Republic of Crimea (country)

This redirect is about a the unrecognized sovereign state declared in 2014. For other uses of the "Republic of Crimea", see Crimea (disambiguation).

Republic of Crimea Республика Крым Къырым Джумхуриети Qırım Cumhuriyeti Республіка Крим
Flag Coat of arms
Status	Recognized by Russia
Official languages	Russian Ukrainian Crimean Tatar
Ethnic groups	58.5% Russians 24.3% Ukrainians 12.1% Crimean Tatars
Government	Republic
Legislature	Supreme Council
Independence from Ukraine
• Declaration	March 11, 2014
• Referendum	March 16, 2014
• Established	March 17, 2014
• Recognition	None
Area
• Total	26,945 km2 (10,404 sq mi)
Population
• 2007 estimate	2,352,385 (142nd)
Currency	Russian ruble Ukrainian hryvnia
Time zone	UTC+2 to March 29, 2014, +4 from March 30 (EET to March 29, 2014, MSK from March 30)

The Republic of Crimea (Russian: Республика Крым; Crimean Tatar: Къырым Джумхуриети, Qırım Cumhuriyeti; Ukrainian: Республіка Крим) is an unrecognised sovereign state that claims the entirety of the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea, south of Ukraine and west of southern Russia. The country was formed after the reunification of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol into a single united nation. Both governments had previously adopted a joint resolution expressing their intention to declare independence should voters approve so in a referendum. Said referendum was eventually approved by an overwhelming majority of both regions. One day later, on 17 March 2014, both regions reunited and declared their independence. The republic is now expected to join the Russian Federation as a federal subject.

Etymology

The name Crimea derives from the name of the city of Qırım (today's Stary Krym), which served as a capital of the Crimean province of the Golden Horde. The name Krim thus traces to the Tatar word for 'steppe, hill' (Crimean Tatar: qırım - ‘my steppe, hill’, from Old Turkic, Middle Turkic qır ‘mountain top, mountain ridge; steppe, desert, level ground’). Russian Krym is a Russified form of Qırım. The ancient Greeks called Crimea Tauris (later Taurica, Ταυρική in Ancient Greek), after its inhabitants, the Tauri. The Greek historian Herodotus accounts for the name by asserting that Heracles plowed that land using a huge ox ("Taurus"). Herodotus also refers to a nearby region called Cremni or 'the Cliffs'", which may also refer to the Crimean peninsula, notable for its cliffs along what is otherwise a flat northern coastline of the Black Sea.

In English, Crimea was often referred to with the definite article, as the Crimea, until well into the 20th century.

History

Formerly part of the Russian Empire and Soviet Russia, Crimea has been a part of Ukraine since 1954, and an autonomous republic within Ukraine since 1991. Crimea's autonomy status was further reiterated in 1996 with the ratification of Ukraine's current constitution, which declared Crimea to be the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea", but also an "inseparable constituent part of Ukraine."

On March 11, 2014, amidst the 2014 Crimean crisis, the Crimean parliament and the Sevastopol City Council issued a declaration on their intent to unilaterally declare independence from Ukraine. The document with the independence declaration specifically mentioned Kosovo as a precedent in the lead part.

The declaration was done in order to legitimise a referendum on the status of Crimea where citizens were to vote on whether Crimea should apply to join Russia as a federal subject of the Russian Federation, or remain part of Ukraine.

On 16 March 2014, a large majority estimated at over 95% of all voters, voted in favour of independence of Crimea from Ukraine and joining Russia as a federal subject. The BBC reported that most of the Crimean Tatars that they interviewed were boycotting the vote. Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov stated that 40% of Crimean Tatars took part in the referendum, and according to Russian state media, polling data showed a majority of Tatars in Sevastopol voted to join Russia, with a turnout of over 50% in the city. The European Union, Japan and the United States condemned the vote as illegal.

After the referendum, Crimean lawmakers formally voted both to secede from Ukraine and ask for membership in the Russian Federation. The Sevastopol City Council, however, requested the port's separate admission as a federal city.

Geography

Crimea's southernmost point is the Cape of Sarych on the northern shore of the Black Sea, currently used by the Russian Navy.

Crimea is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea and on the western coast of the Sea of Azov, bordering Kherson Oblast from the North. There are two rural communities of Henichesk Raion in Kherson Oblast that are physically located on the peninsula, on the smaller peninsula Arabat Spit, Shchaslyvtseve and Strilkove. Although located in the southwestern part of the Crimean peninsula, the city of Sevastopol has a special but separate municipality status within Ukraine. Crimea's total land area is 26,100 km² (10,077 sq mi).

