The Crimean Peninsula (Russian: ; Ukrainian: ; Crimean

or land mass on the northern coast of the Black Sea that is almost completely su
rrounded by both the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov to the northeast. The
peninsula is located south of the Ukrainianregion of Kherson and west of the Ru
ssian region of Kuban. It is connected to Kherson Oblast by the Isthmus of Perek
op and is separated from Kuban by the Strait of Kerch. The Arabat Spit is locate
d to the northeast, a narrow strip of land that separates a system of lagoons na
med Sivash from the Sea of Azov.
Crimeaor the Tauric Peninsula, as it was called from antiquity until the early mo
dern periodhas historically been at the boundary between the classical world and
the PonticCaspian steppe. Its southern fringe was colonised by the ancient Greeks
, the ancient Romans, the Byzantine Empire, the Crimean Goths, the Genoese and t
he Ottoman Empire, while at the same time its interior was occupied by a changin
g cast of invading steppe nomads, such as the Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmatians,
Goths, Alans, Bulgars, Huns, Khazars, Kipchaks, and the Golden Horde. Crimea an
d adjacent territories were united in the Crimean Khanate during the 15th to 18t
h century.
In 1783, Crimea was annexed by the Russian Empire. Following the Russian Revolut
ion of 1917, Crimea became arepublic within the Russian Soviet Federative Social
ist Republic in the USSR, though later, during World War Two, it was downgraded
to the Crimean Oblast. In 1954, the Crimean Oblast was transferred to the Ukrain
ian Soviet Socialist Republic. It became the Autonomous Republic of Crimea withi
n newly independent Ukraine in 1991, withSevastopol having its own administratio
n, within Ukraine but outside of the Autonomous Republic.
In March 2014, following the ousting of the Ukrainian president in the 2014 Ukra
inian revolution and the subsequent takeover by pro-Russian separatists and Russ
ian special forces[3] of the region, an unauthorised[4] referendum on the issue
of "reunification with Russia" was held which returned a large majority in suppo
rt of the proposal. TheRussian Federation then officially annexed Crimea and now
administers it as two federal subjects: the Republic of Crimea and the federal
city of Sevastopol. Ukraine, backed by most of the international community, refu
ses to accept the annexation and continues to assert its right over the peninsul
a.