128-528: The recorded history of the Crimean Peninsula , historically known as Tauris , Taurica ( Greek : Ταυρική or Ταυρικά ), and the Tauric Chersonese ( Greek : Χερσόνησος Ταυρική , "Tauric Peninsula"), begins around the 5th century BCE when several Greek colonies were established along its coast, the most important of which was Chersonesos near modern day Sevastopol , with Scythians and Tauri in
256-586: A 1997 treaty allowed Russia to continue basing its fleet in Sevastopol. In 2014, the peninsula was occupied by Russian forces and annexed by Russia , but most countries recognise Crimea as Ukrainian territory. In English, the omission of the definite article ("Crimea" rather than "the Crimea") became common during the later 20th century. The spelling "Crimea" is from the Italian form, la Crimea , since at least
384-666: A center of Byzantine slave trade . Slavs ( saqaliba ) were sold to Byzantium and other places in Anatolia and the Middle East during this period. In the mid-10th century, the eastern area of Crimea was conquered by Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev and became part of the Kievan Rus' principality of Tmutarakan . The peninsula was wrested from the Byzantines by the Kievan Rus' in the 10th century;
512-656: A cultural genocide. Crimea was downgraded to an oblast in 1945. In 1954, the USSR transferred the oblast to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on the 300th anniversary of the Pereyaslav Treaty in 1654. After Ukrainian independence in 1991, the central government and the Republic of Crimea clashed, with the region being granted more autonomy . The Soviet fleet in Crimea was also in contention , but
640-577: 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 . South: In the south, between the Crimean Mountains and the sea runs a narrow coastal strip which was held by the Genoese and (after 1475) by the Turks. Under Russian rule it became a kind of riviera . In Soviet times
768-520: A great 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 90 km (56 mi) 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
896-550: A major Byzantine outpost, Chersonesus , was taken in 988 CE. A year later, Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev accepted the hand of Emperor Basil II 's sister Anna in marriage, and was baptized by the local Byzantine priest at Chersonesus, thus marking the entry of Rus' into the Christian world . Chersonesus Cathedral marks the location of this historic event. During the collapse of the Byzantine state some cities fell to its creditor
1024-503: A moderate continental climate with short but cold winters and moderately hot dry summers. In the central and mountainous areas the climate is transitional between the continental climate to the north and the Mediterranean climate to the south. Winters are mild at lower altitudes (in the foothills) and colder at higher altitudes. Summers are hot at lower altitudes and warm in the mountains. A subtropical, Mediterranean climate dominates
1152-463: A political scientist and the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev , said of his motivation, "it was somewhat symbolic, somewhat trying to reshuffle the centralized system and also, full disclosure, Nikita Khrushchev was very fond of Ukraine, so I think to some degree it was also a personal gesture toward his favorite republic. He was ethnically Russian, but he really felt great affinity with Ukraine." Sergei Khrushchev , Khrushchev's son, claimed that
1280-461: A poster commemorating the event proclaimed. Other reasons given were the integration of the economies of Ukraine and Crimea and the idea that Crimea was a natural extension of the Ukrainian steppes . There was also a desire to repopulate parts of Crimea with Slavic peoples, mainly Russians and Ukrainians, after the peninsula was subject to large-scale deportations of Crimean Tatars to Central Asia by
1408-668: A tributary of the Salhyr), the Uchan-su , and the Ulu-Uzen'. The longest river of Crimea is the Salhyr at 204 km (127 mi). The Belbek has the greatest average discharge at 2.16 cubic metres per second (76 cu ft/s). The Alma and the Kacha are the second- and third-longest rivers. There are more than fifty salt lakes and salt pans on the peninsula. The largest of them is Lake Sasyk (Сасык) on
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#17328521879211536-728: 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
1664-711: 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 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. According to
1792-530: Is flanked at a distance of 8–12 kilometres (5.0–7.5 mi) from the sea by a parallel range of mountains: the Crimean Mountains. These mountains are backed by 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 600–1,545 metres (1,969–5,069 ft), beginning at the southwest point of the peninsula, called Cape Fiolent . Some Greek myths state that this cape
1920-608: 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
2048-628: 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 5–7 kilometres (3.1–4.3 mi) wide. Much of the natural border between the Crimean Peninsula and the Ukrainian mainland comprises
2176-731: Is rare for the weather to drop below freezing except in the mountains, where there is usually snow. In July mean temperatures range from 15.4 °C (59.7 °F) in Ai-Petri to 23.4 °C (74.1 °F) in the central parts of Crimea to 24.4 °C (75.9 °F) in Myskhor. The frost-free period ranges from 160 to 200 days in the steppe and mountain regions to 240–260 days on the south coast. Precipitation in Crimea varies significantly based on location; it ranges from 310 millimetres (12.2 in) in Chornomorske to 1,220 millimetres (48.0 in) at
2304-484: 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/ 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
2432-550: Is Крим ( Krym ). The city Staryi Krym ('Old Crimea'), served as a capital of the Crimean province of the Golden Horde . Between 1315 and 1329 CE, the Arab writer 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", apparently in reference to the peninsula, although some sources hold that the name of
