Crimean Mountains

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A satellite view of the Crimean Mountains.

The Crimean Mountains (Crimean Tatar: Qırım dağları; Ukrainian: Кримскі Гори, translit. Krymski Hory; Russian: Крымские Горы, translit. Krymskie Gory) is a range of mountains running parallel to the south-east coast of Crimea, Ukraine, between about five and eight miles from the sea. Toward the west, the mountains drop steeply to the Black Sea, and to the east, they change it slowly into a steppe landscape.

Crimean Mountains consist of three subranges. The highest is the Main range. Main range is subdivided into several massives, known as yaylas or mountain plateaus (Yayla is Crimean Tatar for "Alpine Meadow"). They are:

Baydar Yayla
Ai-Petri Yayla
Yalta Yayla
Nikita Yayla
Gurzuf Yayla
Babugan Yayla
Chatyrdag Yayla
Dologorukovskaya Yayla
Demerji Yayla
Karabi Yayla

The Crimea's highest peak is the Roman-Kosh (Ukrainian and Russian: Роман-Кош, Crimean Tatar: Roman Qoş) on the Babugan Yayla, 1545 m. above sea level metres (5,000 feet) high. Other important peaks over 1,200 metres include:

Demir-Kapu (Ukrainian: Демір-Капу, Russian: Демир-Капу, Crimean Tatar: Demir Qapı) 1,540 m in the Babugan Yayla;
Zeytin-Kosh (Ukrainian and Russian: Зейтин-Кош, Crimean Tatar: Zeytün Qoş) 1,537 m in the Babugan Yayla;
Kemal-Egerek (Ukrainian: Кемаль-Егерек, Russian: Кемаль-Эгерек, Crimean Tatar: Kemal Egerek) 1,529 m in the Babugan Yayla;
Eklizi-Burun (Ukrainian: Еклізі-Бурун, Russian: Эклизи-Бурун, Crimean Tatar: Eklizi Burun) 1,527 m in the Chatyrdag Yayla;
Lapata (Ukrainian and Russian: Лапата, Crimean Tatar: Lapata) 1,406 m;
Northern Demerji (Ukrainian: Північний Демерджі, Russian: Северный Демерджи, Crimean Tatar: Şimaliy Demirci) 1,356 m;
Ai-Petri (Ukrainian and Russian: Ай-Петри, Crimean Tatar: Ay Petri) 1,243 m

The most important passes over the Crimean Mountains are:

Kuibysheve (Ukrainian: Куйбишеве; Russian: Куйбышеве), between Yalta and Simferopol)
Angara Pass near the Perevalne village, between Alushta and Simferopol
Medved Mountain, between Gurzuf and Partenit.