A historic region lying on the north shore of the Black Sea, the Crimea is now a part of Ukraine. Because of its location, the region has played an important role throughout history.

Geography

The Crimea occupies a peninsula that extends into the Black Sea. The Perekop Isthmus, which joins the peninsula to the mainland, is only 5 miles (8 kilometers) wide. Hence, the peninsula is almost entirely surrounded by water.

The northern part of the Crimea is a level steppe, or grassland. This is a continuation of the steppes of southern Ukraine. South of the steppes lie the Crimean Mountains, whose peaks rise to heights of 5,000 feet (1,500 meters). The mountains fall sharply to the coast of the Black Sea and shield the southern part of the peninsula from strong winds. The climate of the region is subtropical, making it ideal for health resorts along the Black Sea. Some of the resorts were once palaces of the Russian czars.

Yalta, on the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula, is the region's best known resort. In 1945, during World War II, it was the site of a historic conference of Allied leaders. Sevastopol, located on the southwestern coast, has long been an important naval base. Simferopol, the administrative center of modern Crimea, lies at the northern edge of the Crimean Mountains.

Economy

The steppes of the Crimea are intensively cultivated. Farms there produce wheat, cotton, and garden crops. The mountain slopes of the south are the site of vineyards, orchards, and tobacco fields. Marble and limestone are quarried in the mountains. Industries include food canning and wine making. Tourism has long been important in the economy.

History

In the 14th century the Tatars, a Turkic-speaking people, settled in the Crimea. Russia annexed the peninsula in 1783. In the mid-1850s the region was the site of the Crimean War, fought between Russia on the one side and the British, French, and Turks on the other. In 1921 Crimea was made an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union.

At the beginning of World War II there were some 200,000 Tatars in the Crimea. The Soviet government accused the Tatars of collaborating with the Germans. As a result the Tatars were deported to Siberia and Central Asia. In 1954 the Soviet government transferred Crimea to the Ukrainian republic. With the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Crimea became an autonomous republic of Ukraine. Many Tatars subsequently resettled there. Population (1998 estimate), 2,157,700.