The 1879 census for the Taurida Governorate reported a Jewish population of 4.20%, not including a Karaite population of 0.43%. . Boeing, in a statement on January 31, said that the tensions over Ukraine create an "adverse climate" for its business. Alushta Embankment. The ultimate action-packed science and technology magazine bursting with exciting information about the universe, Subscribe today and save an extra 5% with checkout code 'LOVE5', Engaging articles, amazing illustrations & exclusive interviews, Issues delivered straight to your door or device. [62] Sunn pestsespecially Eurygaster integriceps[63] and E. maura[64]are significant grain pests. The number of Crimea Germans was 60,000 in 1939. 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. Since that time, Crimea has existed as a semi-autonomous region of the Ukrainian nation, with strong political bonds to Ukraine and equally strong cultural ties to Russia. And Crimea which rests about 200 miles (322 km) northwest of Sochi, Russia enjoys the same mild, year-round climate as the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Catherine the Great's incorporation of the Crimea in 1783 into the Russian Empire increased Russia's power in the Black Sea area. But propaganda aside, perhaps the answer is more simple: oil and gas. Ukraine's economic significance for Russia and the West. The autonomous republic was dissolved in 1945, and Crimea became an oblast of the Russian SFSR. According to National Geographic, Crimea was among the top 20 travel destinations in 2013. Road- and rail-bridges cross the northern part of Syvash. After the Soviets regained control in 1944, they deported the Crimean Tartars and several other nationalities to elsewhere in the USSR. At the mouth of the Bug stood Olvia. The resources of the region can ultimately add further steam to the Russian economy, which in 2021 looked to fuel, energy and steel for 65% of its exports. Russia is opposed to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) in its backyard, a position which is non-negotiable. In 1944, Crimean Tatars were ethnically cleansed and deported under the orders of Joseph Stalin, in what has been described as a cultural genocide. 1. natural resources - resources (actual and potential) supplied by nature. The U.S. and Europe have maintained sanctions against Russia since its initial invasion of Crimea . ", "About number and composition population of Autonomous Republic of Crimea by data All-Ukrainian population census", "About number and composition population of Ukraine by data All-Ukrainian Population Census 2001", The Deportation and Destruction of the German Minority in the USSR, On Germans Living on the Territory of the Ukrainian SSR, The Persecution of Pontic Greeks in the Soviet Union, "Public Opinion Survey Residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea", Russia seeks to crush Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Crimea for helping resist Russification, , , The Ukrainian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate demanded the return of the Crimea, "Eurovision 2016: Ukraine's Jamala wins with politically charged 1944", "UEFA-backed league starts play in Crimea", "Ukrainian Sport Minister urges Federations not to let athletes switch to Russia without serving qualifying period", 14 Russians bid to take part in IAAF World Championships, Lists of Crimean Tartar villages emptied in the May 1944 deportations, and most of them renamed in Russian, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crimea&oldid=1142337575, Russian-speaking countries and territories, Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles containing Ukrainian-language text, Articles containing Crimean Tatar-language text, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Articles with Russian-language sources (ru), Wikipedia extended-confirmed-protected pages, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Turkish-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes from October 2022, All Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2012, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2013, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with sections that need to be turned into prose from March 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2015, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, (under construction) Tavrida highway (route Yevpatoria-) Sevastopol Simferopol (SW to W N to East ring) Bilohirsk, P59 (completely within the city of Sevastopol), This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 21:17. The northwestern portion holds estimated reserves of 495.7 bcm of natural gas and 50.4 million tons of oil and condensate. An invasion force would be expected to be at least three times current levels. This bridge was damaged during an attack on October 8, 2022. According to Reuters, Crimea may nationalize oil and gas assets within its borders belonging to Ukraine, and sell them off to Russia. With Russia's movements becoming increasingly