Natural zoning of Russia

The historical development of the geographical envelope took place over a number of stages:

• pre-biogenic;
• Biogenic;
• Anthropogenic.

The anthropogenic stage began $38$-$40 thousand years ago, when, according to researchers, modern man appeared. With its appearance in the development of the geographical envelope, a new period began. To understand the essence of natural processes and phenomena, a deep study of the geographical envelope is important. This will allow us to present the human environment as a single natural system. The development of nature and human well-being are inextricably linked. The problem of complex physical-geographical zoning in the interaction of man and nature is one of the most important. Nature is not homogeneous. There are natural territorial units in it, which differ in their origin, interaction, composition of natural components. Natural zoning should take into account the characteristics of the territories and their natural conditions, zonality and azonality of factors in the formation of the environment and human activities. In different parts of Russia, physical and geographical processes manifest themselves in different ways, therefore, when zoning, it is necessary to take into account the entire natural complex and its modern structure. Human activity today has a high degree of impact on certain components of nature and natural complexes in general, so they are usually divided into natural and anthropogenic. According to the degree of their transformation, there are subdivision schemes:

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Immutable complexes. They are usually visited by people very rarely, for example, natural complexes in the Arctic or Antarctic;

Weakly modified complexes. Individual components can be affected by a person, but there is no violation of the general natural connections.

Disturbed complexes. In this case, there is a violation of natural connections and a change in the circulation of matter and energy, which is the result of a long and irrational impact. An example of disturbed complexes can be abandoned quarries, coal mines, mines, waste heaps, etc.

Transformed or anthropogenic complexes. In this case, natural links change purposefully through rational nature management. In these complexes there is a high biological productivity. In addition, there is an intensive biogenic circulation of substances. Transformed can be called national parks, reclaimed fields, where adverse natural processes are reduced to a minimum.

Today, there are various schemes of natural zoning, but in Russia the division of the territory into physical and geographical countries is most widely known:

1. East European Plain, she is Russian;
2. North Caucasus;
3. Ural or Ural Mountains;
4. Western Siberia;
5. Central and North-Eastern Siberia;
6. Mountain belt of Southern Siberia;
7. Far East.

Remark 1

All large natural complexes of Russia are single geostructural area large enough. This may be a platform or a folded area, which has a certain geological age, expressed by the corresponding form of relief - a lowland or a higher plain, folded or folded-block mountains. They are characterized by certain climatic conditions and appropriate soil and vegetation cover.

Natural complexes

Nature consists of its inherent components, which are:

1. Relief;
2. Climate;
3. Inland waters;
4. Vegetable world;
5. Animal world;
6. Soils.

All of them have come a long way of their development and their combinations are not accidental, but natural. All components interact with each other and are closely interconnected, forming a natural system.

Definition 1

A single system of components of nature is called natural-territorial complex(PTK), or landscape.

The founder of Russian landscape science is L.S. Berg, he defined landscapes as areas with similar natural components. Speaking about natural-territorial complexes, L.S. Berg represented them as an organism in which each link is a particle of the whole, and the whole influences the parts. PTC can be of different sizes, but the largest is considered to be the entire geographical envelope. The continents and oceans will be smaller, and the smallest natural territorial complexes will include ravines, meadows, and ponds. All components of this or that complex are closely related to each other, and the violation of one leads to the violation of other components.

The reasons that form natural complexes are divided into two groups:

Zonal. They are external factors and depend on the uneven heating of the Earth's surface. This heating depends on the geographical latitude of the place and decreases from the equator to the north. In connection with the zonal factor, the formation of geographical zones and natural zones occurred, which, as a rule, are well expressed on the plain. In mountainous areas and in the ocean, the change of zonal natural complexes occurs, respectively, with height and depth. Zonal natural complexes are the zone of tundra, steppes, taiga, the zone of mixed forests, alpine meadows, etc.

Azonal. These are already internal factors and they will depend on the processes that take place in the bowels of the planet. The result of these processes is the geological structure, terrain. Azonal factors have led to the formation of physiographic countries, which can be identified by the geological structure and the relief associated with it. The azonal natural complexes include, for example, the East European Plain, the Ural Mountains, the Amazonian Lowland, etc.

Remark 2

As a result, it turns out that the planet is a system of zonal and azonal complexes. Moreover, the azonal complexes are, as it were, the foundation, and the zonal complexes are a kind of “veil”. Touching and penetrating each other, they form part of a single geographical shell.

