in the far south ([[Yalta]]).<ref name=crimeaclimate/> In the mountains, the mean annual temperature is around {{convert|5.7|°C|°F|1}}.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> For every {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr= on}} increase in altitude, temperatures decrease by {{convert|0.65|C-change|2}} while precipitation increases.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> In January mean temperatures range from {{convert|-3|°C|°F|1}} in Armiansk to {{convert|4.4|°C|°F|1}} in [[Myskhor]].<ref name=crimeaclimate/> Cool-season temperatures average around {{convert|7|°C|°F|1}} and it is rare for the weather to drop below freezing except in the mountains, where there is usually snow.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.blacksea-crimea.com/climate.html |title= Climate in Crimea, Weather in Yalta: How Often Does it Rain in Crimea? |publisher= Blacksea-crimea.com |access-date= 10 April 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100303193251/http://www.blacksea-crimea.com/climate.html |archive-date= 3 March 2010 |url-status= usurped }}</ref> In July mean temperatures range from {{convert|15.4|°C|°F|1}} in [[Ai-Petri]] to {{convert|23.4|°C|°F|1}} in the central parts of Crimea to {{convert|24.4|°C|°F|1}} in Myskhor.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> The frost-free period ranges from 160 to 200 days in the steppe and mountain regions to 240–260 days on the south coast.<ref name=crimeaclimate/>

Precipitation in Crimea varies significantly based on location; it ranges from {{convert|310|mm|in|1}} in [[Chornomorske]] to {{convert|1220|mm|in|1}} at the highest altitudes in the Crimean mountains.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> The Crimean mountains greatly influence the amount of precipitation present in the peninsula.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> However, most of Crimea (88.5%) receives {{convert|300|to|500|mm|in|1}} of precipitation per year.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> The plains usually receive {{convert|300|to|400|mm|in|1}} of precipitation per year, increasing to {{convert|560|mm|in|1}} in the southern coast at sea level.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> The western parts of the Crimean mountains receive more than {{convert|1000|mm|in|1}} of precipitation per year.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> Snowfall is common in the mountains during winter.<ref name=crimeageography/>

Most of the peninsula receives more than 2,000 sunshine hours per year; it reaches up to 2,505 sunshine hours in [[Qarabiy yayla]] in the Crimean Mountains.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> As a result, the climate favors recreation and tourism.<ref name=crimeaclimate/> Because of its climate and subsidized travel-packages from Russian state-run companies, the southern coast has remained a popular resort for Russian tourists.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.ibtimes.com/russia-ukraine-update-crimea-attracts-more-4-million-tourists-despite-annexation-2141287|work= International Business Times |title= Russia-Ukraine Update: Crimea Attracts More Than 4 Million Tourists Despite Annexation| date= 14 October 2015| access-date= 1 May 2016}}</ref>

===Strategic value===
{{further|Black Sea Fleet}}
[[File:Varangian routes.png|thumb|Map of the [[Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks|historical trade route]] (shown in purple) connecting [[Uppsala]] with [[Constantinople]] via [[Chersonesus (Crimea)|Cherson]]. The major centers of [[Kievan Rus']] – [[Kyiv]] itself, [[Novgorod]] and [[Staraya Ladoga|Ladoga]] – arose along this route.]] The Black Sea ports of Crimea provide quick access to the [[Eastern Mediterranean]], [[Balkans]] and Middle East. [[History of Crimea|Historically]], possession of the southern coast of Crimea was sought after by most empires of the greater region since antiquity ([[Roman Crimea|Roman]], [[Cherson (theme)|Byzantine]], [[Gedik Ahmed Pasha|Ottoman]], [[Taurida Governorate|Russian]], [[Crimean War|British and French]], [[Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)|Nazi German]], [[Black Sea Fleet#Soviet Navy|Soviet]]).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10671066/What-is-the-Crimea-and-why-does-it-matter.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10671066/What-is-the-Crimea-and-why-does-it-matter.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title= What is the Crimea, and why does it matter? |work= The Daily Telegraph|date=2 April 2014|access-date=10 April 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
The nearby [[Dnieper River]] is a major waterway and transportation route that crosses the European continent from north to south and ultimately links the Black Sea with the [[Baltic Sea]], of strategic importance since the historical trade route [[Route from the Varangians to the Greeks|from the Varangians to the Greeks]]. The Black Sea serves as an economic thoroughfare connecting the [[Caucasus]] region and the [[Caspian Sea]] to central and Eastern Europe.<ref name="Crimea Annexation 'Robbery on International Scale'">{{cite news | url= http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Russias-Deputy-PM-Scoffs-at-US-Sanctions/ | title= Crimea Annexation 'Robbery on International Scale' | work= CBN News | date= 19 March 2014 | access-date= 19 March 2014 | agency= CBN News }}</ref>

According to the [[International Transport Workers' Federation]], {{as of | 2013 | lc = on}} there were at least 12 operating merchant seaports in Crimea.<ref name="Черное море признано">
{{cite news
 | url= http://www.blackseanews.net/read/64439
 | title= Черное море признано одним из самых неблагоприятных мест для моряков
 | trans-title = The Black Sea is recognized as one of the most unwelcoming places for sailors
 | work= [[International Transport Workers' Federation]] | date=27 May 2013
 | access-date= 20 September 2013 | agency= BlackSeaNews
}}
</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Koreiz - beach3.jpg|thumb|Tourism is an important sector of Crimea's economy]]
[[File:Simferopol 04-14 img18 K-Marx-Street.jpg|thumb|[[Simferopol]]'s city centre]]

In 2016 Crimea had Nominal GDP of [[US$]]7 billion and US$3,000 per capita.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mrd.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/mrd/ru/statistics/grp/|title=Валовой региональный продукт::Мордовиястат|website=mrd.gks.ru|access-date=19 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217021320/http://mrd.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/mrd/ru/statistics/grp/|archive-date=17 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The main branches of the modern Crimean economy are agriculture and fishing oysters pearls, industry and manufacturing, tourism, and ports. Industrial plants are situated for the most part in the southern coast (Yevpatoria, Sevastopol, Feodosia, Kerch) regions of the republic, few northern (Armiansk, Krasnoperekopsk, Dzhankoi), aside from the central area, mainly Simferopol okrug and eastern region in Nizhnegorsk (few plants, same for Dzhankoj) city. Important industrial cities include [[Dzhankoi]], housing a major railway connection, [[Krasnoperekopsk]] and [[Armiansk]], among others.

