Where are the mountains and plains located? The largest plains in Russia

The Russian Federation occupies a vast territory. Due to its impressive area, the country's topography is very diverse. The rivers, plains and mountains of Russia make up a unique natural system, which reflects the entire identity of the Eurasian continent.

Plains of Russia

Plains are areas of land with a flat or hilly surface, in which fluctuations in elevation will be very small. main feature All plains have relatively flat terrain. But in fact, it is more diverse: in some places the plains are indeed flat, in others they are hilly.

On physical map plains represent green to varying degrees saturation. So, the brighter green color, the higher the flat area is located above sea level. Dark green color indicates lowlands.

Rice. 1. Plains on the physical map.

Plains dominate in Russia: they occupy about 70% of the country's territory. There are three largest plains in the Russian Federation:

East European or Russian Plain . It is located to the west of the Ural Mountains and occupies more than 4 million square meters. km. Its surface does not have a perfectly flat topography, since it consists of lowlands, hills and hilly areas. Such plains are called hilly.
West Siberian Plain . It is located east of the Ural Mountains and occupies 2.5 million square meters. km. This is one of the lowest plains on globe. Her distinctive feature- almost perfectly flat surface. Such plains are called flat. Only occasionally there are small hills, not exceeding 300 m in height.
Central Siberian Plateau . It is located east of the West Siberian Plain and occupies about 3 million square meters. km. A plateau is a flat area of land that lies high above sea level. The plateau has much in common with the mountainous terrain, but only the mountains have their peaks “cut off.”

Rice. 2. Central Siberian Plateau

Mountains of Russia

On the territory of Russia, mountains are located in the southern and eastern parts. The mountains were formed in ancient times: hundreds of thousands of years ago, when active displacements took place earth's crust.

Mountains are young and old. Young mountains continue to “grow” upward. As a rule, they are very tall, with sharp peaks. They are often found active volcanoes. The ancient mountains are relatively low, flat, and have been experiencing the destructive effects of wind and melt water for many years.

In Russia there are both young and old mountains:

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Ural Mountains . Some of the most ancient, formed more than 300 million years ago. Stretching from north to south throughout the country, they divide European part Russia from Asia. The height of the Ural Mountains is very modest: their highest point is Mount Narodnaya (1895 m). They are very rich in minerals, among which they are of particular value gems and gems.
. These are the highest and youngest mountains. Formed about 25 million years ago. They are divided into two mountain systems: Small and Greater Caucasus. The highest point is Mount Elbrus (5642 m). Almost all the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains are covered with eternal snow, which attracts climbers and ski enthusiasts.

Rice. 3. Caucasus Mountains.

Altai and Sayans . Young and high mountains formed in the south of Siberia. The highest peak of the Altai Mountains is Belukha Peak (4506 m). They have a unique ecosystem and are included in the World Natural Heritage List.
Kamchatka Mountains . These are young mountains, among which there are more than 140 volcanoes, including 28 active ones. The highest and at the same time active volcano in Kamchatka is Klyuchevaya Sopka (4750 m).

The totality of the irregularities earth's surface It is commonly called the relief of the Earth. Obviously, the surface of the Earth cannot be called absolutely flat, and when studying the relief, we consider such natural formations as mountains and plains.

Concept of the Earth's relief

In different parts of the planet, the surface height is completely different; differences can reach several tens of kilometers. The Earth's topography is unique in that its formation continues to this day.

This occurs due to collision lithospheric plates, volcanic eruptions and erosion of rocks by rains and rivers. The processes that shape the topography of our planet are divided into two categories - external And internal.

External processes include the activity of winds, flowing waters, glaciers, and the influence of plants and animals. It is impossible not to mention human activity, which is an anthropogenic force and actively influences the formation of the earth's topography.

Internal processes are called endogenous, they are represented by the subsidence and uplift of the crust, plate movements, earthquakes and volcanism.

Plains and mountains

One of the main forms of relief is the plain. The plateau is a plain of more than 500 m, a highland - from 200 to 500 m, and a lowland - up to 200 m. Plains and mountains occupy 60% and 40% of the earth's surface.

