Crimea
Crimea is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. 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. Across the Black Sea to the west lies Romania and to the south is Turkey. The population is 2.4 million, and the largest city is Sevastopol. The region has been under Russian occupation since 2014.
Some of the key events about Crimea
- 1783Crimea became part of the Russian Empire
- 1783Russian Empire annexed Crimea, ending Crimean Khanate's independence
- 1853The first telegraph line in Crimea was established
- 1853Crimean War began, resulting in widespread destruction and loss of life
- 1875The Simferopol-Sevastopol railway was opened
- 1899The Livadia Palace, a summer retreat for the Russian Tsars, was completed
- 1917Bolsheviks seized power in Crimea during the Russian Revolution
- 1920Crimea became an autonomous republic within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
- 1921Severe famine struck Crimea, causing significant population loss
- 1941Nazi Germany occupied Crimea during World War II
- 1944Soviet authorities forcibly deported Crimean Tatars, accusing them of collaboration with Nazi Germany
- 1945The Yalta Conference, a major World War II meeting of Allied leaders, was held in Crimea
- 1954Crimea was transferred from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR
- 1954Crimea was transferred from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR within the Soviet Union
- 1986Chernobyl nuclear disaster affected Crimea with radioactive fallout
- 1991Crimea regained its status as an Autonomous Republic within independent Ukraine
- 2000The ancient city of Chersonesus in Crimea was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- 2014Crimea was incorporated into the Russian Federation, though this is disputed internationally
- 2014Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, leading to international condemnation and sanctions
- 2018Kerch Strait incident occurred, escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.