East European (Russian) Plain: geographical location. The East European Plain is one of the largest plains in the world Where the West European Plain is located

1. Geographical location.

2. Geological structure and relief.

3. Climate.

4. Internal waters.

5. Soils, flora and fauna.

6. Natural zones and their anthropogenic changes.

Geographical position

The East European Plain is one of the largest plains in the world. The plain goes out to the waters of two oceans and stretches from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains and from the Barents and White Seas to the Azov, Black and Caspian Seas. The plain lies on the ancient East European platform, its climate is predominantly temperate continental and natural zoning is clearly expressed on the plain.

Geological structure and relief

The East European Plain has a typical platform relief, which is predetermined by platform tectonics. At its base lie the Russian plate with a Precambrian basement and in the south the northern edge of the Scythian plate with a Paleozoic basement. At the same time, the border between the slabs is not expressed in the relief. On the uneven surface of the Precambrian basement, there are strata of Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks. Their power is not the same and is due to the unevenness of the foundation. These include syneclises (areas of deep bedding of the basement) - Moscow, Pechersk, Caspian and anticlises (basement protrusions) - Voronezh, Volga-Ural, as well as aulacogenes (deep tectonic ditches, in the place of which syneclises appeared) and the Baikal ledge - Timan. In general, the plain consists of uplands with heights of 200-300m and lowlands. The average height of the Russian Plain is 170 m, and the highest is almost 480 m - on the Bugulma-Belebey Upland in the Ural part. In the north of the plain, there are Northern Uvaly, Valdai and Smolensk-Moscow stratal heights, Timan ridge (Baikal folding). In the center - uplands: Central Russian, Privolzhskaya (stratal-tiered, stepped), Bugulma-Belebeevskaya, General Syrt and lowlands: Oksko-Don and Zavolzhskaya (stratal). The accumulative Caspian lowland lies in the south. The formation of the relief of the plain was also influenced by glaciation. There are three glaciations: Okskoe, Dnieper with the Moscow stage, Valdai. Glaciers and fluvioglacial waters have created moraine landforms and outwash plains. Cryogenic forms were formed in the periglacial (preglacial) belt (due to permafrost processes). The southern border of the maximum Dnieper glaciation crossed the Central Russian Upland in the Tula region, then descended with a tongue along the Don valley to the mouth of the Khopra and Medveditsa rivers, crossed the Volga Upland, the Volga in the area of ​​the Sura mouth, further the upper reaches of the Vyatka and Kama and the Ural in the area of ​​60˚N. Iron ore deposits (KMA) are concentrated in the platform basement. The sedimentary cover is associated with reserves of coal (eastern part of Donbass, Pechersk and Moscow region basins), oil and gas (Ural-Volga and Timan-Pechersk basins), oil shale (north-western and Middle Volga regions), building materials (widespread), bauxite (Kola Peninsula), phosphorites (in a number of areas), salts (Caspian region).

Climate

The climate of the plain is influenced by the geographical position, the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Solar radiation changes dramatically with the seasons. In winter, more than 60% of the radiation is reflected by the snow cover. Throughout the year, the western transfer dominates over the Russian Plain. The Atlantic air transforms as it moves east. During the cold period, many cyclones come to the plain from the Atlantic. In winter, they bring not only precipitation, but also warming. Mediterranean cyclones are especially warm when the temperature rises to + 5˚ + 7˚C. After cyclones from the North Atlantic, cold Arctic air penetrates into their rear part, causing sharp cold snaps to the very south. Anti-cyclones provide frosty clear weather in winter. During the warm period, cyclones mix to the north, especially the northwest of the plain is affected by them. Cyclones bring rain and coolness in summer. Hot and dry air forms in the cores of the spur of the Azores maximum, which often leads to droughts in the southeast of the plain. The January isotherms in the northern half of the Russian Plain run submeridian from -4˚C in the Kaliningrad region to -20˚C in the north-east of the plain. In the southern part, the isotherms deviate to the southeast, amounting to -5˚C in the lower reaches of the Volga. In summer, isotherms pass sublatitudinal: + 8˚C in the north, + 20˚C along the Voronezh-Cheboksary line, and + 24˚C in the south of the Caspian region. The distribution of precipitation depends on westerly transport and cyclonic activity. Especially a lot of them move in the 55˚-60˚N zone, this is the most humid part of the Russian Plain (Valdai and Smolensk-Moscow Uplands): the annual precipitation here is from 800 mm in the west to 600 mm in the east. Moreover, on the western slopes of the hills, there is 100-200 mm more drops than on the lowlands lying behind them. The maximum precipitation occurs in July (in the south, in June). In winter, snow forms. In the north-east of the plain, its height reaches 60-70 cm and it occurs up to 220 days a year (more than 7 months). In the south, the height of the snow cover is 10-20 cm, and the duration of occurrence is up to 2 months. The moisture coefficient varies from 0.3 in the Caspian lowland to 1.4 in the Pechersk lowland. In the north, moisture is excessive, in the upper reaches of the Dniester, Don and the mouth of the Kama - sufficient and k≈1, in the south, moisture is insufficient. In the north of the plain, the climate is subarctic (the coast of the Arctic Ocean), in the rest of the territory the climate is temperate with varying degrees of continentality. At the same time, continentality increases towards the southeast.