A vast area of land with slight slopes and fluctuations in height is a plain. Plains are classified according to absolute altitude: those that lie below sea level are the Turfan Depression 154 m, the Qattara Depression 133 m, lowland plains - Mississippian, Amazonian, Turanian and Atlantic, highland - Tarim Depression, Great Plains North America and the Ustyurt plateau.

Elevated plains are also distinguished - these are Rbu al-Khali and the Great Victoria Desert. Plain, i.e. its surface can be concave, inclined, convex and horizontal.

There are other classifications: ridged, stepped, flat, hilly. In many ways, the appearance of the plain depends on its history of structure and development.

A significant part of the plains is composed of layers sedimentary rocks of great power and is confined to the slabs of young and ancient platforms. Such plains are called stratal plains. Example: West Siberian Lowland.

The Great Chinese Plain, Indogan and Kura-Araks are alluvial plains. The water-glacial plains are the foothills of the Altai, Alps and Caucasus, and the glacial plains are the north of Russia and Europe, as well as the north of North America.

The Kazakh small sandpiper, the plains of the Baltic and Canadian shields are denudation plains. Vivid examples plateaus, flat surfaces that are limited by ledges, are the Deccan, Ustyurt and Colorado plateaus.

Vast, sharply dissected areas of the earth's surface raised high above the plains are called mountains. Such areas of land have sharp changes in height and have a folded-block structure.

Let's remember

1. What can a map tell about the surface of our country?

The territory of Russia is vast and diverse. On the surface of our country there are not only plains, but also mountains. They are located in the south and east of Russia. There are many different bodies of water in Russia - rivers, lakes. Russia is washed by the seas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

You can find out extreme points Russia:

From the south – Bazaduzu town

From the north – Franz Josef Land

From the west – Baltic Spit

From the east – about. Ratmanova

Russia has land borders with Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, Ukraine, Finland, Belarus, Georgia, Estonia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Norway, North Korea; maritime borders with Japan and the USA.

2. How are plains and mountains indicated on the map?

Answer: The map shows land different colors- it depends on the height of the land above sea level. Mountains are marked brown, the darker the higher, individual peaks black dot. Most of plains have a low altitude above sea level and are depicted in green. Like mountains, plains can also be high and are then designated yellow or even brown.

3. Which surface in our region is flat or mountainous?

Answer: The Ural Mountains are located in our region. The ancient mountains include the Ural Mountains (formed more than 300 million years ago). They stretch from north to south across the entire territory of Russia.

The Ural Mountains separate the European part of our country from the Asian part, for which they are also called the “Stone Belt of the Russian Land”. The height of these mountains is low: less than 2000 meters. The highest peak of the Urals is Mount Narodnaya, its height is 1895 meters. The Ural Mountains are a storehouse of minerals that have been mined here for a long time. These mountains are especially famous for their deposits of precious and semi-precious stones: malachite, jasper, emeralds, amethysts and other gems, widely used for making jewelry and souvenirs.

Also, a small section of the West Siberian Plain enters our region in the east.

How do the features of the earth's surface in a particular region affect the lives of people, their economic activities, customs and traditions?

Answer: A very great influence on life and economic activity, customs and traditions of a person are influenced by the relief of the earth's surface of the place where he lives. The peoples of different regions create their own culture, which is not similar to the culture of their neighbors, and this is closely related to the nature of a particular region. Among the inhabitants of the steppes it prevailed nomadic image life, they were engaged in cattle breeding. They had an abundance of milk, meat and cheese, which they sold. Nowadays agriculture is well developed in these territories. Among the Pomors who inhabited the coast White Sea, there was an abundance of fish, and so they fished and built strong boats. If people settled on the plains where there was not enough water, then small insignificant settlements were built, and construction was carried out along large rivers, since it was the river that served as the source of water supply. People have always sought to occupy flat areas, since it is easier to farm there and it is easier to build buildings and roads. IN Western Siberia where forested swamp terrain predominates, cities and villages are built on the slopes river valleys. Rivers were the only transport route for the residents of these places. Also, a nomadic lifestyle prevailed here. Reindeer herders of the North and pastoralists of the deserts constantly drove their livestock to new pastures. In mountainous regions, due to high ridges, the population settled in narrow intermountain valleys. Communication with neighbors was difficult due to the mountain ranges, and therefore the mountains have great ethnic diversity. Each nation developed its own specific culture and had its own characteristics in everyday life and economy. Today, the features of laying roads and constructing various engineering structures and mining depend on the terrain.

