This article will focus on an unusual and unique corner of the globe - the beautiful Tauris! How many people live on the peninsula and what is the size of the territory of Crimea? The area, nature, ethnic and religious composition of the Crimean population will be the subjects of this information article.
Crimea: the origin of the name of the peninsula
Once upon a time, back in ancient times, where today is the south of Crimea, there were the most ancient settlements of the Taurians. Even then, the peninsula bore the loud name of Taurica. The name Crimea, by which the modern world knows it, was given to ancient Taurica centuries later. This happened only at the beginning of the XIV century. Researchers suggest that this name is associated with the Mongolian city called Kyrym. And the thing is that after the Mongols took possession of the northern part of the Black Sea region, the Khan of the Horde settled in this city and named his possessions in honor of his native land.
There is another version of the origin of the name. Perhaps there is a connection between the Crimea and the Isthmus of Perekop. After all, in Turkic"perekop" sounds like "kyrym", that is, "ditch". During the Middle Ages, the peninsula was renamed Tavria. This name was somewhat changed after its territory was annexed to the Russian Empire. Since the end of the 18th century, the peninsula with the edge closest to it was called Tauris.
What is the total area of Crimea? This will be discussed further.
Territory of Crimea: area and geographical location
Crimea is washed by two seas at once: Azov and Black. The coastline of the peninsula reaches 2.5 thousand kilometers! Half of this length refers to the Sivash.
The shape of Crimea resembles an irregular quadrangle. Actually, why is Crimea called a peninsula, and not a full-fledged island? The point is the Perekop Isthmus, 8 km wide, which connects it to the mainland. At this point, the extreme northern point of the peninsula is located. The southern one is located on Cape Sarych.
What is the area of Crimea? As for the length of sea and land borders, it is 2,500 kilometers. If you connect your imagination, then in the silhouette of Crimea you can see a bunch of grapes, a heart or even a flying bird. The area of the Crimean peninsula is about 27 thousand square kilometers.
Nature and terrain
The area of Crimea is small, but the peninsula has a unique feature: it is an amazing variety of natural conditions and landscapes. The flora and fauna of the peninsula amaze with its beauty and richness. In Crimea, you can visit the wild steppe, enjoy the views of green vineyards or exoticvegetation of the south coast, admire the rocks of volcanic origin or go down to the karst cave.
As for the nature of the relief, Crimea can be divided into 3 parts:
• More than 7/10 is the North Crimean Plain.
• The Kerch Peninsula with its ridge-hilly plains.
• The mountainous part of the peninsula.
The main ridge of the Crimean mountains has the highest height. It is a chain of separate massifs, consisting of limestone with flat tops. Separate these massifs (yails) from each other are deep canyons.
Population of Crimea
Judging by the data for October 2014, the Crimean peninsula has about 2 million inhabitants. Over the past year, according to information received from Ukraine, about 20.5 thousand Crimeans moved to the territory of this country. However, at the same time, 200,000 people moved to Crimea from the Lugansk and Donetsk regions. There are about 50,000 foreigners living and working on the peninsula.
Even at the end of the 18th century, most of the Crimean population was represented by Tatars. However, two centuries later, the peninsula became a multi-ethnic territory inhabited by representatives of various cultures. Today, more than 100 different ethnic groups live in Crimea, the most numerous of which are Russians (68%), Ukrainians (16%), Crimean Tatars (11%), Armenians (about 1%).
The most common religion in Crimea is Orthodoxy. Slightly fewer Muslims, there are also Protestants and Catholics, Jews.
Processesurbanization on the peninsula
According to 2014, the number of urban residents of the peninsula was 1.3 million people, or 58% of the total population. Over the past 15 years, the number of citizens has decreased significantly. This indicator is a consequence of the fact that absolutely all urban-type settlements of the republic in 2014 were legally assigned to the number of villages.
The nationality that prevails in numbers on the peninsula is Russian. There are more of them among the townspeople, but not among the rural population. There are still fewer of them in the villages, because Ukrainians and, of course, Crimean Tatars predominate there.
Curious facts about the peninsula
1. Crimea is a unique peninsula, the area of which simultaneously accommodates 3 natural zones. These are subtropics, mountains and steppes.
2. The flora of Crimea includes 240 species of unique vegetation, characteristic only of its territory.
3. Crimea also distinguished itself by the longest public transport route: the length of the trolleybus route between the cities of Simferopol and Y alta is almost 90 km!
4. "Krymtrolleybus" is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for one more parameter. True, this can hardly be called an achievement. The transport fleet is almost completely worn out, and the average age of a local trolleybus is 26 years, which is a definite record in the world!
5. Surprisingly, the peninsula has the shortest tram line. It does not even reach two in length.kilometers, and the purpose of its creation is one - to quickly transport tourists to the seashore.
6. There is a solar power plant on the peninsula. Yes, not simple, but the most powerful in the whole world! The Austrians built it on the territory of the village of Perovo in 2011.
7. Representatives of about 130 nationalities live in Crimea today!
Conclusion
Now you know everything about the area of Crimea and the population of this marvelous peninsula. It goes deep into the Black Sea and is almost completely isolated from the land. The area of Crimea is 27 thousand square kilometers. Almost two million people live in this territory.
The area of Crimea, as you can estimate, is quite small. However, the territory of the peninsula boasts a unique variety of landscapes, flora and fauna.
