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Republic of Crimea (Russia)

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This article is about the partially recognized subject of the Russian Federation. For the sovereign state declared for one day in 2014, see Republic of Crimea (country). For the autonomous republic claimed by Ukraine, see Autonomous Republic of Crimea. For the peninsula, see Crimean peninsula. For Crimea, see Crimea (disambiguation).
Republic of Crimea
Republic
Республика Крым
Other transcription(s)
 • UkrainianРеспубліка Крим
 • Crimean TatarКъырым Джумхуриети
Flag of Republic of Crimea
Flag
Coat of arms of Republic of Crimea
Coat of arms
Anthem:
"Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина" (Russian)
Nivy i gory tvoi volshebny, Rodina  (transliteration)
Your fields and mountains are magical, Motherland
CountryRussia
Federal districtNot assigned to one[1]
Economic regionNot assigned to one[2]
CapitalSimferopol
Government
 • BodySupreme Council
 • Prime Minister of CrimeaSergey Aksyonov
Area
[3]
 • Total26,100 km2 (10,100 sq mi)
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)[4]
1,913,731
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK Edit this on Wikidata[5])
OKTMO ID35000000
Official languagesRussian;[6] Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar

The Republic of Crimea (Russian: Республика Крым; Crimean Tatar: Къырым Джумхуриети, Qırım Cumhuriyeti; Ukrainian: Республіка Крим) is a proclaimed republic and federal subject of Russia, which claims most of the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea, in southern Ukraine.

The subject was formerly known as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea until it reunified with the city of Sevastopol. These two regions then declared their independence from Ukraine together as a single united nation. This nation then requested accession to Russia which was granted separately: one for the former Autonomous Republic of Crimea and another for Sevastopol.[7] The former Autonomous Republic of Crimea is virtually the same as the federal subject, save for being part of Russia as a federal subject, rather than being part of Ukraine as an autonomous republic. The accession is temporarily being applied even though it has not been ratified yet.[by whom?]

The recently installed government of Ukraine, along with most other sovereign states, did not recognize the independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, which formally lasted only one day. For all intents and purposes, Ukraine still treats the region as a subdivision within Ukrainian territory subject to Ukrainian law.[citation needed]

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’).[8][9] 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[10] 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

Main article: History of Crimea

Formerly annexed by the Russian Empire, Crimea was reoccupied by the Soviet Russia in 1921 and was granted the status of autonomous republic. After World War II in 1945 the Soviet authorities deported the indigenous population of Crimean Tatars and the autonomous status of the region was stripped. In 1954, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union transferred the region to Ukraine. Ukraine restored Crimea's autonomous status in 1991 and allowed all Crimean Tatars to return. Crimea's autonomous 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."[11]

On March 11, 2014, amidst the 2014 Crimean crisis, the Crimean parliament and the Sevastopol City Council issued a letter of intent to unilaterally declare independence from Ukraine.[12] The document specifically mentioned Kosovo as a precedent in the lead part.[12]

The declaration was done in an attempt to legitimize 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.

Referendum

Main article: Crimean referendum, 2014

On March 16, 2014, a large majority (reported as 95% of those who voted) voted in favour of independence of Crimea from Ukraine and joining Russia as a federal subject.[13][14] The BBC reported that most of the Crimean Tatars that they interviewed were boycotting the vote.[13] 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.[15] The European Union, Canada, Japan and the United States condemned the vote as illegal.[13][16]

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.[17]

International recognition

Main article: International recognition of the Republic of Crimea

As of March 18, only one UN and three non-UN states have recognized the Republic of Crimea's independence: Russia, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. [citation needed]

On March 18, 2014, Russia and Crimea have signed treaty of accession of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol in the Russian Federation following President Putin’s address to the Parliament. During the transition period which will last till January 1, 2015, both sides will resolve the issues of integration of the new subjects “in the economic, financial, credit and legal system of the Russian Federation.”[18]

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Crimea

The legislative body is a 100-seat parliament, renamed the State Council of Crimea.[19]

The executive power is represented by the Council of Ministers, headed by a Chairman. The authority and operation of the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers of Crimea are determined by the Constitution of Crimea and other Crimean laws, as well as by regular decisions carried out by the Council.[20]