Let's think!

Based on your observations, give brief description the surface of your edge.

Answer: Chelyabinsk region differs in a variety of surface shapes. Within its boundaries there are lowlands and rolling plains, plateaus and mountains. Moreover, the surface rises in the form of ledges from east to west. In the extreme east, the West Siberian Lowland enters the region in a narrow strip, not rising above 200 m above sea level. On the meridian of the eastern outskirts of Chelyabinsk it turns into the Trans-Ural elevated plain, reaching in places 400 m above sea level. From the west, this plain is limited by the low ridges of the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains (Cherry Mountains, Ilmensky Range, Ishkul Range and others), behind which rise the main mountain ranges of the Southern Urals: Ural-Tau, Taganay, Urenga, Nurgush, Zigalga, etc. The height of these ridges is in the range of 800-1100 m, and their individual peaks reach 1200-1400 m. Thus, Mount Big Sholom, on the Zigalga ridge, reaches 1425 m and is the highest point in our region.

To the west of these highest ridges, the Ural Mountains decrease again, descending in the form of an amphitheater to the Ufa Plateau, which in its southeastern sections extends into the Chelyabinsk region.

Let's check ourselves

1. List the shapes of the earth's surface.

Answer: Shapes of the earth's surface: plains, mountains, lowlands, hills, hills, ravines, ravines.

. How are lowlands and highlands marked on a physical map?

Answer: On the map, lowlands are indicated in green, and highlands in yellow.

3. Show on the map the Plains and mountains that you met in the lesson.

Answer: Working with a map. Plains - East European, West Siberian, Central Siberian Plateau. Mountains - the Ural, Caucasus, Altai and Sayan mountains.

4. Give a brief description of the plains of Russia; mountains of Russia.

Answer: To the west of the Ural Mountains is the East European Plain - one of the largest plains on earth. The surface of the plain is uneven; there are lowlands, hills, and hills. To the east of the Ural Mountains is the West Siberian Plain. The surface of the plain is very flat and extends for several kilometers. But to the east of the West Siberian Plain there is the Central Siberian Plateau. This is also a plain, and there are elevations with fairly steep slopes, and flat surface. The Ural Mountains are quite low, but the highest mountains are the Caucasus. In the south of Siberia, the Altai and Sayan mountains are famous for their beauty and rich nature.

A plain is an area of land whose slope does not exceed 50°, and the heights do not differ by more than 200 meters. This is the most common type of relief on the planet, occupying about 64% of the territory. In the territory Russian Federation there are about 30 plains, the most famous of which is the East European one. In area it is second only to the Amazonian lowland and is the second in the world.

For Russia, plains are of great importance, because almost 75% of the country is located on this type of terrain. Historically, it was on the flat areas that the Slavic civilization developed: ancient cities and roads happened political upheavals and wars. The fertile soils of the plains not only provided people with food, but also introduced unique features into culture and fishing.

East European Plain (4 million km2)

One of the largest plains on the planet, covering most of of Eastern Europe, received a second name - Russian. Distance between north and southern borders exceeds 2500 km. And from west to east it extends for 2700 km. Borders:

In the northwest are the Scandinavian Mountains;
In the southwest there are mountains Central Europe(Sudetes);
In the southeast - the Caucasus Mountains;
In the west is the Vistula River;
In the north - the White and Barents Seas;
In the east are the Ural Mountains and Mugodzhary.

The height of the plain above sea level is not uniform. Frequently occurring elevations are located at levels of 200-300 m, and large rivers such as the Volga, Dnieper, Danube, Don, Western Dvina and Vistula flow through the lowlands. The origin of the vast majority of highlands and lowlands is tectonic.

At the base of the plain lie two plates: Russian with a Precambrian crystalline foundation and Scythian with a Paleozoic folded foundation. The relief does not express the intertile boundary.

Glaciation had a significant impact on the process of relief formation, especially changing the surface of the northern areas. The passage of the glacier gave rise to the formation of many lakes for which the area is famous. This is how the Beloe, Peipus and Pskov lakes were formed. In the southern part, glaciation activity is weak due to erosion processes.