Inland waters

Surface waters are closely related to climate, relief, geology. The direction of rivers (river runoff) is predetermined by orography and geostructures. Runoff from the Russian Plain occurs in the basins of the Arctic, Atlantic oceans and in the Caspian basin. The main watershed runs along the Northern Uvals, Valdai, Central Russian and Volga Uplands. The largest is the Volga River (it is the largest in Europe), its length is more than 3530 km, and the basin area is 1360 thousand square kilometers. The source lies on the Valdai Upland. After the confluence of the Selizharovka River (from Lake Seliger), the valley expands noticeably. From the mouth of the Oka to Volgograd, the Volga flows with sharply asymmetric slopes. On the Caspian lowland, the Akhtuba branches separate from the Volga and a wide strip of floodplain is formed. The Volga Delta begins 170 km from the Caspian coast. The main food of the Volga is snow, so the flood is observed from the beginning of April to the end of May. The height of the water rise is 5-10 m. Nine reserves have been created on the territory of the Volga basin. The Don has a length of 1870 km, the basin area is 422 thousand square kilometers. Source from a ravine in the Central Russian Upland. It flows into the Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea. Food is mixed: 60% snow, more than 30% groundwater and almost 10% rain. Pechora is 1,810 km long, starts in the Northern Urals and flows into the Barents Sea. The basin area is 322 thousand km2. The character of the current in the upper reaches is mountainous, the channel is rapids. In the middle and low reaches, the river flows through the moraine lowland and forms a wide floodplain, and at the mouth a sandy delta. The food is mixed: up to 55% falls on melted snow water, 25% - on rainwater and 20% - on groundwater. The Northern Dvina has a length of about 750 km, formed from the confluence of the Sukhona, Yuga and Vychegda rivers. It flows into the Dvinskaya Bay. The pool area is almost 360 thousand square kilometers. The floodplain is wide. At the confluence, the river forms a delta. Mixed meals. The lakes on the Russian Plain differ primarily in the origin of the lake basins: 1) moraine lakes are widespread in the north of the plain in areas of glacial accumulation; 2) karst - in the basins of the Northern Dvina and Upper Volga rivers; 3) thermokarst - in the extreme northeast, in the permafrost zone; 4) floodplain (oxbows) - in floodplains of large and medium-sized rivers; 5) estuary lakes - in the Caspian lowland. Groundwater is widespread throughout the Russian Plain. There are three artesian basins of the first order: Central Russian, East Russian and Caspian. Within their limits, there are artesian basins of the second order: Moskovsky, Volgo-Kamsky, Pre-Urals, etc. With depth, the chemical composition of the water and the temperature of the water change. Fresh waters occur at depths of no more than 250 m. Mineralization and temperature increase with depth. At a depth of 2-3 km, the water temperature can reach 70˚C.

Soils, flora and fauna

Soils, like vegetation on the Russian Plain, have a zonal distribution. In the north of the plain, there are tundra coarse-humus gley soils, there are peat-gley soils, etc. To the south, under the forests are podzolic soils. In the northern taiga, they are gley-podzolic, in the middle - typical podzolic, and in the southern - sod-podzolic soils, which are also characteristic of mixed forests. Gray forest soils are formed under deciduous forests and forest-steppe. In the steppes, the soils are chernozemic (podzolized, typical, etc.). On the Caspian lowland, the soils are chestnut and brown desert, there are salt licks and salt marshes.

The vegetation of the Russian Plain differs from the vegetation of the cover of other large regions of our country. Deciduous forests are widespread on the Russian Plain, and only here are semi-deserts. In general, the set of vegetation is very diverse, from tundra to desert. The tundra is dominated by mosses and lichens. To the south, the amount of dwarf birch and willow increases. The forest-tundra is dominated by spruce with an admixture of birch. In the taiga, spruce dominates, to the east with an admixture of fir, and on the poorest soils - pine. Mixed forests include coniferous-broadleaved species, in deciduous forests, where they have survived, oak and linden dominate. The same species are also characteristic of the forest-steppe. The steppe here occupies the largest area in Russia, where cereals predominate. The semi-desert is represented by cereal-wormwood and wormwood-saltwort communities.