After the Russian annexation of Crimea in early 2014 and subsequent sanctions targeting Crimea, the tourist industry suffered major losses for two years. The flow of holidaymakers dropped 35 percent in the first half of 2014 over the same period of 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/tourist-season-washout-in-annexed-crimea/25446604.html|title=Tourist Season A Washout in Annexed Crimea|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=5 July 2014 |last1=Yurchenko |first1=Stas |last2=Dzhabbarov |first2=Usein |last3=Bigg |first3=Claire }}</ref> The number of tourist arrivals reached a record in 2012 at 6.1&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news|script-title=ru:Итоги сезона-2013 в Крыму: туристов отпугнул сервис и аномальное похолодание |url=http://www.segodnya.ua/regions/krym/Itogi-sezona-2013-v-Krymu-turistov-otpugnul-servis-i-anomalnoe-poholodanie-.html |access-date=10 June 2017|work=Segodnya.ua|language=ru}}</ref> According to the Russian administration of Crimea, they dropped to 3.8&nbsp;million in 2014,<ref>{{cite web|title=Справочная информация о количестве туристов, посетивших Республику Крым за 2014 год|url=http://mtur.rk.gov.ru/rus/file/statistika_turizma_za_2014_god.pdf|publisher=Министерство курортов и туризма Республики Крым|access-date=10 June 2017}}</ref> and rebounded to 5.6&nbsp;million by 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Справочная информация о количестве туристов, посетивших республику крым за 2016 год|url=http://mtur.rk.gov.ru/file/spravochnaya_informatsiya_13012017.pdf|publisher=Министерство курортов и туризма Республики Крым|access-date=10 June 2017}}</ref>

The most important industries in Crimea include food production, chemical fields, mechanical engineering, and metalworking, and fuel production industries.<ref name = "CMU"/> Sixty percent of the industry market belongs to food production. There are a total of 291 large industrial enterprises and 1002 small business enterprises.<ref name = "CMU"/>

In 2014, the republic's annual GDP was $4.3&nbsp;billion (500 times smaller than the size of Russia's economy). The average salary was $290 per month. The [[Government budget balance|budget deficit]] was $1.5&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite news|title=Russia to cover Crimea's $1.5 billion budget deficit with state funds- TV |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine-crisis-crimea-deficit/russia-to-cover-crimeas-1-5-billion-budget-deficit-with-state-funds-tv-idUSL6N0MG4EF20140319 |access-date=17 July 2018 |work=Reuters |date=19 March 2014}}</ref>

===Agriculture===
Agriculture in the region includes cereals, vegetable-growing, gardening, and [[Winemaking in Crimea|wine-making]], particularly in the Yalta and [[Massandra]] regions. Livestock production includes cattle breeding, poultry keeping, and sheep breeding.<ref name="CMU">{{cite web|url=http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/publish/printable_article?art_id=301361|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070121174522/http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/publish/printable_article?art_id=301361|archive-date=21 January 2007|title=Autonomous Republic of Crimea – Information card |access-date=22 February 2007 |work=[[Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine]] }}</ref> Other products produced on the Crimean Peninsula include salt, [[Porphyry (geology)|porphyry]], [[limestone]], and [[ironstone]] (found around [[Kerch]]) since ancient times.<ref name="EB1911"/>

The vine mealybug (''[[Planococcus (bug)|Planococcus]] [[Planococcus ficus|ficus]]'') was first discovered here in 1868. First discovered on [[grape]], it has also been found as a [[pest (organism)|pest]] of some other [[crop]]s and has since spread worldwide.<ref name="Daane-et-al-2008">{{cite journal | last1=Daane | first1=Kent M. | last2=Cooper | first2=Monica L. | last3=Triapitsyn | first3=Serguei V. | last4=Walton | first4=Vaughn M. | last5=Yokota | first5=Glenn Y. | last6=Haviland | first6=David R. | last7=Bentley | first7=Walt J. | last8=Godfrey | first8=Kris E. | last9=Wunderlich | first9=Lynn R. | title=Vineyard managers and researchers seek sustainable solutions for mealybugs, a changing pest complex | journal=[[California Agriculture]] | publisher=[[University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources|UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR)]] | volume=62 | issue=4 | year=2008 | issn=0008-0845 | doi=10.3733/ca.v062n04p167 | pages=167–176 | s2cid=54928048| doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Sunn pest]]s—especially ''[[Eurygaster integriceps]]''<ref name="Critchley-1998">{{cite journal | last=Critchley | first=Brian R. | title=Literature review of sunn pest ''Eurygaster integriceps'' Put. (Hemiptera, Scutelleridae) | journal=[[Crop Protection (journal)|Crop Protection]] | publisher=[[International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences]] ([[Elsevier]]) | volume=17 | issue=4 | year=1998 | issn=0261-2194 | doi=10.1016/s0261-2194(98)00022-2 | pages=271–287 | bibcode=1998CrPro..17..271C | s2cid=83631999}}</ref> and ''[[Eurygaster maura|E. maura]]''<ref name="Eurygaster-maura-AgroAtlas">{{cite web | title=Pests - ''Eurygaster maura'' Linnaeus - Sunn Pest | website=[[AgroAtlas]] | date=7 May 2015 | url=http://www.agroatlas.ru/en/content/pests/Eurygaster_maura/index.html | language=en | access-date=15 April 2021}}</ref>—are significant [[grain]] pests.<ref name="Critchley-1998" /> [[Scelioninae]] and [[Tachinidae]] are important [[parasitoid]]s of sunn pests.<ref name="Critchley-1998" /> [[Bark beetle]]s are pests of [[Tree fruit|tree crop]]s, and are themselves hosts for ''[[Elattoma]]'' mites and various [[entomopathogenic fungus|entomopathogenic fungi]] transmitted by those ''Elattomae''.<ref name="Khaustov-2000">{{cite journal | author=Khaustov AA | date=2000 | title=Mites of the genus ''Elattoma'' (Acariformes, Pygmephoridae) from Crimea and North-West Russia| journal=[[Vestnik Zoologii]] | volume=34 | number=1/2 | pages=77–83 | url=http://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20023164491}}</ref><ref name="Hofstetter-Moser-2014">{{cite journal | last1=Hofstetter | first1=R.W. | last2=Moser | first2=J.C. | title=The Role of Mites in Insect-Fungus Associations | journal=[[Annual Review of Entomology]] | publisher=[[Annual Reviews (publisher)|Annual Reviews]] | volume=59 | issue=1 | date=7 January 2014 | issn=0066-4170 | doi=10.1146/annurev-ento-011613-162039 | pages=537–557| pmid=24188072 }}</ref>

===Energy===
Crimea possesses several [[natural gas field]]s both [[Onshore (hydrocarbons)|onshore]] and [[Offshore (hydrocarbons)|offshore]], which were starting to be drilled by western oil and gas companies before annexation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine-crisis-gas-crimea-idUSL6N0M41R320140307 |title=Ukraine's Black Sea gas ambitions seen at risk over Crimea |date=7 March 2014|access-date=7 March 2014|first=Henning |last=Gloystein |work=Reuters }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eegas.com/ukraine.htm |title= Ukrainian Gas Pipelines |publisher=East European Gas Analysis |date=9 February 2013|access-date=8 March 2014}}</ref> The inland fields are located in [[Chornomorske Raion|Chornomorske]] and [[Dzhankoi Raion|Dzhankoi]], while offshore fields are located in the western coast in the Black Sea and in the northeastern coast in the Azov Sea:<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26387353 |title=Ukraine crisis in maps |date=3 May 2014 |access-date=7 March 2014 |publisher=BBC }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name
! Type
! Location
! Reserves
|-
| Dzhankoi gas field
| [[Onshore (hydrocarbons)|onshore]]
| [[Dzhankoi Raion|Dzhankoi]]
|
|-
| [[Holitsynske gas field]]
| [[Offshore (hydrocarbons)|offshore]]
| [[Black Sea]]
|
|-
| Karlavske gas field
| [[Onshore (hydrocarbons)|onshore]]
| [[Chornomorske Raion|Chornomorske]]
|
|-
| Krym gas field
| [[Offshore (hydrocarbons)|offshore]]
| [[Black Sea]]
|
|-
| [[Odeske gas field]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.invest-crimea.gov.ua/news_body.php?news_id=504&locale=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326085019/http://www.invest-crimea.gov.ua/news_body.php?news_id=504&locale=en|archive-date=26 March 2014|title=Investment portal of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea – investments in Crimea – "Chernomorneftegaz" presented a program of development till 2015 |publisher=Invest-crimea.gov.ua |access-date=8 March 2014}}</ref>
| [[Offshore (hydrocarbons)|offshore]]
| [[Black Sea]]
| 21&nbsp;billion m<sup>3</sup>
|-
| [[Schmidta gas field]]
| [[Offshore (hydrocarbons)|offshore]]
| [[Black Sea]]
|
|-
| [[Shtormvaya gas field|Shtormvaia gas field]]
| [[Offshore (hydrocarbons)|offshore]]
| [[Black Sea]]
|
|-
| Strilkove gas field
| [[Offshore (hydrocarbons)|offshore]]
| [[Sea of Azov]]
|
|}

The republic also possesses two [[oil field]]s: one onshore, the Serebryankse oil field in [[Rozdolne Raion|Rozdolne]], and one offshore, the [[Subbotina oil field]] in the Black Sea.

