Natural economic zones of the European south. Monument of nature in Adygea

The structure of the European South of Russia includes the lands of two federal districts: the North Caucasus (NCFD) and the Southern (Southern Federal District). Approximately 1/7 of the population of the Russian Federation lives in these territories. The advantage of the EGP of the European South lies in its close proximity to Central Russia and the presence of maritime borders.

Features of the geographical location

This region is located in the south of the European part of Russia, and covers an area of 355 thousand square meters. km.
It is characterized by border, marginal and coastal geographical position:

in the east, the region is washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea - the largest salt lake in the world;
in the west, the European South of Russia is washed by the Black and Azov Seas of the Atlantic Ocean;
in the northwest there is a border with Ukraine;
in the south, the Main Caucasian Range serves as a natural border with South Ossetia, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia and Georgia;
in the north and northeast, the southern region borders on the central regions of Russia.

The relief of the European South is very diverse, as it includes plains, smoothly turning into foothills and high mountain ranges. Each area has a unique climate, soils, flora and fauna, recreational resources.

The Caucasus Mountains are the youngest and highest in Russia. They stretch from northwest to southeast for 1100 km, reaching 180 km at their widest point. The highest point of the Caucasus is Mount Elbrus (5642 m).

Rice. 1. Caucasus mountains.

The southern region of Russia is rich in natural resources: there are deposits of non-ferrous metals, natural gas, oil, coal, building materials on its territory.

Population of the European South

This region is the most numerous in Russia.
It consists of two federal districts:

SFD with the center in the city of Rostov-on-Don. It includes the Adyghe and Kalmyk Republics, the Krasnodar Territory, the Rostov, Volgograd and Astrakhan Regions.
North Caucasus Federal District with the center in the city of Pyatigorsk. Includes Ingush, Dagestan, Karachay-Cherkess, Kabardino-Balkarian, Chechen Republics, North Ossetia and Stavropol Territory.

Such a variety of republics and regions determined the rich national composition of the European South of Russia. Dozens of different nationalities and ethnic groups live in the same territory.

The most numerous are such indigenous peoples as: Ossetians, Chechens and Kabardians, living, for the most part, within their republics. The share of the Russian population fluctuates in different regions, but at the same time remains the leader in the southern region.

Problems and prospects for the development of the economy

In the southern region, the fuel (extraction of coal, gas and oil) and mining (extraction of metal ores) industry has received the greatest importance.

The European South of Russia is characterized by problems in the development of energy and the metallurgical complex.

The main branch of specialization of the region is the food industry. Almost all its types are well developed here: oil-pressing, meat, fruit and vegetable, tea, sugar, fish and many others.

The development of the territory of the southern region of Russia made it possible to develop agriculture well. For the successful cultivation of crops, all the conditions are present here: fertile black earth soils, mild climate, suitable terrain.

The European South of Russia is one of the best health resorts in the country. The resort industry is well developed in many cities: some of them offer holidays on the sea coast, others offer health improvement in mountainous areas, and others are indispensable in the treatment of many diseases with water from healing mineral springs.

The European South includes one economic region - the North Caucasus.

Economic and geographical position of the region

Natural resource potential

a) In terms of nature, the North Caucasus region is divided into two parts: flat and mountainous. - these are young mountains where the mountain-building process has not yet been completed, therefore the intrusion of magma gives deposits of non-ferrous metal ores, especially tungsten-molybdenum (Kabardino-Balkaria) and lead-zinc (North Caucasus). On the flat part of the region, coal is located in sedimentary covers.

