Simferopol: the population. Simferopol: composition and population

Simferopol is the heart of the Crimea. Although it is not a resort town in the literal sense of the word, because it has no access to the sea, it nevertheless ranks second in the peninsula after Sevastopol in terms of the number of inhabitants. So what is the population of Simferopol?

A bit of the history of the city

There is evidence that the valley of the Salgir River has attracted residents since ancient times. There were bison, deer, wild horses and even mammoths. Fertile soil promoted agriculture and cattle breeding. The remains of the Taurus settlements in the valley, dating back to the 9th century BC, have been preserved.

In the 4th century BC. In the vicinity of the present city the Scythians settled, and already in the 3rd century their settlement became the capital of Little Scythia. The real name of the city has sunk to oblivion, but in the Greek chronicles it is called Neapolis, that is, the "new city". Therefore, historians call it that - Naples Scythian. It was a real city with fortified walls, a square, a royal palace, noisy bazaars and crowded streets. True, all this disappeared in the 3rd century AD. After the invasion of the Huns and was buried under piles of earth and ash. And only in 1827 on the plateau of the Petrovsky Mountains were found traces of the ancient capital of the Scythians.

The next inhabitants of this territory were Tatars, who built the town of Ak-Mosque in the 15th century, which became the residence of the governor of the khan. During the Crimean War he was captured by the Russian army. Catherine II wanted to build on this place the capital of the Tauride region. A decree was issued to the already existing Ak-Mosque constructions to finish building new quarters. The future capital was given the name Simferopol (from the Greek words "good" and "city"). The foundation date of today's center of Crimea is 1784.

Changes in the population of Simferopol

The first inhabitants were retired soldiers and immigrants from Ukraine and Russia. According to the census conducted in 1839, 7000 people lived in the settlement. The population of Simferopol was growing steadily, a spurt was observed only after 1874, when the first train arrived at the newly built station of the city. So, at the beginning of the 20th century more than 60,000 people lived in the city. In 1914, before the outbreak of World War I, the number of inhabitants was 91,000.

After the end of the war, only 71,000 remained in Simferopol (data from 1923). The figures speak for themselves: thousands perished, and once the blooming and developing city lay in ruins. But time does not stand still, Simpheropol as if opened a second wind, and by 1939 the above number doubled, in the regional center lived and worked 143 000 people.

But ahead were hard years: World War II took many lives, also the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944 had a negative impact on quantitative indicators. This people was accused of cooperating with German invaders and mass exported to the territory of the Mari USSR, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. So, in 1945 the city was half empty: there were only 67,000.

But since that time it began to grow rapidly, new plants and factories were being built, infrastructure was developing. As a result, in 1959, the population was three times as much: 186,000, and their number increased at a huge pace, reaching 343,565 in 1989.

Population of Simferopol as a part of Ukraine

If we talk about the average figures, after the collapse of the Union and up to now in the regional center lived about 340 000 people, and this figure fluctuated slightly within 1-2%. For example, according to 2001 data, the population of Simferopol was 343 644, and in 2009 - 337 139.

Prospects for the future

Now the demographic growth as such has actually stopped. This is a problem not only in Simferopol, because since the late 1980s in the post-Soviet space there has been a decline in the birth rate, and this Crimean city was no exception. Although a special program for the promotion of childbirth was introduced (the state provided financial assistance for caring for the child), but this did not significantly affect the demographic indicators. In addition to natural growth, there is also migration, but this phenomenon is temporary and the situation also will not save.

Of course, it's not necessary to sound that Simferopol is dying out. It is a large comfortable city with a temperate Crimean climate and developed infrastructure. There are many educational institutions here, so the concentration of students here is assured. And life does not stop here with the end of the tourist season, as in other cities of the southern coast of the Crimea. In the end, it's still an oblast center with a lot of administrative institutions. In short, prospects for further growth or at least demographic stability are evident.

The population of Simferopol from 2014

Data for 2013 indicate that there were 337,285 people living in the city. After the events of 2014, many Simferopolites left the peninsula, and the population decreased by 5,000 inhabitants, so there were 332,317 people in the city. The year 2015 turned out to be stable, even there is a slight increase. Now the population of Simferopol is 332 608 inhabitants. What will happen next, time will tell, to predict anything in the current political situation is difficult.

Composition of population

There are data from 2002, where it is indicated that 66.8% of Simferopolis are Russian by nationality (at that time this figure was 225 898 people), 20.8% - Ukrainians (70143 people), 7.4% - Crimean Tatars (25005 people ). 5% ranked themselves among other nationalities (Jews, Armenians, Byelorussians, Azerbaijanis, etc.). As can be seen from these figures, the population of the city of Simferopol is multinational, however, as in all Crimea. Especially valuable is the fact that alongside Russians and Ukrainians live in their historical homeland, representatives of the Crimean Tatar culture (after the collapse of the Union they were allowed to return to the Crimea).

Basic occupations of the population

Where does most people work? Can a city in the conditions of an economic crisis provide decent work for its population?

Simferopol is a large industrial center. About 70 enterprises work in the city. The main branches are mechanical engineering, food and light industry. Particularly it is necessary to single out the plant "Fiolent", where they produce electric tools, micromachines and ship automation. Also important enterprises are the plant "Santechprom", sewing, leather goods, confectionery, pasta factories, as well as a canning factory. In Simferopol, household chemicals, plastics, essential oils are produced.

Also, the population of Simferopol works in the field of transport, because the city passes a railway linking the administrative center with other cities of the peninsula and the outside world. From the city you can get to anywhere in the Crimea thanks to the bus service. Also, there are two airports built, one of which is of international class. All this provides residents with jobs.

Judging by all this, Simferopol has a future. And if so, then the demographic indicators will not stand still.