; Electricity

Crimea has 540 MW of its own electricity generation capacity, including the 100 MW Simferopol Thermal Power Plant, the 22 MW Sevastopol Thermal Power Plant and the 19 MW Kamish-Burunskaya Thermal Power Plant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newscrimea.ru/generaciya-elektroenergii-v-krymu-vyrosla-do-963-mvt/|script-title=ru:Генерация электроэнергии в Крыму выросла до 963 МВт|date=21 January 2016|language=ru-RU|access-date=11 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914005809/http://www.newscrimea.ru/generaciya-elektroenergii-v-krymu-vyrosla-do-963-mvt/|archive-date=14 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> This local electricity generation has proven insufficient for local consumption, and since annexation by Russia, Crimea has been reliant on an underwater power cable to mainland Russia.<ref>{{cite news|title=Crimea goes dark after Russian shutdown leaves the peninsula without power|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-crimea-left-in-dark-after-russian-power-shutdown-2017-7|access-date=28 July 2017|work=[[Business Insider]]|date=28 July 2017}}</ref>

Power generation is set to be increased by two combined-cycle gas steam turbo thermal plants PGU, each {''or should this be both combined?''} providing 470 MW (116 167 MW GT, 235 MW block), built by TPE (among others) with turbines provided by Power Machines; NPO Saturn with Perm PMZ; either modified GTD-110M/GTE-160/GTE-180 units or UTZ KTZ, or a V94.2 supplied by MAPNA, modified in Russia by PGU Thermal.

Solar photovoltaic SES plants are plentiful on the peninsula, including a small facility north of Sevastopol. There also is the Saky gas thermal plant near the Jodobrom chemical plant, featuring SaKhZ(SaChP) boosted production with Perm GTE GTU25P (PS90GP25 25 MW aeroderivative GP) PGU turbogenerators. Older plants in operation include the Sevastopol TEC (close to Inkerman) which uses AEG and Ganz Elektro turbines and turbogenerators generating about 25 MW each, Simferopol TEC, Yevpatoria, Kamysh Burun TEC (Kerch south – Zaliv) and a few others.

===Transport===
{{lacking overview|section|date=March 2014}}
;Crimean Bridge
[[File:Крымский мост 21 декабря 2019 года.jpg|thumb|[[Crimean Bridge]]]]
[[File:Crimea South Coast 04-14 img01 Simferopol-Yalta trolley.jpg|thumb|upright|Trolleybus near Alushta]]
[[File:Yalta Kanatka.JPG|thumb|Cableway in Yalta]]
{{main|Crimean Bridge}}
In May 2015, work began on a multibillion-dollar road-rail link (a pair of parallel bridges) across the Kerch Strait.<ref>{{cite news|title=Putin orders military exercise as protesters clash in Crimea|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-crimea-bridge-idUSKCN0XF1YS|date=18 April 2016|access-date=24 April 2016|work=Reuters}}</ref> The road bridge opened in May 2018, and the rail bridge in December 2019. With a length of 19&nbsp;km, it is the longest bridge in Europe, surpassing [[Vasco da Gama Bridge]] in [[Lisbon]]. The Crimean Bridge was damaged by [[2022 Crimean Bridge explosion|an attack]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-08 |title=Massive explosion reported on Crimea's Kerch bridge |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/08/europe/crimea-bridge-explosion-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2023-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008055108/https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/08/europe/crimea-bridge-explosion-intl-hnk/index.html |archive-date=8 October 2022 }}</ref> on October 8, 2022, and [[July 2023 Crimean Bridge explosion|another]] on July 17, 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=2023-07-17 |title=Traffic stopped on Crimean Bridge, reports of blasts |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/traffic-stopped-crimean-bridge-due-emergency-russian-backed-governor-2023-07-17/ |access-date=2023-07-17}}</ref>

;Public transportation
Almost every settlement in Crimea is connected with another settlement by bus lines. Crimea contains the longest (96&nbsp;km or 59&nbsp;mi) [[Crimean Trolleybus|trolleybus route]] in the world, founded in 1959, stretching from Simferopol to Yalta.<ref name="Crimea">{{cite web |url=http://www.blacksea-crimea.com/Places/trolleybuses.html |title=The longest trolleybus line in the world! |access-date=15 January 2007 |work=blacksea-crimea.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103162437/http://www.blacksea-crimea.com/Places/trolleybuses.html |archive-date=3 January 2014 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> The trolleybus line starts near [[Simferopol]]'s Railway Station (in Soviet times it started near [[Simferopol International Airport]]) through the mountains to [[Alushta]] and on to Yalta. The length of line is about 90&nbsp;km and passengers are assigned a seat. Simferopol, Yalta and Alushta also have an urban and suburban trolleybus network. Trolleybuses also operate in [[Sevastopol]] and [[Kerch]].

A tram system operates in the city of Yevpatoria. In the nearby [[urban-type settlement|townlet]] village of Molochnoye, a 1.6&nbsp;km-long tram line provides the only connection between the sea shore and a holiday resort, but its operation is halted since 2015.

;Railway traffic
There are two railroad lines running through Crimea: the non-electrified [[Armyansk|Armiansk]]–Kerch (with a link to Feodosia), and the electrified [[Melitopol]]–Simferopol–Sevastopol (with a link to Yevpatoria), connecting Crimea to the Ukrainian mainland.

Until 2014 the network was part of the Cisdneper Directorate of the [[Ukrainian Railways]]. Long-distance trains provided connection to all major Ukrainian cities, to many towns of Russia, [[Belarus]] and, until the end of the 2000s, even to [[Vilnius]], [[Riga]], [[Warsaw]] and [[Berlin]].

Since 2014 the railways are operated by the [[Crimea Railway]]. Local trains belong to the ''Yuzhnaya Prigorodnaya Passazhirskaya Kompaniya'' (Southern Suburban Passenger Company), serving the entire network of the peninsula and via the Crimean Bridge three trains daily to [[Anapa]]. Long-distance trains under the name ''Tavriya'' – operated by the company ''Grand Servis Ekspress'' – connect Sevastopol and Simferopol daily with Moscow and Saint Petersburg; in the summer season Yevpatoria and Feodosia are also directly connected by them. Several times a week Simferopol is also linked with [[Volgograd]], [[Sochi]], [[Yekaterinburg]], [[Omsk]] and even [[Murmansk]] by train.

Further development plans consist of a bypass line between Simferopol and Kerch, and a complete electrification of the network with changing the voltage of the already electrified lines from 3 kV DC to 25 kV 50&nbsp;Hz AC.

;Aviation
*[[Simferopol International Airport]] is an air transport hub of Crimea.

