1.1 Relief and river network

Introduction

The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is located within the boundaries of several physical and geographical regions, including about 50 landscapes. In the north of the peninsula lies the Crimean steppe province, which includes the natural-territorial complexes of the Crimean-Sivash lowland fescue-feather grass steppe, the Central Crimean plain feather-grass-fescue-forb steppe and the Kerch hilly petrophyte-xerophytic grass-grass-grass steppe-xerophytic.

Crimea is located within 44 ° 23 "(Cape Sarych) and 46 ° 15" (Perekop ditch) north latitude, 32 ° 30 "(Cape Karamrun) and 36 ° 40" (Cape Fonar) east longitude. The area of ​​the Crimean peninsula is 26.0 thousand km the maximum distance from north to south is 205 km, from west to east is 325 km.

A narrow eight-kilometer strip of land to the north (the Perekop Isthmus) connects the Crimea from the continents, and 4 - 5 km - the width of the Kerch Strait in the east (the length of the strait is about 41 km) - separates it from the Taman Peninsula. The total length of the Crimean borders exceeds 2500 km (taking into account the extreme tortuosity of the northeast coastline). In general, the shores of Crimea are little indented, Black Sea forms three large bays: Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky and Feodosia; The Sea of ​​Azov also formed three gulfs: Kazantip, Arabat and Sivash.

The physical and geographical position of Crimea as a whole is distinguished by the following most characteristic features. First, the location of the peninsula at 45 ° north latitude determines its equidistance from the equator and the North Pole, which is associated with a fairly large amount of incoming solar energy and a large number of hours of sunshine. Secondly, Crimea is almost an island. Associated with this, on the one hand, is a large number of endemics (plant species that are not found anywhere except in this area) and endemics (similar animal species); on the other hand, this explains the significant impoverishment of the Crimean fauna; in addition, the climate and other components of nature are significantly influenced by the marine environment. Thirdly, the position of the peninsula in relation to the general circulation of the Earth's atmosphere is especially important, leading to the prevalence of westerly winds in Crimea. Crimea occupies a borderline position between the temperate and subtropical geographic zones.

This work consists of content, introduction, two chapters, conclusion, appendix, bibliography.

I. Physical and geographical features of Crimea

1.1 Relief and river network

The Crimean peninsula (Fig. 1) is surrounded on almost all sides by the sea from the south by the deep-water part of the Black Sea, from the west by the Evpatoria and Karkinitsky bays, and from the east by the Sea of ​​Azov. Along the northern and northeastern coasts of Crimea stretches the Sivash - the gulf of the Sea of ​​Azov, characterized by a very indented coastline and dividing by the Chongar Peninsula into the Western and Eastern Sivash. The Sivash is cut off from the Sea of ​​Azov by a long braid - the Arabat arrow. The Crimean peninsula is connected to the mainland only by the narrow Perekop isthmus. The eastern extremity of Crimea is called the Kerch Peninsula, which is separated from the Tamansky Peninsula by the Kerch Strait.

By the nature of the relief, Crimea is divided into three main parts: the southern - mountainous, northern - plain and the Kerch Peninsula, which is distinguished by a peculiar hilly-ridge relief. The Crimean Mountains, which occupy the smaller, southern part of the Crimean Peninsula, stretch for 160 km along the Black Sea coast from Sevastopol in the west to Feodosia in the east, reaching a maximum width of 50-60 km. Within the mountainous Crimea, the following geographical parts are distinguished: the Main Ridge, the Southern Coast and the Foothill Ridges.

The main ridge of the Tauride Mountains stretches along the Black Sea coast from Cape Aya in the west to the Feodosiya Gulf in the east. This is the highest strip of the Crimean Mountains, in the central part it reaches absolute heights of over 1500 m (the highest point is Roman-Kosh 1543 m). To the west and east, the ridge gradually decreases. In the extreme west, it ends near Balaklava with the Karan heights (316 m), and in the east, near Feodosia, with the hilly heights of Cape Ilya (310 m). Geomorphologically, the main series is heterogeneous. Within its limits, three sections can be distinguished - western, middle and eastern.

The western low-mountain part of the range with heights from 316 to 1000 m is located between Cape Aya and Ai-Petrinskaya Yayla and has a length of about 30 km. Here the main ridge consists of a number of rocky ridges and intermontane basins. The heights of the ridges fluctuate within 600 - 700 m, the bottoms of the basins have marks of 300 - 350 m. The basins are interconnected by gorges or canyons. The largest intermountain basins are: Balaklava, Varnautskaya, Baydarskaya and Uzundzhinskaya.

The middle part of the Main rseries of the Crimean mountains of the Uzundzhinskaya depression to the valley of the river. Tanas is a series of high uplands, known as the yaila: Ai-Petrinskaya, Yalta, Nikitskaya, Babuganskaya, Chatyrdagskaya, Demerdzhi-yayla (Fig. 2), Dolgorukovskaya and Karabi-yayla. The largest highlands reach a width of 10 - 12 km and a length of 20 - 30 km. They are separated from each other by narrow crosspieces or upper reaches of river valleys, the most famous passes are usually confined to these areas: Kebit-Bogazsky (600 m), Anrarsky (762 m), Baydarsky gates (520 m), etc. Jurassic, they are distinguished by a very high degree of karst formation: there are many carrs, sinkholes, hollows, grooves, karst wells, mines, caves and other forms. The largest mines are: Molodezhnaya at Karabi-Yaila (depth 261 m) and No. 309 at Ai-Petrinskaya Yaila (depth 246 m). Among the most famous caves are the Red Cave (Kizil-Koba) with a length of 11250 m in the area with. Perevalnoe, as well as Thousand-headed and Cold caves on Chatyrdag.

The eastern part of the main ridge, stretching 75 km from the river valley. Thanas to Feodosiya Gulf is a low mountain, dissected into many separate rocky ridges, small mountain ranges and rocks, separated by various kinds of depressions. The watershed consists of a series of peaks stretching along the sea, forming the Ayu-Kaya, Terkez, Perchem near Sudak and the Mandzhil ridge. The most high peak east of Crimea, Mount Goat (688 m) is located east of Sudak. The main ridge ends with the picturesque Karadag group of mountains between Schebetovka and Planersky. Further to the east to Cape Ilya stretches the foothill hilly ridge Tete-Oba. The northernmost mountain in the eastern part of Crimea is Agarmysh, at the foot of which there are mountains. Old Crimea.

All the rivers of the Crimean Peninsula begin on the slopes of the Crimean Mountains, and some of them are completely located within their boundaries. In this regard, the mountainous Crimea is distinguished by a rather large density of the river network: on the northern slope of the Crimean rop, it is 0.24 km / km 2, and on the northwestern slope, 0.30 km / km 2.

By their location and some hydrological characteristics, the rivers of the mountainous Crimea are divided into three groups: southern, northern and northwestern slopes.

The rivers on the southern slope of the Main Ridge are very short. The most significant of them are: p. Khostabash near Alupka, the Uchan-Su (Vodopadnaya) and Derekoyka (Bystraya) rivers flowing into the Yalta bay, the Avunda and Eastern Putamis rivers flowing into the Gurzufsky bay, the Alushta river or Ulu-Uzen West and the river. Demerdzhi, flowing into the sea near Alushta, r. Ulu-Uzen East near Solnechnogorsk, r. Uskut in the area with. Greetings, p. Raven near the village. Morskoye, Cydakskaya river within the city of Cydaka, Otuzka near the village. Crimean Primorye near Karadag.

The main ridge, folded in the upper part by fractured and karst limestones and well moistened, plays the role of an important catchment area for the rivers of the southern group. However, the rock layers composing this ridge fall to the north and northwest, therefore, the surface, and also, obviously, the deep watersheds of the Crimean Mountains are very shifted to the south. All this determines the insignificant length of rivers in length, their small drainage areas, low water content, large slopes and flow rates. In some places, the rivers of the southern group form waterfalls: Uchan-Su on the river of the same name, Golovkinsky on the Alushta river, Dzhur-Dzhur on Ulu-Uzen Bostochny.

The rivers of the southern group also differ in the insignificant duration of spring floods. In conditions of warm and mild winters and in autumn, melting snow and rainfall often entail powerful rises in the level of the rivers of this group.

The rivers of the northern slopes of the Crimean Mountains flow into the Sea of ​​Azov, more precisely into its Sivash Bay. This is the Salrir with its right tributaries: Maly Salgir, Zuya, Beshterek, Burulcha and Bolshoi Karasu, Tanas, then Vostochny Bulganak and Indol. The most full-flowing river in Crimea is Salgir.

The rivers of the northwestern slopes of the main ridge flow into the Black Sea on the western coast of Crimea. These are Western Bulganak, Alma, Kacha, Belbek, Black. All rivers in the mountainous Crimea are fed by numerous sources, most of them karst.

The northern and northwestern slopes of the Crimean mountain uplift are much wider and flatter than the southern. In this regard, the rivers here are longer, more significant drainage areas, smaller slopes, less rapid flow and more full-flowing.

The thinness of the snow cover, the high absorption of melt water by karst voids, which transfer the surface runoff to the underground, - all this determines the peculiarities of the feeding of the Crimean rivers. As a rule, they are among the rivers of mixed feeding, but with a predominance of rainwater, which accounts for 44-52% annual flow... Groundwater provides 28-36% of the annual runoff, and snow supply accounts for 13-23% of the average annual runoff. The annual regime of the levels and discharges of the Crimean rivers is characterized by great variability.

Crimea relief climate geographic

The runoff of the most significant rivers is regulated: on the Salrir rivers near Simferopol, Biyuk-Karasu near Beloorsk, Alma near the village. Postal, Kacha near Bakhchisarai, Belbek near the village. Schaslyve, Chernaya in the Baydar Basin and others have been built reservoirs. Mudflows are observed in the river basins of the mountainous Crimea. This phenomenon is especially typical for the eastern part of the southern slope of the Main Ridge, where sometimes huge fanning cones are formed at the mouths of gullies and river valleys, which causes great damage and destruction to gardens, vineyards, and tobacco plantations.

The southern coast of Crimea is the lower, coastal, most gentle part of the southern slope of the Main ridge from Cape Aia in the west to Planerskoro in the east. Its width is from 1 - 2 to 6 - 8 km, the maximum height is 400 - 450 m. The formation of the steep southern slope of the Krym mountains was caused by the intensive uplifts of the recent geological time in the area of ​​the main ridge and the subsidence of the Black Sea bottom. The intrusive massifs prepared by denudation (Kuchuk-Ayu rocks near the village of Frunzenskoye and Kuchuk-Lambat between Gurzuf and Alushta, mountain ranges Medved-Gora, or Ayu-Dag, near Gurzuf and Kastel near Alushta, a small mountain range Pilyaki-Khyr near Simeiz and the difficult relief mountain group Karadag).

In the most picturesque western part, between the Baydar Gate and Alushta, where Alupka, Yalta, Gurzuf and most of the sanatoriums and resorts are located, the southern coast is very narrow. Between Alushta and Sudak, the mountains move away from the sea and a wide strip of small ridges and hills stretches along the coast. Near Sudak, rocky heights again approach the very coast. To the east, behind Cape Megan, near the Karadag and Koktebel bays, the coastal strip has an insignificant width, and at the foot of the Karadag it disappears altogether. Koktebel Bay is bordered from the east by a narrow, elongated into the sea cape Kiik-Atlama.

The southern coast is distinguished by a large erosional dissection; its landscape is characterized by numerous gullies and ravines (Fig. 3), terraced river valleys, and erosion amphitheaters (Yalta, Gurzufsky, Alushta, etc.) well expressed in the western half of the South coast. Numerous limestone boulders are very typical of the South Shore, cluttering river valleys and ravines and often completely covering watershed areas. Separate limestone rocks are also distinguished (Sakharny traps in the Laspinsky region, the Isary rocks near the blue bay, the Foros, Koshka and Diva rocks near Simeiz, Genuez in Gurzuf, etc.), mountain ranges (Laspi, Krestovaya near Alupka, Alchak, Sokol and Orel near Pike perch) and ridges (Mogabi mountain, Ai-Todorsky, Makkandrovsky and Nikitsky ridges). Landslide processes are widely developed on the South coast, in some places there are landslide terraces, hillocks and hollows. The nature of the coast along its entire length is abrasion-bay with sand-gravel-pebble beaches.