Over time, natural-territorial complexes can change, but their most rapid change occurs as a result of human economic activity, which leads to the appearance anthropogenic complexes.

According to the degree of change, natural complexes are differentiated:

1. Weakly modified. As a rule, these are hunting grounds;
2. Changed are arable lands, small settlements;
3. Heavily modified. These include urban settlements, deforestation sites, areas for the development of minerals, etc.
4. Improved - areas for sanitary cleaning of the forest, park areas.

Remark 3

Anthropogenic impact on landscapes acts as an important nature-forming factor. Of course, a person changes nature with his activity, but at the same time it is important to remember that the transformation of natural territorial complexes must take place with the obligatory consideration that all components in the WPC are closely interconnected. This is the only way to avoid disturbing the natural balance.

nature management

A special area of ​​social production activity, which is aimed at meeting human needs with the help of the riches of nature, is nature management. It is in it that the active role of human society in relation to the environment finds its expression. nature management can be rational and irrational.

Rational nature management presupposes the harmonious existence of man and nature, prevents harmful effects on nature, reasonably regulates the development of its resources, and thus ensures normal living conditions for people. With rational nature management, society must manage its relationship with nature. Examples of rational nature management include the creation of reserves and reserves, the "design" of landscapes, the construction of treatment facilities, land reclamation, the development of new "clean" production technologies, the rational distribution of "dirty" industries across the territory.

Irrational nature management this is simply a dependent attitude towards nature, when nature only has to give something to a person. With such an attitude towards nature, natural resources are catastrophically lost, their quality and properties are reduced. The disappearance of certain species of flora and fauna, the decline in soil fertility, the appearance of man-made deserts, lands unsuitable for use, pollution of the atmosphere, water, soil - all these are examples of irrational nature management.

It has gone through a number of stages in its historical development. These are pre-biogenic, biogenic and anthropogenic. The last anthropogenic stage began somewhere around 38-40 thousand years ago. Researchers attribute the appearance of modern man to this time, and this is taken as the beginning of the anthropogenic period in the development of the geographical envelope. The study of the geographic envelope helps to better understand the essence of natural processes and phenomena, to present our habitat as a single natural system, allows us to better understand the role and place of man in nature and the role that society is called upon to play in it. The well-being of man is inextricably linked with the full-blooded development of nature.

Natural, or complex physical-geographical zoning, is one of the most important problems in the interaction of man and nature, nature and society. The essence of natural zoning lies in the identification of territorial units (TCUs) existing in nature that differ in origin and interaction and in the composition of natural components. Natural zoning is carried out on the basis of taking into account the totality of natural conditions of various territories, and the azonality of factors in the formation of the habitat and human production activities. When zoning, the entire natural complex and its modern structure are taken into account, as well as the physical and geographical processes that manifest themselves differently in different parts of Russia.

In modern conditions, in conditions of a high degree of impact of human activity on individual natural components and in general, their division into natural and cultural or anthropogenic is accepted. Also adopted are the schemes of divisions according to the degree of their transformation into:

- unchanged, occasionally visited by man (for example, natural complexes or), many high-altitude complexes;

- slightly modified, in which individual components are affected by a person, but natural connections are not broken;

- disturbed, exposed to long-term irrational impact, which led to the disruption of natural relationships and changes in the circulation of matter and energy (abandoned quarries, coal mines, mines, waste heaps, etc.);

- transformed, or actually cultural (anthropogenic), in which natural connections are purposefully changed by rational. Such natural complexes are characterized by high biological productivity, intensive biogenic circulation of substances. These include reclaimed fields, where adverse natural processes (washout, etc.) are reduced to a minimum.

Currently, many different schemes of natural zoning are known. But for the territory of Russia, the most widely known in the rank of physical and geographical

Variety of natural complexes

All components of nature are closely and inextricably linked with each other. A change in one of them causes a change in the others. These relationships are expressed in the exchange of matter and energy. This happens within a specific area. Therefore, a natural territorial complex (NTC) is a natural combination of interrelated components of nature in a certain territory.

Natural territorial complexes are of great practical importance for agriculture, land reclamation, recreation, construction of cities, roads. Without knowledge of the characteristics of a particular natural complex, there can be no question of the rational use, protection and improvement of the natural environment. Three main levels are distinguished in the hierarchy of natural complexes: local (facies), regional (natural zone, province), global (geographical envelope).

