It is often said about Crimea that it is a " miniature world ." And no wonder, because the peninsula is a unique place where you can not only have a good rest on the seashore, but also get great pleasure from visiting the local cultural and historical monuments that this ancient land is rich in. Today in the article we decided to collect the most interesting facts about the Crimea. They are able to completely turn your mind about this unusual place, where you should definitely go on vacation in the near future.
Republic of Crimea: general description
The Crimean peninsula deservedly receives many admired epithets, which are awarded to it by Russian and foreign tourists. The pearl of Europe (as these lands are often called) is at the junction of two latitudes, and here you can see almost all the diversity of the nature of our planet. In Crimea, there are mountains, rivers, lakes, ancient volcanoes and steppes - you can’t list everything. You need to see this beauty with your own eyes.
The Republic of Crimea is part of the Russian Federation and has more than two and a half thousand kilometers of land and sea borders. The peninsula is washed by the Black and Azov Seas. The total area of Crimea is almost twenty seven thousand square kilometers, and it is connected to the continent by a narrow isthmus.
The peninsula has always been of interest to people who have settled here since ancient times. Then the Crimea was called Tavrida, and several dozens of different peoples coexisted here. Now the composition of the republic is no less colorful, on the peninsula there are more than one hundred and twenty-five nationalities. It is not surprising that when tourists come here on vacation and hear various interesting facts about the Crimea from the guides, many of them seem to be truly fantastic stories.
Crimea: climate
The climate of Crimea made it possible to turn the peninsula into a health resort, where tourists from all over the world come annually. Most of the peninsula has a temperate continental climate, but the southern territories differ in subtropical features. This leads to the fact that the average winter temperature varies from plus one to plus four degrees Celsius. Winter is usually very mild and warm, it often rains. The mountains are always a little colder, but there are much more sunny days. In the summer, the thermometer does not drop below twenty-five degrees Celsius and moderate precipitation is observed.
For many people, the climate of Crimea is ideal and even has healing powers. Therefore, on the territory of the peninsula, many health resorts and pensions have been built, which provide the opportunity to relax in the resort and significantly improve their health.
Ancient Peninsula: Geography
The geography of Crimea and its relief attract tourists and numerous researchers who work on this land, making one historical discovery after another. The peninsula extends deep into the Black Sea, and from the east it is washed by the waters of the Sea of Azov. Both water areas form fairly even shores with bays. The following bays are located on the Black Sea coast:
- Kalamitsky;
- Theodosian;
- Karkinitsky.
The waters of the Sea of Azov include:
- Sivash;
- Kazantip Bay;
- Arabat Gulf.
If you look at the peninsula from a bird's eye view, its outlines look very romantic. To many they resemble a heart or a bunch of grapes. Everyone is ready to see something special here.
The geography of Crimea is quite interesting - on the peninsula there are mountains, rivers, lakes and plains. Crimean mountains divide the peninsula into two parts. Most (about 70% of the entire territory) consists of plains and lowlands, while the smaller one is represented by mountain ranges.
More than two hundred and fifty rivers flow through the peninsula and about fifty salt lakes are located. There are a lot of nature reserves in the republic, in which all the flora and fauna of Crimea is represented.
Flora and fauna of the Crimean peninsula
The flora and fauna of Crimea is something absolutely special, it is extremely rich and diverse. More than half of the two and a half thousand plants are Mediterranean. In addition, about ten percent of the species are endemic, they do not grow anywhere else, except for these places. Many scholars claim that some plants are characteristic of the historical period, which ended about two million years ago. But others were as if transferred from the Siberian taiga back in the ice age.
If you are in the Crimea, make the ascent to the mountains, you will notice how the plant world changes as you move. You can see pines, oaks, juniper thickets, strawberries, pear and many other types of plants. Tourists enjoy visiting nature reserves that amaze the imagination with a wealth of species.
The fauna of the peninsula is very rich. More than ninety species of rare birds, poisonous insects and reptiles live on the peninsula. The pride of Crimea is a red deer - one of the oldest inhabitants of these territories. Small predators are represented by weasel, badger, fox and numerous ferrets. However, in recent years, the peninsula has lost more than twenty-six species of mammals. They were destroyed as a result of unreasonable human activity, and to restore the population, unfortunately, is no longer possible.
The most interesting facts about Crimea
The Crimean peninsula is filled with various man-made and natural attractions that are worthy of special mention in our article:
- Caves of Crimea conceal many secrets and surprises. Archaeologists have managed to find numerous sites of Neanderthals here, perfectly preserved to this day. On the peninsula is one of the deepest karst caves with a length of more than sixteen thousand meters.
- Almost all the lakes of the peninsula are salty, some of them are healing.
- In the Crimea there are about a hundred mineral springs.
- From Yalta to Simferopol can be reached by trolley.
- The most powerful solar station on the planet is built on the peninsula.
- Residents of Crimea have always been kind to fresh water of good quality. In ancient times, it even transformed into a special cult in which life-giving moisture was practically deified.
- The Simferopol reservoir contains the largest earthen dam in all of Europe.