Justice is administered by courts.[20]

While not an official body controlling Crimea, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People is a representative body of the Crimean Tatars, which address grievances to the Crimean parliament, the Prime Minister, and international bodies.[21]

Administrative divisions

The Republic of Crimea continues to use the administrative divisions of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and is subdivided into 25 regions: 14 raions (districts) and 11 city municipalities, officially known as territories governed by city councils.[22]

Raions
1. Bakhchysarai Raion
2. Bilohirsk Raion
3. Dzhankoy Raion
4. Kirovske Raion
5. Krasnohvardiiske Raion
6. Krasnoperekopsk Raion
7. Lenine Raion
8. Nyzhnohirskyi Raion
9. Pervomaiske Raion
10. Rozdolne Raion
11. Saky Raion
12. Simferopol Raion
13. Sovietskyi Raion
14. Chornomorske Raion
 City municipalities
15. Alushta municipality
16. Armyansk municipality
17. Dzhankoy municipality
18. Yevpatoria municipality
19. Kerch municipality
20. Krasnoperekopsk municipality
21. Saki municipality
22. Simferopol municipality
23. Sudak municipality
24. Feodosiya municipality
25. Yalta municipality
 Subdivisions of Crimea

Major cities and towns

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.

Name Population Area
(in km2) 		Density
(per km2) 		Remarks
Simferopol 362,366 107.41 3,374 Capital[citation needed]
Kerch 145,319 108 1,347 Hero City, important industrial, transport and tourist center
Yevpatoria 106,840 65 1,644 Major port, rail hub, and resort city
Yalta 78,040 17.37 4,493 One of the most important resorts in Crimea[citation needed]
Feodosiya 69,786 35.2 1,983 Port and resort city
Dzhankoy 35,700 26 1,373 Important railroad connection, transportation hub, industrial zones
Krasnoperekopsk 29,700 22 1,319 Industrial city
Alushta 28,418 Resort city
Bakhchisaray 26,482 Historical capital of the Crimean Khanate
Armyansk 22,468 Industrial city

Economy

The main branches of the Crimean economy are tourism and agriculture.[citation needed] Industrial plants are situated for the most part in the northern regions of the republic. Important industrial cities include Dzhankoy, housing a major railway connection, Krasnoperekopsk and Armyansk, among others.

The most important industries in Crimea include food production, chemical fields, mechanical engineering and metal working, and fuel production industries.[20] Sixty percent of the industry market belongs to food production. There are a total of 291 large industrial enterprises and 1002 small business enterprises.[20]

The main branches of vegetation production in the region include cereals, vegetable-growing, gardening, and wine-making, particularly in the Yalta and Massandra regions. Other agricultural forms include cattle breeding, poultry keeping, and sheep breeding.[20] Other products produced on the Crimean Peninsula include salt, porphyry, limestone, and ironstone (found around Kerch).[23]

Energy

Crimea also possesses several natural gas fields both onshore and offshore, all connected to Ukraine's pipeline system.[24][25] 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:[26]

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[27] 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.

Infrastructure

Trolleybus in Simferopol
The cableway in Yalta
Public transportation

Almost every settlement in Crimea is connected with another settlement with bus lines. Crimea contains the longest (96 km or 59 mi) trolleybus route in the world, stretching from Simferopol to Yalta.[28] The trolleybus line starts near Simferopol's railway station through the mountains to Alushta and on to Yalta. The length of line is about 90 km. It was founded in 1959.

Railroad lines running through Crimea include Armyansk—Kerch (with a link to Feodosiya), and Melitopol—Sevastopol (with a link to Yevpatoria), connecting Crimea to the Ukrainian mainland.

Highways
Sea transport

The cities of Yalta, Feodosiya, Kerch, Sevastopol, Chornomorske and Yevpatoria are connected to one another by sea routes. In the cities of Yevpatoria and nearby townlet Molochnoye are tram systems.

Tourism

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 Russia. 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 realized the potential of 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. Nowadays Crimea is 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 – Eupatoria and Saki, and the south-eastern shore – Feodosia and Sudak.

