Physico-geographical conditions of Crimea. Crimea (history, geography, population)

formed as the Crimean region on June 30, 1945, received republic status in 1991. Its area is 26.1 thousand square meters. km (4.3% of the territory of Ukraine). Population - 2134.7 thousand people (4.3% of the population of Ukraine), including urban population - 1338.3 thousand people (62.7%), rural population - 796.4 thousand people (37.3% ). Population density - 81.8 people. per sq. km.

Located on the Crimean Peninsula and is the most southern region Ukraine. In the west and south it is washed by the Black Sea, in the east by the Azov Sea. The Kerch Strait separates it from Russia. The length of the autonomous republic from north to south is 210 km, from west to east - about 325 km. By land it borders with the Kherson region. Crimea is connected to the mainland by the narrow (8 km) Perekop Isthmus, along which railroads and roads run. The second transport exit from the territory of Crimea is along an artificial embankment through Sivash. There is also a ferry service “Caucasus” between Kerch and the Taman Peninsula of Russia.

Administratively, the republic includes 14 administrative districts, 16 cities, including 11 cities of regional subordination, 56 urban-type settlements, 957 rural settlements.

The administrative center is the city of Simferopol, the first mention dates back to the 16th century, it has been a city since 1784. The city's population is 338.9 thousand people.

The territory of Crimea is distinguished by significant natural diversity. The Crimean mountains, located in the southern part of the peninsula, determine the division of the territory into the northern plain (the so-called Steppe Crimea) and the southern mountainous (Mountain Crimea). A narrow pebble strip of the southern coast of Crimea stretches along the southern foot of the Crimean Mountains. Mineral resources are represented by iron ores, natural gas deposits on the Azov shelf, as well as deposits of building materials. There are deposits of semi-precious stones in the Karadag region. The southern coast of Crimea is one of the most important resort areas of the CIS (climate therapy, sea bathing from June to October, mud, grape therapy).

The climate of the northern part is moderate continental, dry; southern - subtropical Mediterranean type.

The rivers of Crimea are small and low-water (the rivers Salgir, Belbek, Chernaya, Kacha, etc.), on the largest of them reservoirs have been created that serve as sources of water supply for cities. The largest water artery is the North Crimean Canal, the waters of which irrigate fields. In Crimea large number estuary salt lakes (lake Sasyk, Krasnoye, Sakskoye, etc.).

The Crimean peninsula has been a Slavic land since ancient times (Slavs penetrated and settled here already in the 8th century). The most ancient inhabitants of the peninsula are considered to be the Cimmerians, who mainly lived in the Northern Black Sea region and settled in Crimea. During the Middle Ages, part of the Crimean XII centuries). The S-peninsula was part of the ancient Russian Tmutarakan principality (X 1475 to 1774 it was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire.

In 1783, Crimea became part of Russia. In 1784, the Tauride region was formed, which included the Crimean peninsula, Taman and the lands north of Perekop to the Dnepropetrovsk governorship. After 12 years, its territory became part of the Novorossiysk province. At the end of the 18th century, Crimea began to be intensively populated by immigrants from the central regions of Russia. On October 18, 1921, the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed. In 1944, Crimean Tatars and representatives of other non-Slavic peoples were evicted from Crimea. After the end of the war, population resettlement began here from the territories of the USSR, which were especially hard hit. In June 1945, the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was transformed into the Crimean region. In 1954, the Crimean region was transferred from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. In 1991, the Crimean region was transformed into the Republic of Crimea, which is part of Ukraine.

Crimea is a striking example of a complex multinational and multicultural social system. During the 1990s, a stable trend of population decline was recorded throughout Crimea as a whole. The decline in the region's population is determined by both natural decline and migration outflow, and their ratio in Crimea is almost equal.

The age composition of the republic's population is characterized by a higher proportion of people of working age compared to the average Ukrainian indicators and a slightly increased proportion of younger people age groups.

Historically, a complex ethnic structure of the population has developed in Crimea. The Ukrainian regional community of Crimea is the smallest in Ukraine. The largest share of Crimea's population is represented by Russians (they together accounted for more than 2/3 of the total population), while Ukrainians made up just over a quarter of its inhabitants. During the 1990s, there were some changes in the ethnic structure of the population of Crimea. They are connected, firstly, with the migration influx Crimean Tatars and the outflow of representatives of other ethnic groups (primarily Russians) outside the republic. Largest quantity Crimean Tatars are recorded in the central and western regions of the republic, in some of them the share of Crimean Tatars is more than 25%.

Among religious organizations, Ukrainian communities predominate Orthodox Church The Moscow Patriarchate, Muslim organizations also have quite a noticeable influence.

The territory is populated extremely unevenly. With an average population density of 81.8 people. per sq. km on the territory of the resort south coast city councils it rises to 100 people. per sq. km. The Crimean Peninsula is characterized by a specific settlement structure. It is based on several basic elements. Firstly, these are two large centers Simferopol and Sevastopol and, secondly, two “resort” group forms of settlement - Yuzhnoberezhnaya and Saki-Evpatoria. A relatively uniform and fairly extensive homogeneous settlement network is observed in the steppe part of the peninsula. In total, about a third of the total population of Crimea lives in the two settlement centers of Crimea and the settlements gravitating towards them. Within the South Coast ribbon-shaped group of city councils, a total of almost more than 17% of the total population of the republic, or almost 15% of the total population of the peninsula, including Sevastopol, is concentrated. In the western resort area, which includes the cities of Saki and Yevpatoria, as well as nearby settlements, the total current population is approximately 9% of the population of the republic.

The natural and climatic conditions of the peninsula determined the leading development of the sanatorium and resort industry, which is of international importance. To a large extent, the specialization of other service sectors is associated with this area of ​​activity. In the sectoral structure of the industrial complex leading place occupied by the food industry, focused on processing local raw materials. Among its industries, winemaking (Massandra), fish processing (Kerch, Yalta), canning (Simferopol), essential oil (Simferopol, Bakhchisarai, Alushta, Sudak) and tobacco-fermentation (Yalta, Simferopol, Feodosia) are of national importance. There is a chemical complex in Crimea, which is represented by the Simferopol Plastics Plant, the Saki Chemical Plant and others.

Agriculture is diversified. However, the leading role belongs to grain farming. Rice and industrial crops are cultivated on irrigated lands. Gardening and viticulture, and the cultivation of essential oil crops are developed.

Main attractions: state architectural and historical reserve "Sudak Fortress" in Sudak, state historical and architectural reserve in Bakhchisarai, Alupka State Palace and Park Museum-Reserve.

The favorable economic and geographical position of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is due to the fact that the autonomy occupies the territory of the Crimean Peninsula, located in the south Eastern Europe between 46°15’–44°23’N latitude and 32°29’–36°39’E longitude. The area of ​​the Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies 26.1 thousand km2, which is 4.3% of the territory of Ukraine.

Crimea is located in the latitudinal zone of the globe, located at equal distances from the equator and the North Pole.

In the north, the peninsula is connected to the mainland by the narrow (7-23 km) Perekop Isthmus. From the west and south, the peninsula is washed by the Black Sea, from the east by the Kerch Strait, and from the northeast by the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov and its Sivash Bay.

Black Sea- a very deep (up to 2245 m), almost closed, oval-shaped reservoir. In terms of its water surface area (413,488 km2), this flat-bottomed basin is more than 15 times larger than the area of ​​the Crimean Peninsula.

