Tuzla Island

Tuzla Island (Ukrainian: Тузла; Russian: Тузла; Crimean Tatar: Tuzla) (from Turkish "tuzluk" - saturated solution of salt in water for salting fish) - is a sandy islet in the form of a spit located in the middle of the Strait of Kerch between the Kerch Peninsula in the west and the Taman Peninsula in the east. Administratively, it is part of Kerch city in eastern Crimea.

2003 conflict

There was a territorial dispute over the ownership of the island between Ukraine and Russia in October 2003. The Russian authorities claimed the 1954 transfer of Crimea to Ukraine had only included the continental parts of Crimea, even though the Tuzla Island had been administratively part of Crimea since 1941.

The Russian side started to build a dam from the Taman peninsula towards the island to revive the eroded peninsula without any preliminary consultations with the Ukrainian government authorities. After the construction of the 3.8 km long dam was suspended at the exact point of the Russian-Ukrainian border, the distance between the dam and the island is now 1,200 m (3,900 ft). The construction of the dam led to the increase of the intensity of stream in the strait and deterioration of the island. To prevent the deterioration the government of Ukraine funded ground works to deepen the bed of the strait. The reason for those ground works was to stop Russian ships from having to pay a toll to Ukraine for crossing the strait of Kerch, which is considered as territorial waters of Ukraine. Ukraine refuses to recognize the strait as inner waters of both countries.

Tuzla

Tuzla is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the seat of the Tuzla Canton and is the economic, scientific, cultural, educational, health and tourist centre of northeast Bosnia. After Sarajevo and Banja Luka, Tuzla is the third largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Preliminary results from the 2013 Census indicate that the municipality has a population of 120,441.

Tuzla is an educational center and is home to two universities. It is also the main industrial machine and one of the leading economic strongholds of Bosnia with a wide and varied industrial sector including an expanding service sector thanks to its salt lake tourism. The city of Tuzla is home to Europe's only salt lake as part of its central park and has more than 100,000 people visiting its shores every year. The history of the city goes back to the 9th century; modern Tuzla dates back to 1510 when it became an important garrison town in the Ottoman Empire.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tuzla is also regarded as one of the most multicultural cities in the country and has managed to keep the pluralist character of the city throughout the Bosnian War and after, with Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats and a small minority of Bosnian Jews residing in Tuzla.

Tuzla (disambiguation)

Tuzla is a word of Turkish origin which means "place of salt". There are several places that have this name:

Tuzla, Istanbul

Tuzla is a small town, a suburb of Istanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the city beyond Kartal and Pendik. Tuzla is on a headland on the coast of the Marmara Sea, at the eastern limit of the city. The mayor is Şadi Yazıcı (AKP).

History

The Greek name for the headland was Akritas (Ακρίτας). In Ottoman times the inhabitants of this fishing and farming village were mainly Greek, and these people were swapped for Turkish residents of Thessalonica, Kavala and Drama in the population exchange following the foundation of the Turkish Republic in the early 1920s.

Tuzla today

There are still fishing boats, but by the end of the 1980s, fishing had been overtaken by industry, particularly shipbuilding; the shipyards of Tuzla are still active today. There is still some farming going on inland from the town of Tuzla, although there is also industrial development.

Tuzla is a small town famous for its sea front and its many fish restaurants. It is also a popular location for wealthy Istanbul residents or the retired to buy homes as it is far from the city, less crowded and still retains a 'small town feel' to it. Travelling to Kadıköy from Tuzla by public transport takes about an hour to 40 minutes by train or bus. The European side transit hubs of Eminönü and Beşiktaş are another thirty minutes away by ferry.