The unique and inimitable nature of Russia. Natural resources of the land North Caucasian District of Russia

No country in the world compares to the size of the Soviet Union natural resources- according to the areas of land suitable for Agriculture, abundance of minerals, energy sources.

The greatest treasure of our nature is a vast fertile land, on which wheat and rice, flax and cotton, sugar beet and sugar cane, corn and grapes, tea and subtropical crops are grown. Huge pastures in all zones of the Soviet country - in the tundra, in the forest belt, in the steppes, in semi-deserts, in mountain alpine meadows - and developed field foraging make it possible to breed a variety of livestock and get meat, lard, wool, leather, milk, butter and others. products. Agriculture and animal husbandry - suppliers of raw materials for food and light industry. No wonder it is said that agriculture and animal husbandry feed and clothe us...

Everything living and dead on our planet, as you know, consists of the elements presented in the periodic table, and of their combinations. Any country always has a need for some element - iron, zinc, copper, tin or uranium, manganese, titanium, molybdenum or niobium.

Many countries are forced to import from abroad the minerals they lack. Our Motherland is an exception: in its bowels there is everything to fill all the cells of the periodic table. And everything you need national economy we have in industrial quantities.

There is, perhaps, nothing surprising in this: after all, our Motherland is a sixth part of the world. Consequently, it must also possess a sixth of all natural wealth.

But this is where the most amazing begins! It turns out that not one sixth of the forests the globe grows on Soviet soil, and one-fourth. Canada has the second largest forest area in the world after Soviet Union, but it has three times less forests than ours. The total stock of wood in our forests is determined by an astronomical figure - 50 billion m 3.

Most valuable trees represent wealth only if they benefit people, and do not rot aimlessly in the bud. The most fertile lands become valuable only when they are most occupied. useful plants. And any fossil, be it iron ore, oil, coal or peat, becomes really useful only when it serves people.

No other country in the world has such large areas under grain and industrial crops as in the Soviet Union. And from these areas we collect not one sixth, but about a third of the world harvest of wheat and beets; not one-sixth, but two-thirds of all hemp, four-fifths of all flax, and nine-tenths of all sunflowers grown on earth.

The deposits of minerals are also productively used in our country. They are also generously released to us by nature. Our country owns two thirds of the world's peat deposits. BUT iron ores in the bowels of the USSR more than in all countries of the world combined. Our country owns one-fifth of the world's coal reserves, and geological exploration finds new deposits every year. More than half of the manganese in the earth's crust is stored in our bowels.

Copper, lead, zinc, tin, nickel, chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, titanium, tantalum, niobium, beryllium, uranium, silver, gold - all non-ferrous and rare metals are in our country. Any wealth is usually converted into gold. But also in terms of the reserves of this precious metal there is no country equal to the Soviet Union.

However, our wealth is not limited to metals, oil, peat, coal or timber...

Such a deposit of a fertility stone - apatite, as in the Khibiny tundra, is not found anywhere on the globe. Phosphate fertilizers are obtained from apatites, and aluminum is obtained from their "waste", nepheline. We also have raw materials for phosphate fertilizers in other parts of the country, especially in Kazakhstan.

The USSR also possesses gigantic reserves of potash salts. They are nine tenths

world reserves. Grandiose deposits and table salt, mirabilite, asbestos, mica, sulfur, graphite, marble, fluorspar, asphalt, cement raw materials ... The Yakut diamond deposits are famous all over the world.

All these minerals need to be extracted from deep bowels, lifted up, extract metals from ores, process them ... For this, machines and mechanisms are needed. They are also needed in order to develop hundreds of millions of hectares of fertile lands, sow them, and harvest. Many machines and mechanisms are also necessary for the processing of our forest resources, for the development of giant peat bogs, for laying railways and highways, for the construction of factories and factories, new residential and public buildings, new cities ... Without cars, it is impossible to transport goods and people across our vast country. Many machines and mechanisms require industry.

And for all these mechanisms and machines to work, energy is needed, a lot of energy. In terms of its reserves, contained in coal, oil, peat, oil shale, gas, and in terms of water resources, our Motherland occupies a leading position among all countries of the world.