AT agro-industrial complex , which accounts for about 50% of the region's products, all 3 links are developed. It produces 80% of the country's combine harvesters (Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog), machines for growing grapes, tobacco and equipment for. Agriculture in the western part specializes in the cultivation of wheat (Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories), sunflower, tobacco, rice, sugar beet grapes (Lower Don). Of the industries, meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig breeding (on the waste of sugar production and grain) and poultry farming are developed here. To the east, due to the great dryness, sugar beet is not grown, corn is grown less, pig breeding is replaced by sheep breeding (Dagestan plains). On the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus there is a subtropical economy where tea, tobacco, and citrus fruits are grown. The food industry is engaged in the processing of agricultural products. The sectors of the food industry of the North Caucasian economic region are butter, sugar, fruit and vegetable canning, wine-making and many others.

For The region is characterized by the development of metal-intensive industries: the production of electric locomotives (Novocherkassk), power engineering (Volgodonsk, the Atommash plant). Favorable conditions for the development of these industries are determined by the proximity of the metallurgical base and convenient transport links.

Fuel and energy complex It is provided with its own raw materials: coal is mined in the Eastern Donbass (Rostov region), and oil and gas are mined in the foothills of the Caucasus region. The rivers of the region have significant water resources.

The resort economy of the Black Sea coast (Sochi, Anapa, Tuapse) and the Stavropol Territory (Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Mineralnye Vody) acquires national importance.

In the mountainous regions of the North Caucasus, there have long been artistic crafts.

The purpose of the lesson: to assess the economic and geographical position of the North Caucasus, to identify the features of the natural conditions and natural resources of the region, and to find out under the influence of what factors the recreational, natural conditions and resources of the European South were formed.

Rostov Region Krasnodar Territory Stavropol Territory Adygea Karachay-Cherkessia Kabardino-Balkaria North Ossetia Ingushetia Chechnya Dagestan Black Sea Caspian Sea Sea of Azov

If an area borders on other states, then it has ………….. Position Compared to other areas, relative to the sides of the horizon, this area is…….? What are the natural boundaries of the region? transport position. Is the area rich in natural resources? What?

“I have been in the mountains before, I have seen in part the Bavarian Alps, the mountains in Colorado and many other places, but I have never felt so helpless on Earth ... The Caucasus Mountains ... look in their impregnable magnificence as a separate world. Battlements and towers, saddles and minarets, all this is made of snow, and we, strangers, are now beginning to understand what Pushkin, Lermontov and Tolstoy wrote under the first impression of this mystical splendor. Knut Hamsun

The European South is the southernmost region in Russia, which is divided on the mountainous and flat parts and has seaside position: in the east it is washed by the Caspian Sea, and in the west - by the Black and Azov. North Caucasus borders in the north with Ukraine, the Central Black Earth region and the Volga region, and in the south with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. transport network well developed on the flat part, there are no railways in the mountains, they run only along the coast: Tuapse, Sochi, Sukhumi, Makhachkala, Derbent, Baku. A highway to Tbilisi, the former Georgian Military Highway, was laid through the main ridge.

Monument of nature in Adygea

On the southwestern outskirts of the village of Kamennomostsky there is a famous Khadzhokh gorge, it is called " Noise". At a depth of 35-40 m in a gloomy gorge, 6-7 m wide, and in some places up to 2 m, foaming and swirling with terrible force, carries its waters Belaya river. On the sheer, almost bare limestone walls of the canyon, recesses-niches are visible, the result of centuries-old work of water (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Khadzhokh gorge ()

The length of the gorge is 350-400 m. Throughout its entire length, the river hits the wall with fury, so that, rebounding with even greater force, it will run into another. The water boils and foams like in a cauldron, breaking into tiny splashes and, finally, breaks out of the tight stone captivity, slows down its run and freely spills up to 50-60 m along the valley.

Georgian military road

This name is known for the road that runs from Vladikavkaz to Tiflis (Fig. 3). During the construction of the Georgian Military Highway, it was necessary to fight both with nature and with the mountain tribes. Huge pieces of rock were broken off in order to make the descent more gentle. In places where the rocks were almost sheer, they built an artificial wall and filled the voids with rock. The struggle with nature continues to this day (Fig. 4).