2560-467: The 300th anniversary of the 1654 Treaty of Pereyaslav , called the "Reunification of Ukraine with Russia" in the Soviet Union. It was also attributed to Communist Party first secretary Nikita Khrushchev , although the person who signed the document was Chairman Kliment Voroshilov , the Soviet Union's de jure head of state . The transfer had taken place on the basis of "the integral character of
2688-524: The Black Death to Western Europe. After Timur destroyed a Mongol Golden Horde army in 1399, the Crimean Tatars founded an independent Crimean Khanate under Hacı I Giray (a descendant of Genghis Khan ) by 1443. Hacı I Giray and his successors reigned first at Qırq Yer , then – from the beginning of the 15th century – at Bakhchisaray . The Crimean Tatars controlled the steppes that stretched from
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#17328521879212816-1101: The Black Sea Coast. The Crimean War (1853–1856), a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire , the British Empire , the Ottoman Empire , the Kingdom of Sardinia , and the Duchy of Nassau , was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining Ottoman Empire . Russia and the Ottoman Empire went to war in October 1853 over Russia's rights to protect Orthodox Christians . To stop Russia's conquests, France and Britain entered in March 1854. While some of
2944-628: The 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 Venetians and by the Genovese , but the interior was much less stable, enduring a long series of conquests and invasions . In the medieval period, it was partially conquered by Kievan Rus' whose prince
3072-675: The Crimean ASSR was created as an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR . During World War II , Crimea was occupied by Germany until 1944. The ASSR was downgraded to an oblast within the Russian SFSR in 1945 following the ethnic cleansing of the Crimean Tatars by the Soviet regime, and in 1954, Crimea was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR as part of celebrations of the 300th anniversary of
3200-802: The Crimean slave trade . In 1774, the Ottoman Empire was defeated by Catherine the Great . After two centuries of conflict, the Russian fleet had destroyed the Ottoman navy and the Russian army had inflicted heavy defeats on the Ottoman land forces. The ensuing Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca forced the Sublime Porte to recognize the Tatars of the Crimea as politically independent. Catherine
3328-764: The Danubian Principalities and in the Black Sea, allied troops landed in Crimea in September 1854 and besieged the city of Sevastopol , home of the Tsar's Black Sea Fleet and the associated threat of potential Russian penetration into the Mediterranean. After extensive fighting throughout Crimea, the city fell on 9 September 1855. The war ended with a Russian loss in February 1856. Crimean Peninsula Crimea ( / k r aɪ ˈ m iː ə / kry- MEE -ə )
3456-578: 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 and Poland-Lithuania were often the target of slave raids during this period. In 1783, after the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), the Russian Empire annexed Crimea . Crimea's strategic position led to
3584-577: The Golden Horde , the city now known as Staryi Krym . Trebizond's Perateia soon became the Principality of Theodoro and Genoese Gazaria , respectively sharing control of the south of Crimea until the Ottoman intervention of 1475. In the 13th century the Republic of Genoa seized the settlements that their rivals, the Venetians , had built along the Crimean coast and established themselves at Cembalo (present-day Balaklava), Soldaia (Sudak), Cherco (Kerch) and Caffa (Feodosiya), gaining control of
3712-541: The International Transport Workers' Federation , as of 2013 there were at least 12 operating merchant seaports in Crimea. In 2016 Crimea had Nominal GDP of US$ 7 billion and US$ 3,000 per capita. 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
3840-611: The Khazars , who invaded the Crimea in the mid-8th century; the Crimean Tatar language forms part of the Kipchak or Northwestern branch of the Turkic languages , although it shows substantial Oghuz influence due to historical Ottoman Turkish presence in the Crimea. A small enclave of Crimean Karaites , a people of Jewish descent practising Karaism who later adopted a Turkic language, formed in
3968-648: The Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus in 63 BC as a reward for the assistance rendered to the Romans in their war against his father. In 15 BC, it was once again restored to the king of Pontus, but from then ranked as a tributary state of Rome. In the 2nd century BC, the eastern part of Taurica became part of the Bosporan Kingdom , before becoming a client kingdom of the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC. During
History of Crimea - Misplaced Pages Continue
4096-420: The Kuban to the Dniester River , but they were unable to take control of the commercial Genoese towns in the Crimea. In 1462, Kaffa recognized Polish suzerainty, though this suzerainty was only nominal. After the Crimean Tatars asked for help from the Ottomans , an Ottoman invasion of the Genoese towns led by Gedik Ahmed Pasha in 1475 brought Kaffa and the other trading towns under their control. After
4224-419: The Mongol invasion of Europe , the north and centre of Crimea fell to the Mongol Golden Horde , and in the 1440s the Crimean Khanate formed out of the collapse of the horde 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 was frequent raids into Russia for slaves for
4352-410: The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union transferred the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR . The territory had been recognized within the Soviet Union as having "close ties" to the Ukrainian SSR, and the transfer commemorated the Union of Russia and Ukraine Tercentenary . Amidst the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Ukrainian SSR seceded from
4480-551: The Republic of Crimea declared independence from Ukraine following a disputed referendum supporting reunification. Russia then formally annexed Crimea , although most countries recognise Crimea as part of Ukraine. Archaeological evidence of human settlement in Crimea dates back to the Middle Paleolithic . Neanderthal remains found at Kiyik-Koba Cave have been dated to about 80,000 BP . Late Neanderthal occupations have also been found at Starosele (c. 46,000 BP) and Buran Kaya III (c. 30,000 BP). Archaeologists have found some of