But there is another type of energy - wind, or, as it is called, "blue coal". Energy air currents over our country is fantastically great, it surpasses all the energy of our flowing waters and fuel deposits. Scientists have calculated that "on the territory of the USSR, with the help of a dense network of wind turbines, it is technically possible to produce about 20 trillion kWh of cheap electricity annually." So much energy could be given by two thousand such gigantic hydroelectric power stations as the Volga hydroelectric power stations - them. V. I. Lenin and them. XXII Congress CPSU.

One of the most important treasures of nature is water. This is the main lever of life, the basis of the country's welfare. No wonder the famous geologist A.P. Karpinsky, who from the first years of the revolution headed the Academy of Sciences, said: "There is no more precious fossil in the world than water." And our Motherland also possesses this treasure in abundance. 150,000 rivers flow through Soviet soil, among which are such mighty ones as the Yenisei, Lena, Ob, Amur, Volga... There are over 250,000 lakes in our country. Among them, the deepest lake in the world - Baikal and the greatest lake of the globe - the Caspian, which is so huge that it has been called the sea since time immemorial.

These are all the possibilities of living and inanimate nature on Earth, which can be applied to human life in the development and improvement of favorable conditions in the life of society.

Since the earliest historical times, man has used natural resources. Then for the most part it was hunting and fishing, to a lesser extent mineral resources. In the future, with the growth of agriculture and animal husbandry, soil resources and water were used to a large extent. Then, with the development of architecture and culture, the resources of metals and alloys, ceramics, and natural stone began to be used.

With the beginning of the century of industrialization, active mining and use of different types minerals for their use in energy, technical and economic development which, unfortunately, has a negative impact on the environment. Now more and more mankind is striving to use the resources of the sun and wind, which do not cause a devastating impact on the environment.

The main types of natural resources of the world

Mineral resources
Diversity minerals located in the earth's crust makes it possible to extract and develop them in the form of raw materials for various types industry. The consumption of mineral raw materials ensures the growth of the economy and the well-being of the country producing it, but the availability and reserves of mineral resources do not become a factor in the socio-economic development of a particular country in the world ...

Everyone who at least once in his life was lucky to visit our country, in any part of it, will agree with the statement that the nature of Russia is not only amazing, but in some places even completely unique. Why do we now take as a basis the opinion of the guests of our state, and not the Russians themselves? The answer is much simpler than it might seem at first glance. The thing is that, having been born, say, in Siberia or Kamchatka, we sometimes do not pay attention to local beauties, taking them for granted. And in vain ...

In general, I would like to note that since the territory of our homeland is quite extensive, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the flora and fauna of one area sometimes differs significantly from the flora and fauna of the neighboring territory. For example, the nature of Central Russia is significantly different from its northern or, say, southern regions.

This article is aimed at telling in as much detail as possible about the characteristic features of the various territories of our country. The nature of Russia will appear before readers in all its colors, shades and variations.

Arctic Desert State

The Arctic deserts of Russia have such characteristics, as a huge amount of ice and snow, as well as high humidity, averaging 85%.

But on the rocky shores you can see numerous nesting seabirds.

To date, many scientists are working on the question of how to preserve the nature of Russia in this area. Moreover, it should be noted that this must be done as soon as possible, otherwise you can forever lose entire species of unique animals and plants.

What is it, tundra?

The tundra zone is located mainly along the coast of the seas of the Arctic Ocean. She is the territory strong winds, cold, polar day and night and heavy cloud cover.

The winter here is severe and long (8-9 months), but the summer is short and cold. It happens that the temperature in the Asian tundra reaches even 52 ° C. About 70% of the entire territory of the tundra is swampy. This was due to the constant perennial freezing of the soil.

On the coast you can find a young flat relief, a little to the south there is a hilly area, ridges of glacial origin and uplands. earth surface The tundra is almost completely dotted with shallow lakes.

