Northern peninsula on the Black Sea, a region
of Ukraine Republic, USSR, from 1954. area
27,000 sq km/10,425 sq mi capital Simferopol
towns Sevastopol, Yalta features mainly
steppe, but southern coast is a holiday
resort products iron, oil recent history
under Turkish rule 1475-1774, a subsequent
brief independence was ended by Russian
annexation 1783. It was the republic of
Taurida 1917-20 and the Crimean Autonomous
Soviet Republic from 1920 until occupied by
Germany July 1942-May 1944. It was then
reduced to a region, its Tatar people being
deported to Uzbekistan for collaboration.
Although they were exonerated 1967 and some
were allowed to return, others were forcibly
re-exiled 1979.