'Crimea' (
IPA: ) or the 'Autonomous Republic of Crimea' (; ; ) is an
autonomous republic of
Ukraine on the northern coast of the
Black Sea occupying a
peninsula of the same name.
The territory of Crimea was conquered and controlled many times through its history. The
Cimmerians,
Greeks,
Iranians,
Goths,
Huns,
Bulgars,
Khazars, the state of
Kievan Rus',
Byzantine Greeks,
Kipchaks, and the
Mongols all controlled Crimea in its early history. These were followed by the
Crimean Khanate and
Ottoman Empire in the 15th–18th centuries, the
Russian Empire in the 18th–20th centuries,
Germany in
World War II, and now, the independent
Ukrainian state.
The total area of the republic is 26,200 km². As of 2005, Crimea has a population of 1,994,300 inhabitants. The capital of Crimea is the city of
Simferopol.
Crimea is the homeland for the
Crimean Tatars, an ethnic minority who now make up about 13% of the population. The Crimean Tatars were
forcibly expelled to
Central Asia by
Joseph Stalin's government, but have begun returning to their homeland in recent years.
Etymology of the name
The name ''Crimea'' takes its origin in the name of a city of Qırım (today's ''
Stary Krym'') which served as a capital of the Crimean province of the
Golden Horde. ''Qırım'' is
Crimean Tatar for "my hill" (''qır'' – hill, ''-ım'' – my). However, there are other versions of the etymology of Qırım. Russian ''Krym'' is a Russified form of Qırım. The
ancient Greeks called Crimea ''
Tauris'' (later ''
Taurica''), after its inhabitants, the
Tauri. The Greek historian
Herodotus mentions that
Hercules plowed that land using a huge ox ("taurus"), hence the name of the land.
In
English, Crimea is sometimes referred to with the definite article, ''the Crimea'', as in
''the Netherlands'', ''
the Gambia'', etc. However, usage without the article has become more frequent in journalism since the years of the
Soviet Union.
History
Early history
The earliest inhabitants of whom we have any authentic traces were the
Cimmerians, who were expelled by the
Scythians (Iranians) during the
7th century BC. The remaining Cimmerians that took refuge in the mountains later became known as the
Tauri. According to other historians, the Tauri were known for their savage rituals and piracy, and were also the earliest, indigenous inhabitants of the peninsula. In
5th century BC,
Greek colonists began to settle along the
Black Sea coast, among those were the Dorians from
Heraclea who founded a sea port of
Chersonesos outside
Sevastopol, and the
Ionians from
Miletus who landed at
Feodosiya and
Panticapaeum (also called ''
Bosporus'').
Two centuries later (438 BC), the Archon (ruler) of the latter settlers assumed the title of the
Kings 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 the kingdom of
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 since ranked as a tributary state of
Rome.
Throughout the later centuries, Crimea was invaded or occupied successively by the
Goths (AD 250), the
Huns (376), the
Bulgars (6th century), the
Khazars (8th century), the state of
Kievan Rus' (10th–11th centuries), the
Byzantine Greeks (1016), the
Kipchaks (the Kumans) (1050), and the
Mongols (1237).
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. In 988, Prince
Vladimir I of Kiev also captured the Byzantine town of
Chersones (presently part of ''Sevastopol'') where he later converted to
Christianity. An impressive
Russian Orthodox cathedral marks the location of this historic event.
In the 13th century, the
Republic of Genoa seized the settlements which their rivals, the
Venetians, had built along the Crimean coast and established themselves at
Cembalo,
Soldaia,
Cherco and
Caffa, gaining control of the Crimean economy and the Black Sea commerce for two centuries.
Crimean Khanate: 1441-1783
A number of
Turkic peoples, now collectively known as the
Crimean Tatars, have been inhabiting the peninsula since the early
Middle Ages. The ethnicity of the Crimean Tatars is quite complex as it absorbed by both nomadic Turkic and European components (in the first place, the
Goths and the
Genoese) which is still reflected in their appearance and language differences. A small enclave of the
Karaims, possibly of Khazar (i.e. Turkic) descent but members of a Jewish sect, was founded in the 8th century. It existed among the Muslim Crimean Tatars, primarily in the mountainous
Çufut Qale area.
After the destruction of the
Golden Horde by
Timur in 1441, the Crimean Tatars founded an independent
Crimean Khanate under
Hacı I Giray, a descendant of
Genghis Khan. He and his successors reigned first at
Qırq Yer, and from the beginning of the 15th century, at
Bakhchisaray.