;Highways
* А-291 – Tavrida highway (route Yevpatoria-) Sevastopol – Simferopol (SW to W N to East ring) – Bilohirsk<br /> – north Feodosia – Kerch south (strait bridge)
* [[European route E105|E105]]/M18 – [[Syvash]] (bridge, starts), [[Dzhankoi]], [[North Crimean Canal]] (bridge), [[Simferopol]], [[Alushta]], [[Yalta]] (ends)
* [[European route E97|E97]]/M17 – [[Perekop]] (starts), [[Armiansk]], [[Dzhankoi]], [[Feodosia]], [[Kerch]] ([[Kerch Strait ferry line|ferry]], ends)
* [[A290 highway (Russia)|A290]] – [[Novorossiysk]] to [[Kerch]] via the Crimean Bridge (formerly known as Highway M25)
* H05 – [[Krasnoperekopsk]], [[Simferopol]] (access to the Simferopol International Airport)
* H06 – [[Simferopol]], [[Bakhchysarai]], [[Sevastopol]]
* H19 – [[Yalta]], [[Sevastopol]]
* P16
* P23 – [[Simferopol]], [[Feodosiya|Feodosia]]
* P25 – [[Simferopol]], [[Yevpatoria]]
* P27 – [[Sevastopol]], [[Inkerman]] (completely within the city of Sevastopol)
* P29 – [[Alushta]], [[Sudak]], [[Feodosiya|Feodosia]]
* P34 – [[Alushta]], [[Yalta]]
* P35 – Hrushivka, [[Sudak]]
* P58 – [[Sevastopol]], Port "Komysheva Bukhta" (completely within the city of Sevastopol)
* P59 (completely within the city of Sevastopol)

;Sea transport
{{See also|#Strategic value}}
The cities of Yalta, [[Feodosiya|Feodosia]], [[Kerch]], Sevastopol, Chornomorske and [[Yevpatoria]] are connected to one another by sea routes.

===Tourism===
[[File:Jalta - panoramio - L-BBE.jpg|thumb|Boardwalk in Yalta.]]
[[File:Генуєзская крепость XIV ст., вид с Феодосийской бухты (3).JPG|thumb|[[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] fortress of [[Feodosia|Caffa]].]]

[[File:Bahtšisarai-Khaani palee Krimmis.jpg|thumb|Mosque and yard in the Khan Palace in [[Bakhchisaray]]]]
[[File:The Swallow's Nest castle on the Aurora cliffs of cape Ai-Todor (2005-09-229).jpg|thumb|[[Swallow's Nest]], built in 1912 for businessman Baron Pavel von Steingel]] 
The development of Crimea as a holiday destination began in the second half of the 19th century. The development of the transport networks brought masses of tourists from central parts of the [[Russian Empire]].
At the beginning of the 20th century, a major development of palaces, villas, and dachas began—most of which remain. These are some of the main attractions of Crimea as a tourist destination. There are many [[Crimean legends]] about famous touristic places, which attract the attention of tourists.

A new phase of tourist development began when the Soviet government started promoting the healing quality of the local air, lakes and therapeutic muds. It became a "health" destination for Soviet workers, and hundreds of thousands of Soviet tourists visited Crimea.

[[Artek (camp)|Artek]] is a former [[Young Pioneer camp]] on the [[Black Sea]] in the town of [[Hurzuf]], near [[Ayu-Dag]], established in 1925.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artek.org/History%20Artek/history%20/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150324131614/http://www.artek.org/History%20Artek/history%20/ |archive-date=24 March 2015|title=История "Артека" |trans-title=History of Artek |work=Артек |year=2010}} (This has a slow to load URL.)</ref><ref name="tub"/> By 1969 it had an area of {{cvt|3.2|km2}}, and consisted of 150 buildings. Unlike most of the young pioneer camps, Artek was an all-year camp, due to the warm climate. Artek was considered to be a privilege for Soviet children during its existence, as well as for children from other communist countries. During its heyday, 27,000 children a year vacationed at Artek. Between 1925 and 1969 the camp hosted 300,000 children.<ref>{{citation|encyclopedia=[[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]], 3rd ed. |url=http://bse.sci-lib.com/article072849.html |trans-title=Entry on Artek |title=Артек  |access-date=22 June 2020 }}</ref> After the breaking up of the [[Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union|Young Pioneers]] in 1991 its prestige declined, though it remained a popular vacation destination.<ref name="tub">{{citation|url=http://ukrainian.su/kryim/artek-mezhdunarodnyiy-detskiy-tsentr.html |title=Артек – международный детский центр |trans-title=The International Children Center Artek |work=Города и области Украины (Cities and regions of Ukraine)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607133524/http://ukrainian.su/kryim/artek-mezhdunarodnyiy-detskiy-tsentr.html |date=7 June 2014|archive-date=7 June 2014}}</ref>

In the 1990s, Crimea became more of a get-away destination than a "health-improvement" destination. The most visited areas are the south shore of Crimea with cities of Yalta and Alushta, the western shore – Yevpatoria and Saky, and the south-eastern shore – Feodosia and Sudak.
According to [[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]], Crimea was among the top 20 travel destinations in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-2013/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130171317/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-2013|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 November 2012|title=Best Trips 2013, Crimea|author=National Geographic Society|work=National Geographic|date=December 2012|access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref>

Places of interest include
{{col-list|colwidth=22em|
* [[Koktebel]]
* [[Livadia Palace]]
* [[Mount Mithridat]]
* [[Kul-Oba|Scythian Treasure]]
* [[Swallow's Nest]]
* [[Chersonesos Taurica|Tauric Chersonesos]]
* [[Vorontsov Palace (Alupka)|Vorontsov Palace]]
* [[Bakhchisaray Palace]]
* [[Massandra]] Palace and Winery
* [[Novyi Svit]]
* [[Nikitsky Botanical Garden]]
* [[Aivazovsky]] National Art Gallery in [[Feodosia]]
* [[Naval museum complex Balaklava]]
* [[Valley of Ghosts (Crimea)|The Valley of Ghosts]]
}}

===Sanctions===
{{main|International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War}}

