The Crimean peninsula was an integral part of the Russian Empire, it also occupied a significant place in the Soviet Union. It is famous for its resorts, wine and multinational population, as well as a rich history, without having studied which, it is hardly possible to fully understand what the Crimean economy is like today.
Resources
In the Crimea there are different types of soils, including chernozems, which occupy more than 45% of the area of the peninsula. They are successfully used for growing various crops. There are few rivers on the peninsula, to solve this problem, its inhabitants have long learned to use groundwater, as well as create artificial reservoirs, however, the livelihoods and economy of Crimea in our time largely depend on fresh water supplies from the mainland.
In the bowels of the peninsula there are also deposits of various natural resources, such as iron ore, s alt, oil and gas, various building materials are mined here.
Of course, the main we alth of Crimea is precisely recreational resources,which are widely used here for recreation, tourism, treatment. These are healing mud, and specialized resorts, and simply beaches on the shores of the Black and Azov Seas, which are visited by millions of tourists every year.
Crimea in antiquity
It is quite obvious that people tend to populate the most profitable areas for living. Crimea is rich in fertile lands where you can engage in cattle breeding and agriculture. The economy of the peninsula has for many times been heavily dependent on trade, because its geographical location just contributes to this.
It is believed that the first people in the Crimea appeared 250 thousand years ago, and written sources testify to the Cimmerians who inhabited the peninsula in the 15th-7th centuries. BC e. After them, all kinds of peoples lived here: Taurians, Sarmatians and Scythians, Romans and Greeks, Khazars, Cumans and Pechenegs, Byzantines, Turks and Tatars, Armenians and Slavs. All of them have left their mark on the culture of the peninsula.
Crimea as part of the Russian Empire
The peninsula, previously the Crimean Khanate, became part of Russia itself in 1783. In the same year, the naval port of Sevastopol was founded. And from that moment on, the Crimean economy received significant infusions of funds from the Russian treasury for its development.
New cities, settlements and estates were founded, and newly arrived industrialists built factories, plants and other enterprises. In those years, many migrants, free and serfs who came from Russia and other countries settled on the lands of the peninsula. European countries. There was work for everyone here - people were engaged in gardening, viticulture, beekeeping, produced grain and tobacco, and mined s alt. The construction of military and merchant ships was also launched.
The Crimean War, which began in 1853, and then the revolution of 1917, hindered the progress of the economy of the peninsula, but in peacetime the government made every effort to ensure the development of Taurida.
Crimea as part of the USSR
The economy of the Crimea as part of the RSFSR, since 1954 attached to the Ukrainian SSR, has traditionally been focused on tourism, and the peninsula itself was designated as an all-Union he alth resort. However, this area is hardly the main one in the economy of the region. It is worth noting that the social structure of the Soviet Union assumed that the state would pay most of the costs for recreation and he alth improvement of the population, so the contribution of the tourism industry to the economy of the region can be considered rather symbolic.
In addition to the usual use of recreational resources, along with agriculture, Crimea is becoming a major naval base that ensures the influence of the USSR in the Black Sea. Industrial production is developing quite successfully on the peninsula - first of all, this is military instrumentation and shipbuilding. In addition, enterprises engaged in the processing of fish, fruits, vegetables and grapes are open here, whose products are also exported.
Economy of Crimea within Ukraine
This is a special page in the life of the peninsula. From the first years of perestroika and further after the collapse of the USSR, the economy of the Republic of Crimeaundergoing major changes. And it's not so much that since then the peninsula has been left alone with independent Ukraine - the economic model of the free market that was being introduced in most of the post-Soviet space is to blame.
The result of the reforms was a significant decline in production, a reduction in the area of orchards and vineyards, and the military sector was practically abolished altogether. Various sectors of the economy lost state support, now everything was built on the basis of the principles of private property and personal gain. Most of the Soviet agricultural enterprises have disappeared, and many sanatoriums and other he alth-improving complexes have also closed or fallen into disrepair.
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea has ceased to be an all-Union he alth resort - tourists now preferred beach holidays more, and sometimes it was more profitable for them to go to Egypt or Turkey.
Tourism as the basis of the Crimean economy
For 20 years, attempts to attract private investment in the autonomous republic have not met with much success, apart from a relatively small amount of funds from Ukrainian and Russian investors. Only in 2010 tourism was officially declared a priority, and the state began to finance the development of the economy in Crimea. Significant funds have been invested in its infrastructure.
Against the backdrop of a general decline, the tourism industry is becoming increasingly important, and together with the service sector brings at least 25% of the peninsula's income to the budget. At the beginning of 2014 visitor servicevacationers to varying degrees becomes a source of income for 50% of Crimeans. More than 75% of all tourists are hosted by Y alta, Alushta and Evpatoria.
After joining Russia
The Russian economy after the annexation of the Crimea suffered no more than the economy of the peninsula itself. Although pensions and salaries in the public sector have been gradually increased by 50%, prices are also rising at about the same rate, as cheaper Ukrainian goods are no longer available on the Crimean market.
In addition, most of the tourists who came to rest on the peninsula were represented by residents of Ukraine. Now the Republic of Crimea and its population have lost a significant part of their income due to the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia.
In fact, there are many difficulties: this is the shortage of water and electricity on the Crimean peninsula, and the unstable banking system - the problems, of course, can be solved, but everything takes time.
Future plans
Although Crimea is more important for Russia from a geopolitical point of view, the government plans to develop this region. During the year, the Ministry of Economy of Crimea changed its head twice - Svetlana Verba, who had worked in the department since 2011, was replaced in October 2014 by Nikolai Koryazhkin, who, in turn, was replaced in June 2015 by Valentin Demidov, who previously held the position of mayor of Armyansk.
The new Minister of Economy of Crimea plans to seriously improve the free economic zoneand attracting investors. According to him, first of all, we need to start fighting bureaucracy, as well as create an understandable and accessible system in which it will be convenient for investors to work so that they are not scared away by the prospect of getting stuck in the offices of various services and bodies when registering a business.