In the fauna of the Russian Plain, there are western and eastern species. The most widely represented are forest animals and, to a lesser extent, steppe animals. Western species gravitate towards mixed and deciduous forests (marten, black polecat, dormouse, mole, and some others). Eastern species gravitate towards taiga and forest-tundra (chipmunk, wolverine, Ob lemming, etc.) Rodents dominate in steppes and semi-deserts (ground squirrels, marmots, voles, etc.), and saiga penetrates from Asian steppes.

Natural areas

Natural zones on the East European Plain are especially pronounced. From north to south, they replace each other: tundra, forest-tundra, taiga, mixed and deciduous forests, forest-steppe, steppes, semi-deserts and deserts. The tundra occupies the coast of the Barents Sea, covers the entire Kanin Peninsula and further to the east, to the Polar Urals. The European tundra is warmer and more humid than the Asian, the climate is subarctic with features of the sea. The average January temperature ranges from -10˚C near the Kanin Peninsula to -20˚C near the Yugorsky Peninsula. In summer, about + 5˚C. Precipitation 600-500 mm. The permafrost is thin, there are many swamps. On the coast, typical tundras are widespread on tundra-gley soils, with a predominance of mosses and lichens; in addition, Arctic bluegrass, pike, alpine cornflower, sedges grow here; from shrubs - wild rosemary, dryad (partridge grass), blueberries, cranberries. To the south, shrubs of dwarf birches and willows appear. The forest-tundra stretches south of the tundra in a narrow strip of 30-40 km. The forests here are sparse, the height is no more than 5-8 m, spruce dominates with an admixture of birch, sometimes larch. Low places are occupied by swamps, thickets of small willows or birch dwarf birch. There are many crowberries, blueberries, cranberries, blueberries, mosses and various taiga herbs. High-trunk forests of spruce with an admixture of mountain ash (here it blooms on July 5) and bird cherry (blooms by June 30) penetrate the river valleys. Of the animals in these zones, typical are the reindeer, arctic fox, polar wolf, lemming, white hare, ermine, and wolverine. In summer there are many birds: eiders, geese, ducks, swans, snow bunting, white-tailed eagle, gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon; many blood-sucking insects. Rivers and lakes are rich in fish: salmon, whitefish, pike, burbot, perch, char, etc.