4608-538: The Republic of Genoa who also conquered cities controlled by its rival the Venice . During the entirety of this period, the urban areas were Greek-speaking and eastern Christian . Throughout the ancient and medieval period the interior and north of Crimea was occupied by a changing cast of invading steppe nomads , such as the Tauri , Cimmerians , Scythians , Sarmatians , Crimean Goths , Anglo-Saxons , Alans , Bulgars , Huns , Khazars , Kipchaks and Mongols . The Bosporan Kingdom had exercised some control of
4736-461: The Russian SFSR and the Ukrainian SSR had given their consent to the transfer of Crimea and so had complied with Article 18 of the Soviet Constitution which stated that "the territory of a Union Republic may not be altered without its consent.", with the proceedings of the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium meeting indicate that both the Russian SFSR and the Ukrainian SSR had given their consent via their republic parliaments, although Kramer also said that
4864-416: The Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774, saw the capture of 20,000 slaves. The Crimean Tatars as an ethnic group dominated the Crimean Khanate from the 15th to the 18th centuries. They descend from a complicated mixture of Turkic peoples who settled in the Crimea from the 8th century, presumably also absorbing remnants of the Crimean Goths and the Genoese . Linguistically, the Crimean Tatars are related to
4992-407: The Soviet Black Sea Fleet , ending the protracted Black See Fleet dispute and allowing Russia to continue basing its Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol with the lease extended in 2010. Crimea's status is disputed. In 2014, Crimea saw intense demonstrations against the removal of the Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych culminating in pro-Russian forces occupying strategic points in Crimea and
5120-475: The Strait of Kerch as the Κιμμερικὸς Βόσπορος ( Kimmerikos Bosporos , romanized spelling: Bosporus Cimmerius ), its easternmost part as the Κιμμέριον Ἄκρον ( Kimmerion Akron , Roman name: Promontorium Cimmerium), as well as to the city of Cimmerium and thence the name of the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (Κιμμερικοῦ Βοσπόρου). The recorded history of Crimea begins around 5th century BCE when several Greek colonies were established on its south coast ,
5248-417: The Supreme Soviet of Ukraine added Crimea to article 18 of the 1937 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR. Sevastopol became a closed city due to its importance as the port of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet and was attached to the Crimean Oblast only in 1978. Mark Kramer professor of Cold War Studies at Harvard University countered that new sources have emerged showing that the republic parliaments of both
History of Crimea - Misplaced Pages Continue
5376-517: 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 and 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
5504-399: The Taurida Oblast in 1784 but in 1796 it was divided into two counties and attached it to the Novorossiysk Governorate , with a new Taurida Governorate established in 1802 with its capital at Simferopol. The governorate included both Crimea as well as larger adjacent areas of the mainland. In 1826 Adam Mickiewicz published his seminal work The Crimean Sonnets after travelling through
5632-414: The Treaty of Pereyaslav , called the "reunification of Ukraine with Russia" in the USSR. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the Republic of Crimea was formed in 1992, although the republic was abolished in 1995, with the Autonomous Republic of Crimea established firmly under Ukrainian authority and Sevastopol being administered as a city with special status . A 1997 treaty partitioned
5760-402: The classical world and the steppe . Greeks colonized its southern fringe and were absorbed by the Roman and Byzantine Empires and successor states while remaining culturally Greek. Some cities became trading colonies of Genoa , until conquered by the Ottoman Empire . Throughout this time the interior was occupied by a changing cast of steppe nomads , coming under the control of
5888-402: The "legal system in the Soviet Union was mostly a fiction". On 27 June 2015, after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation accepted the request of the leader of A Just Russia party, Sergey Mironov , to evaluate the legitimacy of 1954 transfer of Crimea and stated that the transfer violated both the Constitution of
6016-400: The 13th century, some Crimean port cities were controlled by the Venetians and by the Genovese , but the interior was much less stable, enduring a long series of conquests and invasions . In the medieval period, it was partially conquered by Kievan Rus' whose prince Vladimir the Great was baptised at Sevastopol , which marked the beginning of the Christianization of Kievan Rus' . During
6144-424: The 13th century. It existed among the Muslim Crimean Tatars, primarily in the mountainous Çufut Qale area. In 1553–1554 Cossack Hetman Dmytro Vyshnevetsky (in office: 1550–1557) gathered together groups of Cossacks and constructed a fort designed to obstruct Tatar raids into Ukraine. With this action, he founded the Zaporozhian Sich , with which he would launch a series of attacks on the Crimean Peninsula and
6272-403: The 17th century 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. In English usage since the early modern period the Crimean Khanate is referred to as Crim Tartary . Today, the Crimean Tatar name of the peninsula is Qırım , while the Russian is Крым ( Krym ), and the Ukrainian
6400-443: The 1854 Crimean War and many short lived regimes following the 1917 Russian Revolution . When the Bolsheviks secured Crimea, it became an autonomous soviet republic within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic . It was occupied by Germany during World War II . When the Soviets retook it in 1944, Crimean Tatars were ethnically cleansed and deported under the orders of Joseph Stalin , in what has been described as