Rice. 3. Georgian military road ()

Rice. 4. Georgian military road ()

Glaciers descending from the top of Kazbek cause collapses: the most dangerous of the 8 glaciers of Kazbek is Devdoraksky. To prevent blockages on the slopes of the mountains, horizontal platforms or stone galleries are built; but not everywhere these measures are possible; such a measure is inapplicable to the sheer cliffs of the Baidar Gorge. At present, the Georgian Military Highway is a wide highway running along the Terek and Aragva gorges and the watershed between them. Between Vladikavkaz and Tiflis there are 11 stations, of which 4 lie on the northern slope of the mountains and 7 - beyond the pass. The length of the road is 208 km. The Georgian Military Highway is described in several literary works, for example, in M.Yu. Lermontov or in the novel "12 Chairs" by I. Ilf and E. Petrov.

The relief of this economic region is flat in the north and mountainous in the south. Caucasus- these are young high folded mountains (Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Caucasus Mountains ()

Mountain building is still going on here. The Caucasus Mountains have three parts: the Rocky, Lateral and Main ranges. Within the Central Caucasus are the highest peaks Russia: two-headed Elbrus (5642 m) (Fig. 6), which is an extinct volcano, and Kazbek (5033 m) (Fig. 7).

Rice. 6. Mount Elbrus ()

Rice. 7. Mount Kazbek ()

There are also mountains Mashuk and Beshtau. Climate This area is temperate, with warm long summers and heavy rainfall. In summer, this region receives 1.5 times more solar radiation than the Central part of Russia. Especially large amount of precipitation falls in the western territories. This is due to the fact that moist warm air masses from the Atlantic come here. This area - the western territory of the foothills of the Caucasus - is most favorable for the development of agriculture, especially crop production, because summer lasts 11 months. But the eastern parts of this region, where the Caspian lowland is located, are distinguished by a hot and arid climate. Droughts often occur in summer and autumn, accompanied by dry winds and dust storms. The climate in the highlands differs from the foothill areas. Here, with altitude, the air temperature drops and permanent or temporary winds, such as foehn or bora, are formed. Föhn- a strong, warm and dry wind blowing from the mountains to the valley, usually blows in autumn, winter and spring, under its influence snow melts in the mountains.

Climate of the North Caucasus- temperate continental, and on the Black Sea coast - subtropical. In winter, the climate is characterized by cold weather with snow cover, and in summer - heat with thunderstorms and foehns. There is a lot of heat on the plains of the North Caucasus. Here, the average July temperatures are over 20 °C, and summer lasts about 5 months. Average January temperatures range from -10 to +6 °C, and winter lasts only 3 months. The rest of the year is occupied by spring and autumn.

North Caucasian mountain rivers: Don, Kuban (Fig. 8), Terek - used for irrigation and water resources.

Rice. 8. Kuban River ()

Mountain rivers differ from flat ones in the nature of the flow: they are, first of all, stormy and rapids. The main source of food for such rivers is melted glacial and snow water, so mountain rivers have clear and very cold water. Only in the lower reaches such large rivers as the Kuban or the Terek have a calm flow. Here are located plavni- vast swampy areas covered with reeds or reeds. Soils in the region are fertile, chernozems. The thickness of the humus layer reaches 2 m. Chestnut soils are observed in the southeast. The steppes in the west gradually turn into dry steppes and semi-deserts. Found in the mountains altitudinal zonality, or altitudinal zoning- a natural change in natural conditions and landscapes in the mountains as the height increases.

Altitudinal zonality of the Caucasus

Caucasus- a vast territory between the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas with an area of 440 thousand km 2. natural conditions The Caucasus range from subtropics in the lowlands of Transcaucasia to the eternal snows and ices of the Greater Caucasus. Dombai- the top of the western part of the Main, or Dividing Range of the Greater Caucasus (Fig. 9).