Sea of ​​Azov, on the contrary, it is very shallow. Its greatest depth does not exceed 13.5 m. It is much smaller than the Black Sea in area (37,600 km2).

From north to south the peninsula stretches for 180 km, and from west to east - 360 km. It borders with the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions of Ukraine, the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. In Crimea, maritime borders predominate, the length coastline is about 1500 km.

The wealth of Crimea is its mild climate, close to the Mediterranean, characterized by an abundance of sun, warmth and light.

The climate of Crimea is determined by its geographical location, topography and the influence of the seas washing the peninsula. It is typical for him large number hours of sunshine, but at the same time for most areas there is a lack of moisture. An abundance of sunny days (2180-2470 hours per year), a warm sea, moderately humid air saturated with sea salts, excellent mineral springs, effective healing mud - all this makes your stay on the peninsula unforgettable. The climate of the northern lowland part of Crimea is temperate continental with short, snowy winters and moderately hot, dry summers.

In terms of the amount of heat and moisture, Crimea is one of the relatively favorable areas for the development of agriculture. There is active vegetation of wheat, corn, most fruit crops and grapes.

Crimea is rightly called the natural pearl of Europe. Here, at the junction of temperate and subtropical latitudes, there is a wide variety of natural landscapes: mountains and plains, ancient volcanoes and modern mud hills, seas and lakes, forests and steppes, the nature of the Crimean sub-Mediterranean and the semi-deserts of the Sivash region...

It is no coincidence that this corner of a unique land has long attracted people’s attention, and in last decades has become a real “mecca” for millions of holidaymakers and tourists.

From a bird's eye view, or when looking at a physical map of Crimea, one can clearly imagine the main features of the geography of the peninsula. Like the ancient crown of the backbone of Taurida, the Crimean Mountains rise in the south. Plains stretch to the north of it, and the Kerch hills stretch to the east. The Crimean Mountains, with a gigantic stone scar, cut off the sub-Mediterranean southern coast of Crimea, clinging to the Black Sea, and to the north of them, along the edges of cuesta ridges, stretches the forest-steppe foothills.

The Crimean mountains break off like a sheer wall towards the sea coast, and their opposite slopes are gentle. The highest peaks are Roman-Kosh (1545 m), Ai-Petri (1232 m), Chatyr-Dag (1527 m), Northern Demerdzhi (1356 m), Sheer walls, from 200 to 400 meters high, stretch along the coast from the cape Aya to the village of Gurzuf.

257 rivers more than 5 km long flow through the territory of the republic. The largest is Salgir, 220 km long, and the deepest is Belbek (water flow up to 150 liters per second).

On the peninsula, mainly along the coasts, there are more than 50 salt lakes used to obtain salts and medicinal mud: Sakskoye, Sasyk, Donuzlav, Bakal, Staroe Lake, Red Lake, Aktashskoye, Chokrakskoye, Uzunlarskoye, etc.

More and more vacationers and tourists are flocking to Crimea every year: over the past 70 years, the flow of vacationers has increased 100 times! In these conditions, the natural reserve fund of Crimea is of particular value and scientific and environmental interest.

The reserve fund accounts for more than 135 thousand hectares of the peninsula, which is 5.2% of its area. The reserve fund is playing significant role in preserving the creations of inanimate and living nature, stabilizes the ecological situation on the peninsula.

Crimea is a unique region of Ukraine, where in a relatively small territory there are 152 natural reserve objects, including: 6 nature reserves, 30 reserves, 69 natural monuments, 2 botanical gardens, 1 dendrological park, 31 park-monuments of landscape art, 8 protected areas, 1 zoo.

More than 200 mineral deposits are known in Crimea. Iron ores (Kerch iron ore basin), salts of Sivash and coastal lakes (Staroye, Krasnoe, etc.), natural gas (Black Sea deposits), fluxing limestones (Balaklavskoe, Kerch deposits, etc.), cement marls (Bakhchisaray), are of national importance. pottery and bleaching clays (foothills). For medicinal and recreational purposes, therapeutic mud and mineral springs are used (Saki, Evpatoria, Feodosia, etc.), sand and pebble beaches (western and south coast, Azov region).

The climatic conditions of Crimea are very diverse. Crimea is surrounded by a water basin, crossed by a mountain plateau, with gentle slopes to the north and steeper slopes to the south (towards the Black Sea), which is protected from the influence of northern winds. The mountains are cut by valleys. At different altitudes above sea level, there are different conditions that influence the nature of the climate.

Each slope of the Crimean mountains has its own climatic conditions, because it is exposed to a greater or lesser extent to the influence of certain prevailing winds. The warmest part of the South Coast is the space from Cape Aya to Cape Ai-Todor, since this part of the coast is, as it were, in the wind shadow from the cold northern and northeastern winds. From Ai-Todor the influence of eastern winds is already becoming noticeable and, thus, the second place in warmth is occupied by the part of the Southern Coast from Ai-Todor to Alushta, and the third place in warmth is from Alushta to Koktebel, and the degree of gradual transition from a warm climate to a warmer climate the cold seems to follow in parallel with the gradual decrease in mountain heights from Alushta to Feodosia. Feodosia is already open to northern and northeastern winds, and its climate, which has its own local characteristics, is closer to the climate of the Kerch Peninsula.

Warm air coming to Crimea from the south penetrates relatively freely through the low Crimean Mountains into the steppe regions of the peninsula. When cold, dense arctic air invades, the mountains prevent its penetration into the South Coast. In this regard, a comparison of the average January air temperature in the central part of the lowland Crimea (Krasnogvardeyskoye town) and in Yalta is very indicative - -2°C and +4°C, respectively. If there were no mountains in Crimea, then the Southern Coast would be little different from the steppe coast of the Black and Azov Seas. In this case, the great role is played not so much by the height of the Crimean Mountains, but by their general direction - from west to east, parallel to the coast.

Crimea is one of the sunniest regions of the European part of the CIS. The annual duration of sunshine here varies between 2180 – 2470 hours. It is especially great on the sea coast, where the breeze prevents the formation of clouds. Of the annual amount of radiation, Crimea receives approximately 10% in winter, 30% in spring, 40% in summer and 20% in autumn. The peninsula also receives the greatest amount of solar heat in summer. The minimum amount is in mountainous areas, and the maximum is on the west coast. But be that as it may, in December and January by one earth's surface per day, the amount of heat received is 8–10 times more than, for example, in St. Petersburg.

In winter, an axis of high atmospheric pressure is often established over the southern part of the European territory of the CIS in the latitudinal direction, and a zone of low pressure is established over the Black Sea. As a result, cold and dry continental air of temperate latitudes or Arctic air often invades Crimea. This is associated with sharp drops in temperature and strong north-easterly winds. In the same season, cyclones come here relatively often Mediterranean Sea, which bring warm air from the tropics. Mediterranean cyclones, as a rule, linger in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. As a result, warm air primarily affects the southwestern part of the mountainous Crimea. That is why winter in Crimea is wet with frequent precipitation and low evaporation. However, in winter there is almost three times less precipitation than in summer.

Frequent thaws in winter lead to large temperature fluctuations and unstable and thin snow cover.

Spring in Crimea proceeds quickly due to an increase in the height of the sun and the length of the day, a decrease in cloudiness and the influx of warm southern air. In the interior regions of Crimea there is a significant increase in temperature from February to March. Spring is the driest and windiest season of the year with frequent “returns of cold weather,” with night frosts and morning frosts, especially in the basins and river valleys of the foothills, which negatively affects early flowering stone fruit trees and heat-loving grapes.