6528-435: The 2014 Revolution of Dignity , the territories of Sevastopol and Crimea were seized by the Russian Federation ; the annexation was formalized following a referendum in which 96% of the Crimean population is reported to have voted "Yes." This move was denounced by the Ukrainian government and disregarded by most UN states, which continue to recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine. The Venice Commission (an advisory body of
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#17328521879216656-417: The 2nd century. The camp was abandoned by the Romans in the mid-3rd century. This de facto province would have been controlled by the legatus of one of the Legions stationed in Charax. Throughout the later centuries, Crimea was invaded or occupied successively by the Goths (AD 250), the Huns (376), the Bulgars (4th–8th century), the Khazars (8th century). Crimean Gothic , an East Germanic language,
6784-399: The AD 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries, Taurica was host to Roman legions and colonists in Charax, Crimea . The Charax colony was founded under Vespasian with the intention of protecting Chersonesos and other Bosporean trade emporiums from the Scythians . The Roman colony was protected by a vexillatio of the Legio I Italica ; it also hosted a detachment of the Legio XI Claudia at the end of
6912-433: The Black Sea coast of Crimea in the 7th or 6th century BC. Theodosia and Panticapaeum were established by Milesians . In the 5th century BC, Dorians from Heraclea Pontica founded the sea port of Chersonesos (in modern Sevastopol ). The Persian Achaemenid Empire under Darius I expanded to Crimea as part of his campaigns against the Scythians in 513 BCE. In 438 BC, the Archon (ruler) of Panticapaeum assumed
7040-438: The Crimean Khans fell under Russian influence. The Crimea was the first Muslim territory to slip from the sultan's suzerainty. The Ottoman Empire's frontiers would gradually shrink, and Russia would proceed to push her frontier westwards to the Dniester. The Khanate subsequently suffered a gradual internal collapse, particularly after a pogrom created a Russian aided exodus of Christian subjects who were overwhelmingly among
7168-465: The Crimean economy and the Black Sea commerce for two centuries. Genoa and its colonies fought a series of wars with the Mongol states between the 13th and 15th centuries. In 1346 the Golden Horde army besieging Genoese Kaffa (present-day Feodosiya) in the siege of Kaffa catapulted the bodies of Mongol warriors who had died of plague over the walls of the city. Historians have speculated that Genoese refugees from this engagement may have brought
7296-399: The Crimean interior in the early 13th century due to the Mongol invasions . In the summer of 1238 Batu Khan devastated the Crimean peninsula and pacified Mordovia , reaching Kiev by 1240. The Crimean interior came under the control of the Turco-Mongol Golden Horde from 1239 to 1441. The name Crimea (via Italian, from Turkic Qirim ) originates as the name of the provincial capital of
7424-566: 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 3–13 kilometres (1.9–8.1 mi). Geographers generally divide the peninsula into three zones: the steppe , the Crimean Mountains , and the Southern Coast . Given its long history and many conquerors, most towns in Crimea have several names. West: The Isthmus of Perekop / Perekop / Or Qapi , about 7 km (4 mi) wide, connects Crimea to
7552-408: The Crimean peninsula is from the Chalcolithic Ardych-Burun site, dating to the middle of the 4th millennium BC By the 3rd millennium BC, Crimea had been reached by the Yamna or "pit grave" culture , assumed to correspond to a late phase of Proto-Indo-European culture in the Kurgan hypothesis . Early Iron Age Crimea was settled by two groups separated by the Crimean Mountains , the Tauri to
7680-455: The Crimean steppes. 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 Fiolent and Aya , in the south, to Feodosia. There are many summer sea-bathing resorts such as Alupka , Yalta , Gurzuf , Alushta , Sudak , and Feodosia . During
7808-408: The Great's incorporation of the Crimea in 1783 from the defeated Ottoman Empire into the Russian Empire increased Russia's power in the Black Sea area. The Crimea was the first Muslim territory to slip from the sultan's suzerainty. The Ottoman Empire's frontiers would gradually shrink, and Russia would proceed to push her frontier westwards to the Dniester. From 1853 to 1856, the strategic position of
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#17328521879217936-407: The Great's incorporation of the Crimea in 1783 into the Russian Empire increased Russia's power in the Black Sea area. 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. During the Russian Civil War , Crimea changed hands many times and
8064-412: The Ottoman Turks. In 1774, the Ottoman Empire was defeated by Catherine the Great . After two centuries of conflict, the Russian fleet had destroyed the Ottoman navy and the Russian army had inflicted heavy defeats on the Ottoman land forces. The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca signed in June 1774 forced the Sublime Porte to recognize the Tatars of the Crimea as politically independent, meaning that
8192-404: The Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet transferring the Crimea Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. Taking into account the integral character of the economy, the territorial proximity and the close economic and cultural ties between the Crimea Province and the Ukrainian SSR, the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet decrees: To approve the joint presentation of the Presidium of
8320-411: The Prime Minister Georgii Malenkov through winning support of the First Secretary of the Ukrainian Communist Party Oleksiy Kyrychenko . Kramer believed that the transfer also aimed to greatly increase the number of ethnic Russians in the Ukrainian SSR which itself was going through problems integrating previous Polish territory due to organized Ukrainian nationalist resistance. Nina Khrushcheva ,