Following Russia's largely unrecognized annexation of Crimea, the [[European Union]], the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and several other countries (including Ukraine) imposed [[economic sanctions]] against Russia, including some specifically targeting Crimea. Many of these sanctions were directed at individuals—both Russian and Crimean.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-19/australia-sanctions-russia-ukraine/5331826 |title=Australia imposes sanctions on Russians after annexation of Crimea from Ukraine |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=19 March 2014 |access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/japan-imposes-sanctions-against-russia-over-crimea-independence/ |title=Japan imposes sanctions against Russia over Crimea independence |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=18 March 2014 |access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref> In general they prohibit the sale, supply, transfer, or export of [[Good (economics)|goods]] and technology in several sectors, including services directly related to tourism and infrastructure. They list seven ports where [[cruise ship]]s cannot dock.<ref>{{cite web|title=EU sanctions add to Putin's Crimea headache|url=https://euobserver.com/foreign/126986|work=EUobserver|date=18 December 2014 |access-date=28 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2014-60/page-1.html |title=Special Economic Measures (Ukraine) Regulations |publisher=Canadian Justice Laws Website |date=17 March 2014 |access-date=30 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/international-relations/security/sanctions/Pages/consolidated-list.aspx |title=Australia and sanctions – Consolidated List – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |publisher=Dfat.gov.au |date=25 March 2015 |access-date=29 March 2015 |archive-date=29 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229083957/https://www.dfat.gov.au/international-relations/security/sanctions/Pages/consolidated-list.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/cfsp/142174.pdf |title=Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with the Council Decision 2014/145/CFSPconcerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine |publisher=European Union|date=11 April 2014 |access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref> Sanctions against individuals include travel bans and asset freezes. [[Visa Inc.|Visa]] and [[MasterCard]] temporarily stopped service in Crimea in December 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=Crimea hit by multiple sanctions as power, transport and banking communications are cut off|url=http://www.kyivpost.com/content/kyiv-post-plus/crimea-hit-by-multiple-sanctions-as-power-transport-and-banking-communications-are-cut-off-376206.html|access-date=28 March 2015|work=Kyiv Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Visa and MasterCard quit Crimea over US sanctions|url=http://www.euronews.com/2014/12/26/visa-and-mastercard-quit-crimea-over-us-sanctions/|access-date=28 March 2015|agency=Euronews}}</ref> The Russian national payment card system allows Visa and MasterCard cards issued by Russian banks to work in Crimea.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Makortoff |first1=Kalyeena |last2=correspondent |first2=Kalyeena Makortoff Banking |date=2022-03-06 |title=Mastercard and Visa block in Russia does not stop domestic purchases |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/mar/06/russians-visa-mastercard-ban-domestic-purchases-mir |access-date=2024-07-24 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-07 |title=What happened to Russian fintech after the global 'cancelling' |url=https://www.finextra.com/blogposting/23521/what-happened-to-russian-fintech-after-the-global-cancelling |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Finextra Research |language=en}}</ref> The [[Mir (payment system)|Mir payment system]] operated by the [[Central Bank of Russia]] operates in Crimea<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cards of Russia's Mir payment system will start working in Crimea in December — official |url=https://tass.com/economy/810614 |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=TASS}}</ref> as well as MasterCard<ref>{{Cite web |title=MasterCard ready to resume operation in Crimea after sanctions lifted |url=https://tass.com/russia/773646 |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=TASS}}</ref> and Visa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Operations with Visa, MasterCard cards may resume in Crimea by year-end — NSPC CEO |url=https://tass.com/economy/797272 |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=TASS}}</ref> However, there are no major international banks in Crimea.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine-crisis-crimea-banks-idUSL6N0N01X620140409|title=Sanctions trump patriotism for Russian banks in Crimea|date=9 April 2014|work=Reuters|access-date=1 August 2019}}</ref>

== Politics ==
{{main|Politics of Crimea|Political status of Crimea}}
{{see also|Federal subjects of Russia|Administrative divisions of Ukraine}}
Crimea is Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia; Ukraine has not relinquished title over the Crimean territory since [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|the events of 2014]], and Crimea is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="UNGA" /><ref name="INTLCOM" /><ref name="UKRMFA" /> They exercise administration of the [[Autonomous Republic of Crimea#Government and administration|Autonomous Republic of Crimea]] from Kyiv in the [[Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories]]. Ukrainian president [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]] drew attention to this fact in August 2022 when he stated that it was "necessary to liberate Crimea" from Russian occupation and to re-establish "world law and order".<ref name="abcky">{{cite news |title=Kyiv vows to restore Ukrainian rule over Crimea to re-establish 'world law and order' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-24/kyiv-vows-to-restore-ukrainian-rule-in-russia-annexed-crimea/101363692 |publisher=ABC NEWS |date=23 August 2022}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{main|Demographics of Crimea}}
{{Historical populations|1897|546592|1926|713823|1939|1126429|1959|1201517|1970|1813502|1979|2182927|1989|2430495|2001|2401209|2014|2284400|2021|2482450|type=|footnote=Source: Census data}}

{{As of|2014}}, the total population of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol was 2,248,400 people (Republic of Crimea: 1,889,485; Sevastopol: 395,000).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.krymedia.ru/society/3365334-Results-of-Census-Population-of-Crimea-is-2284-Million-People |title=Results of Census: Population of Crimea is 2.284 Million People – Information agency "Krym Media" |access-date=13 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104175105/http://en.krymedia.ru/society/3365334-Results-of-Census-Population-of-Crimea-is-2284-Million-People |archive-date=4 November 2015 }}</ref> This was down from the [[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian Census]] figure of 2,376,000 (Autonomous Republic of Crimea: 2,033,700; Sevastopol: 342,451).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/regions/reg_crym/ |title= Regions of Ukraine / Autonomous Republic of Crimea |access-date=16 December 2006 |work=[[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian Census]] }}</ref>

According to the 2014 Russian census, 84% of Crimean inhabitants named Russian as their native language; 7.9% Crimean Tatar; 3.7% [[Tatar language|Tatar]]; and 3.3% Ukrainian.<ref name="2014 Russian Census">{{Cite web |date=14–25 October 2014 |script-title=ru:Таблицы с итогами Федерального статистического наблюдения "Перепись населения в Крымском федеральном округе" |trans-title=Tables with the results of the Federal Statistical Observation "Population Census in the Crimean Federal District" |publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Rosstat]] |format=[[.xlsx]] |url=https://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/demo/perepis_krim/tab-krim.htm |access-date=8 July 2024 |website=gks.ru |language=ru }}</ref> It was the first official census in Crimea since a Ukrainian-held census in 2001.<ref name="dt">{{cite news|title=Census of the population is transferred to 2016 |url=http://dt.ua/UKRAINE/perepis-naselennya-pereneseno-na-2016-rik-128768_.html|access-date=7 March 2014|newspaper=[[Zerkalo Nedeli|Dzerkalo Tzhnia]] |date=20 September 2013|language=uk|archive-date=2 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702211328/http://dt.ua/UKRAINE/perepis-naselennya-pereneseno-na-2016-rik-128768_.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to the 2001 census, 77% of Crimean inhabitants named [[Russian language in Ukraine|Russian as their native language]]; 11.4% Crimean Tatar; and 10.1% Ukrainian.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/language/Crimea/ |title= Results / General results of the census / Linguistic composition of the population / Autonomous Republic of Crimea |work=[[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian Census]] }}</ref> In 2013, however, the Crimean Tatar language was estimated to be on the brink of extinction, being taught in Crimea in only about 15 schools at that time. Turkey provided the greatest support to Tatars in Ukraine, which had been unable to resolve the problem of education in their mother tongue in Crimea, by bringing the schools to a modern state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avrupatimes.com/culture/3676-crimean-tatar-language-in-danger.html|title=Crimean Tatar language in danger|publisher=avrupatimes.com|date=19 February 2013|access-date=31 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.ethnologue.com/16/show_language.asp?code=crh |title=Crimean Tatar |publisher=[[Ethnologue]] |year=2009 |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305022912/http://archive.ethnologue.com/16/show_language.asp?code=crh |archive-date=5 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The ethnic composition of Crimea's population has changed dramatically since the early 20th century. The 1897 [[Russian Empire Census]] for the [[Taurida Governorate]] reported 196,854 (13.06%) Crimean Tatars, 404,463 (27.94%) Russians and 611,121 (42.21%) Ukrainians. But these numbers included Berdyansky, Dneprovsky and Melitopolsky [[uyezds]], which were on the mainland, not in Crimea. 
[[File:Roman Catholic Church in Kerch, Ukraine b.jpg|thumb|Catholic Church of Santa Maria Assunta in [[Kerch]], reference for the [[Italians of Crimea]]]] 