Rice. 9. Top Dombai ()

The summit, whose height is 4046 m, is located at the headwaters of the Teberda River. The peaks are covered with eternal snows and glaciers. The Western Caucasus is part of the Greater Caucasus mountain system.

Rice. 10. Nature of the mountainous Caucasus ()

Mountain-forest and mountain-meadow landscapes dominate here (Fig. 10). Alpine meadows rich in herbs have been summer pastures for pastoralists for centuries. Flowering rhododendron- one of the plants of alpine meadows (Fig. 11).

Rice. 11. Rhododendron ()

Bushes, depending on the species, reach a height of 30-40 cm to 2-3 m. In total, there are more than 12 varieties in the world. From the foot of the Caucasus Mountains to the summit, natural zones change as follows: first, dry steppe and semi-deserts, then forest and steppe, mountain-forest belt, subalpine and alpine meadows, and the peaks are covered with snow and glaciers.

The territory of the region is rich in resources. Donbass coal of high quality is mined underground, its cost is high, but the reserves are depleted. Gas is mined in the Stavropol Territory, oil - in the region of Grozny and Makhachkala, tungsten-molybdenum ores - in Kabardino-Balkaria (Fig. 12).

Rice. 12. Map of natural resources of the North Caucasus ()

Ciscaucasia is located in the steppe zone, has fertile soil - chernozem. Rivers: Kuban, Don, Terek - used for irrigation. The region is also rich in recreational resources. Famous resort cities are located on the Black Sea coast: Sochi, Anapa, Gelendzhik. Elbrus region is a region of mountaineering and skiing. In the cities of Essentuki, Pyatigorsk, Zheleznogorsk, Kislovodsk there are sanatoriums with medicinal mineral waters (Fig. 13).

Rice. 13. Recreational resources of the North Caucasus ()

Bibliography

1. Customs E.A. Geography of Russia: economy and regions: Grade 9, textbook for students of educational institutions. - M.: Ventana-Graf, 2011.

2. Fromberg A.E. Economic and social geography. - 2011, 416 p.

3. Atlas of economic geography, grade 9. - Bustard, 2012.

2. Internet portal "nationalsecurity.ru" ()

Homework

1. Tell us about the geographical location of the North Caucasus.

2. Tell us about the natural resources and recreations of the Caucasus.

3. Prepare a report on the relief and climate of the European South of Russia.

The European South is the southernmost region of Russia. For a correct assessment of the geographical position of the European South, it is necessary to take into account its role in ensuring the geopolitical interests of Russia. This is the only area providing the country's access to the Azov and Black Seas, the states of Transcaucasia.

In a relatively small area of the European South (355.1 thousand km 2), 17.7 million people live. In terms of population, the North Caucasus ranks third in Russia after the Central and Ural regions. The average population density in the region is 49.8 people per km2, which is more than five times higher than the average for Russia. However, population density is not high everywhere. Plains and foothill areas are most densely populated. Higher in the mountains suitable for cultivation and settlement. There are relatively few plots of land, therefore there are fewer inhabitants here. The proportion of city dwellers in the European South is low (54%), which is due to the significant role of the agro-industrial complex in its economy. The network of urban settlements is represented mainly by small and medium-sized cities. At the same time, large urban centers - Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar - are also growing rapidly. The North Caucasus is the most multinational region of Russia. 42 nationalities live here, having independent languages.

In the bowels of the mountains and plains of the North Caucasus there are many various minerals. There are all kinds of the most important fuel and energy resources here. The eastern wing of the Donetsk coal basin enters the territory of the Rostov region. Oil reserves are concentrated in the Krasnodar Territory, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan. The most famous gas fields are Severo-Stavropolskoe, Maikopskoe, Dagestanskie Ogni. The North Caucasus has significant resources of various ore minerals. There are deposits of polymetallic ores (the largest is Sadonskoye in North Ossetia), tungsten-molybdenum ores (Tyrnauzskoye in Kabardino-Balkaria, Ktiteberdinskoye in Karachay-Cherkessia), copper ores (Urupskoye in Karachay-Cherkessia, Khudesskoye, Kizil-Dere in Dagestan). Large deposits of mercury are also located within the region - in the Krasnodar Territory and North Ossetia. Non-metallic minerals are represented by barites, rock salt, sulfur and raw materials for the production of building materials.