The Crimean Tatars controlled the steppes that stretched from the
Kuban and to the
Dniester River, however, they were unable to take control over commercial
Genoese towns. 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.
[ Ukraine: A History, Subtelny, Orest, , , University of Toronto Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8020-8390-0 ]
After the capture of Genoese towns, the Ottoman Sultan held
Meñli I Giray captive, later releasing him in return for accepting Ottoman sovereinty above the Crimean Khans and allowing them rule as tributary princes of the Ottoman Empire.
[ Ukraine: A History, Subtelny, Orest, , , University of Toronto Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8020-8390-0 ][ History ] However, the Crimean Khans still had a large amount of autonomy from the Ottoman Empire, particularly, followed the rules they thought were best for them: Crimean Tatars introduced raids into Ukrainian lands, which were used to get slaves to be sold on markets.
[ Ukraine: A History, Subtelny, Orest, , , University of Toronto Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8020-8390-0 ]
In 1553–1554,
Cossack Hetman Dmytro Vyshnevetsky 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 Crimea peninsula and the
Ottoman Turks.
[1] In 1774, The Crimean Khans fell under the Russian influence in the
Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca.
[Subelny, 176.] In 1783, entire Crimea was annexed by the
Russian Empire.
[Subelny, 176.]
Russian Empire and Civil War: 1783-1922
_2007.JPG)
''
Swallow's Nest'', a symbol of Crimea, one of the best-known, romantic castles near
Yalta. It was built in 1912 in the
Neo-Gothic style by the order of the German Baron Stengel. It was designed by Russian architect A. Sherwood.
The
Crimean War (1853–1856) devastated much of the economic and social infrastructure of Crimea. The
Crimean Tatars had to flee from their homeland ''en masse'', forced by the conditions created by the war, persecution and land expropriations. Those who survived the trip, famine and disease, resettled in
Dobruja,
Anatolia, and other parts of the
Ottoman Empire. For the first time in their history, Crimean Tatars became a minority in their own land, with the majority spread out as a
diaspora. Finally, the Russian government decided to stop the process, as the agriculture began to suffer due to the unattended fertile farmland.
During the
Russian Civil War, Crimea was a stronghold of the anti-Bolshevik
White Army. It was in Crimea that the White Russians led by
General Wrangel made their last stand against the invading
Red Army in 1920. After the resistance was crushed, many of the anti-Communist fighters and civilians had to board the ships and escape to
Istanbul.
Soviet Union: 1922-1991
On
October 18,
1921, the
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as part of the
Russian SFSR.
[ History ] However, the establishment of the Crimean ASSR did not fully protect the Crimean Tatars from
Joseph Stalin's repressions of the 1930s.
[ History ]
The
Greeks were another cultural group that suffered. Their lands were lost during the process of
collectivisation, in which farmers are not compensated via wages. Schools which taught
Greek were closed and
Greek literature was destroyed, because the Soviets considered the Greeks as "counter-revolutionary" with their links to
capitalist state
Greece, and their independent culture.
[ History ]
Nazi insignia commemorating the Crimean campaign on 1941–1942.
During
World War II, Crimea was a scene of some of the bloodiest battles. The leaders of the
Third Reich were anxious to conquer and colonize the fertile and beautiful peninsula as part of their policy of resettling the Germans in Eastern Europe at the expense of the Slavs. The Germans suffered heavy casualties in the summer of 1941 as they tried to advance through the narrow
Isthmus of Perekop linking Crimea to the Ukrainian mainland. Once the German army broke through (
Operation Trappenjagd), they occupied most of Crimea, with the exception of the city of
Sevastopol, which was later awarded the honorary title of
Hero City after the war.
Sevastopol held out from October 1941 until
July 4,
1942 when the Germans finally captured the city. From
September 1,
1942, the peninsula was administered as the ''Generalbezirk Krim'' (general district of Crimea) ''und Teilbezirk'' (and sub-district) ''Taurien'' by the Nazi ''Generalkommissar''
Alfred Eduard Frauenfeld (1898–1977), under the authority of the three consecutive
Reichskommissare for the entire Ukraine. In spite of heavy-handed tactics by the Nazis and the assistance of the
Romanian and
Italian troops, the Crimean mountains remained an unconquered stronghold of the native resistance (the partisans) until the day when the peninsula was freed from the occupying force.