At the beginning of the 19th century, [[Italian diaspora|Italian emigration]] to the Crimea came from various Italian regions ([[Liguria]], [[Campania]], [[Apulia]]), with immigrants settling mainly in the coastal cities of the [[Black Sea]] and the [[Sea of Azov]], as well as in [[Odesa]], [[Mykolaiv]], [[Sevastopol]], [[Mariupol]], [[Berdiansk]] and [[Taganrog]]. With the [[October Revolution]] of 1917, with which the [[Russian Empire]] became the [[Soviet Union]], a bitter period began for minorities in Russia. [[Italians of Crimea]] therefore faced much repression. Between 1936 and 1938, during [[Joseph Stalin]]'s [[Great Purge]], many Italians were accused of [[espionage]] and were arrested, tortured, deported or executed. The few survivors were allowed to return to Kerch in the 1950s and 1960s during [[Nikita Khrushchev]]'s administration. The descendants of the surviving Italians of Crimea currently account for {{Circa|300}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Europa e Mediterraneo d'Italia. L'italiano nelle comunità storiche da Gibilterra a Costantinopoli - 10. Gli italiani di Crimea {{!}} Treccani, il portale del sapere |url=https://www.treccani.it/magazine/lingua_italiana/articoli/scritto_e_parlato/Europa11.html |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=www.treccani.it |language=it-IT}}</ref> people, mainly residing in Kerch.
The population number excluding these uyezds is given in the table below.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right; font-size:80%; width=100%"
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;" valign="top"
! rowspan="1" |Date
!1785 <ref name=":03">{{Cite book|last=O'Neill|first=Kelly Ann|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NZ47DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA30 |publisher=Yale University Press |title=Claiming Crimea: A History of Catherine the Great's Southern Empire |date=2017|isbn=978-0-300-23150-2|location=New Haven|pages=30|oclc=1007823334}}</ref>
!1795 <ref name=":03" />
!1816 <ref name=":03" />
!1835 <ref name=":03" />
!1850 <ref name=":03" />
!1864 <ref name=":03" /><!-- Russia % includes Ukrainians -->
! colspan="2" |[[Russian Empire Census|1897]]<ref>These numbers exclude the population numbers for Berdyansky, Dneprovsky and Melitopolsky Uyezds, which were on mainland. See the [[Taurida Governorate#Administrative divisions|administrative divisions of the Taurida Governorate]]</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The First General Census of the Russian Empire of 1897 – Taurida Governorate|url=http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_lan_97_uezd_eng.php?reg=1420|website=demoscope.ru|publisher=Демоскоп|access-date=18 June 2014}}<!--
{| class="wikitable"
!|
! | Taurida Governate
! | Berdyansk County
! | Dneiper County
! | Melitopol County
! | Crimea
|-
||Russians	|| 404,463	|| 55,303	|| 42,180	|| 126,017	|| 180,963
|-
||Ukrainians	|| 611,121	|| 179,177	|| 156,151	|| 211,090	|| 64,703
|-
||Tatars	|| 196,854	|| 770	|| 506	|| 1,284	|| 194,294
|-
||Belarusians	|| 9,726	|| 1,323	|| 3,005	|| 3,340	|| 2,058
|-
||Armenians	|| 8,938	|| 201	|| 47	|| 373	|| 8,317
|-
||Jews		|| 55,418	|| 8,889	|| 6,298	|| 16,063	|| 24,168
|-
||Other		|| 161,270	|| 59,055	|| 4,054	|| 26,072	|| 72,089
|-
||Total Population || 1,447,790	|| 304,718	|| 212,241	|| 384,239	|| 546,592
|-
|}--></ref>
! colspan="2" |[[First All-Union Census of the Soviet Union|1926]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_nac_26.php?reg=788|title=Демоскоп Weekly – Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.|website=demoscope.ru}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1939<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_nac_39.php?reg=68|title=Демоскоп Weekly – Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.|website=demoscope.ru}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |[[Soviet Census (1959)|1959]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr59_reg1.php|title=Демоскоп Weekly – Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.|website=demoscope.ru}}</ref><!--including Sevastopol!-->
! colspan="2" |[[Soviet Census (1970)|1970]]
! colspan="2" |1979<ref>Crimea – Dynamics, challenges and prospects / edited by Maria Drohobycky. Page 73</ref>
! colspan="2" |[[Soviet Census (1989)|1989]]<ref>Crimea – Dynamics, challenges and prospects / edited by Maria Drohobycky. Page 72</ref><ref name="census" />
! colspan="2" |[[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001]]<ref name="census">this combines the figures for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, listing groups of more than 5,000 individuals. {{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/Crimea/|title=About number and composition population of Autonomous Republic of Crimea by data All-Ukrainian population census|access-date=26 October 2015|work=[[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian Census]]}}; {{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/Sevastopol/|title=Sevastopol|work=[[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian Census]]|access-date=26 October 2015}};{{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/estimate/|title=About number and composition population of Ukraine by data All-Ukrainian Population Census 2001|access-date=26 October 2015|work=[[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian Census]]}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |[[Crimean Federal District census (2014)|2014]]<ref name="2014-Russian-census">Итоги Переписи Населения В Крымском Федеральном Округе [Censuses in Crimean Federal District], Таблицы с итогами Федерального статистического наблюдения "Перепись населения в Крымском федеральном округе" [Tables with the results of the Federal Statistical observation "Census in the Crimean Federal District"] [http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/demo/perepis_krim/tab-krim/pub-04-01.xlsx 4.1 Национальный Состав Населения] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331214907/http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/demo/perepis_krim/tab-krim/pub-04-01.xlsx |date=31 March 2022 }} [4.1. National composition of population]</ref>

|- style="background:#e0e0e0;" valign="top"
! rowspan="1" |Carried out by
! colspan="8" | [[Russian Empire]]
! colspan="12" |[[Soviet Union]]
! colspan="2" |Ukraine
! colspan="2" |Russia
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
!Ethnic group
! %
! %
! %
! %
! %
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
| align="left" | [[Russians]]
|2.2%
|4.3%
|4.8%
|4.4%
|6.6%
|28.5%
| 180,963||33.11%
| 301,398||42.2%
| 558,481||49.6%
| 858,273||71.4%
| 1,220,484||67.3%
| 1,460,980||66.9%
| 1,629,542||67.0%
| 1,450,400||60.4%
| 1,492,078||67.9%
|-
| align="left" | [[Ukrainians]]
|
|1.3%
|3.6%
|3.1%
|7%
|
| 64,703||11.84%
| 77,405||10.6%
| 154,123||13.7%
| 267,659||22.3%
| 480,733||26.5%
| 547,336||25.1%
| 625,919||25.8%
| 576,600||24.0%
| 344,515 ||15.7%
|-
| align="left" | [[Crimean Tatars]]
|84.1%
|87.6%
|85.9%
|83.5%
|77.8%
|50.3%
| 194,294||35.55%
| 179,094||25.1%
| 218,879||19.4%
| ||
| ||
| 5,422||0.2%
| 38,365||1.6%
| 245,200||10.2%
| 232,340 ||10.6%
|-
| align="left" | [[Belarusians]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2,058||0.38%
| 3,842||0.5%
| 6,726||0.6%
| 21,672||1.8%
| 39,793||2.2%
| 45,000 (e)||2.1%
| 50,045||2.1%
| 35,000||1.5%
| 21,694 ||1.0%
|-
| align="left" | [[Armenians]]
|
|.6%
|1.3%
|1.5%
|1%
|6.5%
|  8,317||1.52%
| 10,713||1.5%
| 12,923||1.1%
| ||
| 3,091||0.2%
| ||
| 2,794||0.1%
| 10,000||0.4%
|11,030 ||0.5%
|-
| align="left" | [[Jews]]
|
|2.3%
|2.3%
|2%
|2.2%
|7%
| 24,168||4.42%
| 45,926||6.4%
| 65,452||5.8%
| 26,374||2.2%
| 25,614||1.4%
| ||
| 17,371||0.7%
| 5,500||0.2%
| 3,374 ||0.1%
|-
| align="left" | Others
|13.7%
|3.9%
|2.1%
|5.5%
|5.4%
|7.7%
| 72,089||13.19%
| ||
| ||
| c.27,500||2.3%
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| 92,533||4.2%
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
| align="left" | Total population stating nationality
|
|
|
|
|
|
| colspan="2" |546,592
| colspan="2" |713,823
| colspan="2" |1,126,429
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |1,813,502
| colspan="2" |2,184,000
| colspan="2" |2,430,495
| colspan="2" |2,401,200
| colspan="2" |2,197,564
|- s
| align="left" | Nationality not stated
|
|
|
|
|
|
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" | 12,000
| colspan="2" | 87,205
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
| align="left" | Total population
|
|
|
|
|
|
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |1,201,517
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |2,458,600
| colspan="2" |2,413,200
| colspan="2" |2,284,769
|-
|}[[File:Церква Воскресіння Христового6.JPG|thumb|The [[Foros Church]] near Yalta]]

