The largest plains in Russia: names, map, borders, climate and photos.

What plain do you live on? What mountains are there in Russia? Where is one of the seven wonders of Russia - the Valley of Geysers? In this lesson we will learn the answers to all these and other questions, learn a lot of interesting things about the West Siberian and East European Plains, get acquainted with the amazing minerals of the Urals, the magnificent nature of Altai and the Sayans, the mesmerizing heights of the Caucasus, the unique severity of Kamchatka.

In the north, the plain is washed by the Barents and White Seas. In the south by the Black and Azov seas. The length of the plain from north to south is 2500 km, from west to east - 1000 km. The East European Plain is rightly called great, because it is the second largest in the world (an area of ​​more than 5 million km²). The second name of the East European Plain is Russian.

The fact that it is called a plain does not mean that its surface is completely flat (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. East European Plain ()

On the East European Plain there are lowlands and hills, and many hills. Such a plain is called hilly.

Since ancient times, people have inhabited the plains - they are convenient for building houses and laying roads, farming, and grazing livestock. The Volga, the longest and deepest river in Europe (Fig. 3), flows along the Russian Plain, along with the deep-flowing Dnieper and Don.

The East European Plain is home to most of the population of the Russian Federation. Multimillion-dollar cities were built here: Moscow (Fig. 4), St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Rostov-on-Don.

The East European Plain was the center of Russian culture and science, inspiring poets, writers and artists with its unique beauty.

Levitan (Fig. 5), Shishkin (Fig. 6), and Polenov (Fig. 7) tried to reflect the charm of the Russian Plain in their paintings.

Rice. 5. I.I. Levitan. Gold autumn ()

Rice. 6. A.I. Shishkin. Morning in a pine forest ()

Rice. 7. V. D. Polenov. First snow ()

On the physical map of Russia we will find the West Siberian Plain, lying east of the Ural Mountains (Fig. 8).

Rice. 8. West Siberian Plain ()

Its area is huge - about 3 million km². Unlike the East European Plain, it is flat - there are no lowlands or hills for many kilometers. Such a plain is called flat (Fig. 9).

Rice. 9. West Siberian Plain ()

The West Siberian Plain is the flattest and lowest plain on Earth, so there are a lot of swamps on it (Fig. 10-12).

Rice. 10. West Siberian Plain. Swamps ()

Rice. 11. West Siberian Plain. Vasyugan swamps ()

Rice. 12. West Siberian Plain. Vasyugan River ()

The main rivers of this plain are the Ob, Irtysh, and Yenisei, which flow north because the West Siberian Plain is slightly inclined toward the Arctic Ocean.

To the east of the West Siberian Plain lies the Central Siberian Plateau (Fig. 13).

Rice. 13. Central Siberian Plateau ()

This is also a plain, although it looks completely different: elevated spaces with flat surfaces and rather steep slopes predominate here (Fig. 14, 15).

Rice. 14. Central Siberian Plateau ()

Rice. 15. Central Siberian Plateau. Putorana Plateau ()

This landscape resembles a mountainous area, hence the name “plateau”. The total area of ​​the plateau is about 3.5 million km². The fast, full-flowing and rapids rivers Lena, Angara, Podkamennaya Tunguska, and Vilyui flow here. There are cool summers and very cold (up to -60) and snowy winters. The Central Siberian Plateau is located in the “permafrost” region; the soil here is frozen to a depth of 1 km. This area is sparsely populated.

Let's find the Ural Mountains on the physical map of Russia (Fig. 16).

Rice. 16. Ural Mountains

They were formed more than 200 million years ago and were up to 10 thousand meters high. Now the highest point of the Urals does not exceed 1,400 m. This happened because over many millions of years the mountains were destroyed under the influence of rain, wind, frost, heat, vegetation and other factors, becoming lower, and sometimes acquiring bizarre shapes. In the old days, the Ural Mountains were called the “stone belt of the Russian land,” because they seemed to girdle the country, separating the European part from the Asian part.

For a long time it was known about the wealth of the Ural Mountains in useful minerals (white mica, tourmaline, aquamarine, garnet, sapphire, topaz, corundum (Fig. 17-23)),

Rice. 17. White mica. Muscovite()

Rice. 18. Tourmaline ()

Rice. 19. Aquamarine ()

and in 1700, Tsar Peter I gave the order to develop ore deposits, and factories for their processing began to be built. In the Ilmen Mountains (Ural) a previously unknown mineral was found, which was called ilmenite (Fig. 24),

Rice. 24. Ilmenite ()

now it is a protected area of ​​the Ilmensky Nature Reserve (Fig. 25).