suspicious . [87][88] The Russian national payment card system now allows Visa and MasterCard cards issued by Russian banks to work in Crimea. The peninsula is connected to the Ukrainian mainland by the narrow Isthmus of Perekop. Crimea is a peninsula in Eastern Europe located on the Black Sea's northern coast and the Sea of Azov's western coast. June 18, 2020. Despite its devastation, the Crimean War was noteworthy for several advances: Florence Nightingale and Russian surgeons introduced modern methods of nursing and battlefield care that are still in use today; the Russians soon abolished their medieval system of serfdom (in which peasants were bound to serve landowners, even as soldiers); and the use of photography and the telegraph gave the war a distinctly modern cast. Livestock production includes cattle breeding, poultry keeping, and sheep breeding. For proof that the past is never really gone, you need look no further than Crimea, home to an ancient ethnic group known as the Tatars, who still wield considerable influence. The energy picture in Crimea and Ukraine is also tricky: Crimea relies on Ukraine for much of its electricity, and Europe relies on Russia for about 25 percent of its natural gas, according to CNN. Grain exports are the mainstay of Ukraine's economy. In 2014, Crimea saw intense demonstrations[30] against the removal of the Russia-leaning Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in Kyiv. [78], In the 1990s, Crimea became more of a get-away destination than a "health-improvement" destination. * Once a flourishing and wealthy colony of ancient Greeks, a trade hub for Venetians and Genoese, a center of sciences and the arts! All are natural resources that play critical roles in the clean energy technology essential to the shift away from fossil fuels that scientists say is necessary to ward off the worst consequences . A fluid backstory: Crimea is a sea-girdled peninsula of arid steppes and salty marshes. Exports, including the above, account. Fishing, mining, and the production of essential oils are also important. "If there is a conflict, as the minority, we will be the first to suffer," Usein Sarano, a Crimean Tatar, told Reuters. [48] In January mean temperatures range from 3C (26.6F) in Armiansk to 4.4C (39.9F) in Myskhor. This is second only to Norway's known resources of 1.53 trillion cubic meters. [26] It was occupied by Germany from 1942 to 1944 during the Second World War. Seventy-five percent of the remaining area of Crimea consists of semiarid prairie lands, a southward continuation of the PonticCaspian steppe, which slope gently to the northwest from the foothills of the Crimean Mountains. Natural resources are being destroyed. The 1897 Russian Empire Census for the Taurida Governorate reported: 196,854 (13.06%) Crimean Tatars, 404,463 (27.94%) Russians and 611,121 (42.21%) Ukrainians. The classical name for Crimea, Tauris or Taurica, is from the Greek (Taurik), after the peninsula's Scytho-Cimmerian inhabitants, the Tauri. Dnipropetrovsk and the Russian-Ukrainian War (E-International Relations, 2022). Rich iron ore reserves located in the vicinity of Kryvyy Rih, Kremenchuk, Bilozerka, Mariupol, and Kerch form the basis of Ukraine's large iron-and-steel industry. Estimated oil and gas deposits in the Sea of Azov are 413 million tons. Ukraine's major resources Russian-controlled areas since Feb. 24 Russia-annexed (Crimea) or separatist-controlled (Donbas) areas since 2014 Coal Metals 100 MILES Crimea Crimea Natural gas. The Belbek has the greatest average discharge at 2.16 cubic metres per second (76cuft/s). Common examples of natural resources include air, sunlight, water, soil, stone, plants, animals and fossil fuels. They were also known as slave traders who raided lands as far north as modern-day Poland. 2.5), Polybius, (Histories 4.39.4), and Ptolemy (Geographia. [94] In 2013, however, the Crimean Tatar language was estimated to be on the brink of extinction, being taught in Crimea only in around 15 schools at that point. Russia in the Black Sea. During its heyday, 27,000 children a year vacationed at Artek. This also implies that the US is nowhere near the gas race. UEFA ruled that Crimean clubs could not join the Russian leagues but should instead be part of a Crimean league system. [18] In English usage since the early modern period the Crimean Khanate is referred to as Crim Tartary.[19]. ", "Russia-Ukraine Update: Crimea Attracts More Than 4 Million Tourists Despite Annexation", "What is the Crimea, and why does it matter? According to the open source data, the Russians have a grouping of about 127,000 strong arrayed against a reported 125,000 Ukrainian troops in the country's eastern regions. Geographers generally divide the peninsula into three zones: the steppe, the Crimean Mountains, and the Southern Coast. The GenoeseMongol Wars were fought between the 13th and 15th centuries for control of south Crimea.