Central Siberian Plateau (about 3.5 million km2)

In the eastern part of Russia there is another largest flat area - the Central Siberian Plateau. It covers territories Irkutsk region, Krasnoyarsk Territory and Yakutia.

In the south - the Eastern Sayan mountain system, as well as the mountain regions of the Baikal region and Transbaikalia;
In the west is the valley of the Yenisei River;
In the north - the North Siberian Lowland;
In the east is the Lena River valley.

The plateau is located on the Siberian platform. Feature- alternating plateaus and ridges. The highest peak is Mount Kamen (height 1701 m above ground level), which belongs to the middle mountains of Putorana. The western edge of the plateau is covered by the dissected hills of the Yenisei Ridge (the highest point is Mount Enashimsky Polkan, 1104 m high). The territory of the Central Siberian Plateau is distinguished by the largest permafrost rocks in the world, the height of which reaches 1500 km.

West Siberian Plain (2.6 million km²)

The plain is located in the northern part of Asia and covers the entire territory of western Siberia. It has a characteristic trapezoidal shape, which tapers towards the north. The length from south to north is about 2500 km, and from west to east it varies from 800 to 1950 km. Borders:

In the west - the Ural Mountains;
In the east - the Central Siberian Plateau;
In the north - the Kara Sea;
In the south - the Kazakh small hills;
In the southeast - the West Siberian Plain and the foothills of Altai.

The surface of the plain is relatively uniform with a slight difference in elevation. Lowland areas are concentrated in the central and northern parts, and low elevations are located along the eastern, southern and western outskirts (height does not exceed 250 m).

Baraba Lowland (117 thousand km2)

The Barabinskaya stele is located in the southern part of Western Siberia, between the Irtysh and Ob rivers. She represents undulating plain, in the southern part of which there are ridges (parallel elevations). On the territory of the lowland there are Novosibirsk and Omsk region. It is composed of thick deposits of Mesozoic and Cenozoic age.

In low areas (height 80-100 m), fresh (Ubinskoe) and salt (Chany, Tandovo and Sartlan) lakes, swamps filled with peat moss and saline fields were formed. During geological exploration activities, deposits of oil and natural gas were discovered in the north of the plain.

Kulunda Plain (100 thousand km²)

The Kuluda Plain is southern part West Siberian Plain and covers the Altai and Pavlodar regions. Its appearance is associated with the accumulative activity of large rivers - the Irtysh and Ob. The southeast of the plain adjoins the Altai foothills. Highest point does not exceed 250m, low-lying areas mainly occupy the central part (100-120 m above sea level).

The relief is distinguished by the alternation of elevated ridges (50-60m) and low areas separating them. The valleys of the Burla, Kuchuk and Kulunda rivers pass through the lowlands. For the industry of Western Siberia, the plain is of significant importance due to the endorheic lakes, from which table and Glauber's salt (Kuchukskoe and Kulundinskoe lakes), as well as soda (Petukhovskoe lakes) are extracted.

Azov-Kuban (Kuban-Azov lowland) plain (about 50 thousand km2)

The lowland is located in the Western part of the Ciscaucasia and covers the territory Krasnodar region, Stavropol Territory And Rostov region. The height of the plain above sea level does not exceed 300 m.

In the south - the Kuban River;
In the west - the Sea of Azov;
In the east - the Kumo-Manych depression;
In the north is the Yegorlyk River.

The main part of the plain is located within the Scythian plate. Rocks Meso-Cenozoic in age, predominantly of sedimentary origin. The lowland area adjacent to the Black Sea is divided big amount branches of the Kuban River. In the marshy areas of the plain there are floodplains (flooded floodplains of rivers) and estuaries (bays that arise when a river flows into the sea).

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). Most illustrative example The West Siberian Lowland is a classic plain: 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 the seas and big 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 an area with a huge area and great extension, they are characterized by diversity natural areas. 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. This geographical location, climate zone, area of the area, 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 influence 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 external forces Earth.

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

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, 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. This is where the bulk of the major cities, and also contains a significant share natural resources countries.

Located in Eastern Siberia. Its area is about 3.5 million square meters. km. The peculiarity of the plateau is the alternation of mountain ranges and wide plateaus, as well as the frequently occurring 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.