Features of the contemporary settlement system on the Crimean Peninsula

In the 20th century, humanity finally chose the urban path of development as a priority. In the 21st century, the state strategic plans focus on large cities and urban agglomerations under the continuing urbanization. Rural territories are increasingly perceived by the authorities and urbanists as some dying forms, sacrificed for the development of cities. In the Russian Federation, this is especially true for a number of regions (Moscow Region, Sverdlovsk Region, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, etc.), in which municipalities are turned into urban districts, and all administrative functions are transferred to the cities. The countryside is still rural, but its population is practically removed from decision-making. At the same time, there are reverse migrations - of urban dwellers to the countryside, which leads to further expansion of cities. The term ‘settlement system’ means a set of settlements located in a certain territory and connected by a common organization of management, services and labor market. Therefore, the Crimean region has both - overpopulated rural areas and developing cities. The article considers the settlement system of the Crimean Peninsula, in particular its urban part, as a basis of its demographic development. Based on statistical, cartographic, regional and historical approaches, the author considers the dynamics of urban settlement and such a phenomenon as urban agglomerations; identifies the main factors in the development of urban settlements, the subsystems of the urban settlement system and its central places. The article also describes the Simferopol-Sevastopol dual-core agglomeration which seems to break up into two autonomous agglomerations due to a range of factors.