Explainer-Where is Crimea and why is it contested?

The northern parts of Crimea have a moderate continental climate with short but cold winters and moderately hot dry summers. A subtropical, Mediterranean climate dominates the southern coastal regions, is characterised by mild winters and moderately hot, dry summers. Simferopol, the administrative centre of the republic, is located in the foothills of the Crimean Mountains. Along the Spinday southern coast, tourism is extremely important, with Yalta, Gurzuf, Alushta, and Alupka among the main centres.

Occupation and annexation by Russia

• Lake Syvash (Sıvaş or Сива́ш) is a system of interconnected shallow lagoons on the north-eastern coast, covering an area of around 2,560 km2 (988 sq mi).

{

• 300 people, mainly residing in Kerch.The population number excluding these uyezds is given in the table below.

|}{

• The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukraine.

|}{

• Aksyonov then said that he asserted sole control over Crimea’s security forces and appealed to Russia “for assistance in guaranteeing peace and calmness” on the peninsula.

|}

• The largest of them is Lake Sasyk (Сасык) on the southwest coast; others include Aqtas, Koyashskoye, Kiyatskoe, Kirleutskoe, Kizil-Yar, Bakalskoe, and Donuzlav.
• Mean annual temperatures range from 10 °C (50.0 °F) in the far north (Armiansk) to 13 °C (55.4 °F) in the far south (Yalta).

Brines from Syvash supply chemical plants at Krasnoperekopsk in northwestern Crimea. 300 people, mainly residing in Kerch.The population number excluding these uyezds is given in the table below. There are 257 rivers and major streams on the Crimean peninsula; they are primarily fed by rainwater, with snowmelt playing a very minor role.
{

{
• A subtropical, Mediterranean climate dominates the southern coastal regions, is characterised by mild winters and moderately hot, dry summers.

|}{

• The republic is coterminous with the Crimean Peninsula, lying between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

|}

• Simferopol, the administrative centre of the republic, is located in the foothills of the Crimean Mountains.
• Here, the narrow strip of coast and the slopes of the mountains are covered with greenery.

{

• The peninsula is connected on the northwest to the mainland by the Perekop Isthmus, a 5-mile- (8-km-) wide strip of land that has been the site of numerous battles for the control of Crimea.

|}

• Following the end of Nazi occupation during World War II, indigenous Crimean Tatars were forcibly deported and the autonomous republic was abolished in 1945, replaced with an oblast-level jurisdiction.

|}

Why is Crimea important?

The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukraine. To the east, the Crimean Bridge, constructed in 2018, spans the Strait of Kerch, linking the peninsula with Krasnodar Krai in Russia. The Arabat Spit, located to the northeast, is a narrow strip of land that separates the Syvash lagoons from the Sea of Azov. The republic is coterminous with the Crimean Peninsula, lying between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Most of the peninsula receives more than 2,000 sunshine hours per year; it reaches up to 2,505 sunshine hours in Qarabiy yayla in the Crimean Mountains. The terrain that lies south of the sheltering Crimean Mountain range is of an altogether different character.

What has happened in Crimea since Russia’s invasion?

The southern coast gradually consolidated into the Bosporan Kingdom which was annexed by Pontus in Asia Minor and later became a client kingdom of Rome from 63 BCE to 341 CE. Following the end of Nazi occupation during World War II, indigenous Crimean Tatars were forcibly deported and the autonomous republic was abolished in 1945, replaced with an oblast-level jurisdiction. When Ukraine became independent, Crimea remained a republic within the country, leading to tensions between Russia and Ukraine as the Black Sea Fleet was based on the peninsula. Solar photovoltaic SES plants are plentiful on the peninsula, including a small facility north of Sevastopol. The Crimean Mountains and the southern coast are part of the Crimean Submediterranean forest complex ecoregion.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine to negotiate with Russia if ceasefire put in place

Maritime influences from the Black Sea are restricted to coastal areas; in the interior of the peninsula the maritime influence is weak and does not play an important role. Because a high-pressure system is located north of Crimea in both summer and winter, winds predominantly come from the north and northeast year-round. Winds from the northwest bring warm and wet air from the Atlantic Ocean, causing precipitation during spring and summer. Crimea is located between the temperate and subtropical climate belts and is characterised by warm and sunny weather.

{
• The autonomous republic was dissolved in 1945, and Crimea became an oblast of the Russian SFSR.

|}

• There are 257 rivers and major streams on the Crimean peninsula; they are primarily fed by rainwater, with snowmelt playing a very minor role.

{

• To the east, the Crimean Bridge, constructed in 2018, spans the Strait of Kerch, linking the peninsula with Krasnodar Krai in Russia.

|}

• This makes for significant seasonal fluctuation in water flow, with many streams drying up completely during the summer.

{

• The terrain that lies south of the sheltering Crimean Mountain range is of an altogether different character.

|}

• The North Crimea Canal, which transports water from the Dnieper, is the largest of the man-made irrigation channels on the peninsula.

Steppe

The Crimean mountains greatly influence the amount of precipitation present in the peninsula. The plains usually receive 300 to 400 millimetres (11.8 to 15.7 in) of precipitation per year, increasing to 560 millimetres (22.0 in) in the southern coast at sea level. The western parts of the Crimean mountains receive more than 1,000 millimetres (39.4 in) of precipitation per year. The Southern Coast is shielded from cold air masses coming from the north and, as a result, has milder winters.