Foothill ridges border the main ridge from the north, stretching for about 120 km and reaching a width of 20-30 km. There are two cuesta ridges, the Predgornaya and Vneshnaya (formerly they were called the Second and Third ridges of the Crimean Mountains), separated from each other and from the main ridge by depressions, which received the names of longitudinal valleys. The foothill ridge stretches from Inkerman in the west to the Staporo Crimea in the east. In the western part (near Bakhchisarai) the ridge reaches a height of 500 - 590 m, to the east of Simferopol it is weakly expressed, in the area of ​​Belogorsk its height increases again and reaches 739 m (Mount Kubalach). The southern, erosional slope of the Foothill Ridge is steep, highly dissected and often steep. In some places, completely isolated erosional remnants are observed, abruptly breaking off in all directions.

The outer ridge begins with Sapungora near Sevastopol and stretches to Simferopol. Further, it is poorly expressed and gradually disappears to the east. The ridge reaches its highest height (349 m) in the region of Bakhchisarai. Its southern slope is also steep, while the northern slope is gently sloping and, gradually lowering, merges with the plain stretching at the foot of the mountains. Its eastern continuation is the Parpach ridge of the Kerch Peninsula.

Longitudinal valleys, which are wide zones of depressions washed in loose Tertiary and chalk clays and marls, are fertile areas, many settlements, gardens and important roads are confined to them. The terraced river valleys crossing them expand here, while in the sections of the breakthrough of cuesta ridges, they often have a canyon-like character.

Plain Crimea is a relatively flat surface that gradually rises to the south, towards the Crimean Mountains. Here stand out: the West Crimean, East Crimean, Central, Tarkhankut and North Crimean plains.

The West Crimean lowland plain corresponds structurally to the Alma depression. Its border in the east generally coincides with the watershed between rivers and gullies that flow into the Black and Azov Seas, respectively. It is an almost flat, slightly dissected and slightly sloping plain to the sea, cut by shallow gullies and the lower reaches of the Belbek, Kacha, Alma, Western Bulganak rivers. There are many salt lakes in the coastal zone: Oybur, Salt, Mainak, Sasyk-Sivash, Saki, Kizil-Yarskoe and a number of smaller ones. The largest lake of the Western Crimean Plain and the whole of Crimea is the Sasyk-Sivash Lake, separated from the sea by a sandy embankment 13 km long and up to 1 km wide. Saki and Mainak lakes are widely known for their curative mud. The sea coast in the described area is generally flat, concave, with a slight break at Cape Lukul. To the north of Lake Kizyl-Yar, the coast is accumulative, low and gentle, to the south of this lake, it is abrasive, relatively high and steep.

The East Crimean lowland plain, structurally corresponding to the Indola depression, is bounded in the west by the valley of the river. Big Karasu. The plain gradually descends to the north-east towards the Sivash. It is cut through by fairly long beams originating at the northern foothills of the Crimean Mountains, as well as the valleys of the rivers Salgir, Biyuk-Karasu, Eastern Bulganak, Mokryi and Sukhoi Indol, Churuk-Su, etc., which usually dry up in summer, with the exception of the floodplains, which are well developed and represent important agricultural land. In the coastal strip at an altitude of 1-3 m above sea level, an estuary-sea terrace with solonetzic soils is developed. The coast of the Eastern Sivash is low, abrasion-accumulative, but highly dissected.

The central elevated plain, structurally corresponding to the Simferopol uplift, is located in the central part of the Crimean peninsula. Its height gradually decreases from south to north, and the flat surface is complicated by the gullies and valleys of the Salgir and its tributaries (Zuya, Burulcha). In the river valleys, the modern floodplain and the first above the floodplain terraces are well expressed (the last in the Salgir valley reaches 1-2 km in width). The first above-floodplain terrace gradually and almost imperceptibly turns into a wide flat interfluve. Burial grounds and guard mounds are very characteristic of the landscape of the Central Plain.

The Tarkhankut elevated plain in the north is limited by the line Bakalskaya spit - with. Luxurious, in the east - the Chatyrlyk gully. In the south, its border runs north of Evpatoria. The relief of the Tarkhankut elevated plain is distinguished by great complexity: in the east is the East Tarkhankut plateau, reaching an altitude of 120-130 m, and in the western part in the relief there are four ridges changing from south to north, separated by depressions. The surface of the plain is highly dissected: in the depressions there are long, winding and relatively gentle gullies, shorter and steep ravines cut through the slopes of the ridges. The shallow occurrence of Neogene limestones and their frequent outcrops on the surface of the earth cause a fairly widespread development of karst (karr, ponor, saucers, small grottoes and caves). The karst content of limestones is different: in some places it manifests itself to a depth of several tens of meters, in others - up to 100-120 m, in the third - their entire thickness is karst.

In the coastal zone of the Tarkhankut elevated plain, there are a number of estuary-type salt lakes: Dzharylgach, Bakalskoe, Panskoe, Liman and Donuzlav (Fig. 4). The last lake is a large body of water, stretching for more than 30 km in the northeastern direction and reaching a depth of over 25 m. The shores of the lake are winding, mostly steep.

The shores of the Tarkhankut upland plain are of abrasion type, high (30-50 m), steep. The mechanical and dissolving effect of water caused a large dissection of the coastal cliff, the formation of stratal steps with a mass of various kinds of depressions, niches, grottoes and caves. Landslides are developed on the Dzhangul section of the coast, which stretches 5 km north of Cape Kapa-Murun (Fig. 5.6). At the base of the high (up to 60 m) coastal cliff, there are Sarmatian clays, along which the overlying limestones slide into the sea. Landslide circuses, terraces, boraxes, bulging shafts and block breaks are widely developed here.

The North Crimean lowland plain is bounded in the south by the line Bakalskaya spit - Nizhnegorsk - the mouth of the Salgir. Structurally, it is the Sivash depression. It is a completely flat plain, gradually rising to the south. Geomorphologically, it is an area of ​​Pliocene and Quaternary accumulation. The retreat of the Sivash due to the rise of the lowland in the modern era led to the formation of a terrace 1.5-2.5 m above sea level, covered by estuary-marine sediments. The monotony of the lowland is somewhat disturbed by pods (steppe saucers), dry valleys and gullies Samarchik, Chatyrlykskaya, Stepnaya, Pobednaya, giving it a slightly undulating character in places. There are river terraces in the valleys of dry rivers. Dry rivers and large gullies flow into the narrow bays of the Sivash and Karkinitsky gulf, which are estuaries, i.e. estuarine parts of river valleys and gullies flooded by the sea. Lakes of the estuary type are a characteristic geomorphological element of the coastal zone, the largest and practically important of them are the lakes of the Perekop group (Staroye, Krasnoye, Kiyatskoye, Kerleutskoye, Aigulskoye). The lakes are elongated from northwest to southeast, their shores are rather high and steep. The seashores of the estuary-type lowland are very winding, low, steep, and in places flat.

The Arabat Spit, separating the Sivash from the Sea of ​​Azov, is a narrow alluvial sand-shell barrage created by the surf and sea currents. In the southern part, its width is about 1 km, height is 4-5 m, to the north, the arrow expands significantly and consists of several interconnected by barrows former islands up to 20-25 m high.

Only in the southernmost part of the lowland Crimea, adjacent to the mountains, there is a rare river network, in the rest of the territory there are only ravines, gullies and dry rivers.

There is water in them only during snow melting and after showers. Therefore, for the flat Crimea, irrigation facilities are extremely important; currently, the construction of the Sevepo-Krymsky canal is underway there.

In the flat Crimea there are more than fifty salt lakes located near the coast.

According to geomorphological features, the Kerch Peninsula is divided into two regions: southwestern and northeastern. The border between these areas runs along the Parpachskiy ridge, folded by limestones, which runs from the village. Vladislavovka to the east to the village. Marfovka and further with a bend to the south to Cape Opuk. In terms of geography, the ridge is a dump with usually gentle northern and steep southern slopes; in some cases it is barely visible in the relief, in others it takes the character of well-defined hills or a rather high scarp very dissected by erosion.

The southwestern region is a wavy-hilly, erosion-denudation low-lying plain. Gentle hills and hills up to 50-80 m (Dzhau-Tepe, Dyurmen) are divided here by usually flat-bottomed, often extensive depressions occupied by salt marshes.

There are small depressions of subsidence origin - pods, or if. The area is characterized by active mud hills. The largest of them is Jau-Tepe. The beams are shallowly incised, gently sloping, often strongly ramified in the upper reaches. On the coast, there are Quaternary sea terraces up to 20 m above sea level (Chaudinskaya).

The northeastern region is a hilly ridge plain with a complex combination of anticlinal basins surrounded by rocky limestone ridges and synclinal valleys separating them. Anticlinal basins are confined to the cores of anticlines, which are composed, in most cases, of easily eroded clays. Mud hills are a characteristic, rather widespread form of relief (Fig. 7). They are usually confined to anticlines, reach in places a relative height of 30-40 m and have a conical shape.

There are many salt lakes in the coastal area. The largest of them are Aktashskoe, Chokrakskoe, Churubashskoe, Tobechinskoe and others. On steep slopes, landslides are developed with well-pronounced separation walls and landslide bodies, sometimes teppaved. On the sea coast of the Kerch Peninsula, there are sections of a steep, abrasive and accumulative low-lying coast with sandy-pebble and sandy-shell beaches, spits and barrows.

1.2 Climate

Climate is one of the most important factors in the formation of landscapes. It determines the main regularity of the geography of landscapes - their wide zoning. The climate of most of Crimea can be described as a climate temperate zone- soft steppe in the flat part, more humid broad-leaved forest - in the mountains. The southern coast of Crimea is characterized by a sub-Mediterranean climate of dry forests and shrubs.

The climate of any territory is formed by three interconnected atmospheric processes: heat exchange, moisture circulation and general atmospheric circulation. These processes take place in a specific geographic setting of the territory. Consequently, the characteristics of the climate, their distribution depend on these geographic factors. The main ones are: the geographical latitude of the place, the height above sea level, the distribution of land and sea, the relief (orography), the underlying surface of the landscape (vegetation, snow and other covers). A special place is occupied by human activity, which affects climate-forming processes by changing certain geographical factors. All factors, naturally, act simultaneously, and we separate them only for the convenience of study.

1.2.1 Geographical factors of climate

Geographic latitude mainly determines the mode of solar radiation. Geographic zoning in the distribution of climate elements depends on it.

The Crimean peninsula, located in the south of Ukraine, is provided with a lot of heat not only in summer, but also in winter.

The radiation regime mainly depends on the duration of the sunshine, which, in turn, is determined by the latitude and topography of the place, the cloudiness regime. Crimea is one of the sunniest regions of Ukraine. The annual sunshine duration here varies from 2180 to 2470 hours. The maximum duration is in July (320-360 hours). It is especially great on a flat sea coast, where breeze winds prevent the formation of clouds (Evpatoria, 365 hours).

Crimea receives about 10% of the annual amount of radiation in winter, 30% in spring, 40% in summer and 20% in autumn. The unequal intensity of the total radiation during the year depends mainly on the change in the height of the sun, the length of the day, the amount and shape of clouds, the transparency of the atmosphere, as well as on the humidity, color and, accordingly, the reflective properties of the landscape surface (their albedo).

Although in spring Crimea receives one and a half times more heat from the sun than in autumn, nevertheless, spring is cooler than autumn. This is due to the large consumption of heat in spring for heating the soil, evaporating moisture from it, heating the upper layers of water cooled during the winter in the Azov and Black Seas. In autumn, much less heat is consumed for these purposes, and the air receives it additionally from the soil and water that have warmed up over the summer.

The total heat supply of a territory is determined by the value of its radiation balance, which is the difference between its absorbed total radiation and effective radiation. The radiation balance is positive if the underlying surface absorbs more heat than it loses, and negative if, on the contrary, this surface absorbs less heat than it gives to the surrounding space. In general, the radiation balance in Crimea is positive for the year. Only the monthly mean values ​​of December and January are negative on the yayls.

With height above sea level (in the mountains), the changes in the climatic properties of places are much greater than the changes associated with movement in latitude. A special mountain climate is created. With altitude, atmospheric pressure decreases, air transparency increases, and radiation is especially effective. For this reason, despite an increase in solar radiation with an increase in altitude, the radiation balance, air temperature and the amplitude of its daily variation decrease. In Crimea, with an ascent for every 100 m, the radiation balance decreases by an average of 25 MJ / (year m2), and the air temperature - by 0.65 °. At the same time, the number of atmospheric precipitation and usually wind speed. For this reason, high-altitude climatic zoning is manifested in the mountains, which, in turn, determines the same zoning in the distribution of other components of landscapes, especially soil and vegetation cover.

The distribution of land and sea is associated primarily with the identification of types of climate, maritime and continental. The location of a place relative to the coastline to a large extent affects the regime of temperature and humidity of air, cloudiness and precipitation, determines the degree of continentality of its climate. True, in this case, the position of the site in the conditions of the general circulation of the atmosphere also plays an important role.

