Russian plains. What plains are there in Russia

A plain is a type of relief, which is a flat, vast area. More than two-thirds of Russia's territory is occupied by plains. They are characterized by a slight slope and slight fluctuations in the heights of the terrain. A similar relief is also found at the bottom of marine areas. The territory of the plains can be occupied by any: deserts, steppes, mixed forests, etc.

Map of the largest plains of Russia

Most of The country is located on a relatively flat type of terrain. Favorable allowed a person to engage in cattle breeding, build large settlements and roads. On the plains, it is easiest to conduct construction activities. Many minerals and others are concentrated on them, including, and.

Below are maps, characteristics and photos of landscapes of the most great plains on Russian territory.

the East European Plain

East European Plain on the map of Russia

The territory of the East European Plain is approximately 4 million km². The natural northern border is the White and Barents Seas, in the south the land is washed by the Azov and Caspian Sea. The Vistula River is considered the western border, and the Ural Mountains - the eastern.

At the base of the plain lies the Russian platform and the Scythian plate, the foundation is covered by strata sedimentary rocks. Where the base is raised, uplands were formed: Pridneprovskaya, Central Russian, Volga. In places where the foundation is deeply lowered, lowlands lie: Pechora, Black Sea, Caspian.

The territory is located in moderate latitude. The Atlantic are penetrating the plain air masses bringing rainfall with it. The western part is warmer than the east. The minimum temperature in January is -14˚C. In summer, the air from the Arctic gives coolness. The largest rivers flow south. Short rivers, Onega, Northern Dvina, Pechora, are directed to the north. Neman, Neva and Western Dvina carry water into westbound. They all freeze over in the winter. Spring floods begin.

Half of the country's population lives on the East European Plain. Almost all forests are secondary forest, there are a lot of fields and arable lands. There are many minerals on the territory.

West Siberian Plain

West Siberian Plain on the map of Russia

The area of the plain is about 2.6 million km². The Ural Mountains are the western border, in the east the plain ends with the Central Siberian Plateau. The Kara Sea washes the northern part. The southern border is considered to be the Kazakh small sandbox.

At the base lies the West Siberian plate, sedimentary rocks lie on the surface. southern part above the northern and central. Max Height is 300 m. The edges of the plain are represented by the Ket-Tym, Kulunda, Ishim and Turin plains. In addition, there is the Nizhneeniseyskaya, Verkhnetazovskaya and North Sosvinskaya uplands. Siberian ridges - a complex of hills in the west of the plain.

The West Siberian Plain lies in three: arctic, subarctic and temperate. Due to the low pressure, arctic air penetrates the territory, cyclones are actively developing in the north. Precipitation is unevenly distributed, the maximum number falls on the middle part. Most precipitation falls between May and October. Thunderstorms often occur in the southern strip in summer.

The rivers flow slowly, and many swamps have formed on the plain. All reservoirs have a flat character, they have a small slope. Tobol, Irtysh and Ob originate in mountainous areas, so their regime depends on the melting of ice in the mountains. Most of the reservoirs have a north-western direction. In the spring comes a long flood.

Oil and gas are the main wealth of the plain. In total, there are more than five hundred deposits of combustible minerals. In addition to them, there are deposits of coal, ore and mercury in the bowels.

The steppe zone, located in the south of the plain, is almost completely plowed up. On the black soil there are fields of spring wheat. Plowing, which lasted for many years, led to the formation of erosion and dust storms. There are many salt lakes in the steppes, from which table salt and soda.

Central Siberian Plateau

Central Siberian Plateau on the map of Russia

The area of the plateau is 3.5 million km². In the north it borders on the North Siberian Lowland. The Eastern Sayans are a natural border in the south. In the west, the lands originate from the Yenisei River, in the east they end at the Lena River valley.

At the heart of the plateau lies the Pacific lithospheric plate. Because of it, the earth's crust has risen significantly. The average heights are 500 m. The Putorana Plateau in the northwest reaches 1701 m in height. The Byrranga Mountains are located in Taimyr, their height exceeds a thousand meters. There are only two lowlands in Central Siberia: North Siberian and Central Yakut. There are many lakes here.

Most of the territories are located in the arctic and subarctic zones. The plateau is fenced off from the warm seas. Because of the high mountains, precipitation is unevenly distributed. They fall out in in large numbers summer. The earth is very cold in winter. The minimum January mark is -40˚C. Dry air and lack of winds help to endure such difficult conditions. Powerful anticyclones form during the cold season. There is little rainfall in winter. In summer, a cyclonic type of weather sets in. average temperature during this period is +19˚C.

The largest rivers Yenisei, Angara, Lena, Khatanga flow through the lowland. They cross the rifts earth's crust, so they have many rapids and gorges. All rivers are navigable. Central Siberia has enormous hydropower resources. Most of the major rivers are located in the north.

Almost the entire territory is located in the zone. Forests are represented by larch species that shed their needles for the winter. Pine forests grow along the Lena and Angara valleys. In the tundra there are shrubs, lichens and mosses.

There are a lot of minerals in Siberia. There are deposits of ore, coal, oil. In the southeast are deposits of platinum. There are salt deposits in the Central Yakut lowland. There are deposits of graphite on the Nizhnyaya Tunguska and Kureika rivers. Diamond deposits are located in the northeast.

Due to difficult climatic conditions, large settlements located only in the south. Economic activity human is focused on the mining and logging industry.