Taiga extends south of the forest-tundra, its southern border runs along the line St. Petersburg - Yaroslavl - Nizhny Novgorod - Kazan. In the west and in the center, the taiga merges with mixed forests, and in the east with forest-steppe. The climate of the European taiga is moderately continental. Precipitation on the plains is about 600 mm, on the heights up to 800 mm. Excessive moisture. The growing season lasts from 2 months in the north and almost 4 months in the south of the zone. The depth of soil freezing is from 120 cm in the north to 30-60 cm in the south. The soils are podzolic, in the north of the zone there are peat-gley soils. There are many rivers, lakes, swamps in the taiga. The European taiga is characterized by the dark coniferous taiga of European and Siberian spruce. Fir is added to the east, cedar and larch are closer to the Urals. Pine forests are formed in swamps and sands. In clearings and burnt-out areas - birch and aspen, along the river valleys, alder, willow. Among the animals are typical elk, reindeer, brown bear, wolverine, wolf, lynx, fox, white hare, squirrel, mink, otter, chipmunk. There are many birds: wood grouse, hazel grouse, owls, white partridge, snipe, woodcocks, lapwings, geese, ducks, etc. in swamps and water bodies. etc. From reptiles and amphibians - viper, lizards, newts, toads. There are many blood-sucking insects in summer. Mixed, and to the south, broad-leaved forests are located in the western part of the plain between the taiga and forest-steppe. The climate is moderately continental, but, unlike taiga, it is milder and warmer. Winter is noticeably shorter and summer is longer. Sod-podzolic and gray forest soils. Many rivers begin here: Volga, Dnieper, Western Dvina, etc. There are many lakes, swamps and meadows. The border between forests is poorly defined. As we move to the east and north in mixed forests, the role of spruce and even fir increases, while the role of broad-leaved species decreases. Linden and oak are found. Maple, elm, ash appear to the southwest, and conifers disappear. Pine forests are found only on poor soils. In these forests, undergrowth (hazel, honeysuckle, euonymus, etc.) and a herb cover of dwarf, clefthoof, starlet, some grasses are well developed, and where conifers grow, there are oxalis, mine, ferns, mosses, etc. In connection with the economic development of these forests, the animal world has sharply decreased. There are elk, wild boar, red deer and roe deer have become very rare, bison only in nature reserves. The bear and the lynx have practically disappeared. The fox, squirrel, dormouse, polecat, beavers, badger, hedgehog, moles are still common; preserved marten, mink, forest cat, desman; muskrat, raccoon dog, American mink have been acclimatized. From reptiles and amphibians - already, a viper, lizards, frogs, toads. There are many birds, both sedentary and migratory. Woodpeckers, tits, nuthatch, blackbirds, jays, owls are characteristic; finches, warblers, flycatchers, warblers, buntings, and waterfowl arrive in summer. Black grouses, partridges, golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, etc. have become rare. Compared to taiga, the number of invertebrates in the soil significantly increases. The forest-steppe zone extends south of the forests and reaches the Voronezh-Saratov-Samara line. The climate is temperate continental with an increase in the degree of continentality to the east, which affects the poorer floristic composition in the east of the zone. Winter temperatures range from -5˚C in the west to -15˚C in the east. The annual amount of precipitation decreases in the same direction. Summer is very warm everywhere + 20˚ + 22˚C. The moisture coefficient in the forest-steppe is about 1. Sometimes, especially in recent years, droughts occur in summer. The relief of the zone is characterized by erosional dissection, which creates a certain variegation of the soil cover. The most typical gray forest soils on loess-like loams. Leached chernozems are developed along river terraces. The further south, the more leached and podzolized chernozems, and gray forest soils disappear. Little natural vegetation has been preserved. Forests are found here only in small islands, mainly oak groves, where you can find maple, elm, ash. Pine forests have survived on poor soils. Meadow grasses have survived only on lands that are not convenient for plowing. The fauna consists of forest and steppe fauna, but recently, in connection with human economic activities, the steppe fauna began to prevail. The steppe zone extends from the southern border of the forest-steppe to the Kumo-Manych depression and the Caspian lowland in the south. The climate is moderately continental, but with a significant degree of continental. Summers are hot, average temperatures + 22˚ + 23˚C. Winter temperatures range from -4˚C in the Azov steppes, to -15˚C in the steppes of the Trans-Volga region. Annual precipitation decreases from 500 mm in the west to 400 mm in the east. The moisture coefficient is less than 1; droughts and dry winds are frequent in summer. The northern steppes are less warm, but more humid than the southern ones. Therefore, the northern steppes are grass-feather grass on chernozem soils. The southern steppes are dry on chestnut soils. They are characterized by solonetzicity. In the floodplains of large rivers (Don and others), floodplain forests of poplar, willow, alder, oak, elm, etc. grow. Rodents predominate among animals: ground squirrels, shrews, hamsters, field mice, etc. From predators - ferrets, foxes, weasels. Among the birds are larks, steppe eagle, harrier, corncrake, falcons, bustard, etc. There are snakes and lizards. Most of the northern steppes are now plowed up. The semi-desert and desert zone within Russia is located in the southwestern part of the Caspian lowland. This zone adjoins the coast of the Caspian Sea and merges with the deserts of Kazakhstan. The climate is temperate continental. The amount of precipitation is about 300 mm. Winter temperatures are negative -5˚-10˚C. The snow cover is thin, but it lasts up to 60 days. Soils freeze up to 80 cm. Summers are hot and long, average temperatures are + 23˚ + 25˚C. The Volga flows through the zone, forming a vast delta. There are many lakes, but almost all of them are salty. The soils are light chestnut, in places brown desert. The humus content does not exceed 1%. Salt marshes and salt licks are widespread. The vegetation is dominated by white and black wormwood, fescue, fine-legged, xerophytic feather grass; to the south, the number of hodgepodge increases, a tamarisk bush appears; tulips, buttercups, rhubarb bloom in spring. In the floodplain of the Volga - willow, white poplar, black poplar, oak, aspen, etc. The fauna is represented mainly by rodents: jerboas, ground squirrels, gerbils, many reptiles - snakes and lizards. Of the predators, the steppe ferret, the fox - corsac, weasel are typical. There are many birds in the Volga delta, especially during the migratory seasons. All natural zones of the Russian Plain have experienced anthropogenic impacts. The zones of forest-steppes and steppes, as well as mixed and deciduous forests, are especially strongly modified by man.

The East European Plain is one of the largest plains on the planet. It covers four million square kilometers, fully or partially affecting the territories of ten states. What relief and climate are typical for the East European Plain? You will find all the details about her in our article.

Geography of the East European Plain

The relief of Europe is very diverse - there are mountains, plains and swampy lowlands. Its largest orographic structure in terms of area is the East European Plain. From west to east, it stretches for about a thousand kilometers, and from north to south - more than 2.5 thousand kilometers.

Due to the fact that most of the plain is located on the territory of Russia, it received the name Russian. With an eye to the historical past, it is also often called the Sarmatian Plain.

It starts from the Scandinavian Mountains and the Baltic Sea coast and stretches to the foothills of the Ural Mountains. Its southern border of the plain runs near the South Carpathians and Stara Planina, the Crimean Mountains, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, and the northern edge runs along the shores of the White and Barents Seas. A significant part of Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, Belarus is located on the territory of the East European Plain. It also includes Kazakhstan, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland.