As for the flora, its basis is formed by lichens, mosses, various undersized plants (herbs, shrubs, shrubs). The following species are especially common: dwarf birch, willow, alder, sedge, lingonberry.

In general, we note that the tundra is divided into three so-called subzones: arctic, lichen-moss, southern shrub.

Characteristic features of the forest tundra

The forest-tundra is a zone where the tundra gradually begins to turn into a forest. In this place, the nature of Russia, the geography of the region plays an important role, it is quite diverse. Her characteristics- these are the so-called sparse island forests located on the interfluves and consisting mainly of Siberian spruce, larch and birch.

Such sparseness of the forests is explained by the harsh climate conditions, although here the summer is much warmer than in the tundra, and the wind speed is much lower.

One more feature forest tundra is considered a large number of sphagnum peatlands.

For about 9 months, this area is covered with snow. In summer, the slopes of the river valleys are covered with variegated and colored meadows. Ranunculus, valerian and berries grow everywhere. By the way, the local meadows serve as excellent pastures for deer. In addition, the nature of Russia in this area is considered an excellent habitat for many animals (usually arctic foxes and lemmings) and birds.

Here you can easily find a wide variety waterfowl: geese, ducks and swans. But for the winter, there are very few birds left here - only a snowy owl and a partridge.

Endless taiga

The taiga zone in Russia occupies the largest area among the rest It extends from the western borders of the Russian Federation up to the coast Sea of ​​Japan. Geographically, the taiga is located in the subarctic and temperate climatic zone.

It is here that many rivers of Russia originate, for example, the Volga, Vyatka, Onega, Kama, Lena, Vasyugan, Pur, Taz, Vilyui, etc.

This zone is characterized by the presence of many swamps, groundwater, lakes, large reservoirs. The main type of vegetation in the taiga are forests, both light coniferous and dark coniferous. Larch trees also dominate around, a little less pine, spruce, fir and cedar.

Among the forests, meadows and various swamps are located in sufficient quantities.

Are you really interested in the wild nature of Russia? Siberia is just the place to go. The fauna here is very heterogeneous. The eastern taiga is richer in fauna, where you can easily see hazel grouse, sable, stone capercaillie, waterfowl, brown bear, wolverine, squirrel, lynx, elk and hare.

Unfortunately, today in this area there is an active logging. How to save the nature of Russia in this situation remains a practically insoluble mystery.

Mixed and broad-leaved forests of the country

The zone is much warmer and wetter compared to the taiga. There is a long and warm summer, and the winter is not particularly severe, which, by the way, favors the emergence of such a huge number of broad-leaved trees.

Note that the rivers here are full of water, which means that the waterlogging of the soils is very low. In general, this zone is characterized by soddy-podzolic and brown forest soils rich in minerals.

In most cases, forests are represented by oak, spruce, maple, linden, pine, ash, hazel, Korean cedar, birch, aspen and shrubs.

Nature central Russia very generous to its inhabitants. To date, such animals as bison, elk, wolf, wild boar, wolf, marten, dormouse and muskrat are massively found here. Of the birds, you can meet the oriole, grosbeak, woodpeckers, etc.

Unfortunately, now many species of plants and animals living in the Far Eastern mixed and deciduous forests, are extremely rare, or even disappear altogether. For example, in wild nature almost impossible to find sika deer and Amur tiger, and on the slopes you most likely will not find real ginseng anymore.

Russian forest-steppe

The forest-steppe zone is a kind of transition between the forest and the steppe. Here broad-leaved, small-leaved and pine forests on gray soils alternate with forb meadow steppes formed directly on chernozems.

The nature of Russia in this area is divided into western and eastern forest-steppe. Hills and valleys are separated by numerous ravines and gullies.

Oak dominates everywhere here, sometimes there are birch groves, forbs, cereals. It should be noted that a significant part of the population lives in the forest-steppe, here in huge quantities cultivate technical and grain crops.

steppe zone

The steppe zone is characterized by dry summers, cold winter and very modest rainfall. About once every three years for a long time there is no rain at all, which means that a severe drought sets in.