8448-465: The Russian SFSR [ Wikidata ] and the Constitution of the Soviet Union . The text of the document signed by Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Sabir Kekhlerov stated: "Neither the Constitution of the RSFSR nor the Constitution of the USSR [and, by extension, of the UkSSR] empowers the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to consider changes in the constitutional legal status of Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, which are members of
8576-480: The Russian SFSR Supreme Soviet and the Presidium of the Ukrainian SSR Supreme Soviet on the transfer of the Crimea Province from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. Consequently, amendments were made to the republican constitutions of Russia and Ukraine. On 2 June 1954 the Supreme Soviet of Russia adopted amendments to the Russian Constitution of 1937 , which, among other things, excluded Crimea from list of subdivisions enumerated in article 14, and on 17 June 1954,
8704-497: The Scythian king Scilurus . The Crimean Peninsula north of the Crimean Mountains was occupied by Scythian tribes. Their center was the city of Scythian Neapolis on the outskirts of present-day Simferopol . The town ruled over a small kingdom covering the lands between the lower Dnieper River and northern Crimea . In the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, Scythian Neapolis was a city "with a mixed Scythian-Greek population, strong defensive walls and large public buildings constructed using
8832-408: The Sea of Azov. The Alma flows west to reach the Black Sea between Yevpatoria and Sevastopol. The shorter 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 ), Gorgippia (later a Turkish port and now Anapa). At the northeast point of the Sea of Azov at
8960-424: The Soviet Union and Ukraine continued to exercise sovereignty over the territory as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea . Russia did not dispute the Ukrainian administration of Crimea for just over two decades, but retracted this stance on 18 March 2014, when Crimea was annexed by Russia after coming under Russian military occupation . The Soviet-era transfer of Crimea has remained a topic of contention between
9088-408: The Soviet regime in 1944. The transfer increased the ethnic Russian population of Ukraine by almost a million people. Prominent Russian politicians such as Alexander Rutskoy considered the transfer to be controversial. In January 1992, the Supreme Soviet of Russia questioned the constitutionality of the transfer, accusing Nikita Khrushchev of treason against the Russian people and said that
9216-582: The Soviets regained control in 1944, they deported the Crimean Tartars and several other nationalities to elsewhere in the USSR. The autonomous republic was dissolved in 1945, and Crimea became an oblast of the Russian SFSR. It was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954, on the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Pereyaslav . With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence in 1991 most of
9344-910: The Soviets replaced it with Krym ( Ukrainian : Крим ; Russian : 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 Tavriya Simferopol football club so named in 1963, and the Tavrida federal highway being built under Russian occupation from 2017. Other suggestions either unsupported or contradicted by sources, apparently based on similarity in sound, include: Strabo ( Geography vii 4.3, xi. 2.5), Polybius , ( Histories 4.39.4), and Ptolemy ( Geographia . II, v 9.5) refer variously to
9472-604: The Taurians inspired the Greek myths of Iphigenia and Orestes . The Greeks , who eventually established colonies in Crimea during the Archaic Period , regarded the Tauri as a savage, warlike people. Even after centuries of Greek and Roman settlement, the Tauri were not pacified and continued to engage in piracy on the Black Sea. By the 2nd century BC they had become subject-allies of
9600-501: The capital was extended to the entire peninsula at some point during Ottoman suzerainty (1441–1783). The word Qırım is derived from the Turkic term qirum ("fosse, trench"), from qori- ("to fence, protect"). Another classical name for Crimea, Tauris or Taurica , is from the Greek Ταυρική ( Taurikḗ ), after the peninsula's Scytho-Cimmerian inhabitants, the Tauri . The name
9728-523: The capture of the Genoese towns, the Ottoman Sultan held Khan Meñli I Giray captive, later releasing him in return for accepting Ottoman suzerainty over the Crimean Khans and allowing them rule as tributary princes of the Ottoman Empire . However, the Crimean Khans still had a large amount of autonomy from the Ottoman Empire, and followed the rules they thought best for them. Crimean Tatars introduced
9856-438: The collapse of the horde 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 frequents raids into Russia for slaves . In 1774, the Ottoman Empire was defeated by Catherine the Great with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca making the Tatars of the Crimea politically independent. Catherine
9984-513: The decision was due to the building of a hydro-electric dam on the Dnieper River and the consequent desire for all the administration to be under one body. Since Sevastopol in Crimea was the site of the Black Sea Fleet , a quintessential element of Soviet and then of Russian foreign policy, the transfer had the intended effect of binding Ukraine inexorably to Russia, "Eternally Together", as
10112-627: The deportation was part of the Soviet plan to gain access to the Dardanelles and acquire territory in Turkey , where the Tatars had Turkic ethnic kin, or to remove minorities from the Soviet Union's border regions. Nearly 8,000 Crimean Tatars died during the deportation, and tens of thousands perished subsequently due to the harsh exile conditions. The deportation resulted in the abandonment of 80,000 households and 150,000 hectares (360,000 acres) of land. The autonomous republic without its titled nationality
10240-628: The earliest anatomically modern human remains in Europe in the Buran-Kaya caves in the Crimean Mountains (east of Simferopol ). The fossils are about 32,000 years old, with the artifacts linked to the Gravettian culture. During the Last Glacial Maximum , along with the northern coast of the Black Sea in general, Crimea was an important refuge from which north-central Europe was re-populated after