In summer, clear, hot and windy weather prevails in Crimea with the manifestation of local breezes, mountain-valley and inclined winds. Due to the fact that the continental air of temperate latitudes is transformed here into local tropical air, dry weather prevails on the peninsula.

Marine air masses and Atlantic cyclones bring precipitation at this time of year. Heavy, intense, but most often short-term rainfall occurs. Summer in Crimea lasts 4–5 months.

Autumn is the best season of the year here. The weather is calm, sunny and moderately warm. Autumn is warmer than spring by 2–3°С in central and by 4–5°С in coastal regions. A sharp change in weather usually occurs in the second half of November.

In Crimea, the annual temperature change almost coincides with the change in the influx of solar radiation. Average monthly air temperatures mainly change from north to south, with the exception of the South Coast, where changes occur to the east and west. Most often, the coldest month is January or February. The lowest average temperature (-4°C) in January is observed in the mountains, and the highest (about +5°C) is observed in the South Coast. The highest average monthly temperature is most often in July, when it reaches +23+24 °C, in the mountains – 16 °C.

During the day, the lowest temperatures are observed before sunrise, and the highest - at 12 - 14 hours. Breeze winds reduce daytime temperatures and increase nighttime temperatures, as a result of which the diurnal amplitude on the sea coast is less than far from it. The absolute minimum air temperature occurs mainly in January – February and is down to -37°C in the foothills.

In Crimea, 80-85% of the annual precipitation falls in the form of rain. The number of days with rain ranges from 80-130 in steppe areas to 150-170 in the mountains. In summer in Crimea there are no more than 5-10 days with rain per month.

The highest air temperature observed in Crimea, 38.1° in the shade, was recorded in Sevastopol. The lowest temperature -30° was observed in Crimea in the area of ​​Simferopol and Krasnoperekopsk. Thus, the temperature in Crimea varies within 68.1°, with annual average values ​​from 10° to 13°.

As of November 1, 2009, 1966.4 thousand people lived in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. During 2009, the population decreased, mainly due to natural decline. Due to intraregional migration in 2009, the urban population increased at the expense of the rural population.

The population of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is distributed unevenly across the peninsula. With an average population density of 75.4 people/km2, the density in the plain part of Crimea exceeds 30 people/km2, in the mountains - about 10 people/km2, in the foothills - about 150 people/km2, and on the coast - more than 300 people/km2. The coast of Crimea, which is the most valuable territory for recreational purposes, is home to 50% of the republic’s population. And if mountains and foothills are also included as recreationally valuable areas, the figure will increase to 75%.

Crimea is characterized by an increase in the number of cities, as well as urban-type settlements, and the relative stability of rural settlements. Due to the expansion of the network of recreational enterprises (sanatoriums, holiday homes, boarding houses, etc.), the number of urban-type settlements on the coast has more than doubled over 50 years.

Rural settlements are distributed unevenly across Crimea. With a total number of 950 rural settlements and an average density of 4 settlements per 100 km2, in the Simferopol region the density of rural settlements is 6, and in the Black Sea region - 2.2 settlements per 100 km2.

Territory and number of actual population by regions of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as of November 1, 2010

Composition of the population of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea according to the results of the All-Ukrainian Population Census of 2001.

A feature of the national composition of the population of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is its multinationality. According to the All-Ukrainian Population Census, representatives of more than 125 nationalities and nationalities live on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Data regarding the most numerous nationalities in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea are given below:

The table includes data on nationalities whose share in the total resident population of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is at least 0.1%.

The Crimean Peninsula is located in southern Russia. Latitude of southern France or northern Italy. From the east, the shores of Crimea are washed by the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov, and from the west and south - by the Black Sea. The Crimean Peninsula is connected to the continent only by a narrow isthmus, a maximum of eight kilometers wide. The name of the isthmus seems unexpected at first glance - Perekopsky (what did they want to dig up, but didn’t have time?!).

Crimea also includes two peninsulas:

• Kerch, it is located in the east between the Black and Azov seas,
• Tarkhankutsky, occupies the western part of Crimea.

It is not for nothing that the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula is considered the most favorable: the sea is located in the southeast, and the mountains protect from the winds in the northwest. Thanks to this, a velvety climate of dry subtropics is created.

The Crimean peninsula has borders with Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Georgia. The capital and largest transport hub on the peninsula is the city of Simferopol. The population of Simferopol is about 400 thousand inhabitants.

Geographical characteristics

Territory - 26860 km². Length: from east to west – 360 km, from south to north – 180 km.
The southernmost part is Cape Sarych; the westernmost cape is Priboyny; the cape with the telling name Lantern is in the east.

There are many seaports, the largest are Evpatoria, Feodosia, Yalta, and Kerch.

The length of the coastline of the Crimean peninsula is more than 2,500 km. Of these, almost 50% are on the Sivash Bay, 750 km on the Black Sea coast and about 500 km on the Azov Sea coast. The shores of the peninsula are indented with numerous bays, bays and coves.

The territory of Crimea is 72% plains, 20% mountains and 8% lakes and rivers.

Relief

The Crimean peninsula, and in distant years, judging by the results of the study, had favorable natural conditions. People have lived here for a very long time. Monuments from the Middle Paleolithic (about 150 thousand years ago), Mesolithic, Neolithic, Eneolithic and Bronze Age were found here.

Many Crimean local history museums store unique archaeological finds found in grottoes, caves, under rock overhangs, where primitive people found natural shelter.

Here are some natural and historical monuments Crimea:

• burial of Neanderthals in the Kiik-Koba cave, located near the village. Zuya in Belogorsky district,
• Wolf Grotto and Chokurcho near Simferopol,
• Staroselye near Bakhchisarai,
• Ak-Kaya near Belogorsk.

No more ancient finds are known in Europe.

The relief of the Crimean peninsula consists of three unequal parts:

• North Crimean Plain with Tarkhankut Upland (about 70% of the territory),
• Kerch Peninsula
• and in the south, the mountainous Crimea stretches in three ridges.

The highest of the Crimean Mountains is Mount Roman-Kosh (1545 m).

Crimean mountains

Once upon a time, 200 million years ago, the waves of the primordial Tethys Ocean rested in this place. The Crimean and Caucasus mountains rose from it 7-8 million years ago. These mountains divided the ocean waters, forming the Black and Caspian seas.

They have three main ridges, which are separated by valleys. These ridges begin in the southwest of Crimea. Here are their names:

• Main (aka South) - starts at and follows along the coast to Feodosia. It has a length of almost 180 km. Ends at Cape St. Elijah;
• The inner ridge (Middle), stretches from the Mekenzi Mountains towards the Old Crimea;
• External - starts from the Kara-Tau hill, which is on the watershed of the Belbek and Kacha rivers, and follows to Simferopol.

The width of the mountain strip reaches 50 km.

The Crimean mountains are very picturesque and unlike others. They are like huge frozen waves. The main ridge to the north has gentle slopes, and to the south it ends with high, steep walls. It has its own peculiarity - it does not have the usual sharp peaks, but undulating mountain plateaus. In Crimea they are called yayla (translated as summer pasture).

In Alushta, the Main Ridge is divided into separate massifs called Babugan, Chatyr-Dag and Demerdzhi. The gently sloping Dolgorukovskaya yayla goes to the north, and Karabi-yayla, the largest in area, goes to the east. It is connected to Demerdzhinskaya only by a “bridge” in the form of Table Mountain.