On the territory of Russia, there are many different PTCs. Natural, or physical-geographical, zoning serves as the main method for identifying NTCs and establishing their boundaries. The identification of large NTCs on the territory of Russia is based on differences in the geological structure, topography, and climate.

According to these features, scientists physico-geographers usually distinguish on the territory of Russia:

1. Russian (East European) plain.

2. North Caucasus.

4. West Siberian lowland, or plain.

5. Central Siberia.

6. Northeast of Siberia.

7. Belt of mountains of Southern Siberia.

8. Far East.

We will consider six large natural regions: 1. Russian (East European) plain; 2. North Caucasus; 3. Ural; 4. West Siberian lowland; 5. Eastern Siberia; 6. Far East.

natural areas

Natural zonality is one of the main geographical patterns. The largest German naturalist Alexander Humboldt, having analyzed changes in climate and vegetation, found that there is a very close relationship between them, and climatic zones are at the same time vegetation zones. VV Dokuchaev proved that zoning is a universal law of nature. It is with zonality that the existence of large natural-territorial complexes (NTC), or natural (natural-historical - according to V.V. Dokuchaev) zones, is associated. Each of them is characterized by a certain ratio of heat and moisture, which play a leading role in the formation of the soil and vegetation cover.

On the territory of Russia, there is a change (from north to south) of the following natural zones: arctic deserts, tundra, forest tundra, taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forests, forest-steppes, steppes, semi-deserts. Almost all zones stretch from west to east for thousands of kilometers, and yet they retain common features throughout their entire length, due to the prevailing climatic conditions, the degree of moisture, soil types, and the nature of the vegetation cover. The similarity can be traced both in surface waters and in modern relief-forming processes. Academician L. S. Berg made a great contribution to the study of natural zones.

The Arctic desert zone is located on the islands of the Arctic Ocean and in the extreme north of the Taimyr Peninsula. A significant part of the surface is covered with ice; winters are long and harsh, summers are short and cold. The average temperature of the warmest month is close to zero (less than +4 °С). In such conditions, the snow in the summer does not have time to melt everywhere. Glaciers are forming. Large areas are occupied by stone placers. Soils are almost undeveloped. Vegetation on a snow- and ice-free surface does not form a closed cover. These are cold deserts. The plants are dominated by mosses and lichens. Flowering plants are represented by a small number of species and are rare. Of the animals, those fed by the sea predominate: birds and polar bears. Noisy bird colonies are located on the rocky shores in summer.

The tundra zone occupies the coast of the seas of the Arctic Ocean from the western border of the country to the Bering Strait, which is almost 1/6 of the territory of Russia. The tundra in some places reaches the Arctic Circle. The zone reaches its greatest extent (from north to south) in Western and Central Siberia. Compared to the Arctic deserts, summers in the tundra are warmer, but winters are long and cold. The average July temperature is +5... +10 °С. The southern boundary of the zone almost coincides with the July isotherm +10 °С. There is little precipitation - 200-300 mm per year. But with a lack of heat, evaporation is small, so humidification is excessive (K\u003e 1.5). Almost everywhere permafrost is widespread, which thaws in summer by only a few tens of centimeters. In places of its deeper thawing, shallow depressions are formed, which are filled with water. Without seeping into the frozen ground, moisture remains on the surface. The tundra is literally dotted with shallow and small lakes. Great and river flow. The rivers are full of water in the summer.

The soils of the zone are thin, tundra-gley, dominated by tundra vegetation of mosses, lichens and undersized shrubs. In the treelessness of the tundra, not only cold and permafrost are to blame, but also strong winds. The tundra zone with scarce reserves of heat, permafrost, moss-lichen and shrub communities are reindeer breeding areas. This is where fox is mined. There are many fish in the tundra lakes.

The forest-tundra zone stretches in a narrow strip along the southern border of the tundra zone. The average July temperature is +10... +14 °C, the annual precipitation is 300-400 mm. Much more precipitation falls than can evaporate, so the forest tundra is one of the most swampy natural zones. The rivers are fed by melted snow waters. High water on the rivers occurs at the beginning of summer, when the snow melts. The forest tundra is a transitional zone from the tundra to the taiga. It is characterized by a combination of tundra and forest communities of plants and animals, as well as soils.