Relief and geological structure

The outlines of the plain almost completely coincide with the ancient East European platform (only a small area in the south lies on the Scythian plate). Due to this, there are no significant uplifts in its relief, and the average height is only 170 meters. The highest point reaches 479 meters - this is the Bugulma-Belebey Upland, which is located in the Cis-Urals.

The tectonic stability of the plain is also associated with the platform. She never finds herself in the epicenter of volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. All the vibrations of the earth's crust that occur here are low-ball and are only echoes of the unrest of the mountainous regions nearby.

However, this area was not always calm. The relief of the East European Plain is formed by very old tectonic processes and glaciations. In the south, they happened much earlier, so their traces of the consequences have long been smoothed out by active climatic processes and water erosion. In the north, traces of past glaciation are most visible. They are manifested by sandy lowlands, winding bays of the Kola Peninsula, which cut deeply into the land, as well as in the form of a large number of lakes. In general, the modern landscapes of the plain are represented by a number of hills and lacustrine-glacial lowlands, alternating with each other.

Minerals

The ancient platform underlying the East European Plain is represented by crystalline rocks, which are overlain by a sedimentary layer of different ages, lying in a horizontal position. In the area of ​​the Ukrainian and rocks come out in the form of low rocks and rapids.

The territory of the plain is rich in various minerals. Its sedimentary cover contains deposits of limestone, chalk, shale, phosphorite, sand and clay. Oil shale deposits are located in the Baltic region, salt and gypsum are mined in the Cis-Urals, and oil and gas are mined in Perm. Large deposits of coal, anthracite and peat are concentrated in the Donbass basin. Brown and bituminous coal is also mined in the Dnipropetrovsk basin of Ukraine, in the Perm and Moscow region in Russia.

The crystalline shields of the plain are composed mainly of metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are rich in gneisses, schists, amphibolites, diabase, porphyrite, and quartzite. Here, raw materials are mined for the production of ceramics and stone building materials.

One of the most "fertile" areas is the Kola Peninsula - a source of a large amount of metal ores and minerals. Iron, lithium, titanium, nickel, platinum, beryllium, various micas, ceramic pegmatites, chrysolite, amethyst, jasper, garnet, iolite and other minerals are mined within its limits.

Climate

The geographic position of the East European Plain and its low-lying relief largely determine its climate. The Ural mountains near its outskirts do not allow the passage of air masses from the east, therefore, throughout the year it is under the influence of winds from the west. They form over the Atlantic Ocean, bringing moisture and warmth in winter and precipitation and coolness in summer.

Due to the absence of mountains in the north, winds from the south of the Arctic also easily penetrate deep into the plain. In winter, they bring cold continental air masses, low temperatures, frost and light snow. In the summer they bring drought and cold spells with them.

In the cold season, temperatures are highly dependent on the incoming winds. In summer, on the contrary, solar heat has the most powerful effect on the climate of the East European Plain, so temperatures are distributed in accordance with the geographical latitude of the area.

In general, the weather conditions in the plain are very unstable. Atlantic and Arctic air masses above it often replace each other, which is accompanied by a constant alternation of cyclones and anticyclones.

Natural areas

The East European Plain is located mainly within the temperate climatic zone. Only a small part of it in the far north lies in the subarctic belt. Due to the flat relief, latitudinal zoning is very clearly traced on it, which manifests itself in a smooth transition from the tundra in the north to arid deserts on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

The tundra, covered with dwarf trees and shrubs, is found only in the extreme northern territories of Finland and Russia. Below it is replaced by taiga, the zone of which expands as it approaches the Urals. It is dominated by coniferous trees such as larch, spruce, pine, fir, as well as herbs and berry bushes.

After the taiga, the zone of mixed and deciduous forests begins. It covers the entire Baltic region, Belarus, Romania, part of Bulgaria, a vast part of Russia, north and north-east of Ukraine. The center and south of Ukraine, Moldova, north-east of Kazakhstan and the southern part of Russia are covered by the forest-steppe and steppe zone. The lower reaches of the Volga and the shores of the Caspian Sea are covered with deserts and semi-deserts.

Hydrography

The rivers of the East European Plain flow both north and south. The main watershed between them runs along Polesie, and some of them belong to the Arctic Ocean basin, and flow down to the Barents, White and Baltic Seas. Others flow southward into the Caspian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The longest and deepest river in the plain is the Volga. Other significant watercourses are the Dnieper, Don, Dniester, Pechora, Northern and Western Dvina, Southern Bug, Neva.

There are also many swamps and lakes in the East European Plain, but they are not evenly located. They are very densely distributed in the northwestern part, but in the southeast they are practically nonexistent. On the territory of the Baltic States, Finland, Polesie, Karelia and the Kola Peninsula, water bodies of glacial and moraine type have formed. In the south, in the area of ​​the Caspian and Azov lowlands, there are estuary lakes and salt marshes.

