Аutonomous Republic of Crimea is located on the Crimean peninsula and is the most South region of Ukraine. Its area is occupied by 26,1 thousands of sq km, that makes 4,3% of territory of Ukraine. In the North a peninsula is connected with a mainland by the narrow (7–23 km) isthmus Perekopsky. The peninsula is washed by the Black sea from West and South, by the Kerch channel from East, and by the Sea of Azov and its bay of Sivasha from North-East.

Black sea is a very deep (up to 2245 m) reservoir, almost reserved with oval form. This flat-bottomed hollow by the area of its water surface (413488 sq km) is more than Crimean peninsula area in 15 times.

Sea of Azov is very shallow indeed. The deepest point does not exceed more than 13, 5 m. The total area of Black sea is much bigger (37 600 sq km) than Azov one.

From the North to the South the peninsula is stretched out on 180 km, and from the West to the East – on 360 km. It borders on Kherson and Zaporozhe regions of Ukraine and Krasnodarskiy Krai of Russian Federation. The marine borders prevail in Crimea; the coastline length is about 1500 km.

A state border passes through the territory of republic by the length of 821 km, including the marine border - 292 km.

From the administrative side the republic comprises 14 administrative districts, 16 cities, including 11 towns, 56 settlements, 957 villages.

The capital of the Autonomous republic of Crimea is Simferopol.

According to the data of Ukrainian census of population, the total population of autonomous republic of Crimea was 2033,7 thousands of people. A quantity of urban population is 1274,3 thousands of people or 62,7%, rural are 759,4 thousands of people or 37,3%. The quantity of men in republic is 937,6 thousands of people or 46,1%, women – 1096,1 thousands of people or 53,9%.

The food industry which is oriented to the local raw material processing, takes the leading place in the field structure of industrial complex. Among its brunches, the most valuable for Ukraine are: vinery (Massandra), fish-processing (Kerch, Yalta), can (Simferopol') essential oil branch (Simferopol', Bakhchisarai, Alushta, Sudak) and tobacco-fermentation (Yalta, Simferopol', Feodosiya). In Crimea there is chemical complex which is presented by the Simferopol factory of plastic, by Sakskiy chemical factory etc. in Crimea chemical enterprises produce bromine, chlorous magnesium, bromine salts and various medicals. For nowadays it comprises Sakskiy chemical factory and scientific and production association of «Iodobrom», and also two factories in Krasnoperekopsk – the Crimean soda and Perekopsk bromine. Also there are enterprises that work on the goods of domestic chemistry production: synthetic cleansers, goods made of plastic, perfume products.

In Sevastopol there are also the largest ship-repair-shipbuilding enterprises. One of the major directions of Crimean economy are mechanical engineering and metal-workingness. Crimea is known as a supplier of equipment for food industry, TV and radio equipment, pneumatic devices, electric welding and agricultural equipment, tankers, derrick-boats and courts on hydrofoils.

Crimean Agriculture is specialized on corn and animal husbandry direction, vine-yardering, gardening, vegetable-growing, and also on essential oils’ cultivating (lavender, rose, clary). The volumes of gross production of animal husbandry and vegetable-growing goods are balanced. The plough-land prevails (63,3% of the general area of agricultural lands) in the structure of agricultural lands, which occupies 63% territory of Crimea. The next ones are pastures (22,9%), long-term planting (8,7%) and haymaking (0,1%).

The industrial crops in Crimea are presented mainly by different oil-bearing cultures, the major one is a sunflower. It covers approximately 50% of sowing areas of republic. From other oil-bearing cultures of Crimea there are soy and rape. However the most valuable ones among essential oils cultures are rose, clary, lavender. Essential oil cultures cover about 8 thousand ga of Crimea land. Essential oils enterprises of Simferopol, Bakhchisarai and also Sudak, Soviet and Belogorsky districts give the over half of rose and lavender oils, produced on territory of the CIS.

In Crimea gardening is presented by the production of pip (apples, pears) and drupaceous (plums, marries, cherries, peaches) cultures. The strawberry is grown everywhere in the republic. Average annual collection of fruits and berries in Crimea makes about 300 thousand of tons at the productivity about 70 c/ga.

Historically the agriculture of Crimea is oriented to farming development. Vine-yardering, gardening, tobacco and essential oils cultivating and grain growing are the branches of farming. The animal husbandry of the Republic is presented by dairy/beef cattle with significant development of pedigree business and such specific industry, as poultry farming.

The sericulture is a highly profitable and traditional for steppe Crimea industry.

Fish industry has significant economic potential for republic and will develop on high-quality plant-breeding basis due to rationalization and intensification of fish catch and other water living resources in the Azov-Chernomorsky pool and internal reservoirs.

Transport junction
Autonomous Republic of Crimea has developed transport infrastructure. The network of highways with the length more than 6200 km links all settlements of the region.

The main axis of highways of Crimea is a motorway Moscow-Simferopol'. Among major motorways are the following: Simferopol'- Sevastopol; Simferopol' – Alushta – Sudak - Feodosiya; Simferopol' – Feodosiya – Kerch’; Simferopol’ – Evpatoriya; Simferopol’ – Alushta – Yalta – Sevastopol’. Interregional passenger and freight transportations are provided on roads: Krasnoperekopsk – Dzhankoy – Nizhnegorsk; Evpatoria – Chernomorskoye, etc.

A railway transport takes the leading position in transportation of raw material, fuel, building materials and other mass cargoes, and also passengers in the interregional exchange. The Crimean separation of Pridneprovskaya railway belongs to the number of the busiest highways due to the exit to the non-freezing warm seas and to Caucasus. Exploitation length of railways of general use is about 650 km, among it 40% are electrified. Freight work is made on 40 railway stations of Crimea.

The most traditional type of transport in Crimea republic is marine one. It provides both interregional and intergovernmental transportations. Marine transportations of Crimea are made through major marine ports: Sevastopol, Kerch, Feodosiya, Yalta, Evpatoria.

In Crimea the air transport is developed enough too. Simferopol' is not the only one large junction of air-tracks of the region but also one of largest airports of Ukraine. Annually JSC «International airport «Simferopol'» takes the planes of any class. The capacity of the airport is up to 13 thousands of flights per year. Passenger airplanes are also accepted by the airport in Kerch, and cargo ones by airport of Dzhankoy. Besides, the airport of Bel'bek is also involved.

95000 Simferopol’,
K. Marks str., 18
Press-centre: tel. 544-326, 51-02-12
www.rada.crimea.ua
E-mail: presscenter@rada.crimea.ua