Diversity of Russian forests. Forests are the wilderness of spruce forests, and the grandeur of oak forests, and pine forests soaked in the sun, and white-trunked birch forests. Forests are common in two natural zones: in the taiga zone and in the zone of mixed and broad-leaved forests.

The taiga zone is the largest natural zone in Russia in terms of area. In its various regions, many natural conditions are not the same - the general severity of the climate, the degree of moisture, mountainous or flat terrain, the number of sunny days, and the variety of soils. Therefore, the species of coniferous trees prevailing in the taiga are also different, which, in turn, changes the appearance of the taiga. Dark coniferous spruce-fir forests prevail in the European part of the zone and in Western Siberia, where they are joined by stone pine forests. Most of Central and Eastern Siberia is covered with larch forests. Pine forests grow everywhere on sandy and gravelly soils. The forests of the Far Eastern Primorye have a very special character, where on the Sikhote-Alin ridge, conifers - spruces and firs - are joined by such southern species as Amur velvet, cork oak, etc. The main wealth of the taiga is the forest. The taiga accounts for 50% of Russia's timber reserves. Hydropower resources account for more than 50% of the country's resources. The extraction of valuable furs is also almost entirely in the taiga zone.

The northern and middle taiga are characterized by a lack of heat (the sum of temperatures above 10 ° C is less than 1600 ° C) and infertile soils. Here, as in the forest-tundra, farming is of a focal nature.

The southern subzone of the taiga is more favorable for agriculture, although in order to increase the fertility of the lands, they must be drained, limed and fertilized. The conditions here are favorable for cattle breeding.

The zone of mixed and broad-leaved forests is located on the Russian Plain south of the taiga, is absent in the inland regions and reappears in the south of the Far East. The soils and vegetation of the zone change as you move from north to south. In the north, mixed coniferous-broad-leaved forests on soddy-podzolic soils are common, in the south - multi-tiered broad-leaved forests on gray forest soils. The Far Eastern mountain broad-leaved forests are very peculiar. Along with Siberian species, they contain tree and shrub species typical of the forests of Korea, China, Japan, and Mongolia. The vegetation of the zone, especially in the European part, is very strongly changed. Even our distant ancestors, in need of soils favorable for agriculture, began to cut down the local oak forests. Now the area of ​​forests covers less than 30% of the total area of ​​the zone. In their composition, a significant proportion of secondary small-leaved species - birch, aspen, alder. In place of the former forests, arable lands, gardens, and pastures are spread.

The forest-steppe zone is a transitional zone from forest to steppe. On the interfluves of the forest-steppe zone, broad-leaved (oak) and small-leaved forests on gray forest soils alternate with forb steppes on chernozems. The ratio of heat and moisture in the forest-steppe is close to optimal, but moisture is unstable. Droughts occur, dry winds often blow, so it is necessary to take measures to prevent their detrimental effect on crops (for example, planting forest belts). The soils of the forest-steppe zone are fertile. However, with the torrential nature of precipitation and the friendly melting of snow, the upper soil horizon is washed away, and ravines form in the fields. It is necessary to fight against water erosion. The nature of the zone has been greatly altered by human economic activity. In the west, plowing reaches 80%. Wheat, corn, sunflower, sugar beet and other crops are grown here.

The steppe zone is small in area and occupies the south of the European part of the country and Western Siberia. The example of the steppes clearly shows that it is impossible to judge moisture content only by the amount of precipitation. There is little precipitation here - from 300 to 450 mm, about the same as in the tundra zone. But the tundra is swampy and characterized by excessive moisture. In the steppes, there is a lack of moisture. The moisture coefficient in the steppe zone varies from 0.6-0.8 (near the northern border) to 0.3 (in the south). Cyclones pass over the steppe less frequently than over the forest zone. In summer the weather is clear and sunny. High summer temperatures (the average temperature in July is +21 ... +23 °С) and strong winds cause significant evaporation from the surface and occasional droughts, dry winds, and dust storms that cause great damage to vegetation. Since there is little precipitation, and evaporation is 2 times higher than the amount of precipitation, there are no conditions for leaching of humus into the depth of soil horizons. In the steppe, chernozems with a very dark color and a granular structure are common. The thickness of the humus horizon reaches 50-80 cm. In the basin of the Kuban River, the boundary of this horizon is marked at a depth of 1.5 m. Chernozems are the most fertile soils in our country. In the southern strip of the steppes, dark chestnut soils are common, less fertile and often saline.

