Kinburn peninsula, Sandy peninsula at the Black Sea coast, Ukraine.
The Kinburn Peninsula is a narrow strip of land in southern Ukraine that separates the estuary of the Dnipro and Southern Bug rivers from the open Black Sea. The landscape consists of low sand dunes, salt marshes and reed belts along the shallow shores that transition into the water in both directions.
Since ancient times the peninsula has been a military strongpoint, and in the 18th century the Ottomans built a fortress here that was dismantled after the Treaty of Paris in 1856. During World War II the region saw heavy fighting between Soviet and German forces during the siege of Odessa and later operations.
The name Kinburn comes from the Ottoman period and recalls earlier military functions. The few villages on the peninsula live from fishing and use the sheltered bays of the estuary and the open coast of the Black Sea for their work.
Because of military restrictions and the lack of public transport in the region, travel here is currently not possible. Visitors who used to go to the peninsula needed private boats from Mykolaiv or Ochakiv or long drives on unpaved roads through the steppe.
A protected nature park on the peninsula hosts pink pelicans that nest in colonies on shallow islands in the estuary. More than 600 plant species have been recorded in the dunes and wetlands, making the region an important stopover for migratory birds.
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