In 1944, Sevastopol came under the control of troops from the
Soviet Union. The so-called "City of Russian Glory" once known for its beautiful architecture was entirely destroyed and had to be rebuilt stone by stone. Due to its enormous historical and symbolic meaning for the Russians, it became a priority for Stalin and the Soviet government to have it restored to its former glory within the shortest time possible.
On
May 18,
1944, the entire population of the
Crimean Tatars were
forcibly deported in the
Sürgün (Crimean Tatar for exile) to Central Asia by
Stalin's
Soviet government as a form of
collective punishment on the grounds that they had collaborated with the
Nazi occupation forces.
[2] On
May 21,
1944, the
ethnic cleansing of Crimea was complete. An estimated 46% of the deportees died from hunger and disease. In 1967, the Crimean Tatars were rehabilitated, but they were banned from legally returning to their homeland until the last days of the
Soviet Union.
The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished in
June 30,
1945 and transformed into the
Crimean Oblast (
province) of the
Russian SFSR. On
February 19,
1954, the oblast was transferred from the
Russian SFSR to the
Ukrainian SSR. As it stated in the
Supreme Soviet Decree, the transfer was caused by close (1) geographic, (2) economic, and (3) cultural ties to the Ukrainian SSR.
[3] The transfer was also meant by the Soviet leader
Nikita Khrushchev as a symbolic gesture to mark the 300th anniversary of the
Treaty of Pereyaslav that unified Russia and Ukraine.
In post-war years, Crimea thrived as a prime tourist destination, built with new attractions and sanatoriums for tourists. Tourists came from all around the Soviet Union and neighbouring countries, particularly from the
German Democratic Republic.
[ History ] Also, Crimea's infrastructure and manufacturing also developed, particularly around the sea ports at
Kerch and
Sevastopol and in the oblast's landlocked capital,
Simferopol. Populations of
Ukrainians and
Russians alike doubled, with more than 1.6 million Russians and 626,000 Ukrainians living on the peninsula by 1989.
[ History ]
Autonomy within independent Ukraine
With the
collapse of the Soviet Union, Crimea became part of the newly independent Ukraine, a situation largely unexpected by its population that was ethnically and culturally Russian for the most part. This led to tensions between Russia and Ukraine. With the
Black Sea Fleet based on the peninsula, worries of armed skirmishes were occasionally raised.
After the All-Crimean Referendum was conducted on
January 20,
1991, the
Crimean Oblast was transformed into the
Crimean ASSR as part of the
Ukrainian SSR and the city of Sevastopol was granted special government status in the UkSSR.
[4] When the results came in on the
Ukrainian referendum on independence on
December 1,
1991, it showed that 54.19% of residents from Crimea and 57.07% from Sevastopol city voted in favor of Ukrainian independence.
[5][6] Based on the resolution of the
Verkhovna Rada of Crimea on
February 26,
1992, the Crimean ASSR was renamed into the Republic of Crimea. Crimea later proclaimed self-government on
May 5,
1992.
[7][8] On the next day, the first Crimean constitution was put into effect. On
May 19, Crimea agreed to remain as part of Ukraine and its Verkhovna Rada of Crimea annulled their proclamation of self-government. On
June 30, Crimean Communists had forced the
Kiev government to expand on the already extensive autonomous status of Crimea.
[9]
On
October 14,
1993, the Crimean Government introduced the post of the
President of Crimea, a short-lived post that was later removed. During the second round of voting in the Crimean presidential election held on
January 30,
1994, the pro-
Russian
Yuriy Meshkov was announced the winner of the election. After a long conflict between the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea and the rada's chairmen, the rights of the President of Crimea were annulled on
September 7 of the same year. on
September 11, President Meshkov disbands the Crimean Parliament and announces his control over Crimea. After amendments to the Constitution of Crimea, the conflict slowly eased off.
On
March 17,
1995, the
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine scraps the Crimean Constitution and removes the post of President of Crimea.
[10] With the removal of the post, Yuriy Meshkov became the first and only President of Crimea. On
April 4,
1996, a new constitution was put into effect. On
December 23,
1998, the currently existing constitution was put into effect along with the name change from the Republic of Crimea to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
Following the ratification of the May 1997 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership on friendship and division of the
Black Sea Fleet, international tensions have slowly eased off. With the treaty,
Moscow recognized Ukraine's borders and territorial integrity, and accepted Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea and Sevastopol.
[Subtelny, 600.] In a separate agreement, Russia was to receive 80% of the Black Sea Fleet and use of the military facilities in Sevastopol on a 20-year
lease.
