After the political crisis population of Crimea decreased a little. But, after a while, the situation stabilized. The Russian authorities are taking various actions aimed at maintaining the demographic situation and creating the peninsula as a safe place to live. The main attention is paid to the quality of food and the availability of jobs, which keeps the population on the peninsula.
Population in Crimea
As of 2017, the total number of permanent residents on the peninsula is 2,340,921 people. This figure includes the population of Sevastopol. It becomes clear how many people live in Crimea, and how much the balance has changed compared to previous years.
Demographic policy is aimed at increasing numbers and for this purpose various techniques are used to improve social infrastructure. Attracting a new population is one of the main tasks for the government of the Russian Federation and in particular Crimea.
How does the population increase?
Since the annexation of Crimea, the population has decreased due to the departure of Ukrainian residents. These changes led to the emergence of new residents from other regions of Russia, who found favorable living conditions on the peninsula.
The reasons are different - work, redirections, better climatic conditions, business, etc.
New Crimeans are offered acceptable conditions for purchasing housing and doing business. Additional restrictions are excluded and benefits are offered. The positive trend is aimed at improving the quality of living standards for everyone.
The population is supported through political and social programs. The latest incredible project is the construction of the Crimean bridge, which connected the Russian mainland with the peninsula. After a while, if a question is asked, how many people live in Crimea and Sevastopol, surely the answer will be better when compared with the current situation.
Eliminates the need to buy plane tickets. This option was one of the most accessible and fastest until there was a bridge. Road connectivity also increases the region's tourism appeal, increasing the number of tourists bringing money to the peninsula.
Further development of Crimea
The use of various programs, preservation of the natural resources and political stability will lead the peninsula to new heights of development. New investors are gradually appearing, and an increase population of Crimea is a natural process with positive dynamics.
On March 19, at a round table in Simferopol (Aqmesjid), Rosstat presented preliminary results of the population census of the Crimean Federal District by ethnic composition, native language and citizenship. The census conducted in October 2014 was the first on the peninsula since 2001, and new information about the national composition of the Crimean population was of significant interest to the Crimean public. Based on new data, we can now take a fresh look at the national palette of Crimea.
Summing up
According to the published results, the permanent population of the Crimean Federal District, which includes the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, amounted to 2284.8 thousand people. Of these, 96.2% indicated their nationality. About 87.2 thousand Crimeans either refused to participate in the census or did not answer the question about their nationality. For comparison, during the 2001 All-Ukrainian Population Census, 10.9 thousand residents of the peninsula did not indicate their nationality.
In total, census takers found representatives of 175 nationalities on the peninsula (according to the 2001 All-Ukrainian Census, representatives of 125 nationalities lived in Crimea). The most numerous national group are Russians, of whom there are 1.49 million people in Crimea. (65.31% of the total population of the federal district), including in the Republic of Crimea - 1.19 million people. (62.86%) and the city of Sevastopol - 303.1 thousand people. (77%).
The second place in number was taken by Ukrainians - 344.5 thousand people. (15.08% of the population of Crimea). Of these, 291.6 thousand people (15.42%) live in the Republic of Crimea, and 52.9 thousand (13.45%) live in Sevastopol.
According to the census results, the number of Crimean Tatars is 232,340 people, which is 10.17% of the population of the peninsula. 229,526 Crimean Tatars live in the Republic of Crimea (12.13% of the total population of the republic), and 2,814 live in Sevastopol (0.72%). At the same time, almost 45 thousand people (2% of the population) were registered as Tatars (Tatars usually mean Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian Tatars).
The threefold increase in the number of Tatars (in 2001, 13.6 thousand Tatars were enumerated in Crimea) confused the census organizers themselves. According to the Kryminform agency, during the round table, the head of the population and health statistics department of Rosstat, Svetlana Nikitina, said the following: “Due to a sharp increase in the number of Tatars and a reduction in the number of Crimean Tatars by 5%, we carried out a random check of the correctness of collecting information in places of compact accommodation. The results of the checks showed that part of the Crimean Tatars called themselves simply Tatars during the census. People believed that they already lived in Crimea, and indicated the abbreviated name - Tatar, Tatar.” As a result, according to Nikitina, a decision was made to take into account the Crimean Tatar and Tatar populations in total, and at the next population census to carry out explanatory work on the importance of accurately indicating nationality.
Thus, the vast majority of Crimean residents belong to three main national groups - Russians, Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars. Among other peoples, the most numerous are Belarusians - 21.7 thousand (almost 1% of the population) and Armenians - 11 thousand (0.5%). The number of Bulgarians was 1868, Greeks - 2877, Germans - 1844, Karaites - 535, Crimeans - 228 people.
Who is in the black and who is in the black?
