Yalta Zoo “Skazka” (“Fairy Tale”) is located in a remarkably beautiful and unique place with a magnificent view of Yalta and the Crimean Mountains. This is the first and currently the largest private zoo in the former Soviet Union.

The zoo was opened in 1995, and from that time it was visited by more than 1 million people. Today more than 120 species of animals brought from all over the globe live at the zoo. Most of the animals have their names that are written on the plaques.

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Tags: Yalta city

Donetsk is one of the largest city of Ukraine, important railway and highway junction, industrial center of the country. The city will host several matches of coming Euro 2012.

Within Donetsk there are 22 operating coal mines which waste heaps are located close to inhabited districts. In central part of the city there is a large metallurgic plant.

Heavy air pollution in Donetsk is partly compensated by a lot of greenery and flowers. Over a half of the total city territory is occupied by greenery.

Tags: Donetsk city · time-lapse

“Mlynki” is a horizontal gypsum cave of labyrinth type. It is located in Ternopil oblast (Chortkiv district, Zalissya village) and is one of the most beautiful gypsum caves in Ukraine. The total length of the passages is about 45 km.

The temperature in the cave in summer and winter is always a constant of about 9-12 degrees Celsius. The average depth from the surface is 30-60 meters and 300 meters above sea level.

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Tags: Ternopil oblast

Kiev (also spelled Kyiv), the capital of Ukraine, is advantageously situated in the heart of Europe.

The city is located along the Dnepr River just below its confluence with the Desna River and 591 miles (952 km) from its mouth in the Black Sea. Kiev has a wealth of greenery. The city will host the final match of Euro 2012.

Tags: Kiev city

Demirdzhi is a mountain range located in the Alushta region of Crimea, Ukraine. “Demirdzhi” translated from the Crimean Tatar language means “smith”. In the Middle Ages, the Greeks called it Funa – “smoking”.

Over time from exposure to wind and water the limestone collapses, forming numerous “sculptures” of the more solid rock. When the clouds are covering the mountains you can see mysterious silhouettes in the fog, which disappear in a moment.

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Tags: Alushta city · Crimea Republic

Interesting photo exhibition of Ukrainian photographer Oleksandr Skrypnyk about Ukraine and its national color, folk traditions, life, and people.

It consists of different topics – reportage photo, landscape, children, birds, ethnicity, portrait, fashion, festivals, fairs, still life, sports, celebrities, culture.

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Yalta was founded by the Greeks approximately in the 1st century. The legend says that Greek sailors lost their way because of a storm, they searched the shore for a long time and when finally they saw the shore (“yalos”) they decided to call the founded settlement this way.

Yalta started developing as a health resort in the 1860s. By early 20th century a lot of representatives of Russian elite, including members of the emperor’s family and monarchs themselves had dachas and palaces in Yalta and Yaltinsky region.

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Tags: Crimea Republic · Yalta city

Crimea was one of the most famous resorts in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. Today Crimea remains a favorite resort of Ukrainians and Russians because of its warm sea, clean air and bright sun.

Crimea is also a popular resort place because of numerous hot springs, mineral waters and the mud baths of Saky. A series of invasions has made the art, architecture and other parts of culture of Crimea what it is today.

Tags: Crimea Republic · time-lapse

Belaya Skala (White Rock) is the rock in the Crimea, located near the village of Belaya Skala (up to 1948 – Aq Qaya), Belogorskiy area. The vertical white rocky wall rises over the valley of the river Biyuk-Karasu. The altitude is 325 meters, elevation between the valley and the top of the rock – 100 meters.

The name translates to Crimean Tatar language as Aq Qaya (aq – white, qaya – rock). In 1981 it received the status of monument of regional importance. Photos by Dmitry Mordolff.

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Tags: Crimea Republic

Karabi is a mountain karst plateau located in the Crimea, where on a relatively small area hundreds of caves can be found. The average height of the plateau is about 1000 meters above the sea level; the highest point is Mount Tai-Koba (1262 meters).

The plateau has an abundance of different types of karst cavities – caves, mines, and tunnels. Because of this the area is very popular among cavers.

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Tags: Crimea Republic