Despite the relatively gentle relief, there are many interesting geological formations within the East European Plain. Such, for example, are the "Sheep foreheads" rocks, which are found in Karelia, on the Kola Peninsula and in the Northern Ladoga area.

They are protrusions on the surface of rocks that were smoothed out during the descent of an ancient glacier. The rocks are also called "curly". Their slopes, where the glacier moved, are polished and smooth. Opposite slopes, on the contrary, are steep and very uneven.

Zhiguli are the only mountains on the plain that were formed as a result of tectonic processes. They are located in the southeastern part, in the region of the Volga Upland. These are young mountains that continue to grow, increasing by about 1 centimeter every hundred years. Today their maximum height reaches 381 meters.

The Zhiguli mountains are composed of dolomites and limestones. They also contain oil deposits. Their slopes are covered with forests and forest-steppe vegetation, among which there are also endemic species. Most of it is included in the Zhigulevsky Reserve and is closed to the public. The site, which is not under protection, is actively visited by tourists and alpine skiing enthusiasts.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha

There are many nature reserves, sanctuaries and other protected areas within the East European Plain. One of the oldest formations is the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, located on the border of Poland and Belarus.

A large area of ​​the relict taiga, an indigenous forest that existed in this area since prehistoric times, has been preserved here. It is assumed that this is what the forests of Europe looked like millions of years ago.

On the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, there are two vegetation zones, and coniferous forests are closely adjacent to mixed broad-leaved ones. The local fauna is represented by fallow deer, mouflons, reindeer, tarpan horses, bears, minks, beavers and raccoon dogs. The pride of the park is the bison, which is being rescued here from complete extinction.

In the West - . From the east, the plain is bordered by mountains.

Large tectonic structures - the Russian and Scythian plates - lie at the base of the plain. In most of the territory, their basement is deeply submerged under thick sedimentary strata of various ages, lying horizontally. Therefore, flat relief prevails on the platforms. In a number of places, the foundation of the platform has been raised. Large hills are located in these areas. The Dnieper Upland is located within. The Baltic shield corresponds to relatively elevated plains and, as well as low mountains. The raised foundation of the Voronezh anticlise serves as the core. The same rise of the foundation is located at the base of the heights of the High Trans-Volga region. A special case is the Volga Upland, where the foundation lies at great depths. Here, during the entire Mesozoic and Paleogene, there was a subsidence, the accumulation of thick strata of sedimentary rocks. Then, during the Neogene and Quaternary time, this area of ​​the earth's crust rose, which led to the formation of the Volga Upland.

A number of large uplands were formed as a result of repeated Quaternary glaciations, the accumulation of material - moraine loams and sands. Such are the heights of Valdai, Smolensko-Moscow, Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya, Northern Uvaly.

Between the large hills there are lowlands, in which the valleys of large rivers - the Dnieper, Don, were laid.

To the north, such abounding, but relatively short rivers, such as Onega, carry their water, and the Neva and Neman to the west.

The upper reaches and channels of many rivers are often located close to each other, which, in the conditions of the plain, contributes to their connection by canals. These are channels to them. Moscow, Volga-, Volgo-Don, White Sea-Baltic. Thanks to the canals, ships from Moscow can sail along the rivers and lakes, Black, Baltic and seas. Therefore, Moscow is called the port of the five seas.

In winter, all the rivers of the East European Plain freeze over. In spring, when the snow melts, most of the floods occur. Numerous reservoirs and hydroelectric power plants have been built on the rivers to retain and use spring water. The Volga and the Dnieper have turned into a cascade used both for generating electricity and for shipping, irrigation of lands, water supply to cities, etc.

A characteristic feature of the East European Plain is a bright manifestation of latitudinal. It is expressed more fully and clearly than on other plains of the world. It is no coincidence that the law of zoning, formulated by a famous Russian scientist, was primarily based on his study of this particular territory.

The flatness of the territory, the abundance of minerals, a relatively mild climate, sufficient rainfall, a variety of natural, favorable for various industries - all this contributed to the intensive economic development of the East European Plain. Economically, this is the most important part of Russia. More than 50% of the country's population lives on it and two-thirds of the total number of cities and workers' settlements are located. The plain is home to the densest network of highways and railways. Most of them - Volga, Dnieper, Don, Dniester, Zapadnaya Dvina, Kama - are regulated and transformed into a cascade of reservoirs. In vast areas, forests have been cleared and landscapes have become a combination of forests and fields. Many forests are now secondary forests, where coniferous and broad-leaved species have been replaced by small-leaved ones - birch, aspen. Half of the country's arable land is located on the territory of the East European Plain, about 40% of hayfields, 12% of pastures. Of all the large parts, the East European Plain is the most developed and changed by human activity.

When I imagine in my mind the map of Russia and its European part, for some reason I imagine our territories, which are directly adjacent to the western border. In reality, the European part stretches right up to the borders of the Eastern Urals and includes several large federal districts. About 80% of the total population of our country lives on the European territory of Russia.

