Kerch, city, southern Ukraine, situated on the eastern shore of the Crimean Peninsula. The city is a seaport and fishing center on the Strait of Kerch, which links the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. It also is an important manufacturing city, situated in a region yielding iron ore and natural gas; products include iron and steel, machinery, chemicals, and processed fish. The city is the site of an oceanographic research institute and an archaeological museum.
Kerch was founded in the 6th century BC as the Greek colony of Panticapaeum. For several centuries, beginning in the 5th century BC, the city and its environs were part of the independent kingdom of the Bosporus. The city became a colony of Genoa in the early 14th century AD, and was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1475. Kerch was annexed by Russia in 1771 during one of the Russo-Turkish wars. It was severely damaged during the Crimean War and in World War II. Population (1996 estimate) 175,000.