Over the thirteen years that passed between the 2001 and 2014 censuses, the number of representatives of the main nationalities changed in different directions. As can be seen from the table, the population of Crimea during the intercensus period decreased by 116.4 thousand people due to the excess of the mortality rate over the birth rate. At the same time, the number of Russians increased by 41.6 thousand people. The bulk of the increase (33 thousand) occurred in Sevastopol, while in the Republic of Crimea the increase in the number of Russians was purely symbolic - 8.5 thousand.
The increase in the Russian population appears to have been largely due to the decline in Ukrainians. In total, Ukrainians lost 232 thousand people. Moreover, the reduction was significant both in the Republic of Crimea and in Sevastopol. Such significant changes may have been due to the fact that some Ukrainians changed their national identity to Russian.
The Crimean Tatar population, according to data from Rosstat, in turn, decreased by almost 13 thousand people. It is obvious that a significant part of the Crimean Tatars were recorded by Tatar scribes by mistake. Note that in 1989, according to the last Soviet census, 10.7 thousand Tatars lived in Crimea. By 2001, their number had increased to 13.6 thousand. Even then, this fact raised questions, since Tatars live scatteredly on the territory of Crimea, and there were no noticeable migration flows from Tatarstan to the peninsula. In other regions where Tatars are represented by settlers from the Soviet era, their numbers tended to decline in the post-Soviet period. It is quite possible that already during the 2001 census, several thousand Crimean Tatars were recorded as Tatars. At least 6.4% of the Tatar population of Crimea then called Crimean Tatar their native language. It is obvious that over the past decade there have been no prerequisites for a sharp increase in the number of Tatars in Crimea. Of course, last year a number of representatives of the Tatar people appeared in Crimea, who came here as officials and employees of law enforcement agencies. However, this could hardly increase the number of representatives of this ethnic group threefold.
The idea of taking into account representatives of the two nations together in the current situation can be understood with understanding. A different approach leads to an unjustified underestimation of the number of Crimean Tatars. In general, this is reminiscent of the pre-war Soviet practice, when the Crimean Tatars and Kazan Tatars were counted together. It is worth noting that the Kazan Tatars living in Crimea at that time were closely connected with the Crimean Tatar people, actively participated in their cultural life, and during Stalin’s deportation they were evicted along with the Crimean Tatars.
The total number of Crimean Tatars and Tatars is 277 thousand people or 12.14% of the total population of Crimea. The share of both peoples in the population of the Republic of Crimea was 14.36%.
Native language
As for their native language, 84% of Crimean residents who answered the question about language during the census named Russian as their native language. Crimean Tatar is considered native by 7.9% of the population, Tatar - by 3.7%. This once again speaks to the quality of the census, since the census takers clearly recorded Tatar as the native language of some of those who were recorded as Crimean Tatars.
Statisticians note that 79.7% of Ukrainians, 24.8% of Tatars and 5.6% of Crimean Tatars named Russian as their native language. Ukrainian is the native language of 3.3% of the peninsula's population. For comparison, in 2001, 79.11% of residents of Crimea considered Russian their native language, Crimean Tatar - 9.63%, Ukrainian - 9.55%, Tatar - 0.37%.
More detailed results of the 2014 census by ethnicity and mother tongue are scheduled to be released in May this year. Then we will return to this topic again.
The Crimea peninsula is still one of the most relevant and discussed topics all over the world. The population of the Russian republic continues to experience a transition period associated with the annexation of the former autonomy to the Russian Federation. Well, oddly enough, not everyone is happy about what happened. Crimea has undergone a lot. The population has changed, a new currency has appeared, prices and salaries have changed. Well, then it’s worth talking about all this in more detail in order to understand the problem.
Background
Everyone knows that one of the most multinational peninsulas is Crimea. The population in this place is truly replete with diversity. Russians, Belarusians, Germans, Greeks, Jews, Armenians, Ukrainians, Crimean and Kazakh Tatars - who doesn’t live here! Indeed, as you can see, the Republic of Crimea has a very multinational population. But it is worth noting one interesting nuance. After the well-known referendum on March 16, when the residents of the republic finally made a decision regarding their return to the Russian Federation, the number of Tatars and Ukrainians living in the territory decreased significantly. Compare the statistics of 2001 with 2014! Then there were 24.4% Ukrainians, 12.1% Crimean Tatars. After the referendum - 16% and 10% respectively. Russians were 58.5%, but now 65.2%! You can see how the indicators have changed. The number of representatives of other nationalities has not decreased - it remains the same.