Crimea is surrounded by the Black Sea, large in area (412 thousand km2), volume (537 thousand km3) and depth, and a small (about 38 thousand km2), with a volume of 300 km3, the shallow Sea of ​​Azov. At the same time, the peninsula is located among the large land area of ​​the northern half of the eastern hemisphere, which can also be called Eastern continent... On the maps reflecting the degree of continentality of the climate of the regions of Southern Europe, Crimea, with the exception of the Sivash region, is located together with the coast of the eastern Mediterranean in the area outlined by the zero contour of continentality. Thus, the climate of almost the entire Crimea is less continental than even the climate of the waters of the Azov and northwestern Black Seas.

Large landforms (orography) have a great impact on the climate. Air currents are delayed and deflected by ridges, and meteorological fronts are deformed. In narrow passages between the ridges, the speed of air currents changes, and local mountain-valley winds arise. Over differently oriented slopes, unequal heating and cooling conditions are created, and therefore different modes of air and soil temperature. In connection with the overflow of air currents through the ridges on the windward slopes of the mountains, especially at the lower and narrower saddles, passes, conditions for an increase in cloudiness and precipitation are formed. On the leeward slopes, on the contrary, there are hair dryers with higher temperatures and lower air humidity. Over the heated slopes of the mountains, air convection increases and, consequently, cloud formation.

Warm air coming to the Crimea from the south, due to the significant value of the vertical thickness, relatively freely penetrates through the low Crimean mountains into the steppe regions of the peninsula. When cold dense arctic air, which, on the contrary, has a small vertical thickness, invades, the mountains prevent its penetration to the southern coast. Consequently, for the South Coast, the most pillar is the protective role of the Crimean Mountains from the Arctic cold in winter. This can be seen from a comparison of the air temperature in the central part of the lowland Crimea (Krasnogvardeyskoe), where it is - 2 ° in January, and + 4 ° in Yalta, and its absolute minimum in the first point reached - 33 °, and in the second - 15 °.

If there were no mountains in the Crimea, then the South Coast would not differ much from the steppe coast of the Black and Azov Seas. The Crimean Mountains, therefore, are associated not only with the large differences in the climates of the South Coast and the rest of the peninsula, but also with significant landscape differences in these territories as a whole. At the same time, the role of the height of the Crimean Mountains is not so much important as their general direction from west to east, parallel to the coast.

The formation of the climate is greatly influenced by the underlying surface, i.e. the surface with which solar radiation and the atmosphere interact. Thus, the temperature of the soil and surface air also depends on the vegetation and snow cover. A dense grass cover reduces the daily amplitude and average temperature of the soil, and, consequently, of the air. A large contrast during the daytime solar heating and nighttime cooling in summer is characteristic of the surfaces of loose dark soil, asphalted areas, pebble beaches.

The forest has a more significant, unique and complex influence on the climate, which allows many scientists to talk about its special phytoclimate. Crohn not only supports solar radiation, but also changes its spectral composition, absorbing most of the ultraviolet rays. At night, the forest retains the outgoing long-wave thermal radiation, which noticeably changes the temperature of the soil and air above its canopy. In summer, in the Crimean forest, the air temperature during the day is often 2-3 °, and the soil is even 25-30 ° lower than on open place... In winter, the average monthly air temperature is higher in the forests by 0.2-0.5 °, and in the parks of the South Coast - by 1.5-2 °.

In the warm season, under the forest canopy, there is usually a higher air humidity. At noon, in a pine forest, it is often higher by 4-5%, in a beech forest by 9-10%, in parks by 3-7% than in open areas. Tree crowns intercept precipitation... The proportion of intercepted precipitation depends on the type of forest and its completeness. Coniferous trees usually retain more precipitation than deciduous ones. They account for up to 50-55%, and deciduous about 35% of the amount of precipitation in the open.

Wood is also a good accumulator of moisture. During the slow melting of snow during rains, the forest soil absorbs a lot of water, which then significantly affects the supply of sources and rivers. One hectare of Crimean mountain forest can transfer subsurface runoff up to 5-6 thousand cubic meters. m of water. The forest greatly reduces wind speed. In the depths of even a forest devoid of foliage, its speed is often reduced by more than two times in comparison with an open area.

Snow cover reduces soil heat loss and temperature fluctuations. The very surface of the cover strongly reflects solar radiation during the day and is very cooled by radiation at night. In spring, a lot of surface air heat is spent on melting the snow cover, but the soil is enriched with moisture.

Man influences nature and climate through his economic activities. The result of this impact is predominantly negative. The decline in forest area is particularly important. Over the past 1000 years, in the world they have decreased by 50-70%, and in the Crimea - by about one and a half times.

On large areas, a decrease in solar radiation is also due to atmospheric pollution by industrial enterprises, transport, which throw into the air a large amount of impurities (aerosols) consisting of fuel combustion products and dust. Every year, their total mass in the world is over 4 billion g. From fuel combustion, about 20 billion tons of carbon dioxide comes into the Earth's atmosphere, which, as many scientists believe, can significantly increase the air temperature in the future. As a result, the melting of ice will intensify (primarily in the Arctic and Antarctic), and the level of the World Ocean will rise (flooding of the most habitable low-lying areas of the Earth, etc.).

Observations from satellites show that about 10-15% of the surface of the World Ocean (which corresponds approximately to the area of ​​Eurasia - 53 million km2) is simultaneously covered with an oil film. It also reduces evaporation from the water surface by about 10%. Due to such anthropogenic pollution of the World Ocean, evaporation from its surface, according to scientists, is reduced by about 5000 km3 of water, which, of course, affects its flow to land, including the Crimea.

Along with this, people in some places improve the climate by irrigation, planting forests, forest belts and other reclamation measures. Thanks to them, the albedo of the underlying surface decreases, the air is humidified, the temperature of the soil decreases in summer, etc.

1.2.2 Atmospheric circulation

In general, the western zonal air transport prevails over the peninsula, which is largely overlapped by large atmospheric eddies - cyclones and anticyclones, which, in turn, produce interlatitudinal air exchange. The activity of meteorological processes is determined, therefore, by cyclonic activity - the emergence, development and movement of cyclones and anticyclones in the atmosphere. In turn, this activity depends on the interaction of pressure zones, called centers of action of the atmosphere. A cyclone is an atmospheric vortex with a lower pressure in the center and wind directed counterclockwise towards its center in the northern hemisphere. An anticyclone is an area of ​​high atmospheric pressure with a clockwise wind from the center (in the northern hemisphere).

Atmospheric circulation over the Crimea has its own characteristics. Compared to the central and northern regions of Ukraine, atmospheric processes are less active here, cyclonic activity is weaker, anticyclones are more pronounced, especially in the summer season. They erode atmospheric fronts and promote the formation of air masses with local properties.

The greatest probability of precipitation in Crimea occurs when continental and marine tropical air enters (especially in the autumn-winter season), also sea ​​air temperate zone. Droughts and dry winds most often occur under conditions of the formation of powerful anticyclones and when continental tropical air enters from Asia Minor. The intensity and frequency of these dangerous weather phenomena in Crimea is highly dependent on local conditions.

The greatest amount of precipitation falls in the Crimea during the passage of meteorological fronts of cyclones. Scientists have calculated that from March to October 152 thousand km3 of moisture enter the airspace of the Crimea, and from November to February - 230.4 thousand km cold - 15.5%. Consequently, less precipitation falls in Crimea in winter than in summer. Precipitation is on average 27.6% of the amount of moisture that is contained in the airspace of the Crimea during the year. Having studied the ways of influencing meteorological processes, it is possible to significantly increase this share. The reserve for increasing the volume of moisture re-entrapment is quite sufficient.

The peculiarities of the geographical position of Crimea determine a special regime of circulation processes over it, on which the weather depends, and the meteorological elements forming the weather (according to the seasons of the year).

In winter, over the southern part of Ukraine in the latitudinal direction, you often set an axis of high atmospheric pressure (two maxima - the Asian and Azores ones are connected), and over the Black Sea - a zone of low pressure. As a result, the Crimea is often invaded by cold and dry continental air of temperate latitudes or arctic air. It is associated with sharp drops in air temperature and the frequent recurrence of strong northeastern winds, especially in the steppe and northeastern parts of the mountainous Crimea. In the same season, cyclones from the Mediterranean relatively often come here, in the warm sectors of which the sea tropical air moves. Mediterranean cyclones tend to linger in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. As a result, warm air affects primarily the southwestern part of the mountainous Crimea. As a result, winter in Crimea is relatively humid everywhere, with frequent precipitation and low evaporation. Due to frequent thaws in winter, the air temperature fluctuates greatly, and the snow cover is unstable and thin.

Spring in Crimea passes quickly, thanks to an increase in the height of the sun and the length of the day, a decrease in cloudiness due to the spread of the Azores anticyclone fort here and the influx of warm southern air. In the interior regions of Crimea, a significant increase in air temperature is observed already from February to March, and on the sea coast, spring is delayed by 1.5-2 months due to the cooling effect of the sea, especially the Sea of ​​Azov. Spring is the driest and windiest season of the year. In spring, there are often "returns of cold weather" with night frosts, morning frosts, especially in depressions and river valleys of the foothills, which negatively affects early flowering stone fruit trees and thermophilic grapes.

In summer, an anticyclonic field with small values ​​of pressure drop is established over the south of Ukraine and the Black Sea. Due to this, clear, hot and slightly windy weather prevails in Crimea with local breezes and mountain-valley and slope winds. Due to the fact that the continental air of temperate latitudes is transformed here into local tropical air, dry weather prevails in the Crimea.

Summer precipitation is brought to the Crimea by sea air masses of temperate latitudes and Atlantic cyclones. Abundant, intense, but most often short-term rains fall. If tropical air is established for a long time, then thermal thunderstorms and also short-term precipitation develop.

The summer type of atmospheric circulation begins in the second half of May and continues until the end of September. Thus, the summer in Crimea lasts 4-5 months.

Autumn in Crimea is the best season of the year. The weather is calm, sunny and moderately warm. Autumn is 2-3 ° warmer than spring in the central regions and by 4-5 ° in the coastal regions, which is primarily due to the influence of the seas and the preservation of the anticyclone over the Crimea.

A sharp change in weather occurs, as a rule, in the second half of November due to the change of the summer type of atmospheric circulation to the winter one.

1.2.3 Characteristics of meteorological elements

One of the main elements of the climate is air temperature. In Crimea, the annual change in air temperature almost coincides with the change in the inflow of solar radiation. Average monthly air temperatures mainly vary from north to south, with the exception of the South Coast, where the change occurs to the east and west. Most often, the coldest month is January or February, especially on the seaside. Lowest average temperature(-4 °) in January is observed in the mountains, and the highest (about 5 °) - on the SCC. The highest average monthly temperature most often occurs in July, when it reaches 23-24 ° in most of the peninsula, and 16 ° in the mountains.

During the day, the lowest temperatures are observed before sunrise, and the highest - at 12-14 hours. The highest daily air temperatures are in valleys and pits (especially in the foothills) with difficult air flow, and the lowest are in elevated places with good air exchange. Breeze winds reduce daytime temperatures and increase nighttime temperatures, resulting in a lower diurnal amplitude at the seaside than far from the sea. At a distance of 10-15 km from the sea coast, the daily amplitude of the air temperature increases by 1.5-2 times. In all months, the temperature amplitudes can reach 20-26 ° in the steppe, and 15-20 ° in the rest of the Crimea. During calm and clear weather, the daily amplitude is almost twice as large as during cloudy and windy.

The minimum air temperature in Crimea is observed during the invasion of the continental arctic air. The absolute minimum air temperature occurs mainly in January - February. It is in the central part of the steppe - 30. - 32, and in the foothills - up to - 35. - 37.

Lowering the temperature of the air or soil to 0 ° and below during the period of a generally positive temperature is called frost. They occur, as a rule, at night or early morning hours in clear calm weather as a result of intense radiation cooling of the underlying surface. The most frost-dangerous are the valleys and peaks of the Crimean mountains (150-160 days), and the least - the South Coast (frost-free 240-260 days).

According to the average dates of the stable transition of the average daily air temperature through 0 ° and 15 °, the year is conventionally divided into climatic seasons.

Summer is considered to be the period limited by the dates of the transition of the average daily air temperature through 15 °. First of all, summer begins on the South Coast - at the end of the first decade of May, and later of all - in the mountains - the first decade of July (Ai-Petri). However, approximately in every third year, such a stable transition of air temperature in the mountains is not observed, i.e. there is no summer season. Summer in Crimea is the longest season, it lasts from 150-160 days on the South Coast of Crimea to 130-140 days on the rest of the peninsula, except for the mountains.

