Shcholkine

Infobox Settlement

settlement_type =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = UKR
subdivision_type1 =Territory
subdivision_name1 =Crimea
subdivision_type2=Region
subdivision_name2 = Lenine raion
timezone=EET
utc_offset=+2
timezone_DST=EEST
utc_offset_DST=+3
official_name = Shcholkine
native_name = Щолкіне
Щёлкино
Şçolkino
image_shield =


pushpin_

pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location of Shcholkine within the Crimea, Ukraine
pushpin_mapsize =
pushpin_map1 =
pushpin_label_position1 =
pushpin_map_caption1 =Location of Shcholkine
pushpin_mapsize1 =
latd=45 |latm=25 |lats=25 |latNS=N
longd=35 |longm=49 |longs=7 |longEW=E
elevation_m = 20
population_total = 11677|population_footnotes=
population_as_of= 2001
|postal_code_type=Postal code
postal_code = 98213
|area_code=+380-6557
website =

Shcholkine ( _uk. Щолкіне, "Ščolkine"; _ru. Щёлкино, "Ščëlkino"; _cr. Şçolkino), also commonly known as Shchelkino or Shchyolkino by its Russian name, is a town in the Lenine raion of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Geographically, Shcholkine is located near the headland of Kazantyp, on a peninsula jutting northward out into the Sea of Azov from the Crimean mainland. Population is 11,699 (2001).

Shcholkine is named after Kirill Shchelkin, a Soviet physicist. Originally the town was constructed in 1978 to house workers of the Crimean Atomic Energy Station (nuclear power plant). The station was inspected following the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, and was found to be located on a geologically volatile site. Construction of the facility was summarily abandoned.

Shcholkine is known for being an increasingly popular tourist destination and dacha site. Shcholkine's beach has boat and surfboard rental facilities. Nearby Kazantyp is home to several attractions including a fair and paintball. The town itself has a central market, many cafes and stores, and entertainment facilities including a movie theater and an internet cafe. The town's main attraction is considered to be its beach, a kilometer-long sandbar sandwiched between cliffs jutting out over the Sea of Azov to the south and Kazantyp to the northwest. Between 1993 and 1999 Kazantyp was the site of the KaZantip rock music festival, which later moved to Eupatoria.

Demographics

The 2001 Ukrainian Census recorded the population of Shcholkine as 11,677 persons. Ethnically the population is predominately Russian, Ukrainian, and Crimean Tatar. Major religions can be assumed to include atheism or agnosticism, Ukrainian (Russian) Orthodoxy, and Islam, although there are no churches in Shcholkine's immediate vicinity. Languages spoken are mostly Russian and Crimean Tatar; the use of the Ukrainian language is mainly restricted to tourists from other regions of Ukraine.

External links

[http://yckazantip.ho.ua/shelkino.htm Shcholkine] (Russian)

[http://yckazantip.ho.ua/kazanen.htm The Cape Kazantip]

[http://kazantip.nm.ru/indexeng.html The Kazantip Nature Reserve] (English)