The water resources of the North Caucasus are the waters of the rivers of the basins of the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas and groundwater. The largest rivers here are Don, Kuma, Kuban, Terek, Sulak. Although water resources are significant, they are unevenly distributed throughout the region. The foothills and the Azov-Black Sea plain have a dense river network, while the steppe regions of the left bank of the Don and the northeastern Caspian regions are poor in water resources.

The North Caucasus is one of the most forest-poor regions of Russia (it accounts for only 0.5% of the forested area of the Russian Federation). The soils of the North Caucasus are highly fertile: chernozems and chestnut soils are common here, which are of high quality.

The recreational resources of the region are unique. The mild climate, the abundance of mineral springs and therapeutic mud, warm sea waters create the richest opportunities for treatment and recreation.

In the all-Russian division of labor, the European South is distinguished by a high level of development of the agro-industrial, machine-building and fuel and energy complexes. In our country and abroad, it is widely known as an area of resorts and tourism.

The agro-industrial complex provides 50% of the region's production. The agriculture of the European South produces 25% of Russian grain, 30% of sugar beet, 55% of sunflower, 20% of vegetables. This is the only region in the country where subtropical crops are grown: tea, pomegranates, citrus fruits, persimmons, figs. Favorable and diverse soil and climatic conditions make it possible to grow various agricultural crops in the region, the main of which are winter wheat and corn. The main areas of their cultivation are the Krasnodar Territory, the Rostov Region and the western part of the Stavropol Territory. Rice is cultivated on flooded lands in the lower reaches of the Kuban, as well as on irrigated lands in the Rostov region and Dagestan. Among industrial crops, the main one is sunflower (Krasnodar Territory). The North Caucasus is a large viticulture region (the Lower Don, the Black Sea coast, Dagestan); almost all the vineyards of Russia are located here. Animal husbandry in the North Caucasus is characterized by a high level of development. In terms of livestock and its productivity, this is one of the leading regions of the country. For cattle breeding, development of pig and poultry farming, there is a highly productive fodder base here - extensive crops of corn, fodder root crops, etc. Of all-Russian importance is fine-wool sheep breeding (Rostov Region, Stavropol Territory, the plains of Dagestan). The North Caucasus accounts for half of the fine wool harvested in Russia.

In the European South, there are almost all industries that process agricultural raw materials: vegetable and fruit and fat-and-oil plants, the production of flour, cereals, and meat products. The food industry is the leading industrial sector.

The North Caucasus is also developing as a region of heavy industry. Among them, the fuel and energy complex is of great importance, including coal mining in the eastern part of Donbass, oil production in the Grozny region and natural gas. Part of the natural gas is supplied through gas pipelines to regions of the European territory of Russia. Part of it goes to our own thermal power plants: Rostov, Krasnodar and others, and part is processed into nitrogen fertilizers (plants in Nevinnomyssk, Belorechensk). The North Caucasus is an important area for the extraction of non-ferrous metals and their processing. Lead and zinc, tungsten and molybdenum are smelted here.

An important branch of industry in the North Caucasus is mechanical engineering. Agricultural engineering is developed here; 80% of the country's combine harvesters are produced in the North Caucasus (Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog). Transport engineering is also developed here - most of Russia's electric locomotives are produced in Novocherkassk.

The most important areas of sanatorium and resort economy and tourism are located on the territory of the North Caucasus. 30% of the reserves of therapeutic mud and mineral waters of Russia are concentrated here. The main resort areas are the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories.