Southern Coast of the Crimea

the part of the Black Sea coast of the Crimean Peninsula extending from Cape Aiia in the west to the Karadag in the east. The coast is about 150 km long and 2–8 km wide. The terrain of gently rolling hills is composed of shales and limestones. The region is bounded on the north by the escarpment of the Iaila. Between Cape Aiia and Alushta the Iaila drops sharply to the sea, and the name “Southern Coast of the Crimea” is often restricted to this area. The Aiudag laccolith is located near Gurzuf, and the ancient volcanic massif of the Karadag is situated near Planerskoe.

The Southern Coast of the Crimea is the warmest part of the Crimean coastline. The climate is of the Mediterranean type, and the mean daily temperature exceeds 15°C for about 150 days of the year. Summers are dry and very warm, with mean July and August temperatures of about 24°C; winters are mild, with a mean January temperature of about 4°C. Precipitation reaches 600 mm a year.

The region has xerophytic oak-juniper forests with an underbrush of evergreen and deciduous shrubs; thickets of xerophytic shrubs are also encountered. Forests of beech, oak, and Crimean pine occur on the Iaila slope. Cherry laurels and magnolias are found in orchards and parks.

The Southern Coast of the Crimea is one of the most important health resort areas in the coastal zone of the USSR. Notable resorts and resort settlements include Foros, Melas, Kastropol’, Simeiz, Alupka, Koreiz, Miskhor, Livadiia, Gurzuf, Artek, and Alushta. The principal types of therapy offered are climato-therapy, sea bathing (from June to October), and the grape cure (from September to November). Disorders treated include mainly metabolic deficiencies and diseases of the respiratory organs, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. The Southern Coast of the Crimea has sanatoriums for adults and children, houses of rest, boarding houses, and pioneer camps.