Azov-Kuban Plain

Azov-Kuban plain (Kuban-Azov lowland) on the map of Russia

The Azov-Kuban Plain is a continuation of the East European Plain, its area is 50 thousand km². The Kuban River is southern border, and the northern one is the Yegorlyk River. In the east, the lowland ends with the Kumo-Manych depression, the western part goes to the Sea of Azov.

The plain lies on the Scythian plate and is a virgin steppe. The maximum height is 150 m. Large rivers Chelbas, Beisug, Kuban flow in the central part of the plain, there is a group of karst lakes. The plain is located in the continental belt. Warm weather softens the local climate. In winter, the temperature rarely drops below -5˚C. In summer, the thermometer shows +25˚C.

The plain includes three lowlands: Prikubanskaya, Priazovskaya and Kuban-Priazovskaya. Rivers often flood settlements. On the territory there gas fields. The region is famous for its black earth fertile soils. Almost the entire territory is developed by man. People grow cereals. The diversity of flora is preserved only along the rivers and in the forests.

The totality of all the irregularities earth's surface called the relief of the earth. Obviously, the surface of the Earth cannot be called absolutely flat, and when studying the relief, one considers such natural formations as mountains and plains.

The concept of the relief of the Earth

In different parts of the planet, the surface height is completely different, the differences can reach several tens of kilometers. The relief of the Earth is unique in that its formation continues at the present time.

It happens due to the collision lithospheric plates, volcanic eruptions and erosion rocks rains and rivers. The processes that shape the relief of our planet are divided into two categories - external and domestic.

External processes include the activity of winds, flowing waters, glaciers, the impact 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 relief.

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

Plains and mountains

One of the main landforms is the plain. The plateau is a plain of more than 500 m, a hill - 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 piece of land with slight slopes and elevation fluctuations is a plain. Plains are classified according to altitude: those that lie below sea level are the Turfan depression 154 m, the Kattara depression 133 m, low plains - Mississippi, Amazonian, Turan and Atlantic, upland - 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 of sedimentary rocks of great thickness and is confined to the slabs of young and ancient platforms. Such plains are called stratal. Example: West Siberian lowland.

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

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

Extensive, sharply dissected and highly elevated above the plains areas of the earth's surface are called mountains. Such plots of land have sharp differences in height and have a folded-block structure.

The Russian Federation occupies a vast territory. Due to the impressive area, the country's relief 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 elevation fluctuations will be very small. main feature all plains - a relatively flat terrain. But in fact, it is more diverse: in some places, parts of the plains are really flat, in others - hilly.

On the physical map plains denote in green varying degrees saturation. So the lighter green color, the higher is the flat area 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. In the Russian Federation, there are three largest plains:

East European or Russian Plain . Located west of Ural mountains and occupies more than 4 million square meters. km. Its surface does not have an ideally even relief, since it consists of lowlands, uplands and hilly areas. Such plains are called hilly.
West Siberian Plain . It is located to the east of the Ural Mountains and occupies 2.5 million square meters. km. It is one of the lowest plains in the globe. Her distinguishing feature- almost perfectly smooth surface. Such plains are called flat. Only occasionally there are small hills, not exceeding 300 m in height.
Central Siberian Plateau . Located to the east 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 highlands, but only near the mountains their peaks are "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 there were active displacements of the earth's crust.

Mountains are young and old. Young mountains continue to "grow" up. As a rule, they are very tall, with sharp peaks. They often meet active volcanoes. The ancient mountains are relatively low, gently sloping, which have been exposed to the destructive effects of wind and melt water for many years.

In Russia, there are both young and old mountains:

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 case in point The West Siberian Lowland is a classic plain: it has an exceptionally flat surface, the elevation difference on which is almost imperceptible.

Relief features

As we already understood from the above definition, plains are terrain with a flat and almost even relief, without noticeable ups and downs, or hilly, with a smooth alternation of surface elevations and depressions.

Flat plains are mostly insignificant in size. They are located near the seas and big rivers. More common rolling plains with uneven terrain. For example, the relief of the East European (Russian) Plain is characterized by the presence of both hills over 300 meters high and depressions, whose height is below sea level (Caspian lowland). Other famous plains of the world are Amazonian, Mississippi. They have a similar topography.

Plains Features

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

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

Considering that the plains are an area with a huge area and a large extent, they are characterized by a variety of natural areas. So, 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 lowland by selva.

Climatic features

The climate of the plain is a fairly broad concept, since it is determined by many factors. This is 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 vast area consisting of the continuous desert of the Western Plateau of Australia).

Plains and mountains: what is their difference

Unlike plains, mountains are tracts of land that rise sharply above the adjacent surface. They are characterized by significant fluctuations in heights and large slopes of the relief. 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 of the mountains were formed under the influence of tectonic processes, the movement of layers that occurs deep in the earth's crust. In turn, the plains lie mainly on platforms - stable areas of the earth's crust, they were influenced by external forces Earth.

Among the differences between mountains and plains, in addition to appearance and origin can be distinguished:

maximum height (in the plains it reaches 500 m, in 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 probability of earthquakes (on the plains it is practically zero);
degree of development;
ways of human use.

major 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, occupying vast areas and teeming with animals, birds, insects and amphibians. Many animal species of the Amazonian lowland 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 kilometers. km. Most of the plains are in Russia. It has a gently sloping relief. Here is the bulk major cities, as well as a significant share of the country's natural wealth.

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 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 minerals and has an extensive river basin.