Features of the geographical location of the European part of the Russian Federation

It occupies its place almost entirely on the East European Plain. It includes four federal districts:

• Central.
• Southern.
• Northwestern.
• Privolzhsky.

The climate of this Russian part is very heterogeneous: in the northern territories (Murmansk) in winter the temperature can reach -35 degrees Celsius, and in the southern ones - +6 (Krasnodar). And vice versa: in summer in the south the average temperature is +25, and in the north - +7. The northern regions of this part are washed by the waters of the Baltic and the Arctic Ocean. The developed river network contributed to the development of navigation, and the temperate climate of the middle zone of this part contributed to the good growth of forests there. Mountain systems are poorly represented: in the south it is part of the Caucasus Mountains, and in the east - the Ural Mountains. The White Sea Canal is an economic attraction, was built in 1933 and connects the waters of Lake Onega and the White Sea.

In addition to both capitals, there are large cities in this area:

• Volgograd.
• Permian.

In general, the geographical position can be assessed as favorable, due to the available access to the sea, as well as the rather favorable climate in the center of the territory.

Main economic facilities

The exit of the European part to the sea from the north and from the south, the presence of an extensive river system, presupposes the construction of such important economic objects as reservoirs. The largest of them in terms of volume will be:

• Kuibyshevskoe (Samara region) - 58,000 million cubic meters m.
• Volgogradskoe (Volgograd region) - 31,450 million cubic meters. m.
• Rybinskoye (Yaroslavl region) - 25 420 million cubic meters. m.

All these reservoirs, one way or another, are connected with the Volga River.

Geographical position of the East European Plain

The physical and geographical name of the Russian Plain is East European. The plain occupies about $ 4 million sq. Km. and is the second largest in the world after the Amazonian lowland. Within Russia, the plain stretches from the coast of the Baltic Sea in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east. In the north, its border starts from the shores of the Barents and White Seas to the shores of the Azov and Caspian Seas in the south. From the northwest, the Russian Plain is bordered by the Scandinavian mountains, in the west and southwest by the mountains of Central Europe and the Carpathians, in the south by the mountains of the Caucasus and in the east by the Ural Mountains. Within the Crimea, the border of the Russian Plain runs along the northern foot of the Crimean Mountains.

In the rank of a physico-geographical country, the plain was identified by the following characteristics:

1. The location of the slightly elevated plain on the plate of the ancient East European platform;
2. Moderate and insufficiently humid climate, which is largely formed under the influence of the Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean;
3. The flatness of the relief influenced the clearly expressed natural zoning.

Within the plain, there are two unequal parts:

1. Basement-denudation plain on the Baltic crystalline shield;
2. The East European Plain proper with a bedded erosion-denudation and accumulative relief on the Russian and Scythian plates.

Relief crystal shield is the result of prolonged continental denudation. The tectonic movements of recent times have already had a direct impact on the relief. In the Quaternary period, the territory occupied by the Baltic crystalline shield was the center of glaciation, therefore fresh forms of glacial relief are common here.

Powerful cover of platform deposits within actually Of the East European Plain, it lies almost horizontally. As a result, accumulative and stratal-denudation lowlands and uplands were formed. A folded foundation protruding to the surface in some places has formed basement-denudation heights and ridges - Timan Ridge, Donetsk Ridge, etc.

The East European Plain has an average elevation of about $ 170 m above sea level. On the coast of the Caspian Sea, the heights will be the smallest, because the level of the Caspian itself is below the level of the World Ocean by $ 27.6 m. At $ 300 - $ 350 m above sea level, elevations rise, for example, the Podolsk Upland, whose height is $ 471 m.

Settlement of the East European Plain

The Eastern Slavs, according to a number of opinions, were the first to populate Eastern Europe, but this opinion, others believe, is erroneous. In this area for the first time in the $ 30 millennium BC. Cro-Magnons appeared. To some extent, they were similar to modern representatives of the Caucasian race, and over time, their appearance became closer to the characteristic features of a person. These events took place in a harsh winter. By the $ X $ millennium, the climate in Eastern Europe was no longer so harsh, and the first Indo-Europeans gradually began to appear in Southeast Europe. No one can say for sure where they were up to this moment, but it is known that in the east of Europe they firmly settled in the $ VI $ -th millennium BC. e. and occupied a significant part of it.

Remark 1

The settlement of Eastern Europe by the Slavs occurred much later than the appearance of ancient people on it.

The peak of the settlement of the Slavs in Europe is considered $ V $ - $ VI $ centuries. new era and under the pressure of migration in the same period, they are divided into eastern, southern and western.

South Slavs settled in the Balkans and surrounding areas. The tribal community ceases to exist, and the first semblances of states appear.

