North Crimean Canal, Irrigation canal in Crimean Peninsula.
The North Crimean Canal is an artificial waterway that carries water from the Kakhovka Reservoir on the Ukrainian mainland across the Perekop Isthmus to the Crimean Peninsula. The channel runs through flat steppe terrain and reaches considerable widths in places, with concrete walls and earthen embankments lining its course.
Soviet planners designed the project in the 1950s to irrigate the dry regions of the peninsula. Construction began in 1961 and expanded in stages until the waterway reached the eastern coast in the early 1970s.
The canal transformed agricultural practices in Crimea by enabling large-scale farming operations and supporting population growth across previously water-scarce regions.
The waterway runs through largely uninhabited territory with few access roads, making many sections difficult to reach. Visitors are advised to focus on areas near larger settlements where roads and bridges provide reference points.
In some sections, anglers use the waterside even though the current and fluctuating water levels make fishing challenging. Some bridges carry Soviet-era inscriptions commemorating the workers who took part in its construction.
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