Changing statistics
Why did Crimea, whose population was so diverse, suddenly become poorer in Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars? The question is very serious, and it is difficult to answer it briefly. But it's real. Well, the Ukrainians decided to return to their “historical homeland,” flatly refusing to accept what is clear as day. That is, that the peninsula, in fact, always belonged to Russia and was given to the neighboring country because it happened that way. Everyone knows that situation. And the Crimean Tatars... this is a separate issue. It’s not even really clear why representatives of this nationality reverence the supposedly independent Ukraine so much. Most likely, the fear of deportation that occurred in May 1944 remained, and they can be understood. Well, so far the hostile mood has not completely passed and will most likely continue for more than five years, but we can only hope for the flexibility and prudence of people.
Latest data
So, in 2015, at the beginning of June, a conference was held in Yalta on issues related to what the population of Crimea is now. It is 2.2 million people. This is the most recent, latest data. The population of Russia and Crimea, accordingly, according to the latest statistics, has increased to 146,300,000 people! Some people think that two million on top is a drop in the bucket, but the whole republic has joined.
Everyone knows that the peninsula includes such a wonderful hero city as Sevastopol. A true legend. In addition, from now on it is a city of federal significance! A white-stone beauty, on the territory of which 400,000 people live. Thus, Crimea ranks 27th in Russia in the population ranking, and the hero city has dropped to 77th place.
Details
So, who and how many live on the territory of the Republic of Crimea? The population consists of 53.9% women and, accordingly, 46.1% men. As almost everywhere, the number of girls exceeds the percentage of boys.
The largest cities were recognized (with the exception of Sevastopol with a special status) Simferopol, Kerch, Yalta and Yevpatoria with Feodosia. 350,600 people live in the Crimean capital, in Kerch - half as many, i.e. 147,000. Yalta, or, as it is also called, the Crimean Pearl, contains 133,600 people on its territory. And Evpatoria and Feodosia - 119,000 and 101,000. The statistics are completely recent, the population census was conducted less than a year ago, so the data is the most reliable.
Results and conclusions
Well, as one could understand, Crimea is a rather large republic. And now it’s worth drawing some conclusions.
The most “Russian” city on the entire peninsula is Sevastopol. They called him that all the time. On its territory, about 99% of people are Russians. Now not only by nationality, but also by citizenship. In general, the national composition is quite large. The most numerous, besides Russians and Ukrainians, are also Belarusians, Kazakhs and Armenians. Representatives of other nationalities live in less than 3%. Interestingly, approximately 4% of people did not indicate their membership in a particular group during the census. The “nationality” column remained empty.
According to statistics, it was found that 99.8% of residents of the federal district speak Russian, that is, the state language. 84% of all said that it is their native language. 8% named Crimean Tatar as such. Ukrainian is the native language of only three percent, and traditional Tatar is the mother tongue of four.
And finally, the following data: 98% of all already have a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, 2% have an identity card from other states, 0.2% have no citizenship at all.
Crimea is an amazing land. Not only in terms of natural landscapes, but also from the point of view of its inhabitants. The peninsula has been inhabited since ancient times. The Scythians, Sarmatians, ancient Greeks and Romans left their mark here. In this article we will talk about modern settlements of Crimea - the largest cities and villages.
Republic and administrative-territorial structure
As of the beginning of 2018, 1.91 million people live in Crimea. About half of them live in cities. The ethnic structure of the population is dominated by three peoples: Russians (about 63%), Ukrainians (15%) and Crimean Tatars (12%). In addition, representatives of almost a hundred other nationalities also live on the peninsula. Among them are Armenians, Belarusians, Tatars, Greeks, Moldovans, Jews, Bulgarians and other nationalities.
According to the current administrative-territorial structure, the territory of Crimea is divided into 11 urban districts and 14, although located on the peninsula, are not part of the republic. The “capital” of the Crimean land is the city of Simferopol.
Settlements of Crimea
In Crimea today there are 1019 settlements. These include 16 cities, 56 towns and 947 villages. What are the largest settlements in Crimea? The ten largest Crimean cities by population are listed below:
- Sevastopol (436 thousand people).
- Simferopol (342 thousand people).
- Kerch (150 thousand people).
- Evpatoria (106 thousand people).
- Yalta (79 thousand people).
- Feodosia (68 thousand people).
- Dzhankoy (39 thousand people).
- Krasnoperekopsk (25 thousand people).
- Alushta (30 thousand people).
- Bakhchisaray (27 thousand people).
The list of the largest rural settlements in Crimea is as follows:
- Mirnoe (9.28 thousand people).
- Vilino (6.96 thousand people).
- Pionerskoye (5.53 thousand people).
- Clean (5.13 thousand people).
- Bright Field (4.91 thousand people).