After this, the Main Range finally disintegrates, leaving only individual mountain ranges, peaks and volcanic massifs, of which the most interesting and unusual is Karadag.

In many places on the Eastern Bank, the ancient “Tauride platform” protrudes directly from the ground, forming unusually shaped elevations with landslides, cracks, and ravines. Further, to the east from Feodosia there are roads and paths of sparsely populated land, the topography of which is called the Kerch Hills.

To the north and northwest of Feodosia Bay, almost the entire small Crimea was occupied by the Crimean steppe, which was huge compared to the coastal resort strip. So “Cimmeria” (sometimes called “Kimtavria”) is a land of contrasts - mountains, coast, flat hills, steppe.

Steppe

The steppe occupies the largest part of the Crimean territory. It is the southern edge of the East European, or Russian, Plain and decreases slightly to the north. The Kerch Peninsula is divided by the Parpach ridge into two parts: the southwestern - flat and the northeastern - hilly, which is characterized by alternating ring-shaped limestone ridges, gentle depressions, mud hills and coastal lake basins.

In the flat part of the peninsula, varieties of southern and carbonate chernozems predominate; dark chestnut and meadow-chestnut soils of dry forests and shrubs, as well as brown mountain-forest and mountain-meadow chernozem-like soils (on yailas), are less common.

The Crimean peninsula has extensive agricultural land. More than 52% of the territory is occupied by arable land; there are not so many gardens and vineyards - about 5%. It’s not even clear where Crimean wine appears in our stores now! Part of the land is used for pastures. There are also forests.

Rivers and lakes

On the Crimean Peninsula more than 1600 rivers and temporary gutters. Their total length is about 6000 kilometers. However, these are usually small watercourses, which almost all dry up in the summer. There are only 257 rivers longer than 5 km.

The most significant rivers according to their geographical location are divided into several groups:

• rivers of the northern and northeastern slopes of the Crimean Mountains (Salgir, the longest river of the peninsula, - 232 km; Wet Indol - 27 km; Churuksu - 33 km, etc.);
• rivers of the northwestern slope (Chernaya - 41 km, Belbek - 63 km, Kacha - 69 km, Alma - 84 km, Western Bulganak - 52 km, etc.);
• rivers of the southern coast of Crimea (Uchan-Su - 8.4 km, Derekoyka - 12 km, Ulu-Uzen - 15 km, Demerdzhi - 14 km, Ulu-Uzen East - 16 km, etc.);
• small rivers of the plain Crimea and the Kerch Peninsula.

The rivers of the northwestern slopes of the Crimean Mountains flow almost parallel to each other, until the middle of the flow they are typically mountainous. The rivers of the northern slopes on the plain deviate to the east and flow into the Sivash. The short rivers of the Southern Coast flowing into the Black Sea are typically mountainous throughout their entire length. The Uchan-Su mountain river runs down to the sea, forming waterfalls in four places.

There are also many lakes and estuaries on the peninsula - over three hundred. Some of them are mud. The lakes located along the coast are predominantly salty. On the Tarkhankut Peninsula there is a fairly large freshwater lake, Ak-Mechetsky. Mountain lakes are mainly artificial reservoirs. There are more than 50 salt lakes in Crimea, the largest of them is Lake Sasyk (Kunduk) - 205 sq. km.

Weather in Crimea

The natural conditions of the Crimean peninsula are very extraordinary. This amazing region is endowed with fertile lands and magnificent sea ​​coast, and majestic mountain ranges unique in their beauty. The Crimean peninsula has a mild climate throughout the entire peninsula.

Crimea Peninsula. Tourism . In this article we will tell you about Crimea sk peninsula. Despite the fact that in recent years more and more tourists are flocking to relax on the coast, as well as on tropical islands Crimea still remains a popular destination for hundreds of thousands of people. Foreign tourists primarily visit the capital city of Ukraine - Kyiv, which has many historical and architectural attractions.
In addition, in the city of Kyiv you can use the Internet directly in recreation parks. And if one of the tourists did not take his tablet computer on a trip, then he can buy a Kyiv laptop at an affordable price in numerous FoxMart stores in the city, which offer a wide range of laptops from various world-famous brands, such as: SAMSUNG, ACER, LENOVO, ASUS, HP, SONY and some others. Thanks to the Internet and a laptop, you can learn a lot of necessary, useful and, of course, interesting information, for example, about the Crimean peninsula.
Geography of the Crimean Peninsula . Extensive blessed resort Crimean peninsula washed: in the west and south -, from the east - the Sea of ​​​​Azov, including Sivash Bay. Crimea Peninsula goes far into the Black Sea.
Crimea Peninsula located in the southern part of the Republic. Geographically Crimean peninsula belongs to the Northern Black Sea region.
On the territory of the Crimean peninsula are the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, as well as part of the Kherson region. Crimea Peninsula in the documents of the Russian Empire until the 20s of the 20th century it was called Taurida.
After creation Soviet Union The Tavrida Peninsula was renamed and received the name " Crimea" The toponym “Crimea” probably comes from the Turkic word “kyrym”, which literally means rampart, wall, ditch.
Area of ​​the Crimean Peninsula is approximately 26,860 km², of which 72% is flat, 20% is occupied Crimea ski mountains, 8% are water bodies - lakes, rivers.
Length of the peninsula's coastline Crimea is over 1000 km.
The total length of the sea and land borders of the peninsula Crimea is more than 2500 km.
Greatest length Crimea of the Russian Peninsula in the direction from west to east between the picturesque capes Kara-Mrun and Fonar is approximately 325 km, and in the direction from north to south from the narrow Perekop Isthmus to Cape Sarych it is 205 km.
Geography of the Crimean Peninsula . On the Black Sea coast there are the largest bays: Karkinitsky Gulf, Kalamitsky Gulf, Feodosiya Gulf. On the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov there are the following bays: Sivash Bay, Kazantip Bay and Arabat Bay.
In the east Crimea peninsula between the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov is the Kerch Peninsula, and in the west the tapering part Crimea and forms the relatively small Tarkhankut Peninsula.
In the northern part Crimea peninsula It is connected to the continent by the rather narrow Perekop Isthmus, the width of which at its widest point does not exceed 8 km.
Relief of the Crimean Peninsula . Picturesque Crimea peninsula according to the nature of the relief, it is divided into platform-plain, which occupies 70% of the entire territory, the rest falls on the folded mountainous surface. On the southern part of the peninsula Crimea beautiful spread out Crimea skie mountains.
The highest mountain on the peninsula Crimea– Mount Roman-Kosh, which reaches a height of 1545 meters above sea level.
The extreme northern point of the Crimean Peninsula is located on the Perekop Isthmus, its extreme southern point is the beautiful Cape Sarych, the extreme western point is Cape Kara-Mrun (Priboyny) on the Tarkhankut Peninsula, the extreme eastern point of the peninsula is Cape Lantern on the Kerch Peninsula.

Geographical location of Crimea.
The Crimean Peninsula is located in the extreme south of the European part of Russia and extends from north to south for 195 km, from west to east - 325 km. The area of ​​Crimea is 26 thousand square meters. km, population 1 million 600 thousand people.
The sea surrounds the peninsula on all sides, and only in the north does the narrow (up to 8 km) Perekop Isthmus connect it to the mainland. From the west and south, Crimea is washed by the Black Sea, from the east by the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait.
The Crimean region was formed in June 1945. In February 1954, it became part of Ukraine. In 2014 it became part of the Russian Federation. The administrative center of the region is Simferopol. The administrative map of Russia shows the borders of the Crimean region, settlements, and communication routes.

