The "Cimmerian Bosphorus" of antiquity, shown on a map printed in London, ca 1770

Landsat satellite photo

Kerch Strait. View from the Crimean coast

The Kerch Strait (Russian: Керченский пролив, Ukrainian: Керченська протока, Crimean Tatar: Kerç boğazı) connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Crimean Kerch Peninsula in the west from the Taman peninsula in the east. The strait is 4.5 to 15 km (3-11 mi) wide and up to 18 meters deep. The most important harbor is the city of Kerch. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1254x760, 218 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1254x760, 218 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Photo of the Kerch Strait (taken August 8, 2003 by Clipper). ... Photo of the Kerch Strait (taken August 8, 2003 by Clipper). ... Crimean Tatar language (Qırımtatar tili, Qırımtatarca), also known as Crimean (Qırım tili, Qırımca) and Crimean Turkish (Qırım Türkçesi) is the language of the Crimean Tatars. ... Map of the Black Sea. ... The shallow Sea of Azov is clearly distinguished from the deeper Black Sea. ... Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields and mounts are wonderful, Motherland Capital Simferopol Largest cities Simferopol, Eupatoria, Kerch, Theodosia, Yalta Official language Ukrainian. ... 1. ... Kerch (Russian: Керчь; Ukrainian: Керч; Old East Slavic: Корчев, Turkish and Crimean Tatar: Kerç) is a city (2001 pop 157,000) on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, an important industrial, transportation and tourist center of Ukraine. ...

History

In antiquity, the strait was known as the Cimmerian Bosporus (Latin: Bosporus Cimmerius). The Cimmerians (Cimmerii) were the ancient inhabitants who gave their name to a strait that reminded the Greeks of the more familiar Bosporus that separates Thrace from Asia at Byzantium. During the Hellenistic period, the strait separated two halves of the Bosporan Kingdom (which takes its name from the strait). Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The Cimmerians (Greek Κιμμέριοι, Kimmerioi) were ancient equestrian nomads who, according to Herodotus, originally inhabited the region north of the Caucasus and the Black Sea, in what is now Russia and Ukraine, in the 8th and 7th century BC. Assyrian records, however, first place them in the region of Azerbaijan in... Bosporus - photo taken from International Space Station. ... Byzantium was an ancient Greek city-state, which according to legend was founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas (Βύζας or Βύζαντας in Greek). ... The Bosporan Kingdom, which was located on the Crimea peninsula, existed in the time of the Roman Empire. ...

The straits are about 2.5 miles long and 2.5 miles broad at the narrowest, and are formed by an eastern extension of Crimea (anciently called Taurica) and the peninsula of Taman, a kind of continuation of the Caucasus. This in ancient times seems to have formed a group of islands intersected by arms of the Kuban River (Hypanis) and various sounds now silted up. Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields and mounts are wonderful, Motherland Capital Simferopol Largest cities Simferopol, Eupatoria, Kerch, Theodosia, Yalta Official language Ukrainian. ... The Chersonesus Tauricus of Antiquity, shown on a map printed in London, ca 1770 Taurica (Greek: , Latin: ) also known as Tauris, Taurida, Tauric Chersonese, and Chersonesus Taurica was the name of Crimea in Antiquity. ... The Entholinguistic patchwork of the modern Caucasus - CIA map The Caucasus, a region bordering Asia Minor, is located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which includes the Caucasus Mountains and surrounding lowlands. ... The Kuban (Куба́нь) is a river in Russia, in the Northern Caucasus region. ... Northern Øresund Puget Sound and Mt. ...

Transportation

Ferry transportation across the strait was established in 1952, connecting Crimea and the Krasnodar Krai (Port Krym - Port Kavkaz line). Originally there were four train-ferry ships; later three car-ferry ships were added. Train transportation continued for almost 40 years. Train-ferries became old in the late 1980s and were removed from operation. In autumn of 2004 new ships were delivered as replacements and train transportation has been re-established. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields and mounts are wonderful, Motherland Capital Simferopol Largest cities Simferopol, Eupatoria, Kerch, Theodosia, Yalta Official language Ukrainian. ... Krasnodar Krai (Russian: ) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the Southern Federal District. ... Port Krym (in Russian, Порт Крым) is a small harbour on the west shore of the Kerch Strait. ... Port Kavkaz (in Russian, Порт Кавказ) is a small harbour on the Kerch Strait in Krasnodar Krai (Russia). ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov campaigned for a bridge to be constructed across the strait, but these plans were stalled following the Tuzla conflict. Furthermore, the difficult geological configuration of the area makes bridge projects too expensive. Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov (Ю́рий Миха́йлович Лужко́в) (born September 21, 1936 in Moscow, Russia, USSR) is a Russian political figure. ... Tuzla (Serbian Cyrillic: Тузла) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ...

Fishing

Several fish-processing plants are located on the Crimean coast of the strait. Fishing season begins in late autumn and lasts for 2-3 months, when many seiners put out into the strait to fish.

References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...