10368-622: The economy, the territorial proximity and the close economic and cultural ties between the Crimea Province and the Ukrainian SSR" and to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Ukraine's union with Russia (also known in the Soviet Union as the Pereiaslav Agreement ). Mark Kramer, professor of Cold War Studies at Harvard University , also claimed that the transfer was partly to help Khruschev's then-precarious political position against
10496-531: The end of the Ice Age. The East European Plain during this time was generally occupied by periglacial loess - steppe environments, although the climate was slightly warmer during several brief interstadials and began to warm significantly after the beginning of the Late Glacial Maximum . Human site occupation density was relatively high in the Crimean region and increased as early as c. 16,000 years before
10624-553: The flow of water was restored however the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam could lead to problems with water supply again. 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 kurgans , or burial mounds , of the ancient Scythians are scattered across
10752-406: The highest altitudes in the Crimean mountains. The Crimean mountains greatly influence the amount of precipitation present in the peninsula. However, most of Crimea (88.5%) receives 300 to 500 millimetres (11.8 to 19.7 in) of precipitation per year. The plains usually receive 300 to 400 millimetres (11.8 to 15.7 in) of precipitation per year, increasing to 560 millimetres (22.0 in) in
10880-442: The hinterland to the north. The southern coast gradually consolidated into the Bosporan Kingdom which was annexed by Pontus and then became a client kingdom of Rome (63 BC – 341 AD). The south coast remained Greek in culture for almost two thousand years including under Roman successor states, the Byzantine Empire (341–1204), the Empire of Trebizond (1204–1461), and the independent Principality of Theodoro (ended 1475). In
11008-686: The influence of the Ottoman Empire, while also bordering the Russian Empire. In 1774, following the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–74 , the Russian and Ottoman empires agreed to refrain from interfering with the Crimean Khanate through the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca . In 1783, following the increasing decline of the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire annexed the Crimean Khanate . Crimea was transferred between various internal administrations within Russia. It
11136-724: The integrity of Ukraine in Simferopol at 12,000 people, opposed by several thousand pro-Russian protesters. On 27 February, Russian forces occupied parliament and government buildings and other strategic points in Crimea and the Russian-organized Republic of Crimea declared independence from Ukraine following an illegal and internationally unrecognized referendum . Russia then annexed Crimea, although most countries (100 votes in favour, 11 against, 58 abstentions) continued to recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine. Covering an area of 27,000 km (10,425 sq mi), Crimea
11264-690: The largest are the Simferopolskoye, Alminskoye, the Taygansky and the Belogorsky just south of Bilohirsk in Bilohirsk Raion . The North Crimea Canal , which transports water from the Dnieper , is the largest of the man-made irrigation channels on the peninsula. Crimea was facing an unprecedented water shortage crisis following the blocking of the canal by Ukraine in 2014. After the 2022 Russian invasion,
11392-594: 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 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 ,
11520-487: The majority of the peninsula at the height of its power, with Kievan Rus' also having some control of the interior of Crimea after the tenth century. The overseas territories of Trebizond , Perateia , had already been subjected to pressure from the Genoese and Kipchaks by the time Alexios I of Trebizond died in 1222, before the Mongol invasions began its western sweep through Volga Bulgaria in 1223. Kiev lost its hold on
11648-481: The many palaces were replaced with dachas and health resorts. From west to east are: Heracles Peninsula ; Balaklava /Symbalon/Cembalo, a smaller natural harbor south of Sevastopol; 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
11776-647: 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 Pontus in Asia Minor and later became a client kingdom of Rome from 63 BCE to 341 CE. The south coast remained Greek in culture for almost two thousand years including under Roman successor states,
11904-596: 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 Olvia . At the mouth of the estuary is Ochakiv . Odesa stands where the coast turns southwest. Further southwest is Tyras /Akkerman/ Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi . The southeast coast
12032-688: The move was originally approved by the Presidium (Politburo) of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) on 25 January 1954, paving the way for the authorizing resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union three weeks later. According to the Soviet Constitution (article 18), the borders of a republic within the Soviet Union could not be re-drawn without the agreement of
12160-523: 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, and the largest city is Sevastopol . The region has been under Russian occupation since 2014 . Called the Tauric Peninsula until the early modern period , Crimea has historically been at the boundary between
12288-493: The orders of Greek architecture". The city was eventually destroyed in the mid-3rd century AD by the Goths . The ancient Greeks were the first to name the region Taurica after the Tauri . As the Tauri inhabited only the mountainous regions of southern Crimea, the name Taurica was originally used only for this southern part, but was later extended to refer to the whole peninsula. Greek city-states began establishing colonies along
12416-579: 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. During the Russian Civil War , Crimea changed hands many times and was where Wrangel 's anti-Bolshevik White Army made their last stand in 1920, with tens of thousands of those who remained being murdered as part of the Red Terror . In 1921,