A characteristic feature of the steppe zone is treelessness. Before the plowing of the steppe territories, herbaceous vegetation was found everywhere here, with a predominance of feather grass, bluegrass, fescue, and steppe oats. Now the situation has changed somewhat and, unfortunately, not for the better.

Soils in the north of the steppe zone are typical chernozems. Rodents live here everywhere, most often there are ground squirrels, marmots, mole rats, hamsters. Ferrets, foxes, weasels feed on them. Of the birds, you can see eagles, larks and demoiselle crane.

To date, it is the steppe that is most mastered by people. It is rightfully considered the main zone of agriculture.

Desert and semi-desert zones

Semi-deserts and deserts occupy a very small area in Russia, which is located purely within the Caspian lowland.

It should be noted that it is here that the most high level so-called annual solar radiation(120 kcal / cm 2).

Summers are hot, but winters are cold and with little snow. This zone is characterized by zonal grass-wormwood vegetation, solonetzes and areas of semi-fixed sands.

Here, wheatgrass, fescue, thin-legged, blue-green algae, hairy feather grass, etc. grow in huge quantities.

Among the animals there are many rodents, and the most common are jerboas, gerbils, ground squirrels and a hare. In addition, wolves, foxes, ferrets and badgers live in the zone of deserts and semi-deserts.

Having visited the Crimea, the Chilean poet and political figure Pablo Neruda enthusiastically wrote: “Crimea is an order on the chest of planet Earth!” And indeed, if you look at it from a bird's eye view, you will see that the diamond-shaped Crimean Peninsula really resembles an order attached to the European mainland by a narrow chain of the Perekop Isthmus and the Arabat Spit. Historian Neil Asherson called Crimea "the big brown diamond"; The climate and nature of the peninsula were admired by all scientists, writers, poets and artists who visited Tauris. Let's try to talk about wealth in a few words Crimean nature and its features.

Position: between geography and geopolitics

Geographically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Crimea took a little bit from each of these parts of the world: in the north of the peninsula there are Asian steppes, and in the south - mountains and subtropics, reminiscent of the resort areas of Greece and Italy. The steppe zone, covering most of the central, western and eastern Crimea, begins in the Crimea - and stretches far to the east, up to Mongolia and Northern China. Not without reason in the Middle Ages this gigantic territory was called the Wild Field - it was from there that countless hordes of Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns, Khazars, Mongols and other nomads came to Europe. Crimea is connected to the continent only by a few narrow strips of isthmuses and sandbars, by waterways through the Sivash salt lakes in the north and east, as well as by a long strip of the Arabat Spit. Neil Asherson divided the Crimea into three historical zones: the steppe north, inhabited by nomads (body zone); the south, with its cities and civilizations (the zone of the mind); the mountains between them are the zone of the spirit, where the mountain principalities and monasteries were located. In his opinion, the steppe zone of the body always attacked the southern coast civilizational zone of the mind, and the buffer territory between them was mountain zone spirit. Since May 2018, in the east, Crimea has been connected to the continent by the famous “construction of the 21st century” - the Kerch (or Crimean) bridge.

The mountains

From the warm and humid southern coast of Crimea steppe zone reflect three ridges of the Crimean mountains: External, Internal and Main. Each of them looks typologically the same: gently sloping from the north, these ridges are steep from the south side. The outer (northern) ridge is the lowest (up to 350 m); The inner (otherwise - the second) ridge is up to 750 m high. The most picturesque is the Main (third, or southern) ridge with peaks more than a kilometer high: Chatyr-Dag (1527 m), Demerdzhi (1356 m) and Roman-kosh (1545 m). Another curious feature Crimean mountains is the fact that almost all of them end not with sharp peaks, but, on the contrary, with wavy plateaus, called the Turkic term "yayla" (in translation - "summer pasture for cattle"). total area yaila zones - 1565 km². AT Soviet time various projects were put forward for the reclamation of these high-mountain plateaus for subsequent use for agricultural purposes. For various reasons, they were not implemented, and now most of yayle is a nature reserve.