Air humidity is an integral part of the water balance of the atmosphere. Cloud formation and precipitation largely depend on its value. The main source of air enrichment with moisture is the water of the seas and oceans, which, evaporating from their surface, in the form of water vapor is carried by air currents to various regions of the Earth.

Distinguish between absolute and relative air humidity. Absolute humidity is the amount of water vapor contained in a unit volume of air (expressed in grams per 1 m 3 of air). The health and well-being of people, the conditions for growing plants are significantly influenced not by the absolute, but by the relative humidity of the air, which is the ratio of the actual content of water vapor in the air to its maximum possible content at a given temperature (expressed as a percentage). Annual and daily changes in relative humidity are opposite to changes in air temperature. The lowest relative humidity is in summer and highest in winter.

Of particular interest are information about the relative humidity at 13 o'clock, when its values ​​are approaching a minimum. The days when it reaches 80% or more at this time are usually referred to as wet, and those days on which it drops to 30% or less are very dry. In the winter months, the midday relative humidity in Crimea varies from 60% in the foothills to 65-76% in the rest of the territory, and in summer from 40-44% in the steppe and foothills to 50-55% on the sea coast and on the yayls. In the Crimea, in the summer months, due to the dry air, vacationers feel much better than, for example, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, where at this time the relative humidity of the air at noon rises to 70-75% and higher.

Along with the air temperature, precipitation is an important element of the climate. Due to the complex relief structure and the peculiarities of atmospheric circulation, they are distributed very unevenly over the territory of Crimea - from 250 mm per year in the steppe to 1000 mm or more in the mountains. Most of the peninsula is characterized by insufficient moisture, especially the sea coast, where precipitation falls by 100-150 mm less than even in central regions blind.

The conditions for the distribution of precipitation over the peninsula largely depend on the Crimean mountains, which, although not high, nevertheless contribute to the intensification of thermal and dynamic turbulence (vortex movement) of the air, its rise and the formation of a mountain mode of humidification.

The peculiarities of circulation and the joint influence of the Crimean Mountains and the Black Sea determine the formation of a subtropical (sub-Mediterranean) climate zone, especially in the southwestern part of the peninsula. Here, on the South Coast, although approximately as much (430-550 mm) precipitation falls per year as in the steppe regions, most of them, as in the Mediterranean countries, fall on the cold period. They are associated with Mediterranean winter cyclones.

In addition to the uneven distribution of precipitation across the peninsula, their amount fluctuates sharply from year to year. With an average value of 340-425 mm, their annual amount varies in the steppe regions from 115-250 to 490-720 mm, in the foothills at 450-490 mm - from 190-340 to 715-870 mm, on the South Bank at 430-550 mm - from 160-280 to 1030 mm, on western yayls at 960 mm from 410 to 1650 mm. For the normal growth of most plants in the main areas of the peninsula, an amount of precipitation of at least 500 mm per year is required.

Precipitation is unevenly distributed over the seasons of the year. So, in the steppe and foothill Crimea, their maximum falls on June - July, on the South Coast and in the southern part of the mountains - in January or December, on the western and eastern coasts, precipitation falls relatively evenly throughout the year.

In Crimea, on average, 80-85% of the annual precipitation falls in the form of rain. The share of solid precipitation is less than 10%, and mixed - 5-8%. Share in the mountains liquid precipitation decreases with height. So, on Ai-Petri they are only 49%.

The number of days with rains varies from 80-130 in the steppe regions to 150-170 in the mountains. In summer in Crimea, there are no more than 5-10 days with rains per month. However, extremely heavy downpours are common. During downpours in the ravines, on the rivers, there are often large mud-stone streams, which rush at the speed of a train and reach a height of 23 m in the narrow places of the channels. They cause great destruction: they destroy bridges, erode roads, wash away the fertile soil layer, or deposit powerful sediments in gardens, vineyards, etc. Mudflows can occur on almost any river or gully of the mountainous Crimea, but most often they occur in the area between Alushta and Sudak.

The unequal distribution of precipitation in winter over the territory of Crimea also determines the uneven distribution of the snow cover. Since the winters in Crimea are relatively warm, with frequent thaws, there is no stable winter cover in most of the peninsula in eight out of ten winters. Snow cover is stable only in the mountains, where the duration of its occurrence on average lasts 70-90 days, with fluctuations from year to year from 30 to 150 days. In the flat and foothill Crimea, a stable snow cover, lasting at least a month, occurs only in snowy winters. The total number of days with snow cover is 20-30 in the steppe, and about 40 days in the foothills. The smallest number on the coast is only 10-20 days.

Wind, or the movement of air relative to the earth's surface, is also an important meteorological element. It is characterized by the speed (m / s or in conditional points) by the correction from where it is blowing. The movement of air from place to place occurs under the influence of the difference in atmospheric pressure, friction force.

The frequency of occurrence of wind directions and speed in Crimea is predominantly influenced by the spur of the Azores anticyclone in the warm season, and by the Asian anticyclone in the cold season. Large changes in atmospheric pressure occur during the approach of cyclones and active atmospheric fronts to the Crimea, especially in cold winters. By the way, sharp fluctuations in pressure during the day exacerbate cardiovascular diseases in not completely healthy people.

Throughout the year, winds of the north-east, south-west and north-west directions prevail in Crimea. In winter, the frequency of northeastern winds is 45%, southwestern 25%, and southerly up to 20%. During late autumn and winter, very strong north-easterly winds often last 270-325 hours per month. During these winds, the air temperature is usually 8-10 ° lower than with winds from other directions. In cases when the northeastern winds are accompanied by the invasion of the Arctic air, severe cold snaps occur in the Crimea.

In spring, due to the weakening of cyclonic activity in the steppe Crimea, north-east and north-west winds blow equally often, and south on the Black Sea coast. In May, the frequency of the northeastern winds gradually decreases due to the intensification of the action of the spur of the Azores anticyclone. From June to mid-August, low strength westerly and northwesterly winds usually prevail, lasting up to 300-350 hours per month.

In addition to directions, the characteristics of wind speeds are important. The highest wind speeds are observed in late winter - early spring, and the lowest in summer. In winter, the average speed in the mountains is 7 m / s or more, in the west and east coast 6 m / s, on the South Coast 3 m / s, and in the protected valleys and basins of the foothills less than 3 m / s. In summer, even on Ai-Petri and Karabi-Yaila, the average wind speeds do not exceed 5 m / s.

Strong winds or storms (more than 15 m / s) are repeated an unequal number of times in different regions of Crimea. During the year, in the foothills, they usually last 10-17 days, on the southern coast - 20-24, on the western coast - up to 40, in the central steppe regions - 12-28, and on the tops of the mountains - 80-85 days.

Hurricanes (winds over 34 m / s) are formidable natural phenomena. In Crimea, they usually occur during prolonged storm winds of the northeastern direction, less often during southwestern storms. Such winds uproot trees, tear off poorly reinforced roofs, cut off power lines, etc.

In addition to the winds of the general circulation of the atmosphere, local winds are also observed in the Crimea: breezes, mountain-valley and hair dryers.

Breezes blow during the day from sea to land (sea breezes), at night, on the contrary, from land to sea (coastal breezes). Most often (17-18 days a month) breezes blow in July and August. In the evening, in the period between the change in the direction of the breezes, a complete calm is often established, lasting for 2-3 hours. This is the best time for evening walks. The speed of these winds does not exceed 6-7 m / s during the day and 5 m / s at night. Only in Evpatoria and Kerch, the speed of the sea breeze sometimes reaches 9 m / s. Sea breezes extend into the depths of the lowland Crimea by 20-30 km, and into the depths of the southern coast - by 2-4 km. On hot days, sea breezes sometimes lower the air temperature on the coast by more than 15-16 ° compared to the temperature 10 km from the coast.

Mountain-valley winds, like breezes, blow upward during the day and down the valley at night. On the South Coast, breezes are superimposed on mountain-valley winds. The speed of mountain-valley winds during the day is within 3-7 m / s, and at night - only 1-2 m / s. The streams of the mountain-valley cool air of forests saturated with phytoncides in summer have an extremely beneficial effect on humans.

In the Crimean mountains in winter or spring, a warm and dry wind is often formed. The relative humidity of the air sometimes drops to only 8%. Hair dryers last from several hours to 2-3 days. They are especially frequent in Simeiz.

Dust storms sometimes occur in the steppe Crimea. They appear during dry and windy weather in almost all months of the year. They worsen the sanitary and hygienic conditions of cities, damage crops of agricultural crops, carry away the upper part of the arable horizon from the fields and fill orchards, vineyards, forest belts, etc. with fine earth.

Depending on the conditions of the relief (plains, mountain ranges, river valleys, slopes of different exposures, etc.) mesoclimates (local climates) are formed - climates of large territories (in diameter from several kilometers to the first tens of kilometers), created under the influence of mesorelief forms due to changes in the incoming solar radiation, air temperature, atmospheric precipitation and etc.

So, in the deep mountain valleys (the upper and middle part of the valleys of the Chernaya, Belbek, Kacha, Alma, Salgir, Biyuk-Karasu rivers, etc.), cold air accumulates, less solar energy is supplied due to shading by neighboring ridges. The slopes of the ridges, oriented to the south, are warmer, and oriented to the north - in reverse. There are breezes in the coastal areas. In cities there are more fogs, less duration of solar sowing, the temperature is 1-2 C higher.

The climate of most of the Crimea can be described as a climate of the temperate zone - mild steppe in the flat part, more humid, typical for deciduous forests in the mountains. The southern coast of Crimea is characterized by a sub-Mediterranean climate. The main factors that affect the climate of the peninsula are two: the Crimean mountains and the proximity of the sea. In winter, it plays the role of a huge "heating pad", and in summer it somewhat reduces the heat.

There are many intermediate options between these types of climates. For example, in the Foothills (Simferopol, Zuya, Belogorsk) the climate is transitional from steppe to mountain-forest - it can be called foothill forest-steppe.

In the plain Crimea, the climate is steppe, moderate continental, dry: cool winters (average January temperature from - 3 to 0 С) and hot summers (average temperature in July from +21 to +23 С) Amount of precipitation - 350 - 450 mm / year, and most of them fall in the summer in the form of showers.

Differences are observed between the climates of the coastal territories (Chernomorskoye, Evpatoria, Kerch) and the central part of the peninsula (Krasnogvardeyskoye, Dzhankoy, Pervomayskoye, etc.); in the coastal part, the relative humidity of the air, the intensity of solar radiation, and less cloudiness and the amount of precipitation are higher. This climate can be called a seaside steppe.

In the foothill part (Simferopol, Belogorsk), the amount of precipitation increases to 500-600 mm / year, summer temperatures decrease.

In the mountains, there is a decrease in summer and winter temperatures, and the amount of precipitation increases. For every 100 m of altitude, the temperature decreases by an average of 0.5.0.6 о С, the amount of precipitation increases by 50-70 mm / year. Therefore, on the yayls, the average monthly winter temperatures are up to - 4. - 5 о С, and the amount of precipitation is 1000-1500 mm / year.

The South Coast is of the greatest climatic interest. This is the only place in Ukraine with a sub-Mediterranean, in other words - almost Mediterranean climate. Winters are mild here, with positive temperatures.

The climate of Yalta is cooler in comparison with the points located on the Mediterranean Sea. This is especially true in winter, in Yalta, frosts sometimes occur up to -15 o C. Such low temperatures limit the possibility of growing subtropical crops.

In Crimea, there are several hundred varieties of local climates.

The climate in the Salgira valley, for example, differs from the climate on the cuesta ridges by higher daytime temperatures and lower nighttime temperatures. Valley winds often blow here, bringing cool air from the mountains.

The specific climate is formed in Baydar Valley... This part of the valley of the Chernaya River is hollow, therefore, in calm weather, cold air accumulates in it, flowing down from the slopes of the surrounding mountains. As a result, the absolute minimum air temperature in the valley is lower than in the adjacent areas.

Local climates are also formed due to hair dryers, breezes, mountain-valley winds. The influence of breezes is especially pronounced in Crimea. They occur in the summer and are associated with uneven heating of the land and sea: during the day the wind blows from the sea to the land, and at night - vice versa. Breezes can be considered as microanalogues of the Asian monsoons, only there the mainland (Asia) and the ocean (Pacific) interact, and the wind direction changes in summer and winter. Breezes on the coast soften the summer midday and afternoon heat. The location of Crimea within the territory with the maritime climate variant of the Eastern Mediterranean makes its climatic conditions quite comfortable. Even in Simferopol, located not on the coast, but in the central part of the peninsula, the climate is much more comfortable for humans compared to the same latitudes (45) of the Eastern Hemisphere (with colder winters and a contrasting climate in the seasons) and Western (where the summers are comparatively cooler). ). Here are some climate "records" for the Crimean peninsula over the past 150-200 years:

· The highest temperature in summer - the absolute maximum (+ 40.7 C) - was recorded in August 1930 in the village of Klepinino.