[Subtelny, 600.]
However, other controversies between Ukraine and Russia still remain, including the ownership of a
lighthouse on
Cape Sarych. Because the
Russian Navy controlled 77 geographical objects on the south Crimean Shore, the
Sevastopol Government Court ordered the vacation of the objects, which the Russian military did not carry out.
[11] Since
August 3,
2005, the lighthouse is controlled by the
Russian Army.
[12] Through the years, there have been various attempts of returning Cape Sarych to Ukrainian territory, all of which were unsuccessful.
In 2006,
protests broke out on the peninsula after
U.S. Marines[13] arrived to the Crimean city of
Feodosiya to take part in the Sea Breeze 2006
Ukraine-
NATO military exercise. Protesters greeted the marines with barricades and slogans bearing "Occupiers go home!", and a couple days later, the
Crimean parliament declared Crimea a "NATO-free territory". After several days of protest, the U.S. Marines withdrew from the peninsula.
[14]
Another center of conflict on the peninsula is regarding land ownership. Since the Crimean Tatars were forcibly deported from their homeland in May of 1944, other people, particularly
Russians, settled the peninsula and took control of the lands formerly belonging to the Crimean Tatars. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Crimean Tatars were allowed to return to Crimea, but conflict arose when they demanded the return of land seized after their deportation.
[15]
Government and politics
Official government
Crimea is a
parliamentary republic that has no
president. The legislative body is a 100-seat parliament, the
Verkhovna Rada of Crimea.
[16]
The executive power is represented by the
Council of Ministers, headed by a
Prime Minister who is appointed and dismissed by the Verkhovna Rada, with the consent of the
President of Ukraine.
[17] The authority and operation of the Verkhovna Rada and the Council of Ministers of Crimea are determined by the
Constitution of Ukraine and other the laws of Ukraine, as well as by regular decisions carried out by the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea.
[17]
Justice is administered by courts that belong to the
Judicial system of Ukraine.
[17]
Elections and parties
While not an official body controlling Crimea, the
Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People is a representative body of the Crimean Tatars, which could address grievances to the
Ukrainian central government, the
Crimean government, and international bodies.
[20]
During the
2004 presidential elections, Crimea largely voted for the presidential candidate
Viktor Yanukovych, the current
Prime Minister of Ukraine, and during the
2006 Ukrainian parliamentary elections, the Yanukovych-led
Party of Regions also won most of the votes from the region.
Following the Crimean parliamentary election, 2006, the following political parties are represented in the Verkhovna Rada bloc: "Za Yanukovycha!" (
Party of Regions and the Russian Bloc): 32.55% (44
mandates); party "Soiuz": 7.63% (10 mandates); Kunytsyna Electoral Bloc: 7.63% (10 mandates);
Communist Party of Ukraine: 6.55% (9 mandates);
People's Movement of Ukraine: 6.26% (8 mandates);
Yulia Tymoshenko Electoral Bloc: 6.03% (8 mandates);
People's Opposition Bloc of Natalia Vitrenko: 4.97% (7 mandates);
Opposition Bloc "Ne Tak": 3.09% (4 mandates).
[21]
Administrative divisions
Crimea is subdivided into 25 regions: 14
raions (
districts) and 11 city municipalities, officially known as "territories governed by city councils".
[22] Each region consists of
city,
urban-type settlement and
village communities. Note that
Sevastopol Municipality, the uncolored region immediately to the west of Bakhchisarayskyi Raion (#1) is one of two special municipalities within Ukraine and is not part of Crimea itself.
Raions
Subdivisions of Crimea
City municipalities
Major cities
Geography
Map of Crimea with major cities.
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. Although located in 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 (10,038
sq mi).
Crimea is connected to the mainland by the 5–7 kilometre (3–4 mile) 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 km (2–9 mi) wide
Strait of Kerch, which connects the waters of the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov.
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
Eupatoria and
Sevastopol; on the north by the
Bay of Arabat of the
Isthmus of Yenikale or
Kerch; and on the south by the
Bay of Caffa or
Feodosiya, with the port of Feodosiya.
The southeast coast is flanked at a distance of 8–12 km (5–8 mi) from the sea by a parallel range of mountains, the
Crimean Mountains.
[23] 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 metres (2,000–2,500 feet), 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.
[24]
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
Cape Sarych, in the extreme 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. 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.
Economy
The main branches of the Crimean economy are tourism and agriculture. 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, and
Krasnoperekopsk, among others.
