Simferopol () is the second-largest city on the Crimean Peninsula, and the capital of the (Autonomous) Republic of Crimea, Ukraine. Simferopol is an important political, economic and transport hub of the peninsula, and serves as the administrative centre of both Simferopol Municipality and the surrounding Simferopol District. Founded on the site of a Crimean Tatar town Aqmescit, the city adopted its current name after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire. The population was