● Isthmus of Perekop links the Ukrainian mainland to the Crimean Peninsula . ● It is only 3 miles wide at one point. ● Crimea is a peninsula in Eastern Europe , surrounded by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov . ● It is located in the southern part of Kherson, Ukraine , and the western part of Kuban, Russia . ● Syvash is a large, shallow, and salty system of lagoons that is separated by a small strip of land known as the Arabat Spit . ● The Autonomous Republic of Crimea was established as Ukraine's constituent entity . ● The Crimean legislature declared conditional independence on May 5th, 1992 .