12544-543: The peninsula the maritime influence is weak and does not play an important role. 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. In winter these winds bring in cold, dry continental air, while in summer they bring in dry and hot weather. Winds from the northwest bring warm and wet air from the Atlantic Ocean, causing precipitation during spring and summer. As well, winds from
12672-722: The peninsula was reorganized as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea . A 1997 treaty partitioned the Soviet Black Sea Fleet , allowing Russia to continue basing its fleet in Sevastopol, with the lease extended in 2010. In 2014, Crimea saw demonstrations against the removal of the Russia-leaning Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in Kyiv and protests in support of Euromaidan . Ukrainian historian Volodymyr Holovko estimates 26 February protest in support of
12800-515: The practice of raids into Eastern Slavic lands (the Wild Fields ), in which they captured slaves for sale. For example, from 1450 to 1586, eighty-six Tatar raids were recorded, and from 1600 to 1647, seventy. In the 1570s close to 20,000 slaves a year went on sale in Kaffa . Slaves and freedmen formed approximately 75% of the Crimean population. In 1769 a last major Tatar raid, which took place during
12928-513: The preceding Russo-Turkish Wars, and the British and French preference to preserve the Ottoman Empire to maintain the balance of power in the Concert of Europe. It has widely been noted that the causes, in one case involving an argument over a key, had never revealed a "greater confusion of purpose" but led to a war that stood out for its "notoriously incompetent international butchery". Following action in
13056-505: The present. Proponents of the Black Sea deluge hypothesis believe Crimea did not become a peninsula until relatively recently, with the rising of the Black Sea level in the 6th millennium BC. The beginning of the Neolithic in Crimea is not associated with agriculture, but instead with the beginning of pottery production, changes in flint tool-making technologies, and local domestication of pigs. The earliest evidence of domesticated wheat in
13184-431: The republic in question. The transfer was approved by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. The constitutional change (articles 22 and 23) to accommodate the transfer was made several days after the decree issued by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. The decree was first announced, on the front page of Pravda , on 27 February 1954. The full text of the decree was: On April 26, 1954 The decree of
13312-474: 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,
13440-591: The south and the Iranic Scythians in the north. Taurians intermixed with the Scythians starting from the end of 3rd century BC were mentioned as "Tauroscythians" and "Scythotaurians" in the works of ancient Greek writers. In Geographica , Strabo refers to the Tauri as a Scythian tribe. However, Herodotus states that the Tauri tribes were geographically inhabited by the Scythians , but they are not Scythians. Also,
13568-581: 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 . Crimea is located between the temperate and subtropical climate belts and is characterized by warm and sunny weather. It is characterized by diversity and the presence of microclimates. The northern parts of Crimea have
13696-559: The southern coast at sea level. The western parts of the Crimean mountains receive more than 1,000 millimetres (39.4 in) of precipitation per year. Snowfall is common in the mountains during winter. 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. As a result, the climate favors recreation and tourism. Because of its climate and subsidized travel-packages from Russian state-run companies,
13824-499: The southern coast has remained a popular resort for Russian tourists. The Black Sea ports of Crimea provide quick access to the Eastern Mediterranean , Balkans and Middle East. Historically , possession of the southern coast of Crimea was sought after by most empires of the greater region since antiquity ( Roman , Byzantine , Ottoman , Russian , British and French , Nazi German , Soviet ). The nearby Dnieper River
13952-412: The southern coastal regions, is characterized by mild winters and moderately hot, dry summers. The climate of Crimea is influenced by its geographic location, relief, and influences from the Black Sea . The Southern Coast is shielded from cold air masses coming from the north and, as a result, has milder winters. Maritime influences from the Black Sea are restricted to coastal areas; in the interior of
14080-843: 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. Mean annual temperatures range from 10 °C (50.0 °F) in the far north ( Armiansk ) to 13 °C (55.4 °F) in the far south ( Yalta ). In the mountains, the mean annual temperature is around 5.7 °C (42.3 °F). For every 100 m (330 ft) increase in altitude, temperatures decrease by 0.65 °C (1.17 °F) while precipitation increases. In January mean temperatures range from −3 °C (26.6 °F) in Armiansk to 4.4 °C (39.9 °F) in Myskhor . Cool-season temperatures average around 7 °C (44.6 °F) and it
14208-405: The southwest coast; others include Aqtas , Koyashskoye, Kiyatskoe, Kirleutskoe, Kizil-Yar, Bakalskoe, and Donuzlav . The general trend is for the former lakes to become salt pans. Lake Syvash (Sıvaş or Сива́ш) is a system of interconnected shallow lagoons on the north-eastern coast, covering an area of around 2,560 km (988 sq mi). A number of dams have created reservoirs; among
14336-807: The summer. The largest rivers are the Salhyr (Salğır, Салгир), the Kacha (Кача), the Alma (Альма), and the Belbek (Бельбек). Also important are the Kokozka (Kökköz or Коккозка), the Indole (Indol or Индо́л), the Chorna (Çorğun, Chernaya or Чёрная), the Derekoika (Dereköy or Дерекойка), the Karasu-Bashi (Biyuk-Karasu or Биюк-Карасу) (a tributary of the Salhyr river), the Burulcha (Бурульча) (also
14464-467: The title of the King of Cimmerian Bosporus , a state that maintained close relations with Athens , supplying the city with wheat, honey and other commodities. The last of that line of kings, Paerisades V, being hard-pressed by the Scythians, put himself under the protection of Mithridates VI , the king of Pontus , in 114 BC. After the death of this sovereign, his son, Pharnaces II , was invested by Pompey with