The largest populated areas of Crimea are marked on the map below:
Simferopol
Simferopol (translated from ancient Greek as “city of benefit”) is an administrative, important economic, cultural and educational center on the peninsula. Here is the largest university in Crimea - Tauride University named after. Vernadsky, as well as a number of other educational institutions.
Officially, the year of foundation of the city is considered to be 1784. Although it is known that Scythian Naples, the capital of the Scythians of Tauris, arose on this site back in the 3rd century BC. In the 16th-18th centuries, there was a village called Ak-Mechet, where the residence of the Crimean Tatar Sultan was located.
Administratively, Simferopol is divided into three districts: Central, Kyiv and Zheleznodorozhny. There are about 70 mechanical engineering, food and light industry enterprises in the city. Despite the abundance of architectural and historical monuments, tourists rarely pay attention to Simferopol, perceiving it only as a transit point on the way to the sea.
Village Nauchny
It is impossible not to mention in our article about the village of Nauchny. After all, this is the highest mountainous settlement in Crimea. It is located at an altitude of about 600 meters above sea level, 25 kilometers from Bakhchisarai. In Soviet times, the village of Nauchny was not marked on maps, and all letters addressed to its residents were de jure sent to Bakhchisarai. This secrecy was due to the fact that the largest astrophysical observatory was located here. It still works today. By the way, its domes are clearly visible from the top of Mount Ai-Petri.
Mirnoye and Vilino: demographic record holders
The largest village in Crimea is Mirnoye. It is home to at least nine thousand people! The village was founded at the end of the 18th century. Interestingly, Mirnoye is located just two kilometers from the Simferopol railway station. In fact, this is nothing more than the northwestern outskirts of the Crimean “capital”. The village has its own flag and coat of arms, which depict a white dove in flight.
The second most populous village on the peninsula is Vilino. It is also famous for the colossal growth dynamics of its population. Thus, over the past half century, the number of village residents has tripled. Even in 2000, the population of Vilino was growing, despite the general Ukrainian trend towards depopulation.
Today the population of Crimea is about two million thirty thousand people. In the summer it is replenished with vacationers, of whom up to two million come to the peninsula during the season. Of the Crimean inhabitants, about one thousand three hundred people live in cities, seven hundred thousand people live in rural areas. Approximately 58.5% of the total population in Crimea are Russians, 24.3% are Ukrainians, 12.1% are Crimean Tatars. The rest of the inhabitants of the peninsula are Jews, Poles, Moldovans, Belarusians, Armenians, Gypsies, Germans and other representatives of many nations. The French and Italians formed a kind of diaspora on the peninsula, living in certain places in Crimea. There is also a diaspora among Azerbaijanis, Koreans, and Chuvash, who appeared in Crimea after 1945. And the Greeks and Armenians created communities formed from settlers from other regions.
The ethnic structure of the peninsula's population is quite complex. Data from the All-Ukrainian Population Census indicate that representatives of one hundred and twenty-five nationalities live on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Historically, people of different nationalities have settled in this territory since ancient times.
The Greeks appeared on the territory of Crimea in the seventh century BC. Their descendants, found in cities and towns today, profess Orthodoxy and often speak exclusively in Russian. The culture of the Crimean Greeks is quite high.
The overwhelming majority of Russians, Ukrainians, and Bulgarians living in Crimea also profess Orthodoxy. The religion of the Crimean Tatars is Islam.
The Tatars, who were once an exclusively nomadic people, came to Crimea in the thirteenth century. Subsequently, they became sedentary, settling even its steppe, almost virgin in those days, part. Subsequently, they began to engage in trade, gardening, and farming.
In Crimea there are Jews, Protestants and Catholics.
Until the nineties of the twentieth century, the predominant share of the inhabitants of Crimea were Russians and Ukrainians. A small part of it consisted of peoples of various ethnic groups. After this, the structure of the population changed somewhat - there was a migration influx of Crimean Tatars, while Russians, on the contrary, partly emigrated outside the republic.
To date, the largest number of Crimean Tatars have settled in the western and central regions of Crimea. In some places their share is over 25% of the population.
Many of the nationalities living in Crimea have not only preserved their traditions and culture, but also continue to multiply and develop them. Of course, over time, the peoples of Crimea assimilated and acquired regional characteristics. However, they managed to preserve the basic differences between the material and spiritual heritage.
There are approximately 46% of men on the peninsula, and 54% of women.
In recent years, Crimea has experienced a demographic decline. It is due to both population migration from the territory of the peninsula and a certain excess of mortality over the birth rate. For example, in January 2008, according to statistics, almost three and a half thousand people died in Crimea, but only two thousand children were born.
The population density of the peninsula averages eighty people per square meter. The most densely populated areas are the northern mountainous regions of Crimea and its southern coast.
The language of interethnic communication in Crimea is Russian.