The most important industries in Crimea include, food production, chemical fields, mechanical engineering and metal working, and fuel production industries.
[17] Sixty percent of the industry market belongs to food production. There are a total of 291 large industrial enterprises and 1002 small business enterprises.
[17]
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.
[17] Other products produced on the Crimea Peninsula include
salt,
porphyry,
limestone, and
ironstone (found around
Kerch).
[28]
Transport
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.
[29] The trolleybus line starts in near
Simferopol's Railway Station through the mountains to
Alushta and on to
Yalta.
The cities of Yalta,
Feodosiya,
Kerch,
Sevastopol, Chornomorske, and
Eupatoria are connected to one another by sea routes. In the cities of Eupatoria and nearby
townlet Molochne are
tram systems.
Railroad lines running through Crimea include
Armyansk—Kerch (with a link to Feodosiya), and
Melitopol—Sevastopol (with a link to Eupatoria), connecting Crimea to the Ukrainian mainland.
Demographics
As of 2005, the total population of Crimea is 1,994,300.
According to
2001 Ukrainian Census, the population of Crimea was 2,033,700.
[30] The nationality structure was comprised the following self-reported ethnic groups:
Russians: 58.32%;
Ukrainians: 24.32%;
Crimean Tatars: 12.1%;
Belarusians: 1.44%;
Tatars: 0.54%;
Armenians: 0.43%; and
Jews: 0.22%.
[31]
Other minorities are
Black Sea Germans,
Roma people,
Bulgarians,
Poles,
Azerbaijanis,
Koreans and
Greeks.
Even though the
Ukrainian language is the single
official state language countrywide, and is therefore the sole language of government elsewhere in Ukraine, this does not apply in Crimea, where government business is still carried out in
Russian. Limited attempts to
expand the usage of Ukrainian in education and government affairs have so far been less successful in Crimea than in other largely
Russophone areas of the nation.
[32] Another language widely spoken is
Crimean Tatar. According to the census mentioned, 77% of Crimean inhabitants named Russian as their mother tongue; 11.4% – Crimean Tatar; and 10.1% – Ukrainian.
[33]
See also
★
Black Sea Fleet
★
Artek
Footnotes and references
1. Subtelny, 109.
2. Subtelny, 483.
3. The Transfer of Crimea to Ukraine
4. Day in history - 20 January
5. Subtelny, 585.
6. Ukraine's vote for freedom
7. Catching up with 'Europe'? Constitutional Debates on the Territorial-Administrative Model in Independent Ukraine
8. The Crimea Conundrum: The Tug of War Between Russia and Ukraine on the Questions of Autonomy and Self-Determination
9. Subtelny, 587.
10.
11. Access to Ukrainians is prohibited..
12. The owner of the "sarych" lighthouse came back with a blank document to the President of Ukraine
13. Anti-Nato protests threaten eastward expansion
14. Tensions rise in Crimea over NATO
15. Tatars push to regain their historic lands in Crimea
16. The Verkhovna Rada of Crimea should not be confused with the national Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
17. Autonomous Republic of Crimea - Information card
18. Autonomous Republic of Crimea - Information card
19. Autonomous Republic of Crimea - Information card
20. A lesson in stifling violent extremism
21. Results of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea elections are accepted
22. Infobox card — Avtonomna Respublika Krym
23. The Crimean Mountains may also be referred to as the Yaylâ Dağ or Alpine Meadow Mountains.
24. See the article "Crimea" in the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition.
25. Autonomous Republic of Crimea - Information card
26. Autonomous Republic of Crimea - Information card
27. Autonomous Republic of Crimea - Information card
28. Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Bealby, John T., , , Cambridge University Press, 1911,
29. The longest trolleybus line in the world!
30. Regions of Ukraine / Autonomous Republic of Crimea
31. Results / General results of the census / National composition of population
32. Yushchenko Appeals to Crimean Authority Not to Speculate on Language
33. Results / General results of the census / Linguistic composition of the population / Autonomous Republic of Crimea
★
Ukraine: A History, Subtelny, Orest, , , University of Toronto Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8020-8390-0
★
Autonomous Republic of Crimea - Information card
★
External links
'Official links'
★
crimea-portal.gov.ua — Official portal of the Council of Ministers of Crimea ///
★
rada.crimea.ua — Official web-site of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea
'Informational links'
★
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine — Information card of the region
★
WikiTravel — Guide to Crimea
★
★
United Nations Crimea Integration and Development Programme
★
Old map of Crimea
_2007.JPG)
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