Crimea possesses significant historical and natural resources and is a region where it is possible to find practically any type of landscape; mountain ranges and plateaus, grasslands, caves. Furthermore, Saki poses unique therapeutic mud and Eupatoria has vast empty beaches with the purest quartz sand.[29]

According to National Geographic, Crimea was among the top 20 travel destinations in 2013.[30]

Places of interest include

3

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Crimea

The republic is composed by a multiethnic population. The largest ethnic groups include ethnic Russians, ethnic Ukrainians, and Crimean Tatars.

Culture

Almost 100 broadcasters and around 1,200 publications are registered in Crimea, although no more than a few dozen operate or publish regularly.[31] Of them most use the Russian language only.[31] Crimea's first Tatar-owned, Tatar-language TV launched in 2006.[31]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ Президент Российской Федерации. Указ №849 от 13 мая 2000 г. «О полномочном представителе Президента Российской Федерации в федеральном округе». Вступил в силу 13 мая 2000 г. Опубликован: "Собрание законодательства РФ", No. 20, ст. 2112, 15 мая 2000 г. (President of the Russian Federation. Decree #849 of May 13, 2000 On the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in a Federal District. Effective as of May 13, 2000.).
  2. ^ Госстандарт Российской Федерации. №ОК 024-95 27 декабря 1995 г. «Общероссийский классификатор экономических регионов. 2. Экономические районы», в ред. Изменения №5/2001 ОКЭР. (Gosstandart of the Russian Federation. #OK 024-95 December 27, 1995 Russian Classification of Economic Regions. 2. Economic Regions, as amended by the Amendment #5/2001 OKER. ).
  3. ^ "Сведения о наличии и распределении земель в Российской Федерации на 01.01.2019 (в разрезе субъектов Российской Федерации)". Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  6. ^ Official throughout the Russian Federation according to Article 68.1 of the Constitution of Russia.
  7. ^ "Kremlin: Crimea and Sevastopol are now part of Russia, not Ukraine". CNN. March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  8. ^ “kır” in Nişanyan Dictionary (Turkish Etymological dictionary)
  9. ^ “*Kɨr” in Sergei Starostin, Vladimir Dybo, Oleg Mudrak (2003), Etymological Dictionary of the Altaic Languages, Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers
  10. ^ Herodotus IV.20.
  11. ^ "Constitution of Ukraine, 1996". Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Парламент Крыма принял Декларацию о независимости АРК и г. Севастополя". Государственный Совет Республики Крым. March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  13. ^ a b c BBC News – Crimea referendum: Voters 'back Russia union'
  14. ^ Crimeans vote over 90 percent to quit Ukraine for Russia | Reuters
  15. ^ "About 40% of Crimean Tatars take part in Crimean referendum – Prime Minister". ITAR-TASS. March 16, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  16. ^ Japan does not recognise Crimea vote – govt spokesman | Reuters
  17. ^ "Lawmakers in Crimea Move Swiftly to Split From Ukraine". The New York Times. March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  18. ^ "Treaty to accept Crimea, Sevastopol to Russian Federation signed". Russia Today. March 18, 2014.
  19. ^ http://www.vsarc.ru/en/news/17_03_2014_2
  20. ^ a b c d e "Autonomous Republic of Crimea – Information card". Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
  21. ^ Ziad, Waleed (February 20, 2007). "A lesson in stifling violent extremism". CS Monitor. Retrieved March 26, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Infobox card – Avtonomna Respublika Krym". Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Retrieved February 23, 2007.
  23. ^ Bealby, John T. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition. Cambridge University Press. p. 449.
  24. ^ Gloystein, Henning (March 7, 2014). "Ukraine's Black Sea gas ambitions seen at risk over Crimea". Reuters. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  25. ^ "East European Gas Analysis – Ukrainian Gas Pipelines". Eegas.com. February 9, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  26. ^ "Ukraine crisis in maps". BBC. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  27. ^ "Investment portal of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea – investments in Crimea – "Chernomorneftegaz" presented a program of development till 2015". Invest-crimea.gov.ua. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  28. ^ "The longest trolleybus line in the world!". blacksea-crimea.com. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
  29. ^ "Crimea Travel Guide". CrimeaTravel. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  30. ^ Best Trips 2013 Crimea, National Geographic Society
  31. ^ a b c Regions and territories: The Republic of Crimea, BBC News

External links

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