· The lowest temperature in winter - the absolute minimum (-36.8 C) - was recorded in January 1940 in the village of Nizhnegorsky.

The coldest and snowiest winter was 1953-1954, when the temperature kept below -10 C for almost 50 days.

· The warmest was the winter of 1965-1966, when there was no snow on the yayls at all, and in Simferopol the thaw lasted for almost three months.

· The maximum amount of precipitation - 1718 mm - was recorded in 1981 at Ai-Petri.

· The drought of 1947 was the longest, when even in the mountains it did not rain for almost 100 days.

· The maximum number of foggy days (not only in Crimea, but also in Ukraine) is observed on Ai-Petri (in 1970 - 215 days).

· The windiest point not only in Crimea, but also in Ukraine is Ai-Petri (in 1949, the wind at a speed of over 15 m / s blew here for 125 days). Ai-Petri also recorded the highest wind speed - 50 m / s.

1.3 Land cover

Crimea is distinguished by a wide variety of soils and vegetation, which is directly dependent on the features of the geological structure, the variety of parent rocks, relief and climate. A characteristic feature of the distribution of the soil-vegetation cover of the mountainous Crimea is the existence of vertical zonation. Brown and partly brown forest soils are developed on the southern coast. Brown soils are common under dry sparse forests and shrubs and are formed on clay shale of the Taurida series and red-colored weathering products of limestone; brown forest is typical for less dry places.

The vegetation of the South Coast is distinguished by its xerophytic character, richness of Mediterranean forms and many alien cultural forms. The most common are forest formations, shrubs and thickets of dry-loving grasses and dwarf shrubs. The forests are undersized and formed by a fluffy oak, tree juniper, wild pistachio, Crimean pine, hornbeam, wild strawberry. Shrub thickets, which are an analogue of the Eastern Mediterranean shiblyak, consist of shrubby forms of fluffy oak, hornbeam, grip-tree, scumpia, sumach, scaly pear, dogwood, iris, cistus, etc. Open, dry and stony areas are covered with semi-grasses. Crimean analogue of the East Mediterranean freegans. The parks are home to cypresses, cedars, spruces, pines, sequoias, firs, laurels, magnolias, palms, cork oaks, plane trees, and Lankaran acacias.

Vineyards, orchards and tobacco plantations are also characteristic of the South Coast landscape.

The orrographic and climatic differences of individual parts of the Main Ridge determine the diversity of their soil and vegetation cover. The western part of the ridge is characterized by brown mountain-forest soils, mountain-brown soils of dry forests and shrubs, and alluvial-meadow soils of river valleys and gullies. Due to the low-mountainous relief and its great fragmentation, the vertical zoning of the soil-vegetation cover is poorly expressed here. Forests of fluffy oak, treelike juniper, wild pistachio (kevo tree) with undergrowth of hornbeam, dogwood, hold-tree and thorn prevail. Stunted juniper forests grow on rocky soils and rocky areas. Higher on the slopes, there are more tall-stemmed mixed deciduous forests of beech, oak, hornbeam, and ash. Lots of wild grapes and ivy. The valleys and hollows are characterized by herbaceous meadow-steppe vegetation. To a greater extent, the hollows have been developed for fields, vineyards, orchards, and tobacco plantations.

The slopes of the middle part of the Main Ridge are occupied by brown mountain-forest soils and their podzolized varieties. The vertical vegetative zonation is quite well expressed here.

The lower part of the northern slope of the Main Ridge is occupied by a low-stemmed oak forest, which is heavily sparse. The forest is formed mainly by fluffy and rock oak and partly by pedunculate oak. In the undergrowth, dogwood and hornbeam. Occasionally, there are small areas of pine, oak-pine and juniper forests. Open areas of the slope are occupied by forest and steppe herbaceous vegetation that has already penetrated here (sealer, kupena, forest bluegrass, fragrant woodruff, feather grass, fescue, wheat grass, etc.). Higher up the slope (up to 600 m) a tall oak forest with an admixture of ash, field maple, aspen, and large-fruited mountain ash grows. In the undergrowth, hornbeam, dogwood, hazel, buckthorn, hawthorn, scumpia. Even higher (from 600 to 1000 m), a tall-trunked beech forest with an admixture of hornbeam dominates, there are rare areas of Crimean pine, and on the slopes of the southern exposure there are tree-like juniper groves and single yews. At altitudes above 1000 m, there is already a stunted beech forest with rare areas of Scots pine.

On the southern slope of the Main Ridge, above the dry forests and shrubs of the Southern Birch, at an altitude of 400 to 800-1,000 m, there is a Crimean pine forest. Fluffy oak and treelike and shrub juniper are found as an admixture. To the east of Gurzuf, the distribution of the Crimean pine is already of an insular nature, and to the east of Alushta, only individual specimens of this tree are found. Pine forests give way here to forests of fluffy oak, hornbeam, treelike juniper, wild pistachio and dogwood. Above 1000 m there is a forest of beech, Scots pine and partly Crimean pine, oak, maple, linden, hornbeam.

Yayly, as a rule, are treeless and covered with grassy meadow-steppe vegetation on mountain chernozems and mountain-meadow chernozem-like soils. The eastern part of the Main Ridge is characterized by low-stemmed sparse forests of oak, beech, ash, hornbeam and shrub thickets of dogwood, hawthorn, hold-tree, scumpia on brown mountain forest soils and steppe varieties of mountain brown soils.

The foothills are occupied by a forest-steppe with a mosaic alternation of treeless (steppe) and forest areas. Soils are calcareous chernozems, crushed soddy-calcareous and brown soils. Treeless areas are characterized by herbaceous grasses and herbs: feather grass, fescue, wheatgrass, wheatgrass, saffron, adonis or spring adonis, sage, peon, yarrow, immortelle, etc. They are mostly plowed and developed for fields, vineyards, tobacco plantations and - oil-bearing plants. Orchards and vineyards are widespread in the river valleys. Forest areas consist of low-growing trees, forest bushes (downy oak, rocky and pedunculated oak, field maple, ash, elm, hazel and dogwood). Of the shrubs, scumpia, hawthorn, blackthorn, dog rose, buckthorn, etc. are widespread.

In the central part of the lowland Crimea and in the northeastern part of the Kerch Peninsula, heavy loamy and clayey southern chernozems are widespread. These soils were formed on loesslike rocks under thinned grass vegetation and contain little humus (3-4%). Due to the peculiarities of their mechanical composition, the southern chernozems float during the rain, and when they dry out, they become crusty, however, despite this, they are still the best soils of the plain Crimea. With the right agricultural equipment, southern chernozems can provide good harvests of grain and industrial crops, grapes. The southern part of the lowland Crimea adjacent to the mountains and partly the northeastern region of the Kerch Peninsula is characterized by slightly humus carbonate chernozems.

The belt of southern chernozems to the north is gradually replaced by a belt of heavy loamy dark chestnut and chestnut solonetzic soils formed under conditions of high standing of saline groundwater on loesslike rocks. The humic content in these soils is only 2.5-3%. Chestnut soils are also characteristic of the southwestern region of the Kerch Peninsula, where they formed on saline Maikop clays. With proper farming techniques, chestnut soils can provide fairly high yields for a variety of crops.

On the low-lying coast of the Sivash and Karkinitsky gulf, where groundwater is very close to the surface and is highly saline, salt licks and salt marshes are developed. Similar soils are also found in the southwestern region of the Kerch Peninsula. The natural vegetation cover of the plain Crimea was a typical steppe. In the herbage, the main background was sod grasses: various feathery feather grass, feather grass (tyrsa), fescue (or steppe fescue), tonkonog, steppe keleria (or kipts), wheatgrass. Forbs were represented by sage (wilted and Ethiopian), kermek (Tatar and Sarepta), alfalfa yellow, spring adonis, katran steppe, yarrow, etc. A characteristic element were plants of a short spring growing season - ephemera (annual species of fires, barley and hare and etc.) and ephemeroids (tulips, steppe irises, etc.). Considerable areas were occupied by the so-called deserted steppe on chestnut-type soils. Along with the predominant grasses (fescue, wheatgrass, tyrsa, etc.), Crimean wormwood was very widespread there as a result of increased grazing. Ephemerals and ephemeroids were also quite characteristic.

Petrophytic (rocky) steppe is located on the stony-gravelly slopes of the ridges and hills of the Tapkhankut and Kerch peninsulas. Here, along with grasses (feather grass, fescue, wheatgrass, etc.), xerophytic dwarf shrubs (wormwood, Dubrovnik, thyme) are widespread. There are shrubs of wild rose, hawthorn, blackthorn, etc.

Saline vegetation (sarsazan, saltros, sveda) is widespread on the saline soils of the coast of the Karkinitsky Bay, Sivash and the southwestern part of the Kerch Peninsula. On drier and less saline soils, grasses grow there (volosnets, ratites, riparian).

Currently, the Crimean steppe has lost its natural appearance. It is almost entirely plowed up and is occupied by fields of wheat, corn, various vegetables, as well as vineyards and orchards. Recently, rice has become more and more widespread in Crimea. A characteristic element of the cultural landscape of the lowland Crimea are forest shelter belts of white acacia, birch bark, ash-like maple, ash and apricot.

II. Ecological problems of Crimea

Crimea is characterized by great diversity natural conditions and landscapes that are associated with its geographical location and complex geological and geomorphological structure. The diversity of landscapes was facilitated by the long-term anthropogenic impact, which led to both the degradation of many natural landscapes and the formation of completely new anthropogenic landscapes. Currently, natural, poorly transformed landscapes occupy only 2.5% of the territory of Crimea. These are mountain broad-leaved forests, mountain forest-steppe on yayls, salt marshes and halophytic meadows of the Sivash region and the Kerch Peninsula. Most of the territory of the peninsula (62%) is developed for constructive landscapes: arable land, gardens, cities, roads, etc. The rest of the territory (35.5%) is represented by derivative landscapes.

The main features of the modern flora and fauna in the Crimea were formed about 5 thousand years ago. At this time, people moved from gathering and hunting to agriculture and animal husbandry. For many centuries, economic pressures did not lead to significant changes in landscapes. Until the 19th century, in the Plain Crimea, residents were engaged in cattle breeding, and in the mountainous part and on the southern coast they grew grapes, wheat, apples, pears. But in the XIV - XVII centuries. and here cattle breeding was greatly developed, which led to the deforestation of large areas and the expansion of pastures at the expense of them. At the beginning of the XIX century. the area of ​​forests in Crimea was 361 thousand hectares, and in 1913 it was already 318 thousand hectares, in 1929 only 274 thousand hectares. The Crimean forests were badly damaged during the Great Patriotic War - by 1946 their area was reduced to 210 thousand hectares. In recent decades, thanks to reforestation work, the area of ​​forested territories has increased and at present the total area of ​​Crimean forests is 338 thousand hectares.

Not only the Crimean forests were badly damaged, but also the yayls, which at the beginning of the century were a place of grazing for both the local population's cattle and cattle driven from the southern regions of Russia and even from Romania and Bulgaria.

In the Foothill and Plain Crimea, extensive livestock raising was gradually giving way to agriculture. Especially great changes took place after the abolition of serfdom. From 1865 to 1890 the population of Crimea doubled, and the sown area increased from 222 thousand hectares to 925 thousand hectares. In Soviet times, the expansion of the arable land continued and in 1995 it amounted to 1,154 thousand hectares. Foothill steppe communities with a predominance of feather grass vegetation were destroyed on 50% of their area, and the degradation of steppe communities in the Plain Crimea became close to 100%.

A significant impact on the natural environment occurred with the commissioning of the North Crimean Canal. The area of ​​irrigated land in Crimea has reached approximately 20% of all arable land. However, due to the poor technical condition of the canal, about half of the water is lost, and this caused an increase in the level of groundwater, flooding of lands, and salinization of the soil. Irrigation has led to a qualitative change in landscapes: rice fields have appeared, the area of ​​orchards, vegetable and row crops has increased. New settlements arose, and the population of agricultural regions grew.