[22]. History of construction, "Pray For Rain: Crimea's Dry-Up A Headache For Moscow, Dilemma For Kyiv", "Crimea Drills For Water As Crisis Deepens In Parched Peninsula", "Geographical Survey of the Crimean region", "Climate in Crimea, Weather in Yalta: How Often Does it Rain in Crimea? [52], The nearby Dnieper River 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. While these colossal gas reserves remain unexploited, the country is still important for gas transport from Russia to Europe. It comprises the main peninsula and a smaller peninsula known as the Kerch Peninsula. Crimea's Deputy Prime Minister hinted at the possibility. Solkhat/Staryi Krym was the old Tatar capital. Long-distance trains provided connection to every major Ukrainian cities, but also to many towns of Russia, Belarus and until the end of the 2000es even to Vilnius, Riga, Warsaw and Berlin. [48], Mean annual temperatures range from 10C (50.0F) in the far north (Armiansk) to 13C (55.4F) in the far south (Yalta). Heres how it works. Taras Kuzio is a Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, London, and Professor of Political Science at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy. [83][84][85][86] Sanctions against individuals include travel bans and asset freezes. Ukrainian president Zelenskiy drew attention to this fact in August 2022 when he stated that it was "necessary to liberate Crimea" from Russian occupation and to re-establish "world law and order". As of late 2019, known Ukrainian reserves amounted to 1.09 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, second only to Norway's known resources of 1.53 trillion cubic meters. Further east is Sudak/Sougdia/Soldaia with its Genoese fort. West: The Isthmus of Perekop /Perekop/Or Qapi, about 7km (4mi) wide, connects Crimea to the mainland. For industrial purposes inside the peninsula and beyond, the needs of the population were almost completely covered by their own reserves. [48] The Crimean mountains greatly influence the amount of precipitation present in the peninsula. In 2021, India imported coal to meet its domestic coal shortage and with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that supply chain is going to get impacted. The south coast remained Greek in culture for almost two thousand years including under Roman successor states, the Byzantine Empire (3411204 CE), the Empire of Trebizond (12041461 CE), and the independent Principality of Theodoro (ended 1475 CE). Crimea is located between the temperate and subtropical climate belts and is characterized by warm and sunny weather. Follow Marc Lallanilla on Twitter and Google+. During World War II, Crimean Tatars were deported by the thousands to serve as laborers and other menial workers in Russia under inhuman conditions about half the Tatar population reportedly died as a result. For reprint rights: Syndications Today. The Tatars didn't fare well in the Crimean War or in later conflicts, and many fled the region. The article studies the role of energy resources in the annexation of Crimea by the Russian government. 23. Iron ore reserves under the crescent flag of Islam, began to be a place where Christians were persecuted. [114], Following the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, 38 out of the 46 Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate parishes in Crimea ceased to exist; in three cases, churches were seized by the Russian authorities. As a buffer for the two conflicting blocs, Ukraine has had very difficult choices to make in the last decade. [21], 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. It was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954, on the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Pereyaslav. It has a population of 2.4 million. Actually, Crimea is being debased. Beyond the strategic importance of Crimea and Ukraine, the situation in the region is complicated by both the abundance and scarcity of certain natural resources. All the strategic positions notwithstanding, to Russia and the West, Ukraine of the future is an untouched, untapped, natural resource hotspot. Crimean Tatars, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority who in 2001 made up 12.1% of the population,[107] formed in Crimea in the early modern era, after the Crimean Khanate had come into existence. ", "Crimea opens the largest and most beautiful airport in Russia's south", "New terminal of Simferopol airport opened at Crimea", "Australia imposes sanctions on Russians after annexation of Crimea from Ukraine", "Japan imposes sanctions against Russia over Crimea independence", "EU sanctions add to Putin's Crimea headache", "Special Economic Measures (Ukraine) Regulations", "Australia and sanctions Consolidated List Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade", "Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with the Council Decision 2014/145/CFSPconcerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine", "Crimea hit by multiple sanctions as power, transport and banking communications are cut off", "Visa and MasterCard quit Crimea over US