Water resources

The Crimean peninsula is washed by the waters of two seas - the Black and Azov. The duration of the Crimean coastline is quite large - 2500 km, however, about half of this space falls on the Sivash zone, which is practically unsuitable for recreation and swimming. Generally, water resources Tauris is more than diverse: there are also mountain rivers, and lakes, and estuaries, and waterfalls, and reservoirs, and much more. Unfortunately, all this diversity is completely insufficient to provide residents and visitors of the peninsula fresh water. The situation became doubly tense in 2014 due to the shutdown of the North Crimean Canal, cut off from Crimea by decree of the Ukrainian authorities. The longest river of the peninsula is Salgir, which stretches for 232 km from Mount Chatyrdag to Sivash, however, the longest deep rivers are Chernaya and Belbek. AT summer time many Crimean rivers almost completely dry up. Another curious specific feature of the Crimea is the abundance of salt lakes with therapeutic mud; especially a lot of them in the north of Crimea. Despite the fact that it is possible to develop a medical and tourism industry here, similar to Israel, this resource is still underused.

Flora

The flora of Crimea is amazing and diverse: in total, about 2,500 species of wild higher plants grow here, many of which are listed in the Red Book. What distinguishes and distinguishes the Crimean vegetation? Firstly, about 250 species of so-called endemics grow in the Crimea - i.e. plants that are found only in the Crimea and nowhere else. Secondly, there are also many relics in the Crimea, i.e. vegetation species that have not changed for many millions of years and have been preserved in their original form. Thirdly, the Crimean vegetation has analogues among the plants of other Black Sea and Mediterranean regions - because of the similar climate, and also because about 1000 plant species were brought to Crimea by colonists from their place of residence. It is for this reason that the flora of Crimea has its current, diverse and amazing character. Of the most remarkable plants of the Crimea, it is worth highlighting Steven's maple, Stankevich's pine, yew berry, juniper, pyramidal cypress, Crimean thyme, Poyarkova hawthorn, wormwood, feather grass and many others.

The Crimean flora, as well as the fauna, can also be divided into steppe, mountain and south coast. In the northern Crimea and on the Kerch Peninsula, steppe vegetation and stunted shrubs predominate. Further, in the foothills, the steppe is replaced by the forest-steppe: not only shrubs, but also trees such as oak, juniper, hornbeam and pear are already appearing here. Further south, in the zone of the Inner Ridge, the woody diversity becomes richer, with oak and beech forests, hawthorn, sumpia, dogwood, ash and linden. At an altitude of 1000 m, already in the area of ​​​​the Main Ridge, the trees disappear: the majestic spaces of the yayla are almost treeless and resemble high-altitude steppe expanses. It is there that about 25% of Crimean endemics grow. On the southern coast of Crimea you can find a belt pine forests, which, in general, is not very typical for the peninsula. In addition to natural forests, a significant part of the Crimea is also occupied by artificial plantations, parks and botanical gardens. The most famous of them are Alupka and Massandra parks, as well as the founded H.Kh. Steven in the 19th century Nikitsky Botanical Garden.

Fauna

No less unique and animal world Crimea. Since the peninsula is actually isolated from the mainland, a unique complex of animal species has formed on it, different from the species composition of nearby Ukraine and mainland Russia. A specific feature of the Crimean fauna is a high level of endemism, i.e. the presence of species inherent only in the Crimea. On the other hand, it is extremely curious that in the Crimea there are not many animals living in neighboring territories. In general, more than 60 species of mammals live in the Crimea. The largest of them are the Crimean red deer, fallow deer and wild boar. For a long time there were no wolves in the Crimea at all, however, in last years there is movement gray predators to the Crimea from the territory of southern Ukraine. Like a politically illiterate animal, the wolf does not pay attention to the 2014 war between Crimea and Ukraine. state border. In the Black and Azov Seas there are three species of dolphins and - extremely rarely - a monk seal. There are more than 300 species of birds in Crimea. The largest are the crane, bustard, swans, geese and large predators: steppe eagle, black vulture, golden eagle, peregrine falcon and eagle owl. The best place for bird watching in the Crimea is the reserve "Lebyazhy Islands" in the north-west of the peninsula.