14592-419: 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. The number of tourist arrivals reached a record in 2012 at 6.1 million. According to the Russian administration of Crimea, they dropped to 3.8 million in 2014, and rebounded to 5.6 million by 2016. 1954 transfer of Crimea In 1954,
14720-467: The transfer was illegitimate. Alexander Rutskoy , the former Vice President of Russia, said that this was a “harebrained scheme”, and that those who signed the document must have been suffering from sunstroke or hangovers. There was confusion about the status of Sevastopol and whether it was a part of the transfer as it had a degree of independence from the Crimean Oblast and never formally ratified
14848-607: The transfer, although it was later mentioned as Ukrainian territory in the Soviet Constitution and the Belavezha Accords between Ukraine and Russia. In 1994, a Russian nationalist administration under Yuriy Meshkov took over in Crimea with the promise to return Crimea to Russia, although these plans were later shelved. In a 1997 treaty between the Russian Federation and Ukraine , Russia recognized Ukraine's borders, and accepted Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea. After
14976-554: The two countries in light of the Russo-Ukrainian War , as the Russian government has stated that the Ukrainians must recognize Russia's sovereignty over the territory as part of any negotiated settlement to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine , which began in 2022. Prior to being incorporated into the Russian Empire , the Crimean Peninsula was independent under the Crimean Khanate . The Muslim Turkic Crimean Tatars were under
15104-576: The union republics. In view of the above, the decision adopted in 1954 by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and the Soviet on the transfer of the Crimean region of the RSFSR to the UkSSR did not correspond to the Constitution (Fundamental Law) of the RSFSR or the Constitution (Fundamental Law) of the USSR." The transfer of the Crimean oblast to Ukraine has been described as a "symbolic gesture", marking
15232-401: The urban classes and created cities such as Mariupol . On 28 December 1783 the Sublime Porte negotiated a trade agreement with the Russian diplomat Bulgakov that recognised the loss of Crimea and other territories that had been held by the Khanate. This increased Russia's power in the Black Sea area. Crimea went through a number of administrative reforms after Russian annexation, first as
15360-529: The war was fought elsewhere, the principal engagements were in Crimea. The immediate cause of the war involved the rights of Christian minorities in Palestine, which was part of the Ottoman Empire. The French promoted the rights of Roman Catholics, and Russia promoted those of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Longer-term causes involved the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the expansion of the Russian Empire in
15488-516: The years of Soviet rule, the resorts and dachas of this coast were used by leading politicians and served as prime perquisites of the politically loyal. In addition, vineyards and fruit orchards are located in the region. Fishing, mining, and the production of essential oils are also important. Numerous Crimean Tatar villages, mosques, 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
15616-416: Was baptized at Sevastopol starting the Christianization of Kievan Rus' . 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 Genoese colonies . The Genoese–Mongol Wars were fought between the 13th and 15th centuries for control of south Crimea. In the 1440s the Crimean Khanate formed out of
15744-406: Was downgraded to an oblast within the Russian SFSR on 30 June 1945. On 19 February 1954, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union issued a decree transferring the Crimean Oblast from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The documents which are now housed at the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF) do confirm that
15872-479: Was governed by 14 administrations during its time in the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, up to its transfer to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954. Throughout its time in the Soviet Union, Crimea underwent a population change. Because of alleged collaboration with the Germans by Crimean Tatars during World War II, all Crimean Tatars were deported by the Soviet regime and the peninsula was resettled with other peoples, mainly Russians and Ukrainians. Modern experts say that
16000-401: Was revived by the Russian Empire during the mass hellenization of Crimean Tatar place names after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate , including both the peninsula and mainland territories now in Ukraine's Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. In 1764 imperial authorities established the Taurida Oblast ( Tavricheskaia oblast ), and reorganized it as the Taurida Governorate in 1802. While
16128-449: Was spoken by the Crimean Goths in some isolated locations in Crimea until the late 18th century. In the 9th century CE, Byzantium established the Theme of Cherson to defend against incursions by the Rus' Khaganate . The Crimean peninsula from this time was contested between Byzantium, Rus' and Khazaria . The area remained the site of overlapping interests and contact between the early medieval Slavic, Turkic and Greek spheres. It became
16256-436: Was supposedly crowned with the temple of Artemis where Iphigeneia officiated as priestess. Uchan-su , on the south slope of the mountains, is the highest waterfall in Crimea. 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
16384-399: Was where Wrangel 's anti-Bolshevik White Army made their last stand. Many anti-Communist fighters and civilians escaped to Istanbul but up to 150,000 were killed in Crimea. In 1921 the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic . It was occupied by Germany from 1942 to 1944 during the Second World War . After
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