Geological past of Crimea.
The geological map and geological profile introduce the geological past of Crimea and its constituent rocks. In geological periods of the sea millions of years distant from us, replacing each other, they either covered or exposed the territory of present-day Crimea. The distribution of rocks in Crimea is mainly connected with their existence.
In the Crimean Local History Museum you can see sandstones, shales, limestones and other rocks. There is also a collection of fossils and prints of the inhabitants of the ancient seas: mollusks and fish, the cetacean citoterium prescum, sea turtles, etc.
During the millions of years of the Tertiary period, Central and Southern Europe was warm and humid, and mastodons, hipparions, and antelopes lived here. The glaciation that occurred in the Quaternary period changed the landscape, flora and fauna.
The glacier did not reach Crimea, but the climate here was very harsh. At this time, the Crimea was inhabited by a mammoth, a woolly rhinoceros, a giant and reindeer, a cave bear, and a cave hyena.

Minerals in Crimea.
About 200 deposits of various minerals have been discovered and studied in Crimea, which are widely used in the national economy. Kerch iron ores are of the most industrial importance. Ores lie close to the surface and are mined open method, in quarries. Crimea is rich in chemical raw materials - salts of chlorine, sodium, potassium, bromine, magnesium, which are contained in huge quantities in the Sivash brine and numerous salt lakes. Gypsum, table salt, magnesium chloride, etc. are obtained from brine. The use of these salts opens up great prospects for the development of the chemical industry.
A variety of building materials are mined on the territory of Crimea. Some of them are very important and are almost never found in other places in Russia. Diorite and andesite are used in road construction, for cladding monuments and large buildings, and ground trass is added to cement to improve its properties. Marble-like limestones are used in construction and are used in metallurgical plants as a flux.
Some Crimean minerals - rock crystal, chalcedony, carnelian, jasper - are used as ornamental stones and are valued for their rich colorful range. Crimea is rich in mineral water resources from hydrogen sulfide springs to Narzan and Borjomi.

Relief of Crimea.
According to the nature of the surface, Crimea is divided into two parts: steppe and mountain. In the north and central Crimea lies a calm, undulating plain. The steppe occupies about 2/3 of the entire area of ​​the peninsula. In the west it gradually turns into the ridges and hills of Tarkhankut. An interesting feature of the eastern part - the slightly hilly Kerch Peninsula - are mud volcanoes, which have nothing in common with volcanism and spew out cold mud, and troughs - bowl-shaped depressions filled with iron ore. In the southern part of Crimea there are mountains consisting of three parallel ridges separated by narrow valleys. The mountains stretch from southwest to northeast, bending in a weak arc to the north - their length is 150 km, width - 50 km. The most significant peak of the Crimean Mountains - Roman-Kosh (1545), is located in the Main (southern) ridge, in the Babugan mountain range. The highlands of the Main Ridge consist of undulating plateaus (pastures) - Ai-Petrinskaya, Nikitskaya, Karabi, etc. In the east of Crimea, the main ridge is closed by the Kara-Dag mountain group, an interesting monument of volcanic activity of the Jurassic geological era. The main ridge is largely composed of limestones, which, when exposed to atmospheric and groundwater, give clear manifestations of karst processes (karst sinkholes, cavities and caves).

Flora of Crimea.
The flora of Crimea is very rich, represented by more than two thousand species of plants. The distribution of vegetation depends on the climate, topography and soils of the peninsula.
On the plain, from north to south, zones of salt-tolerant vegetation inherent in the saline soils of the Sivash region (soleros, sarsazan, kermek and others), wormwood and wormwood-fescue steppes replace each other. Further to the south there are feather grass steppes, and in the foothills there are also shrubby forb steppes with thyme (thyme), rock alfalfa, and Tauride asphodel. Currently, virgin lands are plowed. The third mountain range (foothill zone) is occupied by a forest-steppe, where groves of low oaks, maples, and ash trees are especially common, as well as thickets of thorns, hawthorn, rose hips, and mackerel. The slopes of the mountains of the middle and Main ridges are covered with oak, beech and pine forests. The yayls are treeless and covered with herbaceous vegetation. Lonely pines and beeches are fancifully twisted by the wind and give the landscape a peculiar, harsh flavor. The flora of the southern slope of the Main Ridge is of great interest. The natural vegetation here is predominantly forest: pine, juniper, downy oak and Mediterranean species: pistachio, strawberry tree, yellow jasmine. But the typical landscape of the South Bank is created by decorative garden and park vegetation. As a result creative activity man, exotic plants have become a permanent element of the landscape: Himalayan and Lebanese cedars, cypresses, magnolias, sequoias, ivy, Chinese wisteria. There are also endemic (inherent only in this area) plants in Crimea: Steven's maple (in the forests of the northern slope of the mountains), Biberstein's jasmine (Crimean edel-weiss, on high mountain plateaus and yaylas), Stankevich's pine, on seaside cliffs from Balaklava to the cape Aya and near Sudak).

Climate of Crimea.
The Crimean peninsula lies on the southern border of the temperate zone. The climate of Crimea is distinguished by some features related to its geographical location: great softness and humidity, significant sunshine. But the diversity of the relief, the influence of the sea and mountains create large differences in the climate of the steppe, mountain and southern coastal parts of the peninsula. The steppe Crimea has hot summers and relatively warm winters (July temperature 23-24°, February temperature 0.5-2°), and annual precipitation is low. The mountainous Crimea is characterized by more significant precipitation and less hot summers.
The southern coast provides the most favorable combination climatic factors: mild winter, sunny hot summer (average temperature in February in Yalta is 3.5°, in July 24°), summer breezes that moderate the heat, fresh breath of forests and parks. The climatic conditions of the Evpatoria region and the southeastern coast (Feodosia, Sudak, Planerskoye), as well as the mountainous Crimea (Old Crimea), are favorable.

Waters in Crimea.
The waters of Crimea are divided into surface (rivers, streams, lakes) and underground (ground, artesian, karst). The rivers originate on the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains; they are short, low-water and characterized by great uneven flow (they overflow in the spring and during rainstorms and dry up in the summer). The most significant river is Salgir (length 232 km). Water problem in Crimea it is solved by the construction of artificial reservoirs and canals (reservoirs on Alma, Kach, Salgir, Simferopol reservoir, holding up to 36 million cubic meters of water). Reservoirs are being built on the river. Belbek and a tunnel about 7 km long was built through the main mountain range for the drainage of Belbek to Yalta.
The waters of the North Crimean Canal will water and irrigate the driest areas of the steppe Crimea from Perekop to Kerch. The construction of this canal will increase the yields of corn, wheat, rye, tobacco, and more intensively develop highly productive livestock farming. Industrial centers and villages of Crimea will be supplied with excellent Dnieper water.

Soils of Crimea.
The nature of soils depends on the parent rocks, topography, climate, plant and animal organisms. The diversity of physical and geographical conditions has created a very heterogeneous composition of soils across regions. The predominant type is southern chernozems and dark chestnut soils, occupying the central part of the steppe Crimea.
The soils of the foothills, mountain Crimea and the Southern Coast are varieties of chernozems: carbonate chernozems, brown mountain-forest soils, mountain-meadow subalpine chernozems, brown soils of forests and shrubs of the Southern Coast. Tobacco, vegetables, essential oils, grapes, stone fruits, ornamental trees and shrubs are well cultivated on these soils. The main place in agriculture in the steppe Crimea belongs to grain crops, and of these - wheat and corn. In modern conditions, the progressive role of the row crop farming system, which significantly increases grain yields, is especially important.