Rice. 25. Ilmensky Reserve ()

The highest mountains in Russia are the Caucasus (above 5 thousand meters), so many peaks are constantly covered with snow (Fig. 26, 27).

Rice. 26. Caucasus Mountains

Rice. 27. Caucasus Mountains ()

Here is the highest mountain in Russia - Elbrus, due to the fact that it has two peaks, it is called double-headed (the height of the peaks is 5642 m and 5521 m) (Fig. 28).

Rice. 28. Mount Elbrus ()

In the south of Siberia there are the Altai and Sayan mountains, which are famous for their beauty and unique nature. The snow leopard (irbis) (Fig. 29) and argali (the largest mountain sheep) (Fig. 30) live here.

Rice. 29. Snow leopard ()

Altai is included in the World Heritage List. It is also called the Golden Mountains of Eurasia. This name is associated with the Turkic word “altyn” - golden (Fig. 31-33).

Rice. 32. Altai ()

I remember being told as a child that we live on a plain. I couldn’t believe it, because every day I rode a bike with the guys, either climbing a steep mountain or rapidly descending along a country road. Later, in geography lessons, I learned that what I thought was a mountain was just a hill, and we really live on a plain.

Mountains and plains are the main landforms

The entire surface of our planet consists of alternating plains and mountains. These two forms create the unique topography of the Earth. Thus, plains and mountains are the main large landforms of the earth's surface.

What are mountains

When I had a chance to see real mountains, I was amazed by their grandeur and incredible beauty.

Areas of the earth's surface that are raised high above the rest of the terrain are called mountains. They have their own classification according to various criteria, but the main distinguishing feature of mountains is height.

According to the height of the mountains there are:

1. High (high mountains). These giants soar up to 3000 meters or more. Everest has the highest height - 8848 meters.
2. Middle (medium mountains) are those mountains that are below 3000 meters, but above 800 meters.
3. Low mountains (low mountains) have a height of up to 800 meters above sea level.

Mountains also differ in age. They are old and young. Young mountains are the highest, with sharp peaks, such as the Caucasus.

What are plains

I associate the word “plain” with a flat surface, where nothing prevents you from seeing the sun set below the horizon. The endless steppe best suits this description. But it turns out that plains are not only flat, but also hilly, with lowlands and elevated areas. They are cut by ravines and ravines; many rivers with wide valleys and terraces flow through their territory.

Plains occupy vast spaces on our planet - more than 2/3 of the entire land surface. It is on the plains that life is concentrated, where most of the world's cities and towns are located. They predominate on all continents except Asia, where mountains dominate.

What types of plains are there?

The large plains of the world are the object of study by specialists. The plains truly amaze with their beauty and grandeur. This is confirmed by everyone who has seen this kind of area not only on the map.

Few people know where the largest plains in the world are located, and which of the plains are the most extensive. Plain is a type of terrain characterized by slight fluctuations in elevation. All plains are divided into lowlands, plateaus and hills. The lowlands are located at a distance of up to 200 meters above the main sea level. The hills are located at a distance of over 500 meters above the main sea level. Everything between these levels is a plateau.

Amazonian lowland and Gobi plain

Geography teachers know that the largest and most majestic plain in the world is the Amazon Lowland. Its area is more than 5 million square kilometers. The plain rises 10-100 meters above the main sea level. The Amazonian lowland is located in South America and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the deepest river in the world - the Amazon. Almost the entire area of ​​the plain is occupied by humid equatorial forests. The second longest is the Gobi Plain, which bears the name of the desert of the same name.

The Gobi Plain is located in Central Asia. It is a plateau and is sandwiched on all sides by mountain ranges. On the territory of the Gobi there are both rocky surfaces and surfaces on which plants grow that can only be found in this corner of the globe. The local climate is quite harsh, since the plain is located at an altitude of approximately 1000 meters above sea level. Very large plains are located in the Sahara Desert. The Sahara is the largest desert on earth. Its area is about 8 million square kilometers, which is quite comparable to a continent such as Australia. The entire territory of the Sahara is made up of plains that are crossed by dry river beds.

