Crimea is an amazing land. Not only in terms of natural landscapes, but also in terms of its inhabitants. The peninsula has been inhabited since ancient times. The Scythians, Sarmatians, ancient Greeks and Romans left their mark here. In this article we will talk about the modern settlements of Crimea - the largest cities and villages.
Republic of Crimea: population and administrative-territorial structure
As of the beginning of 2018, 1.91 million people live in Crimea. Approximately half of them live in cities. The ethnic structure of the population is dominated by three peoples: Russians (about 63%), Ukrainians (15%) and Crimean Tatars (12%). In addition, representatives of almost a hundred other nationalities also live on the peninsula. Among them are Armenians, Belarusians, Tatars, Greeks, Moldavians, Jews, Bulgarians and other nationalities.
According to the current administrative-territorial structure, the territory of Crimea is divided into 11 urban districts and 14 districts. Sevastopol, although located on the peninsula, is not part ofrepublics. The "capital" of the Crimean land is the city of Simferopol.
Crimean settlements
To date, there are 1019 settlements in Crimea. Among them are 16 cities, 56 urban-type settlements and 947 villages. What settlements in the Crimea are the largest? The ten largest Crimean cities by population are listed below:
- Sevastopol (436 thousand people).
- Simferopol (342 thousand people).
- Kerch (150 thousand people).
- Yevpatoria (106 thousand people).
- Y alta (79 thousand people).
- Feodosia (68 thousand people).
- Dzhankoy (39 thousand people).
- Krasnoperekopsk (25 thousand people).
- Alushta (30 thousand people).
- Bakhchisaray (27 thousand people).
The list of the largest rural settlements in Crimea is as follows:
- Mirnoe (9,28 thousand people).
- Vilino (6,96 thousand people).
- Pionerskoe (5,53 thousand people).
- Clean (5, 13 thousand people).
- Yarkoe Pole (4,91 thousand people).
The largest settlements of Crimea are marked on the map below:
Simferopol
Simferopol (translated from ancient Greek - “city of benefit”) is the administrative capital of the Republic of Crimea, an important economic, cultural and educational center on the peninsula. Here is the largest university in the Crimea - Taurida University. Vernadsky, as well as a number of other educational institutions.
Officially, 1784 is considered the year of foundation of the city. Although it is known that as early as the 3rd century BC, thisScythian Naples, the capital of the Scythians of Taurida, arose in this place. In the 16th-18th centuries, there was the village of Ak-Mechet, in which the residence of the Crimean Tatar sultan was located.
Administratively, Simferopol is divided into three districts: Central, Kyiv and Zheleznodorozhny. There are about 70 enterprises of mechanical engineering, food and light industry in the city. Despite the abundance of architectural and historical monuments, tourists rarely pay their attention to Simferopol, perceiving it only as a transit point on the way to the sea.
Scientific Village
It is impossible not to mention in our article about the village of Nauchny. After all, this is the highest mountainous settlement of Crimea. It is located at an altitude of about 600 meters above sea level, 25 kilometers from Bakhchisaray. In Soviet times, the village of Nauchny was not marked on maps, and all letters addressed to its inhabitants were de jure sent to Bakhchisaray. Such secrecy was due to the fact that the largest astrophysical observatory was located here. She still works today. By the way, its domes are clearly visible from the top of Mount Ai-Petri.
Mirnoe and Vilino: demographic record holders
The largest village in Crimea is Mirnoye. It is home to at least nine thousand people! The village was founded at the end of the 18th century. Interestingly, Mirnoye is located just two kilometers from the Simferopol railway station. In fact, this is nothing more than the northwestern outskirts of the Crimean "capital". The village has its own flag and coat of arms.which depicts a white dove in flight.
The second most populous village on the peninsula is Vilino. It is also famous for the colossal dynamics of its population growth. So, over the past half century, the number of villagers has tripled. Even in 2000, the population of Vilino was growing, despite the all-Ukrainian trend towards depopulation.