Black Sea.
The Black Sea belongs to the so-called inland seas, since it is not directly connected to the ocean. In terms of its hydrobiological and hydrophysical properties, the Black Sea stands out sharply among other marine bodies of water. Its feature is a sharp fluctuation in surface water temperatures (from one to twenty-eight degrees). The salinity of the Black Sea due to desalination by the waters of the Danube, Dniester and other rivers is relatively small: in the upper layers it is 17-18% (in 1 liter there are 17-18 g of salt), at depth it increases significantly, since the deep Bosphorus Current brings masses of more than salt water from the Sea of ​​Marmara. The greatest depth of the Black Sea is determined to be 2243 m. Oxygen is contained in the upper horizons, “and at a depth of 200 m and below, oxygen disappears and saturation with hydrogen sulfide increases.
The Black Sea is a source of fish wealth. The history of the formation of the Black Sea basin goes back several tens of millions of years, during which its outlines and hydrological regime repeatedly changed. That is why the composition of its animal world is diverse. In the Black Sea there are three groups of fish: relict (residual, these include herring, sturgeon fish, many species of gobies), freshwater - in estuaries and river mouths (pike perch, perch, ram), Mediterranean invaders (anchovy, sprat, mullet, horse mackerel, mackerel, bonito, tuna and others, over 100 species of fish in total). Tuna is the largest commercial fish, its length can reach three meters and weight five hundred kilograms.

Fauna of Crimea.
The fauna of Crimea is distinguished by a number of features and has a so-called island character. Many species of animals living in the territories close to Crimea are absent in Crimea, but endemic (local) forms of animals are found, the appearance of which is associated with a peculiar geological history peninsula (the geological age of the mountainous Crimea is older than the steppe part of the peninsula, and its fauna was formed much earlier and under different conditions). The steppe Crimea belongs to the European-Siberian zoogeographical subregion, and the mountainous one to the Mediterranean. On the territory of the peninsula, these subregions border along the foothills.
Crimean scorpion (poisonous), found in rock crevices on the South Coast, Crimean gecko, Crimean owl, black and long-tailed tits, goldfinch, linnet, mountain bunting and some others. Mediterranean forms of animals are identified: phalanx, scolopendra, leopard snake, yellow-bellied (legless lizard, very useful, as it destroys harmful rodents). In the same display case there is a rock lizard, a water snake, a marsh turtle; among amphibians, the crested newt, found in small mountain reservoirs, the tree frog, an inhabitant of tree plantations near fresh water bodies, as well as shrews, water shrews, bats, a reserved beech forest with protected animals: Crimean deer, roe deer and mouflon. For many centuries, Crimean forests and animals were mercilessly exterminated. Only after the Great October Revolution socialist revolution an end was put to the predatory extermination of the forests and animals of Crimea.
To protect nature and restore it in the central mountainous part of Crimea, a State Nature Reserve was created in 1923, reorganized in 1957 into the Crimean State Game Reserve. The flora and fauna of the Crimean Mountains on the territory of the farm has been largely restored. Many birds fly through the Crimea on the way to warm countries: ulit, golden plover, golden eagle, white heron, kite, night heron, golden eagle and others. These birds rest in Crimea before flying across the Black Sea, birds that fly to Crimea for the winter: tap dancers, bullfinches, waxwings, siskins, bramblings, larks, Siberian buzzard and others.

Who hasn’t heard about Crimea, hasn’t seen paintings, photographs dedicated to Crimea?

Who hasn't read poems about him?

Who hasn’t dreamed of visiting this fertile sunny land?

It’s not for nothing that Crimea is called the pearl. Foreign guests compare it with the world-famous picturesque corners of Italy and France.

In Crimea, there are warm, sunny weather about 250 days a year. Here autumn looks like spring. The grass is green all year round, daisies and pansies bloom in the flower beds. Almonds, peaches, apricots, grapes, feijoas, persimmons and figs grow and bear fruit here.

For an inquisitive tourist, Crimea is a haven of freedom.

Where is this fertile land located?

The Crimean peninsula juts out deeply into the Black Sea and is washed from the east by the Sea of ​​Azov. Dimensions from west to east (between capes Kara-Mrun and Fonar) - 324 km, from north to south (from the Perekop Isthmus to Cape Sarych) - 207 km. Area - about 26,860 km². The banks are accumulatively leveled. The length of the coastline is over 1 thousand km. The largest bays on the Black Sea coast: Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky, Feodosiya. On the coast of the Azov Sea: Sivash, Kazantip and Arabat. In the east of Crimea is the Kerch Peninsula, in the west - the Tarkhankut Peninsula. According to the nature of the relief, it is divided into 2 parts: platform-plain (70% of the territory) and folded-mountain. In the south of Crimea there are the Crimean Mountains. The highest point of the peninsula is Mount Roman-Kosh with a height of 1545 m.

Crimea area

The surface area of ​​the peninsula is about 27 thousand km², of which 72% is plain, 20% is mountains and 8% is lakes and other water bodies. It is washed in the west and south by the Black Sea and in the east by the Azov Sea. In the north it is connected to the continent by the narrow (up to 8 km) Perekop Isthmus. In the east of Crimea, between the Black and Azov seas, is the Kerch Peninsula; in the west, the tapering part of Crimea forms the Tarkhankut Peninsula.

Relief of the peninsula

The Crimean mountains stretch in three ridges from Sevastopol to Feodosia with a length of 150 kilometers. The southern slopes that make up the Main Ridge separate the subtropical South Coast from the rest of the peninsula. The lower ridges form a foothill, divided into separate sections by picturesque river valleys, and the Main ridge resembles a continuous barrier, the height of which almost everywhere exceeds a kilometer. Highest point The Crimean Mountains is Roman-Kosh - 1545 meters. Unlike Gorny, the entire Northern, Western and Eastern Crimea is a plain interspersed with low hills.

They are very picturesque and unlike others. They are like frozen huge waves, throwing up their crests to the sky. The main ridge, whose slopes are gentle to the north and break off into high steep walls to the south, has other features: it does not have the usual pointed peaks, but undulating mountain plateaus. In Crimea they are called yayls (translated from Crimean Tatar - summer pasture).

But already in Alushta the Main Ridge is divided into separate massifs - Babugan, Chatyr-Dag, Demerdzhi. The gently sloping Dolgorukovskaya yayla goes to the north, and Karabi-yayla, the largest in area, goes to the east. It is connected to Demerdzhinskaya only by a “bridge” in the form of Table Mountain. Then the Main Range completely disintegrates, leaving only individual mountain ranges, peaks and volcanic massifs, of which the most interesting and unusual is Karadag. Karadag is the farewell surprise of the Main Mountain Range, its dangerous Mesozoic fireworks with real fire and lava frozen under water.

Two hundred million years ago, here was the primordial ocean Tethys, the mother of all current seas and oceans. Then the Crimean and Caucasian mountains were born at its bottom, so that 7-8 million years ago they would sprout and rise, dividing a single water pool on two seas - the Black and Caspian.