Recreational loads on landscapes have increased, especially on the southern coast of Crimea. The number of recreants increased like an avalanche: in 1928, 110 thousand rested in Crimea, in 1938, 270 thousand, in 1958 - 700 thousand, in 1970 - 6.5 million, in the 80s - up to 10 million people annually. In addition to the direct impact on nature (trampling of vegetation, soil compaction, logging for fires, forest fires, littering, etc.), the influx of vacationers demanded the construction of new sanatoriums and rest homes, roads, reservoirs, and exacerbated the problem of water supply. All this has led to an increase in the volume of polluted wastewater, degradation of some coastal marine and forest ecosystems.

Industry and transport developed intensively. By the 60-80s, the construction of the main chemical industries in the Crimea, some of which work on imported raw materials, belongs. By the beginning of the 90s, industrial production reached its highest volume, and emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere reached the maximum value - 565 thousand tons. - 430 thousand tons, in 1993 - 295 thousand tons, in 1994 - 190 thousand tons, in 1995 - 150 thousand tons, in 1996 - 122.5 thousand tons.

Rivers, reservoirs and coastal waters of the Black and Azov Seas are polluted with industrial and domestic wastewater. Sewerage treatment facilities have insufficient capacity, as a result, in 1996, 230 million cubic meters were discharged into open water bodies. m of wastewater, of which contaminated - 106, normatively treated - 124 million cubic meters. m. More than 42 million cubic meters have been accumulated on the territory of Crimea. m of solid household waste.

In general, the pollution of the peninsula and adjacent waters is very high. The flat part of Crimea in terms of pollution (especially soils) is second only to the Kryvyi Rih-Dnieper region, southern parts Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and is approximately on the same level with Donbass. Such significant pollution is associated with the use of a large amount of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. Average pollution of air and soil, as well as disturbance of land in Crimea is lower than the average for Ukraine. Water pollution is also approximately two times lower, but pesticide pollution is more than two times higher than in Ukraine. The general anthropogenic transformation in Crimea is inferior to the industrial Dnieper and Donbass, but surpasses other regions.

In the Crimean Mountains, despite the prohibitions, cattle grazing continues. Of great concern is grazing on the yayls, where a significant part of the river flow of the peninsula is formed. Karst and fracturing of limestones composing the Yaylinsky plateaus contribute to the rapid infiltration of polluted surface waters and getting them into rivers and reservoirs.

Crimea is washed by the waters of two internal seas. Their originality lies in the limited connection with the World Ocean, and, therefore, their hydrological regime significantly depends on the river runoff and water exchange through the Bosphorus Strait. And although the hydrogen sulfide contamination of the deep layers of the Black Sea determines the absence of organic life below 150 m, the coastal surface waters of the sea are distinguished by high biological productivity. Until recently, the Sea of ​​Azov was one of the most productive seas of the World Ocean.

Modern natural conditions in the Azov-Black Sea basin developed approximately 4-6 thousand years ago. However, the presence of relict organisms and specific conditions of speciation determined a rather high - more than 10% - endemism of the basin fauna. It is home to over 1200 species of algae and higher plants, 2100 invertebrates, 192 species of fish and 4 species of mammals.

Already at the beginning of the twentieth century, the influence of anthropogenic loads on the coastal ecosystems of the Crimea was noted, mainly in connection with the intensive catch of valuable fish species. The regulation of river flow in the 50s of our century had a very detrimental effect on the hydrological regime and structure of biological communities in the Sea of ​​Azov. The increase in the salinity of the sea waters has led to the suppression of many species of bottom fauna - the main food for food valuable fish. Pollution of the river waters of the Danube and Dnieper, in turn, determined the eutrophication of the shallow northwestern part of the Black Sea and regular kills in the summer. Anthropogenic pollution of the waters washing the Crimean peninsula caused the suppression of brown and increased development of green algae, the massive reproduction of the comb jelly - a new "tenant" of the sea, whose gluttony led to a noticeable decrease in zooplankton, and finally, water bloom. In recent decades, near the southern coast of Crimea, the area of ​​the most abundant representative of brown algae, cystoseira, has decreased by 40%.

Nevertheless, against the background of significant general pollution of the Azov-Black Sea basin, the southern and western coasts of Crimea turned out to be in a relatively favorable position due to the peculiarities of water circulation. The greatest damage to the Crimean coastal waters is caused by local local sources of pollution, and the most affected are the waters of bays and bays with weak water exchange. Less damage is done to aquatic ecosystems off the open shores.

In general, the environmental problems of Crimea are associated with a complex of socio-economic and natural-resource reasons, which are reflected in the nature of nature management.

Conclusion

The nature of the Crimea is called a natural museum. There are few places in the world where diverse, comfortable and picturesque landscapes would be combined in such an original way. They are largely due to the originality of the geographical location, geological structure, relief, climate of the peninsula. The Crimean mountains divide the peninsula into two unequal parts. Big - northern - is located in the extreme south of the temperate zone, southern - the Crimean sub-Mediterranean - refers to the northern edge of the subtropical belt.

The flora of Crimea is especially rich and interesting. Only wild higher plants account for more than 65% of the flora of the entire European part of the Commonwealth countries. Along with this, about 1000 species of foreign plants are cultivated here. Almost all the flora of Crimea is concentrated in its southern mountainous part. This is a truly museum richness of flora.

The climate of most of the Crimea is the climate of the temperate zone: mild steppe - in the flat part; more humid, typical for deciduous forests - in the mountains. The southern coast of Crimea is characterized by a sub-Mediterranean climate of dry forests and shrubs.

Crimea, especially its mountainous part, thanks to its comfortable climate, richness of clean air toned with phytoncides, sea salts, pleasant aroma of plants, also has great healing power. The bowels of the earth also contain healing mud and mineral waters.

The reserve fund accounts for more than 135 thousand hectares of the peninsula's territory, which is 5.2% of its area. The reserve fund plays a significant role in preserving the creations of inanimate and living nature, stabilizes the ecological situation on the peninsula.

Crimea is a unique region of Ukraine, where 152 objects of the nature reserve fund are located on a relatively small territory, including: 6 nature reserves, 30 reserves, 69 natural monuments, 2 botanical gardens, 1 dendrological park, 31 parks-monuments of landscape gardening art , 8 protected natural boundaries, 1 zoo.

More than 200 mineral deposits are known in Crimea. Iron ores (Kerch iron ore basin), salts of Sivash and coastal lakes (Staroe, Krasnoe, etc.), natural gas (Black Sea deposits), flux limestones (Balaklava, Kerch deposits, etc.), cement marls (Bakhchisarai), pottery and bleaching clays (foothills). For medicinal and recreational purposes, therapeutic mud and mineral springs (Saki, Evpatoria, Feodosia, etc.), sandy and pebble beaches (western and southern coast, Azov Sea) are used. Unfortunately, many steppes are plowed up for wheat, corn, rice paddies, vegetable plantations, vineyards and orchards.

Regional development problems:

1. Insufficient rational use of natural conditions and resources;

2. Poor water supply to the Crimean Peninsula;

3. Contradictions in the location and development of heavy industry enterprises, in the formation of a large port economy, on the one hand, and the use of recreational resources, on the other;

4. Pollution of the west of Crimea leads to a weakening of the healing properties of the Saki mud;

5. Threatening ecological state The Black and Azov Seas and the Sivash Lake-Gulf;

6. Extraction of pebbles and limestone on the beaches negatively affects the natural features of the resorts of the Crimea;

7. Naval bases and air forces create great noise pollution;

8. Implementation of the program for the protection of cultural monuments of the Crimean peninsula.

Crimea today is a specific region, where a huge number of rare species of animals and plants, unique climatic zones and ecological reserves are concentrated. If no drastic and radical measures are taken to stabilize the ecological situation, then we will simply lose this unique region. The government of both Ukraine and Crimea should pay more attention to this issue, tightening environmental policies and applying more severe sanctions against violators of environmental legislation.

Bibliography

1. Blagovolin NS Some questions of the history of the development of the relief of the mountainous Crimea. In the book. "The structure of the Black Sea depression". Ed. "Science", 1966

2. Velichko B.P. Mudflows in Crimea and methods of dealing with them. Sat. "Fight against mountain soil erosion and mudflows", Tashkent, 1962.

3. Wolf E.V. Kerch Peninsula and its vegetation in connection with the question of the origin of the Crimean flora. Zap. Crimea. about-va natures, v. XI, 1929.

4. "Geography of Crimea" by P.D. Podgorodetsky, V.B. Kudryavtseva, Simferopol, 1995

5. Gubanov I.G., Podgorodetskiy P.D. Wealth of mineral resources // Nature of Crimea. - Simferopol: Crimea 1996.

6. Davitishvili L.Sh. To the knowledge of the fauna of the Chaudin horizon. From. Ass. Research Institute of Physics and Mathematics I Moscow State University, vol. 11, issue 2a, 1930.

7. Dobrynin B.F. Landscapes of the mountainous Crimea "Crimea", No. 1/5, 1929.

8. Ena V.G. Protected landscapes Crimea, - Simferopol "Tavria" - 1989.

9. Ivanov B.N., Goldin B.M., Oliferov A.N. Selenium regions and their physical and geographical characteristics. In the book. "They sat down in the USSR and measures to combat them." Ed. "Science", 1964.

10. Muratov M.V., Nikolaev N.I. River terraces of mountainous Crimea. BMOIP, dep. geol. No. 1, 1939

11. Podgorodetskiy P.D. Crimea: Nature: Ref. ed. - Simferopol: publishing house "Tavria" 1988.

12. The nature of the Crimea and its protection / Ed. P.V. Sakanevich. - Simferopol: publishing house "Tavria" 1997.

13. Sukhorukov V. Do you know the Crimea. - Simferopol "Tavria" - 1983.

14. "Physical geography of Ukraine" Zastavny F.D. "Blitz" -2004

15. "Ecology of Crimea", N.V. Bagrov, V.A. Bokova - Krymuchpedgiz, 2003

Application

Fig. 1. Overview map of Crimea

Fig. 2. Mount Demerdzhi

Columnar weathering of the Upper Jurassic conglomerates

Fig. 3. the south coast of Crimea

Erosional landforms in Taurian shale,

at s. Merry (near Sudak).

Fig. 4. North-eastern shore of the lake. Donuzlav

Fig. 5. Dzhangul landslide coast. Tapxankut Peninsula

Fig. 6. Landslide terraces of the Dzhangul coast.

Tarkhankut peninsula

Fig. 7. Surface of a mud hill with a crater and fresh mud flow

Table 1. Duration of sunshine, h

Table 2.

Table 3. Total solar radiation, MJ / m2

Table 4.

Observation point	July	August	September	October	November	December	Year
Klepinino	733	654	494	310	139	96	4 994
Black Sea	800	691	511	318	155	101	5 317
Kerch	779	679	499	310	151	96	5 095
Evpatoria	788	687	524	327	159	105	5 247
Simferopol	754	652	515	331	168	117	5 186
Feodosia	767	662	511	315	155	101	5 059
Sevastopol	779	683	520	325	168	122	5 253
Yalta	763	675	511	327	168	122	5 134
Ai-Petri	721	633	486	310	180	126	5 054

Table 5. Air temperature, evaporation (E) and volatility (Eo)

Observation point	Air temperature, С			Evaporation,	Evaporation,	Attitude,
	January	July	year	year	year	year
Armyansk	-2,9	23,2	10,0	338	958	0,35
Klepinino	-2,0	22,8	9,9	460	931	0,49
Black Sea	-0,1	22,1	10,8	314	771	0,41
Nizhnegorsk	-1,6	22,8	10,4	460	911	0,50
Kerch	-1,0	23,3	10,6	429	841	0,51
Evpatoria	-0,3	23,0	11,0	367	872	0,42
Belogorsk	-1,4	21,4	9,8	416	928	0,45
Simferopol	-1,0	21,8	10,2	457	958	0,48
Feodosia	-0,6	23,8	11,7	372	998	0,37
Alushta	3,0	23,3	12,3	331	1 023	0,32
Sevastopol	2,7	22,4	12,0	343	940	0,36
Yalta (port)	4,0	23,7	13,0	366	1 059	0,35
Ai-Petri	-3,6	15,6	5,7	488	755	0,65
Syrach	4,5	23,6	13,3	371	1 121	0,33

Table 6. Annual sums of temperatures above 10C

Observation point	Sum of temperatures	Observation point	Sum of temperatures
Yishun	3 468	Alushta	3 655
Dzhankoy	3 519	Crimean
Klepino	3 441	Reserve	2 500
Kerch	3 650	Sevastopol	3 580
Evpatoria	3 674	Postal	3 160
Belogorsk	3 245	Pigeon	3 040
Simferopol	3 245	Nikitsky
Old Crimea	3 065	Botanical Garden	3 885
Feodosia	3 675	Yalta (port)	3 850
Karadag	3 635	Ai-Petri	1 805
Karabi-yayla	2 060	Miskhor	4 195
Zander	3 540	Simeiz	4 060
Megan	3 710	Sarych	3 935

Table 7. Average long-term precipitation, mm

Observation point	November-March	April-October	year	Observation point	November-March	April-October	year
Armyansk	129	212	341	Alushta	225	202	427
Dzhankoy	147	271	418	Sevastopol	165	184	349
Klepino	165	301	466	Postal	209	273	482
Black Sea	133	183	316	Pigeon	261	307	568
Nizhnegorsk	164	300	464	Gurzuf	281	233	514
Kerch	161	251	412	Nikitsky
Evpatoria	156	197	353	Botanich. garden	298	237	535
Belogorsk	147	276	423	Balaclava	201	219	420
Simferopol	196	305	501	Yalta (port)	313	247	560
Old Crimea	202	312	514	Ai-Petri	648	404	1 052
Feodosia	151	225	376	Eagle	317	265	582
Karadag	146	211	357	Miskhor	273	236	509
Karabi-yayla	214	381	595	Simeiz	226	206	432
Zander	129	189	318	Sarych	184	188	372
Megan	115	157	272

The Republic of Crimea occupies the territory of the Crimean Peninsula.

