The Kerch Peninsula is a major and prominent geographic peninsula located at the eastern end of the Russian occupied Crimean Peninsula. Stretching towards the Taman peninsula, it is reminiscent of an land isthmus between its two neighboring seas, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Most of the peninsula is located within the Lenine Raion.
Names
In Classical Antiquity, the area was known as the Rough Peninsula. In Slavic languages, its pronunciation does not vary by much: Керченський півострів, Kerchenskyi Pivostriv; Keriç yarımadası, Kerich Yarymadasy; Керченский полуостров, Kyerchyenskii Polu'ostrov.
Geography
The Kerch Peninsula is almost completely surrounded by water and only to the westconnects with the rest of Crimea by the Aqmanai isthmus which is only wide. On elevated portions of the isthmus, named after the village of Kamianske, are seen both of the surrounding seas. The widest portion of the Kerch Peninsula is between the Kazan-Tip Cape and Chauda Cape, that are apart. The length of Kerch Peninsula is over, from the western portion of Aqmanai Isthmus to the Fonar Cape. The total area of the peninsula is, which is just over 10% of the total area of the Crimean peninsula. The southern coast of the Kerch peninsula is washed by the Black Sea and the Bay of Feodosia, to the east as a natural border serves the Strait of Kerch, while the northern shores are part of the coastline of the Sea of Azov, Kazantip Bay, and Bay of Arabat. Away to the northwest from the peninsula runs another isthmus known as the Arabat Spit which separates Sivash from Azov Sea. Other prominent features of the peninsula are Mount Mithridat located in the east at the shores of the Strait of Kerch and the Ararat Mountain located just west of the Kerch city, both of which are part of the northeastern elevated region. At the southeastern portion of peninsula are located mountains Sosman and Kharuchu-Oba. The highest mountain on the peninsula is Pikhbopai that is part of the Mithridat crest and tall.
Beside the above-mentioned bays there are also Mysova bay and Tatarska bay, both located around the Kazan-Tip Cape making it look as a small peninsula.
Nature preserves
On the territory of the peninsula are located several natural preserves :