sanctions", "Sanctions trump patriotism for Russian banks in Crimea", "Kyiv vows to restore Ukrainian rule over Crimea to re-establish 'world law and order', "Results of Census: Population of Crimea is 2.284 Million People - Information agency "Krym Media", "Regions of Ukraine / Autonomous Republic of Crimea", "Census of the population is transferred to 2016", "Results / General results of the census / Linguistic composition of the population / Autonomous Republic of Crimea", administrative divisions of the Taurida Governorate, "The First General Census of the Russian Empire of 1897 Taurida Governorate", " Weekly . Russia has designs on Ukraine's natural gas pipelines. This is the main knowledge gap that this article addresses. The natural vegetation consists of scrublands, woodlands, and forests, with a climate and vegetation similar to the Mediterranean Basin. The region contains oil and gas resources, key energy pipelines, shipping lanes, and fiber-optic cables. The country gets 55 per cent of its natural gas from Russia, and the bulk of it goes through Ukraine, which earns a transit fee equivalent to $7 billion. What is it about this peninsula that makes it so desirable as a geopolitical trophy? [48] The frost-free period ranges from 160 to 200 days in the steppe and mountain regions to 240260 days on the south coast. Golitsyn Path. The Black Sea sits at an important economic and civilizational crossroads on the Eurasian landmass. There are two railroad lines running through Crimea: the non-electrified ArmianskKerch (with a link to Feodosia), and the electrified MelitopolSimferopol-Sevastopol (with a link to Yevpatoria), connecting Crimea to the Ukrainian mainland. If you're looking for a time when the geopolitical scene in Crimea was stable, you won't have much luck. Crimea has 540 MW of its own electricity generation capacity, including the 100 MW Simferopol Thermal Power Plant, the 22 MW Sevastopol Thermal Power Plant and the 19 MW Kamish-Burunskaya Thermal Power Plant. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin may have dealt the Tatars their cruelest blow: By shipping food out of Crimea to central Russia in the 1920s, Stalin starved hundreds of thousands of Tatars. In 2020, despite all pandemic-related difficulties, 6.9 million people vacationed in Crimea. Ores such as iron, titanium, and non-metallic raw materials are some of the country's major exports, and so are iron ore ($3.36 billion), corn ($4.77 billion), semi-finished iron ($2.55 billion), and seed oils ($3.75 billion), which are exported largely to China ($3.94 billion), Germany ($3.08 billion), and Italy ($2.57 billion), Poland ($2.75 billion), and to Russia ($4.69 billion). Such trading will bolster the DPR's revenues to continue fighting and increase Russia's access to natural resources at the expense of Ukraine's economic health and legitimate operations in the oil and gas sector (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2021; Intelligence Fusion, 2021; AFP, 2020; Yermolenko and Panchenko, 2021). Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. It was colonized by the ancient Greeks beginning in the seventh century BCE along with other areas of the northern Black Sea coast. Also many solar photovoltaic SES plants lie along the peninsula, in addition to a smaller facility north of Sevastopol. . At the aggravation of political situation between Russia and Ukraine, the . A look at the country's natural resources: Ukraine has the second-biggest known gas reserves in Europe, apart from Russia's gas reserves in Asia, although largely unexploited. For decades, a Soviet-era canal brought Crimea 85 percent of its freshwater from rivers on the Ukrainian mainland. For the strategy to work, the Crimean peninsula was of strategic importance. "The Crimea! [48] Maritime influences from the Black Sea are restricted to coastal areas; in the interior of the peninsula the maritime influence is weak and does not play an important role. 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). Source: Krym.Realii Together the economic and political importance of gas and oil for Russia leads to its need to maintain an energy hegemony in Europe. Furthermore, the natural gas that Russia sends to Europe travels largely through pipelines that snake across the Ukrainian landscape. Interior: Most of the former capitals of Crimea stood on the north side of the mountains. Page 72. this combines the figures for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, listing groups of more than 5,000 individuals. [34] These mountains are backed by secondary parallel ranges. [48] As well, winds from 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. Rivers: The longest is the Salhyr, which rises southeast of Simferopol and flows north and northeast to the Sea of Azov. arable land: 7.3% (2018 est.) The largest of them is Lake Sasyk () on the southwest coast; others include Aqtas, Koyashskoye, Kiyatskoe, Kirleutskoe, Kizil-Yar, Bakalskoe, and Donuzlav. [49], The climate of Crimea is influenced by its geographic location, relief, and influences from the Black sea. [65][66], Crimea also possesses several natural gas fields both onshore and offshore, which were starting to be drilled by western oil and gas companies before annexation. 