In many places on the Eastern Bank, the ancient “Tauride platform” protrudes directly from the ground, forming unusually shaped elevations with landslides, cracks, and ravines. Further, to the east from Feodosia there are roads and paths of sparsely populated land, the topography of which is called the Kerch Hills. To the north and northwest of Feodosia Bay, almost the entire small Crimea was occupied by the Crimean steppe, which was huge compared to the coastal resort strip. So our “Cimmeria” (sometimes called “Kimtavria”) is a land of contrasts - mountains, coast, flat hills, steppe.

We will tell you about the coldest cave, the deepest karst well (on the widest Crimean plateau of Karabi); here is the deepest waterfall Dzhur-Dzhur and the driest place in Crimea - the Kapsel Valley. The largest amount of wine is produced in Sudak, the best Crimean beaches are on the warmest Sea of ​​Azov, and the only Mesozoic volcano that erupted into the sea with real lava is Karadag. And finally, on the western tip of the peninsula - the most fishy, ​​the most ancient, the most interesting for archaeologists, the Crimean “city of three seas” - Kerch...

Peninsula climate

The southern coast of Crimea from Cape Aya in the west to Mount Kara-Dag in the east is called the sub-Mediterranean Sea for the proximity of the main features of its climate (sunshine, air temperature, precipitation regime), flora and fauna to the Mediterranean coast and subtropics. The northern, flat part of Crimea has a continental climate of the temperate zone.
Summer in Crimea is hot and sunny everywhere, dry - only sometimes with short, refreshing rains. Its boundaries can be considered mid-May and the end of September; autumn pampers you with quiet sunny days (even weeks), and somewhere from mid-October it treats you with rain. Winter is not much different from autumn, but in the mountains it is simply a miracle: dry frosty air, clean fluffy snow - many Crimeans go on weekends to the areas of the Angarsk Pass and the Ai-Petri Mountains. In spring, the Black Sea warms up near Yalta and Alushta more slowly than in the western or east coast Crimea. Therefore, March and April with their lush flowering are especially good on the West Coast and in the Foothills.
The relative air humidity in Crimea is almost always and everywhere low - within 65 - 80%; it is easy to breathe here even in the heat. The Yalta region, according to long-term data, has the lowest relative humidity in Europe. Passion for exoticism, tourism to countries with a humid tropical climate in lately has literally become unhealthy, especially for the cardiovascular system. It is worth recalling that for Europeans the dry subtropics are the healthiest climate. The sanatorium and resort sector is actively developing in Crimea.
Rare plants and animals, unique landscapes that the peninsula is so rich in, are under conservation protection. Their total area is about 700 square kilometers, which is more than 2.5% of the territory of Crimea, one of the highest indicators of reserve saturation for Ukraine and the CIS. Many of the protected areas are visited by tourists; here you will need to be especially careful about nature.