Of course, this is not all interesting facts about the Crimea. After all, it is simply impossible to list all the beauty and sights of the peninsula within the framework of one article. But we decided to talk about some in more detail.
Caves of Crimea
Many tourists come to the peninsula to explore the caves. They are surprisingly beautiful and located in easily accessible places. Beginners, experienced cavers, and those who have nothing to do with science, but just for the sake of curiosity, come down to the bowels of the earth.
For tourists, caves are divided into three categories of accessibility:
- publicly available;
- sports;
- equipped.
The first category is a favorite place for independent tourists. The caves have a slight slope or are located completely horizontally, this allows you to study them without any special equipment. Therefore, everyone can come down here and get into the amazing underground kingdom.
There are a lot of sports caves in Crimea. They usually have several levels, complex labyrinths and steep wells. In Soviet times, such caves were studied by enthusiasts and only after some time attracted the attention of serious cavers.
Equipped caves are intended for visiting as part of tourist groups. They are well lit and have fencing. Absolutely everyone can get here for a small fee, it’s more interesting to go down here with a guide. He will tell the history of these places and indicate what to pay closer attention to.
In order not to be unfounded, we decided to mention some of the most famous caves of the Crimean peninsula. The most beautiful is considered to be the Marble Cave. It was opened in the late eighties of the last century and almost immediately became popular with tourists. Underground galleries are located on the Chatyr-Dag plateau and are composed of marble limestone. Tourists can go through the numerous halls and galleries with beautiful musical accompaniment. On the way, they will meet bizarre figures, unusual crystals, cast in all colors of the rainbow in the light of lanterns, and the Mineralogical Museum, where you can go on a special route.
Red caves are one of the longest in Europe. Until now, they have not been fully studied, because the lower tiers are completely flooded with the water of the river, which formed these bizarre and mysterious galleries. To date, scientists have been able to study only six tiers, but they also amaze the imagination with their beauties. The elevation difference between the various galleries in some places is more than two hundred meters. Tourists can visit only five hundred meters of caves.
Crimea Lakes
The healing lakes of Crimea annually attract a lot of vacationers to the peninsula. The treatment is carried out with the help of healing mud, which is extracted from the bottom of the lake. From here she goes to the sanatoriums and health resorts of Crimea. Many tourists prefer to be treated independently by finding another salt lake. But doctors are categorically against this option, because self-medication can even lead to the death of a person.
Saki Lake supplies the entire peninsula with healing mud. With its help, the following diseases are treated:
- genitourinary system;
- infertility;
- skin problems;
- dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal system and many others.
The mud itself looks like a dark oily substance, lying only a depth of half a meter from the surface of the reservoir. This is the smallest lake in Crimea, but the reserves of therapeutic mud are truly large-scale - four and a half million cubic meters.
Pensions and hospitals of Crimea
For more than two hundred years, people have come to the peninsula for treatment. For this purpose, different methods are used:
- mineral water;
- balneotherapy;
- mud therapy and the like.
In hospitals, even people with malignant neoplasms can improve their health, which is rare in our country. The entire peninsula is divided into resort areas, where the sanatoriums and health resorts of Crimea are located:
- Yalta;
- Alupka;
- Livadia;
- Danilovka;
- Gurzuf;
- Kurpaty;
- Gaspra;
- Koreiz;
- Foros;
- Alushta;
- Koktebel;
- Theodosius;
- Sudak and the like.
In total, approximately twenty-four zones can be counted. Many have several large resorts. For example, there are four of them in Koktebel, and two in Alupka - "Cape Verde" and "South Coast".
The longest trolleybus route in the world
In the middle of the last century, Simferopol and Yalta were connected by a trolleybus line stretching for eighty-six kilometers. Several trolleybuses go along the route, so you can move around the Crimea in a very unusual way, because there is no such a long branch anywhere else in the world.
The most common route is the trolleybus number 55 "Simferopol - Yalta." It connects the railway stations of the two cities and is on the way for two and a half hours. Tourists can ride the 1971 oldest trolleybus in the CIS or choose a new transport with air conditioning and a TV. Twenty-one flights are made per day with an interval of forty minutes. The very first trolleybus leaves at half past five in the morning, the last at ten in the evening.
Crimean Peninsula: Astrophysical Observatory
At the beginning of the twentieth century, one of the Crimean rich - Nikolai Maltsev - decided to build an observatory on Mount Cat to observe the celestial bodies. So the first astrophysical observatory appeared in the Crimea, which now has turned into a full-fledged scientific center.
It is located at an altitude of six hundred meters above sea level and has formed a whole town, which has received the talking name - Scientific. More than three hundred families live and work here, for their convenience in the mountains all the infrastructure is built up to kindergartens.
Experts of the observatory are working in six areas, among which are very relevant studies in solar physics.
A few words in conclusion
The Crimean Peninsula cannot be described in words. Here, literally every centimeter of the earth is unique and inimitable, as well as filled with the spirit of ancient times. If you want to feel it, be sure to come here and make your list of the most interesting facts about Crimea.