Crimean Tatars, a predominantly [[Muslim]] ethnic minority who in 2001 made up 12.1% of the population,<ref name=2001CensusUKRCR>{{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/Crimea/|title=About number and composition population of Autonomous Republic of Crimea by data All-Ukrainian population census|access-date=24 March 2014|work=[[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian Census]]}}</ref> formed in Crimea in the early modern era, after the Crimean Khanate had come into existence. The Crimean Tatars were [[Deportation of the Crimean Tatars|forcibly expelled]] to Central Asia by [[Joseph Stalin]]'s government as a form of collective punishment, on the grounds that some had joined the invading [[Waffen-SS]], forming [[Tatar Legion]]s, during World War II. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Crimean Tatars began to return to the region.<ref>Pohl, J. Otto. ''The Stalinist Penal System: A Statistical History of Soviet Repression and Terror''. Mc Farland & Company, Inc, Publishers. 1997. {{cite web |url=http://www.euronet.nl/users/sota/statshist.html |title=23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000604031122/http://www.euronet.nl/users/sota/statshist.html |archive-date=4 June 2000 }}</ref> According to the [[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 Ukrainian population census]], 60% of the population of Crimea are ethnic Russians and 24% are ethnic Ukrainians.<ref name=2001CensusUKRCR/>

[[History of the Jews in Russia|Jews]] in Crimea were historically [[Krymchaks]] and [[Crimean Karaites|Karaites]] (the latter a small group centered at [[Yevpatoria]]). The 1879 census for the Taurida Governorate reported a Jewish population of 4.20%, not including a Karaite population of 0.43%.
The Krymchaks (but not the Karaites) were [[The Holocaust in Russia|targeted for annihilation]] during [[Taurida Subdistrict|Nazi occupation]]. The Nazis [[The Holocaust in Ukraine|murdered]] around 40,000 Crimean Jews.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arad |first1=Yitzhak |title=The Holocaust in the Soviet Union |date=January 2009 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0803222700 |page=211 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DqAb5tY4Ai8C&pg=PA211}}</ref>

The number of [[Crimea Germans]] was 60,000 in 1939. During WWII, they were forcibly deported on the orders of Stalin, as they were regarded as a potential "fifth column".<ref>"[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171010115522/http://www.volgagermans.net/norka/docs/Deportation%20and%20Destruction%20Soviet%20Germans.pdf The Deportation and Destruction of the German Minority in the USSR]" (PDF)</ref><ref>"[http://jpohl.blogspot.co.uk/2006/08/on-germans-living-on-territory-of.html On Germans Living on the Territory of the Ukrainian SSR]"</ref><ref>"[http://www.goldade.net/Arrests/NKVD.pdf NKVD Arrest List] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216105025/http://www.goldade.net/Arrests/NKVD.pdf |date=16 December 2011 }}" (PDF)</ref> This was part of the 800,000 [[History of Germans in Russia, Ukraine and the Soviet Union|Germans in Russia]] who were relocated within the Soviet Union during Stalinist times.<ref>"[http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/history_culture/history/people.html ''A People on the Move: Germans in Russia and in the Former Soviet Union: 1763 – 1997''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801122713/https://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/history_culture/history/people.html |date=1 August 2020 }}. North Dakota State University Libraries.</ref> The 2001 Ukrainian census reports just 2,500 ethnic Germans (0.1% of population) in Crimea.

Besides the Crimean Germans, Stalin in 1944 also deported 70,000 [[Greeks]], 14,000 [[Crimean Bulgarians]]<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20160119131817/http://jrs.oxfordjournals.org/content/4/4/372.full.pdf The Persecution of Pontic Greeks in the Soviet Union]" (PDF)</ref> and 3,000 [[Italians of Crimea]].

;Life expectancy at birth
<gallery mode="packed" widths="200" heights="200">
File:Life expectancy in Russian subject -Republic of Crimea.png|Life expectancy in {{nobr|the Republic of Crimea}}
File:Life expectancy in Russian subject -Sevastopol.png|Life expectancy in Sevastopol
File:Life expectancy in Russia -Crimea.png|Life expectancy in Crimea and neighboring regions 
</gallery>

;Religion
{{Pie chart
|thumb=right
|caption=Religion in Crimea (2013)<ref name="2013survey">{{cite web|url=http://www.iri.org/sites/default/files/2013%20October%207%20Survey%20of%20Crimean%20Public%20Opinion,%20May%2016-30,%202013.pdf |title=Public Opinion Survey Residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea}}, The sample consisted of 1,200 permanent Crimea residents older than the age of 18 and eligible to vote and is representative of the general population by age, gender, education and religion.</ref>
|label1=[[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox]]
|value1 = 58
|color1 = DarkOrchid
|label2 = [[Islam|Muslim]]
|value2 = 15
|color2 = Green
|label3 = Belief without religion
|value3 = 10
|color3 = Honeydew
|label4 = [[Atheism|Atheist]]
|value4 = 2
|color4 = Black
|label5 = Other religion
|value5 = 2
|color5 = Yellow
|label6 = Not stated
|value6 = 13
|color6 = RosyBrown
}}
In 2013, Orthodox Christians made up 58% of the Crimean population, followed by Muslims (15%) and believers in God without religion (10%).<ref name="2013survey"/>

Following the [[2014 Russian annexation of Crimea]], 38 out of the 46 [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate]] parishes in Crimea ceased to exist; in three cases, churches were seized by the Russian authorities.<ref>[https://www.unian.info/society/10295148-russia-seeks-to-crush-ukrainian-orthodox-church-in-crimea-for-helping-resist-russification-khpg.html Russia seeks to crush Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Crimea for helping resist Russification], [[Ukrainian Independent Information Agency]] (11 October 2018)</ref> Notwithstanding the annexation, the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)]] kept control of its [[eparchies]] in Crimea.<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [http://newsru.com/religy/10mar2015/krim_upcmp.html Статус епархий в Крыму остался неизменным, заявили в УПЦ Московского патриархата] [[NEWSru]], 10 March 2015.<br />{{in lang|ru}} [https://www.rbc.ru/society/18/08/2014/570420d59a794760d3d40c5f The Ukrainian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate demanded the return of the Crimea], [[RBK Group]] (18 August 2014)</ref>