The territory of the Republic of Crimea is 26.1 thousand sq. km.

Length: from west to east - 360 km, from north to south - 180 km.

Extreme points: in the south - Cape Sarych; in the west - Cape Priboyny; in the east - Cape Fonar.

The most important seaports are Evpatoria, Yalta, Feodosia, Kerch.

Adjacent regions: Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation, Kherson Region of Ukraine.

The climate of the peninsula differs in its various parts: in the northern part it is temperate continental, on the southern coast with subtropical features. Crimea is characterized by a small amount of precipitation throughout the year, a large number of sunny days, and the presence of breezes on the coast.

The relief of the Crimean peninsula consists of three unequal parts: the North Crimean Plain with the Tarkhankut Upland (about 70% of the territory), the Kerch Peninsula and in the south - the mountainous Crimea stretches in three ridges. The highest is the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains (1545 m, Mount Roman-Kosh), consisting of separate limestone massifs (yayl) with plateau-like peaks and deep canyons. The southern slope of the Main Ridge stands out as the Crimean sub-Mediterranean. Inner and Outer ridges form the Crimean foothills.

The Crimean peninsula is washed by the Black and Azov seas.

The nature reserve fund includes 158 objects and territories (including 46 of national importance, the area of ​​which is 5.8% of the area of ​​the Crimean peninsula). The basis of the reserve fund is 6 natural reserves with a total area of ​​63.9 thousand hectares: Crimean with a branch "Swan Islands", Yalta mountain forest, Cape Martyan, Karadag, Kazantip, Opuksky.

Crimea is a peninsula richly endowed natural resources... In its depths and on the adjacent shelf, there are industrial deposits of iron ore, combustible gas, mineral salts, construction raw materials, oil and gas condensate.

The natural recreational resources of the peninsula are of great importance: mild climate, warm sea, curative mud, mineral waters, picturesque landscapes.

The largest rivers are Salgir, Indol, Biyuk-Karasu, Chornaya, Belbek, Kacha, Alma, Bulganakh. The longest river in Crimea is Salgir (220 km), the deepest is Belbek (water flow - 1500 liters per second).

There are more than 50 salt lakes in Crimea, the largest of which is Lake Sasyk (Kunduk) - 205 sq. Km.

The population of Crimea as of January 1, 2013 is 1 million 965.2 thousand people. Including the economically active population is 970.3 thousand people, or less than 50% of the total population.

About 130 ethnic groups live in the Republic of Crimea. The largest ethnic groups are Russians (58.3%), Ukrainians (24.3%) and Crimean Tatars (12.1%).

State languages: Russian, Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar.

Time zone: MSK (UTC + 4).

Administrative-territorial structure: cities of republican significance - 11, districts - 14.

The capital of the Republic of Crimea is the city of Simferopol.

The representative body of the Republic of Crimea is the State Council of the Republic of Crimea.

The executive body of the Republic of Crimea is the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea.

The Republic of Crimea has symbols: coat of arms, flag and anthem.

Geographical position of Crimea

The Crimean peninsula has a relatively small territory: for comparison, we can say that it is 20 times smaller in area of ​​the Iberian and Balkan peninsulas, and 15 times smaller than Kamchatka and Asia Minor. Crimea is located at 44 and 46 degrees. w., i.e. this is the southern territory, it corresponds to the south of France, the Ciscaucasia or the Great American Lakes in North America.

Crimea is an integral part of the huge continent of Eurasia, while it is located almost at an equal distance from both the North Pole and the equator, since a latitude of 45 degrees crosses the peninsula near the city of Dzhankoy. Approximately here is the border of two climatic zones: the temperate zone and the subtropics, therefore, in Crimea, on this small peninsula, one can observe atmospheric and natural processes and phenomena characteristic of both belts.

The Crimean peninsula occupies a relatively small territory - in area it is 20 times smaller than the Iberian and Balkan peninsulas, 15 times smaller than Kamchatka and Asia Minor. But Crimea became famous, significant and attractive largely due to the peculiarities of its nature, and above all to its peculiar geographical location.

The Perekop Isthmus is the northernmost point of the Crimean Peninsula. It is located at a distance of 207 km from Cape Sarych (the southernmost point). From the extreme western point - Cape Kara-Mrun, located on the Tarkhankut Peninsula, to Cape Fonar on the Kerch Peninsula - 324 km. And the three capes, like the three legendary biblical whales lying in the Black and Azov Seas, seem to "support" the peninsula afloat.

In shape, the Crimea resembles a slightly distorted rhombus, but if you turn on your imagination, you can see in the outlines of the peninsula - a bird that dives into the waters of the Black Sea. But the beauty of the peninsula, in combination with its outlines, gave the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda a dream to call Crimea "the most magnificent medal on the chest of the Earth."

The figurative expression "Crimea island" is also close to the truth. The thing is that only the Perekop Isthmus connects it with the land, the width of which narrows in places to only 7 km. And all transport highways in the Chongar Strait area are laid across the Sivash Bay on a dike and a bridge.

Sometimes, in old guidebooks, the Perekop Isthmus was compared with the Isthmus of Panama in its geographical significance, but instead of deep ocean waters, it is surrounded by shallow waters and viscous gray mud of the Rotten Sea (Sivash). In the distant revolutionary times, the isthmus was dug by a deep, up to 10 m, ditch, next to which an 8-meter high earthen rampart was built, up to 11 km long.

The almost "insular" geographical position of Crimea, surrounded by two - the Black and Azov seas, enhances the isolation of the peninsula, and is noticeably reflected in the features of its landscapes, flora and fauna. That is why not only many rare species are found here, but also endemic species found on Earth only in the Crimea.

Crimea is also characterized by a circular (circum-island) distribution of climatic phenomena, which manifests itself in less precipitation, longer sunshine, and the presence of breezes on the coast, which distinguishes them from the central parts of the peninsula. A special place of the peninsula is the Crimean Mountains, which form another internal "island" with their own special and unique features and characteristics.

The Crimean peninsula, located in the extreme east of the vast Mediterranean, is a connecting "bridge" connecting the East European Plain, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. Therefore, in the Crimea, there is a change in the areas of the geographical distribution of a number of plant and animal species, which gives originality to the flora and fauna of the peninsula.

The landscapes of the peninsula are also diverse, where vast flat plains alternate with dissected uplands, and in the south they are replaced mountain ranges, which abruptly drop off to the Black Sea. Due to the sublatitudinal location of the Crimean Mountains, even in a relatively small area of ​​the peninsula, there is a sharp contrast between the temperate steppe climate of the plains and the almost sub-Mediterranean climate on the southern coast of Crimea.

Crimea - the golden mean of the earth

This land is beautiful, washed by one of the most festive seas of the globe.
K. Paustovsky.

Each of us has an inalienable right to love our native land and to assert that there is no land more beautiful, more fertile, and unique. Only a fool will argue, a wise person will agree, although he will add: "Of course, you are right, dear friend, but my homeland is also beautiful ..."

Crimeans behave this way and not otherwise: after all, millions of people from all over the world come to Crimea every year. Of course, Crimeans agree that there are blessed corners of the earth somewhere else. They do not ask: "Why did you come to us, and not we to you?" Without a doubt, Crimeans are wise people, they say in such cases: "Of course, you are right, dear friend, but my Crimea is beautiful too, let me tell you about it."

Let's open the map and orient ourselves on the terrain. The southernmost point of Crimea (44 ° 23 ") is Cape Sarych, near the village of Foros, located between Sevastopol and Alupka. The northernmost point (46 ° 15") is located on the Perekop Isthmus, near the village of Perekop. This means that Crimea is located at the 45th latitude, in the middle between the North Pole and the equator. Perhaps someone else has some other thoughts on this, but in the middle means in the middle, and not somewhere else. At the 45th latitude, by the way, is the geographical center of France, such European cities as Budapest, Bucharest, Milan, Bern, the Canadian city of Montreal, the American cities of Minneapolis and Portland. They are all right with latitude, but longitude ...

The westernmost point of Crimea (32 ° 29 ") is Cape Priboyny (Kapa-Mryn) on the Tarkhankut Peninsula, the most eastern (36 ° 39") is Cape Fonar on the Kerch Peninsula. So, Crimea is located near 30 ° east longitude, that is, in the middle between the Greenwich meridian and the Urals, separating Europe and Asia. Please open a map of the world, do not be lazy. At what longitude is it bent in half, where is its middle? Of course, along the line of 30 "east longitude. Approximately at this longitude are St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kharkov, Ankara, Cairo, Lake Victoria, the highest point of Africa - the Kilimanjaro volcano, the North and South poles. latitude fell only to the Crimea.

If you look at the sky, then it will point to the Crimea. The Milky Way is called Chumatsky Shlyakh in Ukrainian. The nebula pointing to the south seemed to have been created for the correct orientation of our ancestors, the Chumaks, who traveled to the Crimea for salt.

Before closing the map, let's take another look at the peninsula depicted on it. What is Crimea like? Of course - in the heart. A heart shaken by the Creator's Plan. A heart delighted with the incomprehensible wisdom and endless beauty of Nature. The Crimea also looks like outstretched arms and a cross sent down to people to comprehend the great unity of Faith, Love and Hope. Cross connecting North and South, West and East. But most of all, Crimea is like a flower dropped by the Creator on the Earth.

Of course, you are right, dear friend, your homeland is beautiful, but my Crimea is beautiful too! Let me tell you a little more about it.

The area of ​​the Crimean peninsula exceeds 26 thousand km2, the maximum distance from north to south is 205 km, from west to east - 325 km. Yes, it is smaller than Switzerland, the Netherlands or Belgium, but Crimea is almost 56 times larger than Andorra, 82 times larger than Malta and 165 (!) Times larger than such a venerable European principality as Liechtenstein. We will not compare Crimea with such small states as San Marino.

In many countries of the world there is not a single sea, but in the Crimea there are two of them: the Black and the Azov. The Black Sea forms three large bays off the coast of the peninsula: Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky and Feodosia; The Sea of ​​Azov also has three large bays: Kazantip, Arabat and Sivash.

Crimea in the north is connected to the mainland by a narrow eight-kilometer strip of land called the Perekop Isthmus. The Kerch Strait, which is 4-5 km wide, separates the Crimean Peninsula from the Taman Peninsula, the western end of the Krasnodar Territory of Russia. The total length of the peninsula's borders exceeds 2500 km, the shores are little indented, except for the very winding coastline of a part of the peninsula near Sevastopol. In the coastal strip of the flat Crimea there are 50 estuary lakes with a total area of ​​53 thousand km2. Of course, this is not as much as, say, in Finland or Norway, but the Crimean lakes are valuable because they are filled with brine, a concentrated saline solution that has absorbed the power of the sea, sun and earth.

At the beginning of the XX century. in the Crimea, about 40% of the table salt of the Russian Empire was mined. DI Mendeleev's statement that using oil as fuel is tantamount to burning banknotes is well known. To paraphrase the words of the great chemist, we can say that using the Crimean salt as a table salt is like salt the soup with gold. The ecologically chaste chemical industry of the peninsula at the Saki and Krasnoperekop chemical plants produces various compounds of sodium, calcium, magnesium, bromine from lake and Sivash salt. However, the therapeutic use of the Crimean estuaries is much more famous, but this is a separate topic for discussion.