Settlement takes place at the same time Western Slavs, which had a north-western direction from the Vistula to the Elbe. Some of them, according to archaeological data, ended up in the Baltic states. On the territory of modern Czech Republic in $ VII $ c. the first state appeared.

IN Eastern Europe the resettlement of the Slavs took place without major problems. In antiquity, they had a primitive communal system, and later they were clan. Due to the small population of the earth, there was enough for everyone. Within Eastern Europe, the Slavs assimilated with the Finno-Ugric tribes and began to create tribal alliances. These were the first state formations. In connection with the warming of the climate, agriculture, cattle breeding, hunting and fishing are developing. Nature itself walked towards the Slavs. East Slavs gradually became the largest group of Slavic peoples - they are Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians. The East European Plain began to be populated by the Slavs in the early Middle Ages, and by the $ VIII $ c. they already dominated it. On the plain, the Eastern Slavs settled in the vicinity of other peoples, which bore both positive and negative features. The colonization of the East European Plain by the Slavs took place over half a millennium and proceeded very unevenly. At the initial stage, land was developed along the path, which is called " from the Varangians to the Greeks". In a later period, the Slavs advanced to the east, west and southwest.

The colonization of the East European Plain by the Slavs had its own characteristics:

1. The process proceeded slowly due to the severity of the climate;
2. Different population densities in the colonized territories. The reason is the same - natural and climatic conditions, soil fertility. Naturally, in the north of the plain there were few people, and in the south of the plain, where conditions were favorable, there were much more immigrants;
3. Since there was a lot of land, there were no confrontations with other peoples during the resettlement;
4. Slavs imposed tribute on the neighboring tribes;
5. Small peoples "merged" with the Slavs, adopting their culture, language, customs, customs, way of life.

Remark 2

A new stage began in the life of the Slavic people, who settled across the territory of the East European Plain, associated with the rapid development of the economy, a change in the life system and way of life, the emergence of prerequisites for the formation of statehood.

Contemporary exploration of the East European Plain

After the settlement and resettlement of the East European Plain by the Eastern Slavs, with the beginning of the development of the economy, the question of its study arose. Outstanding scientists of the country took part in the study of the plain, including the name of the mineralogist V.M. Severgin.

Studying Baltic in the spring $ 1803 g. V.M. Severgin drew attention to the fact that to the south-west of Lake Peipsi the nature of the terrain is becoming very hilly. To test his thoughts, he walked along the $ 24 $ meridian from the mouth of the Gauja River to the Neman River and reached the Bug River, again marking many hills and sandy elevated fields. Similar "fields" were found in the upper reaches of the Ptich and Svisloch rivers. As a result of these works in the west of the East European Plain, for the first time, the alternation of low-lying spaces and elevated "fields" was noted with the correct indication of their directions - from southwest to northeast.

Detailed study Polesie was caused by the reduction of meadow spaces due to the plowing of land on the right bank of the Dnieper. For this purpose, in $ 1873 $, the Western Expedition to drain the swamps was created. At the head of this expedition was the military topographer I. I. Zhilinsky. Researchers covered about $ 100 thousand square kilometers for a $ 25 summer period. the territory of Polesie, $ 600 $ measurements of heights were carried out, a map of the region was compiled. Based on the materials collected by I.I. Zhilinsky continued the work of A.A. Tillo. The hypsometric map he created showed that Polesie is a vast plain with raised edges. The results of the expedition were $ 300 $ of lakes and $ 500 $ of Polesie rivers on the map with a total length of $ 9,000 km. The geographer G.I. Tanfilyev, who concluded that the drainage of the Polesie bogs would not lead to the shallowing of the Dnieper and P.A. Tutkovsky. He identified and mapped $ 5 $ elevations in the Polesie wetlands, including the Ovruch Ridge, from which the right tributaries of the lower Pripyat originate.

The study Donetsk ridge the young engineer of the Lugansk foundry E.P. Kovalevsky, who found out that this ridge, in geological terms, is a huge basin. Kovalevsky became the discoverer of Donbass and his first explorer who compiled a geological map of this basin. It was he who recommended to engage in prospecting and exploration of ore deposits here.

In $ 1840 $, the master of field geology R. Murchison was invited to Russia to study the natural resources of the country. Together with Russian scientists, the site was surveyed the southern coast of the White Sea... In the course of the work carried out, rivers and hills in the central part of the East European Plain were investigated, hypsometric and geological maps of the area were compiled, on which the structural features of the Russian platform were clearly visible.

On the south of the East European Plain the founder of scientific soil science V.V. Dokuchaev. In $ 1883, while studying chernozem, he came to the conclusion that there is a special chernozem-steppe zone on the territory of Eastern Europe. On the card of V.V. Dokuchaev allocates $ 5 for the main natural areas in the plain.

In subsequent years, on the territory of the East European Plain, numerous scientific works were carried out to study it, new scientific discoveries were made, new maps were drawn.