Insects

Entomofauna (insects) of the Crimea has, according to various estimates, from 10 to 15 thousand species. There are about 2000 species of butterflies alone in the Crimea! It is not for nothing that the lover of Lepidoptera felt so good in the Crimea - Vladimir Nabokov - whose first article on English language was just dedicated to the Crimean butterflies. Of the most remarkable endemic insect species, it is worth highlighting the Crimean ground beetle, the Black Sea marigold butterfly, the brilliant beauty dragonfly and Smirnov's horsefly. It is especially pleasant that both among the animals and among the insects of the Crimea there are practically no poisonous ones, and those that live there (for example, centipede, scorpion, tarantula, salpuga, steppe viper) are so rare that attacks on people are rare.

This is what natural beauties look like Crimean peninsula. There is everything for the most demanding traveler: mountains, sea, bays, waterfalls, steppes, salt and fresh lakes, natural and artificial caves, nature reserves and parks, unique endemic plants, trees, animals and insects. To make sure of this - pack your luggage, put things off, buy tickets - and explore our treasure peninsula on your own. Crimea is waiting for you!

Nature is a kind of absolute for a person, without it a person's life is simply impossible, this truth is not obvious to everyone, judging by how people care about nature. A person receives everything necessary for life from environment, nature provides conditions for the prosperity of all forms of life on earth. The role of nature in human life is fundamental. It is worth mentioning peremptory facts and looking at concrete examples that nature gives to man. In nature, everything is interconnected, one element will disappear, the whole chain will fail.

What gives man nature

Air, earth, water, fire - the four elements, the eternal manifestations of nature. It is not worth explaining that without air, human life is simply impossible. Why do people, when cutting forests, not worry about new plantings, so that the trees continue to work for the benefit of air purification. The earth gives a person so many benefits that it is difficult to count: these are minerals, the ability to grow various crops with the help of agriculture, to live on earth. We get food from the bosom of nature, whether it is plant foods (vegetables, fruits, cereals) or animal foods (meat, dairy products). Material goods have the source of raw materials of the blessings of nature. Clothing is sewn from fabrics that are the basis natural materials. Furniture in houses is made of wood, paper is made of wood. Cosmetics, household chemicals are based on plant components. Water is embodied in oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, groundwater, glaciers. Drinking water satisfies the needs of people around the world, people are made of water, from which a person cannot live without water even a day. It is impossible to imagine life in everyday life without water: with the help of water, people wash, wash, wash anything, water is indispensable in production. Nature gives man heat in the form of fire, wood, coal, oil and gas are also sources of energy.

Nature energizes a person, inspires him to new achievements, fills him with strength. What are the sunsets and sunrises, the moments are filled with great meaning, the end of the day and the beginning of a new one, when everything becomes possible, despite the past day. The sun is a source of joy, happiness, remember in sunny weather somehow especially beautiful all around. The sun gives life and development to all life on earth. There are people who have given up their usual food and feed on solar energy.

Nature is able to restore human strength after exhausting mental or physical work, it is not without reason that many people go to rest in the mountains, in the forest, to the ocean, to the sea, river or lake. The harmony of nature brings balance to the frantic rhythm of human existence.

Staying in nature in one of the above areas has a positive effect on human health, headaches disappear, the general condition and well-being of a person improves. It is not for nothing that many people like to spend time in nature. These forms of leisure include: camping, picnicking, just a trip out of town for a couple of hours. In places remote from the bustle of the city, you can upgrade, sort out thoughts, feelings, emotions, look inside yourself. A lot of unique herbs, flowers of trees surround a person, giving fragrance and benefits, take the time to enjoy, admire them.

People are inextricably linked with nature, she takes care of him throughout the entire existence of a person, why does a person only take and give nothing in return. People pollute the environment every day, thoughtlessly handle the gifts of nature. Perhaps it’s worth stopping, thinking, since nature gives so much to a person, isn’t it worth reciprocating and taking care of her as reverently as she takes care of us.