2) Economical exploitation is carried out in Crimea. Economic development is slowing down. The most visited areas are the south shore of Crimea with cities of Yalta and Alushta, the western shore Yevpatoria and Saky, and the south-eastern shore Feodosia and Sudak. [48] However, most of Crimea (88.5%) receives 300 to 500 millimetres (11.8 to 19.7in) of precipitation per year. Not to be confused with, Russia underwent a series of political changes in the period of the raids. [citation needed] However, there are no major international banks in the Crimea. Marc has a Master's degree in environmental planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. But these numbers included Berdyansky, Dneprovsky and Melitopolsky uyezds which were on mainland, not in Crimea. The coast then runs south to Sevastopol/Chersonesus, a good natural harbor, great naval base and the largest city on the peninsula. Ukraine's economy, resources and the clash to lay claim to the country's bountiful rare earth elements are also the motives to influence its political leanings - Russia or Europe? Points of Interest & Landmarks Churches & Cathedrals. Just south of Kerch the new Crimean Bridge (opened in 2018) connects Crimea to the Taman Peninsula. The southern coast gradually consolidated into the Bosporan Kingdom which was annexed by Pontus and then became a client kingdom of Rome from 63 BCE to 341 CE. A series of 18 sonnets constitute an artistic telling of a journey to and through the Crimea, they feature romantic descriptions of the oriental nature and culture of the East which show the despair of an exile longing for the homeland, driven from his home by a violent enemy. [44] The North Crimea Canal, which transports water from the Dnieper, is the largest of the man-made irrigation channels on the peninsula. Here, the narrow strip of coast and the slopes of the mountains are smothered with greenery. After Ukrainian independence in 1991, the central government and Crimea clashed, with the region being granted more autonomy. Crimea, the role of energy has been neglected entirely or trivialized to the level of the gas dispute between a gas owner, Russia, and the transit actor, Ukraine. During the years of Soviet rule, the resorts and dachas of this coast served as prime perquisites of the politically loyal. After the fall of the Soviet empire, Tatars began to return to their ancestral Crimean homeland, where they now number about 250,000 roughly 12 percent of the Crimean population. Although it accounts for only 0.4% and 0.8% of the Earth's land surface and world's population respectively, the country has approximately 5% of the world's mineral resources. Presently, Russia supplies 40 per cent to 50 per cent of Europe's gas consumption via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline as well as the Ukrainian network. ), NPO Saturn with Perm PMZ; either GTD-110M modified or GTE-160 or 180 units or UTZ KTZ or a V94.2 bought by MAPNA, modified in Russian plants for PGU Thermal plants specifics. Artek is a former Young Pioneer camp on the Black Sea in the town of Hurzuf, near Ayu-Dag, established in 1925. under the crescent flag of Islam, began to be a place where Christians were persecuted. As a result of the Ukrainian water blockade of Crimea, Moscow may also be . For obvious reasons, the Crimean Tatars take a dim view of renewed Russian incursions into their homeland, and are likely to put up some resistance. Both Russia and the West see Ukraine as a prospective buffer against each other. [48] The Southern Coast is shielded from cold air masses coming from the north and, as a result, has milder winters. St. Vladimir's Cathedral, dedicated to the Heroes of Sevastopol (Crimean War). Though Crimea is recognized worldwide as a part of Ukraine, the Russian Navy has kept its Black Sea Fleet stationed at a naval base in Sevastopol (in southern Crimea) since the late 1700s. Inside these zones, countries. Marc Lallanilla has been a science writer and health editor at About.com and a producer with ABCNews.com. The US and Europe could be looking at food and energy security by trying to ensure Ukraine's tilt towards the West, but will Russia allow it? [48] For every 100m (330ft) increase in altitude, temperatures decrease by 0.65C (1.17F) while precipitation increases. In. The one industry that could be majorly impacted should the Ukraine-Russia clash intensify, is the aircraft industry, mainly because titanium is an important component used in the manufacture of aeroplanes. [48], Precipitation in Crimea varies significantly based on location; it ranges from 310 millimetres (12.2in) in Chornomorske to 1,220 millimetres (48.0in) at the highest altitudes in the Crimean mountains. [48] It is characterized by diversity and the presence of microclimates.