Rivers of the peninsula

Depending on the direction of surface water flow, it is customary to divide the rivers of Crimea into three groups: rivers on the northwestern slopes of the Crimean Mountains, rivers on the southern coast of Crimea, and rivers on the northern slopes of the Crimean Mountains. The gullies of the plain Crimea and the Kerch Peninsula are especially distinguished. Watersheds between groups of rivers pass along the surface of the Yaila and along the Simferopol Upland. On the Kerch Peninsula, the watershed forms the Parpach ridge. The longest rivers of the Azov Sea basin, the most abundant ones, are on the northwestern slopes of the Crimean Mountains, and the shortest ones are on the southern coast.
All rivers on the northwestern slopes of the Crimean Mountains flow almost parallel to each other. Until about the middle of their course, they have the appearance of typical mountain streams, receiving many tributaries here. In places where the limestone rocks of the Inner and Outer cuesta ridges of the foothills break through, they form canyon-like gorges. Within the Alma Plain, rivers flow in deep river valleys, their speeds become relatively low. The area of ​​the main river basins is within 500-600 km2, length -40-60 km. Their main feeding area is located on the limestone slopes of the Main Mountain Range at altitudes of 1300-1400 m. The tributaries here are stormy after rainstorms and low-water during periods between floods. River valleys in the middle and lower reaches have terraces. The widest first floodplain (garden) terrace. The rest were preserved from erosion only in places in the form of flat remnant ridges. In the lower reaches of the Chernaya and Belbek rivers, the bottom of the valleys is swampy due to the shallow occurrence of groundwater. The largest rivers of this group are Alma, Kacha, Belbek and Chernaya.
Alma is the longest Crimean river after Salgir. The river valley in the middle and lower reaches has long been famous for its orchards. The name Alma (more precisely Alma) means apple. The source of the river is located in the Central Basin on the territory of the Crimean Game Reserve. It is formed by three mountain rivers: Sary-Su, Babuganka and Savlykh-Su. The source of Savlykh-Su is located on the territory of the Kozmodemyanovsky monastery. Its water flows into a special bathhouse in the form of a chapel and is considered healing by pilgrims and tourists. Downstream, relatively large tributaries flow into the Alma: on the left are Sukhaya Alma and Bodrak, and on the right are Kosa, Mavlya and Sablyn-ka. The Partizanskoye and Alminskoye reservoirs were created on Alma.
Kacha is shorter, but deeper than Alma. It is formed from the confluence of the rivers Biyuk-Uzen and Pisara. A little lower on the left, the Donga tributary flows into Kacha. The forested catchments of these rivers are among the most beautiful corners of the mountainous Crimea. Even lower, Kaspana and Stilya flow into the river on the left, and Marta (with tributaries Yanyker and Finares) and Churuk-Su, which flows through Bakhchisarai, on the right. The Zagorsk and Bakhchisarai reservoirs were built on Kach.
Belbek is the most abundant river in Crimea. It is formed from the confluence of two rivers - Biyuk-Uzenbash and Managotra. Below, the Kokkozka tributary flows into Belbek on the left, which in turn is formed from the confluence of the Sary-Uzen and Auzun-Uzen rivers, originating in the picturesque Grand Canyon of Crimea. A large hydraulic structure was created in the upper reaches of Belbek. On the tributary of Managotra, the Schastlivensky reservoir was built, the water of which, together with the waters of Kuchuk-Uzenbash and Biyuk-Uzenbash intercepted by special structures, is directed to a tunnel (more than seven kilometers long, dug on the South Coast, at the base of the Yalta mountain range).
Chernaya is the second river in Crimea in terms of water flow after Belbek. It begins in the Baydar Valley, where many turbulent rivers run down from the surrounding mountains. The length of the valley is 16-17, and the width is 7-8 km. The upper reaches of the Chernaya River form the river. Uzundzha, fed by the waters of the Suuk-Su spring. In the summer, the water flow does not always reach the Baydar Valley, so it’s like the rebirth of the river. Cherneya occurs near the village. Rodnikovsky, where the powerful karst spring Skelsky (the second largest in the mountainous Crimea) flows into the right bank of its channel. In the center of the Baydar Valley there is a large Chernorechenskoye reservoir. Many tributaries of the Chernaya also send their waters into the valley: Bosa, Armanka, Upper Baga, Lower Baga, Baydarka, Urkusta, etc. Below the river. The Black River flows in an amazingly beautiful canyon about 16 km long. Having burst out of it, the river forms the wide Inkerman valley, the lower reaches of which are flooded by the sea. Here two large tributaries flow into the Chernaya - Ai-Todorka and Sukhaya River.
The rivers of the southern coast of Crimea are short, have very steep channel slopes, and are violent during floods with relatively low water flows. In the west, in addition to the usually dry ravines and the Khastabash stream, the largest is the Uchan-Su River.
Uchan-Su (Waterfall), rapidly descending to the sea, forms waterfalls in four places. The uppermost and largest of them is Uchan-Su (“flying water”). On the right, the mountain rivers Barbala and Kukhna flow into the river, and on the left - Yauzlar, which also has a cascade of waterfalls. Mudflows are observed in Uchan-Su. The river water, directed through pipes, feeds the Mogabinskoye reservoir (volume 300 thousand m3).
Derekoyka (Bystraya) is the most abundant river in the South Coast. It cuts through the picturesque Uch-Kosh gorge visible from Yalta. Near the village of Vasilyevka it is called Baloy, even lower than Guva, and after its confluence with the river. Putamitsa - already within the city - Derekoika.
Ulu-Uzen is formed from the rivers Sofu-Uzen, originating on the southern slope of Chatyrdag, and Uzen-Bash, flowing from Babugan-yayla. Uzen-Bash in the picturesque Yaman-Dere gorge falls into a cascade of waterfalls. The largest of them is called Golovkinsky waterfall. The water falls here from a height of twelve meters. The Izobilnenskoe reservoir was created on Ulu-Uzen in the Alushta region.
Demerdzhi is one of the low-water rivers of the South Coast. The main food comes from the sources of the southeastern part of Chatyrdag and the western part of the Demerdzhi massif. Of the tributaries, the largest are the right-bank Shuiskaya and the left-bank Alages.
Eastern Ulu-Uzen begins in the deep Khapkhal gorge, cut into the Tyrke massif. The river flows into the Black Sea near the village. Solnechnogorsk. The river bed in the upper reaches descends in huge steps formed by strong carbonate sandstones, which are interbedded with thin layers of clay shale. The relatively powerful waterfall Dzhur-Dzhur (“noisy”) is especially picturesque here. The water, rushing in a stream from a height of almost 15 m, crashes with a roar at the foot of the limestone ledge.
In addition to the rivers listed, there are many more small rivers within the South Coast: At-Bash, Avunda, Uskut, Shelen, Voron, etc. Most of them are very similar to those described above. The main features of the rivers Uskut, Shelen, Vorona and its tributary Ai-Serez are that in the past they were relatively often subject to mudflows, which caused enormous damage to the economy. The danger of their collapse continues even now.
The rivers of the northern slopes of the Crimean Mountains differ from the rivers of other groups in that outside the mountains they deviate to the east and flow into Sivash, a lagoon of the Azov Sea. In the upper reaches of the river there is always water, but within the plain there is almost no flow during low water periods.
Salgir is the longest river in Crimea. Together with its tributary, the Biyuk-Karasu represents the largest water system in Crimea. The upper reaches of the Salgir form the Angara and Kizil-Koba rivers. Angara originates on the slopes of Chatyrdag near the Angara pass, and Kizil-Koba - from the famous Red Caves (Kizil-Koba). At the village From Zarechny, a large tributary, the Ayan, flows into Salgir. He is nourished by powerful source of the same name, collecting groundwater from almost the entire Chatyrdag massif. We have long paid attention to the excellent mountain water of the Ayan spring as a reserve for replenishing the water resources of Simferopol. But it was only in 1928 that the Ayan reservoir and water pipeline were built, as a result of which the city began to receive 16 times more water than in 191335. There are only about 500 springs in the Salgir basin. Downstream the river flows into Salgir. Tavel with its tributary Tavelchuk. In front of the regional center, Salgir fills the largest reservoir in Crimea, the Simferopol reservoir, built in 1951-1955. Before its construction in the city, destructive floods often swept through the Salgir valley. In December 1933, the largest known water flow in the river occurred - 118 m3/s. Within the city limits, the Small Salgir flows into the Salgir on the right. Below Simferopol, the river receives right tributaries - the rivers Beshterek, Zuya, Burulcha, and 27 km from Sivash - Biyuk-Karasu. This river is relatively high-water, its long-term flow below the confluence of the Kuchuk-Karasu tributary averages 1.83 m3/s, that is, almost the same as that of the river. Black. The high water content of Biyuk-Karasu is associated with its feeding by the waters of the largest karst spring in Crimea, Karasu-Bashi, which is located at the foot of the northern slopes of the Karabi massif. Below the confluence of the river. Biyuk-Karasu Salgir has almost no surface runoff in summer. Water is contained only in its loose sediments. The Taiganskoye and Belogorskoye reservoirs were built on Biyuk-Karasu.
Wet Indol (Su-Indol) begins in the eastern part of the mountainous Crimea, where there are no powerful karst springs. The source of the river is in a dry ravine, under Mount Karakol. Below, a number of springs and especially flood waters feed Indole. On the right near the village. The Grushevki river flows into the river. Sals. However, Indole remains low in water.
Chorokh-Su (Churuk-Su) is almost completely a steppe river. Its source is formed by the Starokrymskaya and Monastyrskaya gully. The river is partly fed by the karst waters of the Agarmysh massif. The Staro-Crimean Reservoir was built on it.
What many rivers in the mountainous Crimea have in common is their danger of mudflows, primarily due to deforestation in the past and the plowing of the slopes of their catchment areas.
The gullies of the Crimean plain are formed by melt and storm waters briefly rushing through them, but over a long geological time. The largest of them look like real river valleys, and therefore they are often called dry rivers.
Chatyrlyk is the main dry river of Crimea. In length it is second only to Salgir. Water from the entire central part of the Crimean plain flows through an extensive network of its “tributaries” - side gullies. Now dams have been built at the mouth of the dry river. Fish are bred in the created ponds with an area of ​​over 2000 hectares. The densest network of gullies and dry rivers is on the Tarkhankutskaya elevated plain. The largest of them are Samarchik with a length of more than 50 km, Agar-Su (45 km), Bakalskaya (20 km), Donuzlavskaya (19 km). The deepest is the Big Castel, located in the extreme west of the peninsula. In 1969 it was reserved as a natural monument. A number of dry rivers and gullies flow into the Sivash - Pobednaya, Mironovskaya, Netochnaya, Stalnaya, Zelenaya, etc.
The beams of the Kerch Peninsula are longer in its northern and northeastern parts. The longest of them are Samarli (51 km), Ali-Bai, Sarayminskaya, etc. With a significant degree of convention, only one river can be named here - Melek-Chesme, in the valley of which Kerch is located. The river only has water for a few months of the year.
The water regimes of the Crimean rivers are greatly modified due to the creation of different parts regulating reservoirs and water intake devices for irrigation.
Usually, two periods are distinguished in the annual fluctuation of water levels in the rivers of Crimea. The first is from December to April, when generally higher levels are observed and their frequent sharp rises due to thaws with simultaneous rains. The second - from May to November - with low low water (until drying out), which is periodically interrupted by short-term, intense, sometimes catastrophic rises in level due to rainfall.
The spring flood is not clearly distinguished, since it often rains during snowmelt. Summer flash floods most often occur in June and July. Cold period floods often exceed summer ones and can also be catastrophic. The highest water levels are not observed simultaneously on rivers different groups. On the rivers of the northwestern slopes of the Crimean Mountains they can be in any month from December to July, on the rivers of the Southern Bank - most often from December to April, on the rivers of the northern slopes of the Crimean Mountains - in February - April, and on rivers and ravines steppe Crimea - in summer, after rains. The rise in water level in rivers during floods is from 2 to 6 m. They are highest on the rivers of the northwestern slopes of the Crimean Mountains, especially on Belbek and Chernaya.
The lowest water levels in rivers are usually observed in July - September. At the same time, many rivers dry up completely for 2-3, and sometimes for the entire 12 months.