East African plateau

The largest plain on the African continent is the East African Plateau. Its length is more than 17,000 kilometers in length. The West Siberian Lowland also has a greater extent. It is a former basin of the Arctic Ocean. There are a lot of lakes and swamps on the plain. This is primarily due to its origin, as well as the fact that it is located at a distance of 10-12 meters above the main sea level. It is noteworthy that all the most famous oil and gas fields in Russia are located here. The East European Plain is also called “Russian”. It is located near the Ural Mountains. Its territory also contains rich mineral deposits.

The largest deposit is the Kursk magnetic anomaly. Each continent can find its own plains, which will be the largest for a given continent. All of them deserve some attention from scientific researchers. Some of them attract thousands of tourists with their beauty, who want to see with their own eyes at least a small part of the majestic plain. That is why it is very popular to lay tourist routes through some plateaus.

The largest plains in the world evoke delight and admiration. Those who love to travel can be advised to choose a tourist route passing through one of these plains.

It is characterized by a predominantly flat landscape, prevailing over the mountainous one not only on land, but also under water.

What are plains?

Plains are relatively flat, vast areas in which the heights of neighboring areas fluctuate within 200 m; they have a slight slope (no more than 5 m). The most illustrative example of a classical plain is the West Siberian Lowland: it has an exclusively flat surface, the height difference on which is almost imperceptible.

Relief features

As we have already understood from the above definition, plains are areas with flat and almost flat terrain, without noticeable ascents and descents, or hilly, with a smooth alternation of increases and decreases in the surface.

Flat plains are generally insignificant in size. They are located near seas and large rivers. Hilly plains with uneven terrain are more common. For example, the relief of the East European (Russian) Plain is characterized by the presence of both hills more than 300 meters high and depressions whose height is below sea level (Caspian Lowland). Other famous plains of the world are the Amazon and Mississippi. They have a similar topography.

Features of the plains

A distinctive feature of all plains is a clearly defined, clearly visible horizon line, which can be straight or wavy, which is determined by the topography of a particular area.

Since ancient times, people have preferred to create settlements on the plains. Since these places are rich in forests and fertile soil. Therefore, today the areas of the plains are still the most densely populated. Most of the minerals are mined on the plains.

Considering that the plains are areas with a huge area and great extent, they are characterized by a variety of natural zones. Thus, on the East European Plain there are territories with mixed and broad-leaved forests, tundra and taiga, steppe and semi-desert. The plains of Australia are represented by savannas, and the Amazonian lowlands are represented by selvas.

Climatic features

Plain climate is a fairly broad concept, as it is determined by many factors. These are geographical location, climate zone, area of ​​the region, length, relative proximity to the ocean. In general, the flat terrain is characterized by a clear change of seasons, due to the movement of cyclones. Often on their territory there is an abundance of rivers and lakes, which also affect climatic conditions. Some plains have their huge area consisting of continuous desert (Western Plateau of Australia).

Plains and mountains: what is their difference

Unlike plains, mountains are areas of land that rise sharply above the surrounding surface. They are characterized by significant fluctuations in elevation and large terrain slopes. But small areas of flat terrain are also found in the mountains, between mountain ranges. They are called intermountain basins.

Plains and mountains are landforms whose differences are based on their origin. Most mountains were formed under the influence of tectonic processes, the movement of layers occurring deep in the earth's crust. In turn, the plains lie predominantly on platforms - stable areas of the earth's crust; they were influenced by external forces of the Earth.

Among the differences between mountains and plains, in addition to appearance and origin, we can highlight:

• maximum height (near the plains it reaches 500 m, near the mountains - over 8 km);
• area (the area of ​​mountains on the entire surface of the Earth is significantly inferior to the area of ​​plains);
• the likelihood of earthquakes (on the plains it is almost zero);
• degree of mastery;
• ways of human use.

Largest plains

Located in South America, it is the largest in the world, its area is about 5.2 million square meters. km. It has a low population density. It is characterized by a hot and humid climate, dense tropical forests covering vast areas and teeming with animals, birds, insects and amphibians. Many species of the animal world of the Amazonian lowlands are not found anywhere else.

The East European (Russian) Plain is located in the eastern part of Europe, its area is 3.9 million square meters. km. Most of the plain's territories are located in Russia. It has a gently flat terrain. The bulk of large cities are located here, and a significant share of the country’s natural resources is concentrated here.

Located in Eastern Siberia. Its area is about 3.5 million square meters. km. The peculiarity of the plateau is the alternation of mountain ridges and wide plateaus, as well as frequent permafrost, the depth of which reaches 1.5 km. The climate is sharply continental; the vegetation is dominated by deciduous forests. The plain is rich in mineral resources and has an extensive river basin.

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