==Culture==
{{see also|Crimean legends|Crimean Tatar cuisine}}
[[File:1837. Пушкин в Бахчисарайском дворце.jpg|thumb|[[Alexander Pushkin]] in Bakhchisaray Palace. Painting by [[Grigory Chernetsov]]]]

What is thought to be the first work of literature in the [[Crimean Tatar language]], a version of ''[[Yusuf and Zulaykha]]'', was composed around the early thirteenth century, apparently by [[Mahmud Qırımlı]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Emiramzaieva |first=A. S. |date=2020 |title=ТВОРЧІСТЬ ТА ЖИТТЯ МАХМУДА КИРИМЛИ У ЛІТЕРАТУРОЗНАВЧОМУ ВИСВІТЛЕННІ: ІСТОРІЯ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ |trans-title=MAKHMUD KIRIMLI’S LIFE AND WORKS IN LITERARY ASPECT: HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVES OF STUDY |url=http://philol.vernadskyjournals.in.ua/journals/2020/1_2020/part_4/22.pdf |journal=Scientific Notes of Taurida National V.I. Vernadsky University, Series Philology. Social Communications |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=110–114 |doi=10.32838/2663-6069/2020.1-4/20}}</ref> [[Alexander Pushkin]] visited [[Bakhchysarai]] in 1820 and later wrote the poem [[The Fountain of Bakhchisaray]]. Crimea was the background for [[Adam Mickiewicz]]'s seminal work, [[The Crimean Sonnets]] inspired by his 1825 travel. A series of 18 [[sonnets]] constitute an artistic telling of a journey to and through the Crimea, they feature romantic descriptions of the oriental nature and culture of the East which show the despair of an exile longing for the homeland, driven from his home by a violent enemy.

[[Ivan Aivazovsky]], the 19th-century marine painter of Armenian origin, who is considered one of the major artists of his era was born in [[Feodosia]] and lived there for the most part of his life. Many of his paintings depict the Black Sea. He also created battle paintings during the Crimean War.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rogachevsky|first=Alexander|title=Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900)|url=http://www.tufts.edu/programs/mma/fah189/2003/alex/aboutframeset.htm|publisher=[[Tufts University]]|access-date=10 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319030420/http://www.tufts.edu/programs/mma/fah189/2003/alex/aboutframeset.htm|archive-date=19 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:ESC2016_winner%27s_press_conference_01.jpg|thumb|Crimean tatar singer [[Jamala]] dedicated her 2016 [[Eurovision]] winning song "[[1944 (song)|1944]]" to the deported Crimean Tatars]]
Crimean Tatar singer [[Jamala]] won the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2016]] representing Ukraine with her song "[[1944 (song)|1944]]", about the historic deportation of Crimean Tatars in that year by Soviet authorities.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stephens|first=Heidi|title=Eurovision 2016: Ukraine's Jamala wins with politically charged 1944|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/may/14/ukraine-wins-eurovision-jamala-1944|work=The Guardian|date=15 May 2016|access-date=18 May 2016}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200" heights="155">
File:Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovsky - The Russian Squadron on the Sebastopol Roads.jpg|Painting of the Russian squadron in Sevastopol by [[Ivan Aivazovsky]] (1846)
File:Могила поета і художника М. О. Волошина.JPG|The grave of Russian poet and artist [[Maximilian Voloshin]]
People at KaZantip.jpg|People at the [[Kazantip]] music festival in 2007
</gallery>
<!---
===Symbols===
{{Empty section|date=August 2024}}

===Media and communications===
{{Empty section|date=August 2024}}
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===Sport===
Following [[2014 Crimean status referendum|Crimea's vote to join Russia]] and subsequent [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexation]] in March 2014, the top football clubs withdrew from the [[Ukrainian football league system|Ukrainian leagues]]. Some clubs registered to join the Russian leagues but the [[Football Federation of Ukraine]] objected. [[UEFA]] ruled that Crimean clubs could not join the Russian leagues but should instead be part of a Crimean league system. The [[Crimean Premier League]] is now the top professional football league in Crimea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/uefa-backed-league-starts-play-crimea-094547026--sow.html|title=UEFA-backed league starts play in Crimea|date=23 August 2015|work=Yahoo Sports|access-date=13 February 2016|archive-date=26 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926072249/https://sports.yahoo.com/news/uefa-backed-league-starts-play-crimea-094547026--sow.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A number of Crimean-born athletes have been given permission to compete for Russia instead of Ukraine at future competitions, including [[Vera Rebrik]], the European javelin champion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1032350/ukrainian-sport-minister-urges-federations-not-to-let-athletes-switch-to-russia-without-serving-qualifying-period|title=Ukrainian Sport Minister urges Federations not to let athletes switch to Russia without serving qualifying period|date=8 December 2015|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> Due to [[Doping in Russia|Russia currently being suspended from all international athletic competitions]], Rebrik participates in tournaments as a "neutral" athlete.<ref>[http://tass.com/sport/954771 14 Russians bid to take part in IAAF World Championships], [[TASS news agency]] (5 July 2017)</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170px">
File:Hansaray1.jpg|[[Bakhchisaray Palace]]
File:Dulber Palace.JPG|[[Dulber]] Palace in [[Koreiz]]
File:Комплекс споруд Воронцовського палацу.jpg|[[Vorontsov's Palace (Alupka)|Vorontsov Palace]]
File:Лівадійський палацовий комплекс 002.jpg|[[Livadia Palace]]
File:Yalta-catholic church.jpg|Catholic church in Yalta
File:St. Volodymyr's Cathedral, Chersones.jpg|[[St. Vladimir's Cathedral, Sevastopol|St. Vladimir's Cathedral]], dedicated to the Heroes of Sevastopol ([[Crimean War]]).
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine]]
* [[Crimean Gothic]]
* [[List of cities in Crimea]]
* [[Politics of Crimea]]
* [[Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty]] of 1997

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Boardman |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Boardman (art historian) |editor2-last=Edwards |editor2-first=I. E. S. |editor2-link=I. E. S. Edwards |editor3-last=Hammond |editor3-first=N. G. L. |editor3-link=N. G. L. Hammond |editor4-last=Sollberger |editor4-first=E. |editor4-link=Edmond Sollberger |editor5-last=Walker |editor5-first=C. B. F. |last1=Sulimirski |first1=Tadeusz |author-link=Tadeusz Sulimirski |last2=Taylor |first2=T. F. |author-link2=Timothy Taylor (archaeologist) |date=1991 |title=The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries B.C. |series=[[The Cambridge Ancient History]] |volume=3 |issue=2 |chapter=The Scythians |url= |location=[[Cambridge]], [[United Kingdom]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=547–590 |isbn=978-1-139-05429-4}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |wikt=Crimea |commons=Crimea |commonscat=yes |n=Category:Crimea |q=no |s=no |b=no |v=no |voy=yes|d=Q7835}} 
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Crimea |volume= 7 |last1= Kropotkin |first1= Peter Alexeivitch|author1-link= Peter Kropotkin |last2= Bealby |first2= John Thomas | pages= 449–450}}
* [https://iccrimea.org/place/placenames.html Lists of Crimean Tartar villages emptied in the May 1944 deportations, and most of them renamed in Russian]

{{Crimea topics}}
{{Regions of the world}}
{{Portal bar|Europe|Ukraine|Russia|Geography}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Crimea| ]]
[[Category:Crimean Tatars]]
[[Category:Geographic regions of Ukraine]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Europe]]
[[Category:Turkic toponyms]]