Once upon a time, palaces were erected on the South Coast of Crimea by monarchs and their entourage. The ruler of the next historical period invited here to the section post-war world Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Why did the highly esteemed guests of Crimea prefer it to all other places on Earth? Because they were attracted by the unique Crimean climate, whose indisputable advantages are not due to several reasons.

The first is the aforementioned equidistance from the equator and the North Pole, which determines a long summer day, and not a miserable 12 hours in the tropics, and a sufficient amount of beneficial heat - namely heat, and not equatorial heat or polar cold.

The second is the union of the sea and the mountains. On hot sunny days of summer, Crimea is refreshed by a breeze, a cool breeze from the sea. In the evening, cool hours, it is replaced by warm air from the mountains.

The third is the unique position of the peninsula relative to the general circulation of the atmosphere, the prevalence of westerly winds and stable anticyclones with clear weather and, as a result, a record number of sunny days, the absence of the sweltering heat carried by the air currents from Africa, and, of course, the minimal impact of cold air masses with north, from which the mountains serve as an additional barrier.

The Crimean mountains are small, their maximum height (Mount Roman-Kosh) reaches 1545 m, much less than Everest, but this height is quite enough to create a paradise of subtropics on the southern coast, without simultaneously erecting an insurmountable barrier between the warm sea and the northern, steppe part of the peninsula ...

Perhaps, in some other place on Earth, the expression "mountains of gold" is an exaggeration, a metaphor, but not in Crimea. Crimean marls are used as raw materials for cement production, facing slabs are made from marble-like limestones, beautiful white buildings are being built from blocks of the famous Inkerman stone from the time of Chersonesos to the present day. Diabases of magmatic origin, due to their high strength, rich color shades and good polishing qualities, are used for the manufacture of monuments and facing slabs. At Karadag and in other places, there are such minerals (gems) as agate, jet, onyx, opal, carnelian, brocade jasper.

Why are there gems! Even the clay in the Crimea is precious. The Crimean bentonite formed from volcanic ash, popularly called keel, soap earth or mountain soap, has very unusual properties. Previously, it was used for clarifying wines, making soap, washing and bleaching, today it is used in high technology.

The flat plateaus of the Crimean mountains combine the properties of plains and mountains, representing another “golden mean” of Crimea. Yailas, which are not closed from the merciless sun, seem to the uninitiated a symbol of dehydration, but this is not at all the case: underlain by porous limestones, they absorb sediments like a sponge so that, together with shady forests, drop by drop accumulate water that feeds the Crimean rivers.

Everything is in Crimea, but in order not to jinx it, its inhabitants love to grumble just in case. And since it is quite difficult to find a reason for grunting in this corner of paradise, they habitually get annoyed by the lack of water. Indeed, there are only 1,657 rivers on the peninsula, and only 150 of them are less than 10 km long. The total length of watercourses is 5966 km, more than the length of the Amur from the mouth to the headwaters of the Argun, but somewhat less than the Nile.

However, it must be honestly said that the natural water resources of the peninsula were clearly insufficient in its steppe part. We have heard a lot of bad things about global reclamation projects, and most likely this is the case. Probably, the turn of the northern rivers to the south threatened the Earth with an ecological catastrophe, but the turn of the southern river to the south, that is, the creation of the North Crimean Canal, solved many problems of the peninsula.

Crimean drinking water is generally poorly mineralized, which is beneficial for the human body, but if you are used to water enriched with wastewater from industrial giants, you should not be upset prematurely. After all, Crimea has everything, even black water. The water of the Adzhi-Su mineral spring saturated with hydrogen sulfide in the village of Kuibyshevo, Bakhchisarai region, forms a black sediment from biologically active gummines and bitumen, healing in hot medicinal baths. In total, more than a hundred sources of medicinal resources have been explored in Crimea. mineral waters rich in many trace elements - from fluorine to radium.

Geographical location, climate, steppe areas on the tops of mountains, transparent and black waters - we are everywhere talking about combining opposite principles. If you mix all the colors into one, you get a dirty gray color. To avoid misunderstandings, we will immediately make an official explanation: Crimea is the Golden Mean, not mediocrity. The colors of his palette sparkle without mixing, and at the same time create a unique flavor.

Combining the steppe and subtropics, Crimea not only does not mix them, but complements the zone of forests and forest-steppe. Yayla is not a half-steppe-half-mountain, but a unique natural phenomenon, which is difficult to find analogues. Combining different principles, Crimea preserves their originality and supplements them with new, only inherent qualities. Natural sciences unanimously prove the insular origin of Crimea - we will talk about this more than once and give the arguments of scientists - therefore, on the peninsula, in addition to the amazing combination of steppe and Mediterranean nature, there is a great variety of endemic species of plants and animals found only on the peninsula.

Among the natural areas of Crimea, man-made landscapes are scattered with fancy mosaics: intertwining architectural styles of many centuries and peoples of cities, towns and villages, majestic parks, well-groomed fields, lush gardens, fragrant plantations of roses and lavender, unique vineyards. In 1963, a period of intensive irrigated agriculture began in Crimea. Almost 40 types of vegetable crops are grown in open and closed ground. The quality of Crimean products is famous far beyond the borders of the autonomous republic.

Essential oil enterprises in the cities of Simferopol, Bakhchisarai, Alushta, Sudak and the urban-type settlement of Nizhnegorsk produce rose, lavender and sage oils. Food industry is one of the leading industries in Crimea. The largest fishing port on the Black Sea with refrigerators, canning and ship repair factories has been built in Sevastopol. However, the high level of development of the food industry of the peninsula is due not only to the high-value agriculture of the peninsula and the rich resources of the seas. Its development is facilitated by a relatively high level of food consumption, especially in the summer. Thus, the issue of welcoming guests is raised in Crimea on a grand scale.

Crimea is the unity of the sea, steppe and mountains. It is necessary to remove a layer of soil from the surface of the earth in the steppe Crimea, and on the surface there will be a wonderful, easy-to-work building material - limestone-shell rock. Buildings that have a shell rock layer in their walls, like the sea, keep them warm in winter and cool in summer.

However, one should not think that only shell rock is hidden under the fertile Crimean soil. The iron ores of the Kerch basin are so shallow that they are mined in an open pit. These ores are unique in their high manganese content, so when alloyed steels are smelted, this element is added in a minimal amount or not at all.

Since the mid-60s. industrial development of natural gas fields is underway on the Tarkhankut Peninsula, in the Northern Crimea and on the Arabat Spit. The ramified system of gas pipelines made it possible to gasify most of the settlements, convert thermal power plants to environmentally friendly fuel and enter the country's unified gas pipeline system.

The pinnacle of the industrial pyramid of the Crimean Autonomous Republic are high-tech industries: electronics, automotive, defense, construction of supertankers.

The complex development of the Crimean industry is based on an extensive network of communication routes. There are two main railways in Crimea. Sea transport carries out small coastal communication in the Azov-Black Sea basin and long-distance international flights. However, the main transport of the Autonomous Republic is automobile. It accounts for about 90% of domestic freight and passenger traffic. In the early 60s. a mountain trolleybus route Simferopol - Yalta was put into operation, which makes it possible to connect the capital of the republic with the South Bank by convenient and inexpensive transport.

The environmental safety of the Crimean industry has a long tradition. Back in 1931, the first in the USSR, the most powerful wind power plant in Europe at that time, was built in Balaklava. The generator blades had a diameter of 30 meters. The unique power plant was destroyed during the war. In 1986, a 5 MW solar power plant was built in Crimea. The total area of ​​the mirrors is 40 thousand m2. Several ecologically perfect projects have been implemented on the peninsula, using tidal energy, solar and geothermal energy to generate electricity to supply heat to residential buildings, sanatoriums and hotels.

The intercity trolleybus service clearly demonstrates the level of environmental requirements for the development of the Crimean industry.

It would take a very long time to talk about Crimean science, about the great scientists who worked here, but instead of a huge list of discoveries, we will limit ourselves to a single brief remark: several sciences were created in Crimea, including virology, physics of the sea, and helioseismology.

People of many nationalities inhabit Crimea, all of them are representatives of an endemic species called "Crimeans". Crimeans are hardworking, quick-witted, hospitable and inclined to have fun. Men are wise, strong, women are kind and unusually beautiful. In a word, they are the same as other people on Earth, and only one thing distinguishes them from the rest of the inhabitants of the planet: they are more patient with the geographical bragging of visitors. Crimeans listen attentively to the guests, treat them with amazing Crimean wines, feed them with dishes made from ecologically pure Crimean products, take them to caves, reserves, beaches, dolphinariums, tasting rooms, arrange sea excursions ... Further - all the content of the book.

The population of Crimea in summer and early autumn increases many times. When millions of guests go home, it turns out that there are about 2.5 million true Crimeans. As of 1998, 363.8 thousand people lived in the Crimean capital Simferopol, 167.4 thousand in Kerch, 371.4 thousand in Sevastopol, and 113.5 thousand in Evpatoria. Given the small number of the above-described endemic species, we propose to put it in the Red Book and, if there is no way to stop all talk about the unsurpassed (?!) Charm of other lands, then at least give the Crimeans a word in defense of their homeland.

Alas, this is not always possible, because in holiday season Crimeans are a minority on the peninsula. But they came up with a way out and told about themselves and their land in the coat of arms.

Coat of arms of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

Columns are a symbol of the ancient Crimean civilization, the memory of Naples, Panticapaeum, Tmutarakan, Chersonesos, Theodoro, and other cities and kingdoms that once existed on the territory of Crimea. Griffin is a symbol of the guardian and protector of Crimea. The blue pearl in his paw symbolizes the uniqueness of Crimea, the unity of all its peoples, religions and cultures. The Varangian shield is a symbol of the intersection of trade routes, and its red color is a symbol of courage and courage of the peoples of the Crimea. The rising sun at the top is a symbol of rebirth, prosperity, warmth and light.

In general, everything that is reflected in the words of the wise writer is embodied: "Everyone is rewarded according to his faith ..."

© Chapters from the book "All about Crimea. With love." publishing house "World of Information", 2002 (text - G. Dubovis, responsible for the issue A. Ganzha, R. Tsyupko, ed. T. Esadze)

Take a look at the map of our Motherland. In the extreme south of the European part, a peninsula juts out deeply, resembling an irregular quadrangle. It is small. Its area is only about 26 thousand square meters. km - 14 times less. In the north, narrow (up to 8 km), it is connected to the mainland, in the south and west it is washed by the waters of the Black Sea, in the north-east and east - by the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait.

In the distant geological past, there were vast seas in the south: Sarmatian, Meotic and Pontic. The bottom of the Pontic sea-lake began to rise, and its waters finally gathered in two basins: the Black Sea and the Caspian, which were first connected by the Kumo-Manych Strait. They either connected with the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, then separated from it.

The modern Black Sea emerged about 10 thousand years ago. It is one of the deepest seas in our country. A strip of coastal shallow water stretches along its shores - with depths of up to 200 m. This bank of several more or less steep ledges descends to the central part of the bottom. Maximum depth Black Sea - 2245 m.

The Black Sea is warm. In summer, surface waters in the open sea warm up to 24-25 °, and in shallow coastal waters up to 28-29 °. In winter, the surface water temperature of the open sea is 6-7 °. The temperature of the coastal waters is generally around 0 ° with slight fluctuations. In this regard, in its coastal part, the sea freezes only in especially cold winters.

Located inside the mainland, freshened by the rivers flowing into it, the Black Sea is a middle basin. The salinity of its surface waters is 16-18 ppm, that is, 16-18 parts by weight of salt per 1000 parts by weight of water. The deep waters of the Black Sea are saturated with hydrogen sulfide and therefore lifeless.

His organic world is very peculiar. Here are found fish that previously inhabited the Pontic sea-lake - pontic relics, which include beluga, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, tulka, some species of gobies, etc. There are fish that descended from the south in the cold epochs of the past, penetrated into the Mediterranean Sea, and from it to Black. Representatives of this so-called boreal-Atlantic group of fish are sprats, salmon, gloss flounder, katran shark, stingray - sea fox.

There are, although rare, and representatives of the Arctic fauna - seals. In 1934, a seal was seen near Batumi.

The most numerous and varied are fish of the Mediterranean fauna: mullet, mackerel, horse mackerel, red mullet, bonito, sea bass, sea carp, flounder, stingray - sea cat.

Small fish also live: sea needle, seahorse, stickleback.

Two species of Mediterranean fish are poisonous. These are the sea ruff (scorpion fish) and the sea dragon. The ruff has a gland at the base of the second ray of the dorsal fin that produces a poisonous fluid that causes a painful inflammatory process.

A large and daring predator is the swordfish. In a state of irritation, she attacks not only fishing scows, but even passing ships.