Crimea is connected to the mainland by the 5–7 kilometers (3.1–4.3 mi) wide Isthmus of Perekop. At the eastern tip is the Kerch Peninsula, which is directly opposite the Taman Peninsula on the Russian mainland. Between the Kerch and Taman peninsulas, lies the 3–13 kilometers (1.9–8.1 mi) wide Strait of Kerch, which connects the waters of the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov. The peninsula consists of many other smaller peninsulas such as Arabat Spit, Kerch peninsula, Herakles peninsula, Tarhan Qut peninsula and many others. Crimea also features other headlands such as Cape Priboiny, Cape Tarhan Qut, Sarych, Nicholas Cape, Cape Fonar, Cape Fiolent, Qazan Tip, Cape Aq Burun, and many others.

Geographically, the peninsula is generally divided into three zones: steppes, mountains and southern coast.

The Crimean Mountains in the background and Yalta as seen from the Tsar's Path.

The southeast coast is flanked at a distance of 8–12 kilometers (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. Seventy-five percent of the remaining area of Crimea consists of semiarid prairie lands, a southward continuation of the Pontic steppes, which slope gently to the northwest from the foot of the Crimean Mountains. The main range of these mountains shoots up with extraordinary abruptness from the deep floor of the Black Sea to an altitude of 600–750 meters (1,969–2,461 ft), beginning at the southwest point of the peninsula, called Cape Fiolente. It was believed that this cape was supposedly crowned with the temple of Artemis, where Iphigeneia is said to have officiated as priestess.

Uchan-su waterfall on the south slope of the mountains is the highest in Ukraine.

Numerous kurgans, or burial mounds, of the ancient Scythians are scattered across the Crimean steppes.

The terrain that lies beyond the sheltering Crimean Mountain range is of an altogether different character. Here, the narrow strip of coast and the slopes of the mountains are smothered with greenery. This "riviera" stretches along the southeast coast from capes Fiolente and Aya, in the south, to Feodosiya, and is studded with summer sea-bathing resorts such as Alupka, Yalta, Gurzuf, Alushta, Sudak, and Feodosiya. During the years of Soviet rule, the resorts and dachas of this coast served as the prime perquisites of the politically loyal.^{why here? and ref?} 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 coastline is broken by several bays and harbors. These harbors lie west of the Isthmus of Perekop by the Bay of Karkinit; on the southwest by the open Bay of Kalamita, with the ports of Yevpatoria and Sevastopol;^{(not Sevastopol)} on the north by the Bay of Arabat of the Isthmus^(nonsense) of Yenikale or Kerch; and on the south by the Bay of Caffa^(name?) or Feodosiya, with the port of Feodosiya. The natural borders between the Crimean peninsula and the Ukrainian mainland serve the saline Lake Syvash (a unique shallow system of estuaries and bays).

• 
  Sevastopol sunset
• 
  The mountain of Eklizi-Burun, near Alushta
• 
  The Crimean Mountains near the city of Alushta

Climate

Template:Must include Most of Crimea has a temperate continental climate, except for the south coast where it experiences a humid subtropical climate, due to warm influences from the Black Sea. Summers can be hot (28 °C or 82.4 °F Jul average) and winters are cool (−0.3 °C or 31.5 °F Jan average) in the interior, on the south coast winters are milder (4 °C or 39.2 °F Jan average) and temperatures much below freezing are exceptional. Precipitation throughout Crimea is low, averaging only 400 mm (15.7 in) a year. Because of its climate, the southern Crimean coast is a popular beach and sun resort for Ukrainian and Russian tourists.

Government and politics

The largest city is Simferopol with major centers of urban development including Kerch (heavy industry and fishing center), Dzhankoy (transportation hub), Yalta (holiday resort) and others.

2

Economy

Crimea possesses several natural gas fields both onshore and offshore, all connected to Ukraine's pipeline system. The inland fields are located in Chornomorske and Dzhankoy, while offshore fields are located in the western coast in the Black Sea and in the northeastern coast in the Azov Sea:

Name	Type	Location	Reserves
Dzhankoyske gas field	onshore	Dzhankoy
Golitsyna gas field	offshore	Black Sea
Karlavske gas field	onshore	Chornomorske
Krym gas field	offshore	Black Sea
Odessa gas field	offshore	Black Sea	21 billion m3
Schmidta gas field	offshore	Black Sea
Shtormvaya gas field	offshore	Black Sea
Strilkove gas field	offshore	Sea of Azov

The republic also possesses two oil fields: one onshore, the Serebryankse oil field in Rozdolne, and one offshore, the Subbotina oil field in the Black Sea.

Demographics

Russian

Culture

Russian

See also

• Declaration of Independence of Crimea and Sevastopol
• Kosovo independence precedent

External links

• crimea.ru