At present, the steppe zone is almost completely plowed up. The stock of plant mass in the steppes is much less than in the forest zone. Due to long droughts, grasses wither and burn out by the middle of summer. That is why steppe plants have deep, branched roots, giving up to 80% of the plant mass.

The fauna of the steppes is very different from the taiga. Various small rodents predominate - ground squirrels, marmots, jerboas, hamsters, voles. Herds of wild horses roamed the prehistoric steppes;

The steppe is the country's main grain granary. Wheat, corn, sunflower and other important crops are grown here.

Semi-deserts and deserts are located in the Caspian and Eastern Ciscaucasia.

The semi-desert, like the steppe, is treeless. It has features of both steppes and deserts. The climate here is sharply continental. Precipitation is low - 250 mm per year. Evaporation is 4-7 times higher than the amount of precipitation. Together with the evaporated moisture, soluble substances move into the upper soil horizons, which leads to their salinization. The soils are chestnut and brown desert-steppe. Artemisia-cereal vegetation prevails, sensitively reacting to the proximity of groundwater. The soils are quite fertile, but their artificial irrigation is necessary for farming. Semi-deserts are good pastures for sheep and camels. With external scarcity of vegetation, each hectare produces 4-8 tons of organic matter per year.

Deserts are characterized by an even greater moisture deficit (less than 150 mm per year) and higher average temperatures in July - +25 °C. Summer here is longer and hotter. On average, there are at least 200 sunny days here per year. The soils are even more saline than in the semi-desert. Clay deserts are especially poorly provided with moisture, since clay retains moisture on the surface and it quickly evaporates. Moisture coefficient does not exceed 0.1-0.3.

Sparse vegetation usually covers less than half of the desert surface. There is little plant mass, and it dries quickly. The accumulation of humus from the recession almost does not occur. Desert soils are gray soils. Due to the large amount of mineral salts obtained during irrigation, they become fertile. Desert vegetation is well adapted to a dry climate: plants have long and branched roots, instead of leaves, thorns.

Desert animals live in burrows or burrow into the sand. Some even fall into hibernation in the summer, they can do without water for a long time. Deserts, as well as semi-deserts, serve as valuable pastures for sheep and camels.

Altitudinal zonation (high-altitude, or vertical, zonality) is a natural change in natural zones and landscapes in the mountains.

Mountains are the main reason for the violation of the horizontal arrangement of natural zones on the globe. In contrast to the plains in the mountains, both flora and fauna are 2-5 times richer in species. What is the reason for the "multi-story" natural zones in the mountains? The number of altitudinal belts depends on the height of the mountains and on their geographical position. The change of natural zones in the mountains is often compared to the movement along the plain in the direction from south to north. But in the mountains, the change of natural zones is sharper and more contrasting and is already felt at relatively short distances. The largest number of altitudinal belts can be observed in the mountains located in the tropics, the smallest - in the mountains of the same height in the Arctic Circle. The nature of altitudinal zonality varies depending on the exposure of the slope, as well as the distance from the ocean. In the mountains located near the sea coasts, mountain forest landscapes predominate. For mountains in the central regions of the mainland, treeless landscapes are typical. Each high-altitude landscape belt encircles the mountains from all sides, but the system of tiers on the opposite slopes of the ridges differs sharply. Only at the foothills are the conditions close to typical plains. Above them are "floors" with a more moderate, and above and harsh nature. These floors are crowned with a tier of eternal snow and ice. It would seem that closer to the sun should be warmer, but it turns out the opposite - the higher, the colder.

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natural zoning

Dimensions of NTC Geographical envelope Continents Oceans Oceanic ridges Basins Mountains Plains Lowlands Elevated areas Ravine Hill River terrace PCs are nested into each other

The study of the complexes The main method for identifying the NTC is the Physico-geographical zoning. Those. setting boundaries and their subordination. Large PCs are distinguished on the basis of: A) differences in geological history; B) differences in climatic conditions.

Zoning units A physical-geographical country is a vast part of the mainland, corresponding to a large tectonic structure and rather unified in terms of orography, characterized by common macrocirculation processes and a peculiar structure of geographical zonality (a set of natural zones or a spectrum of altitudinal belts). The country covers an area of ​​several hundred thousand or million square kilometers (Central Siberia is the largest of the countries - about 4 million km2).

Regional units A zone in a broad sense is an area dominated by landscapes of one type (tundra, forest, forest-steppe, desert, etc.). In order for landscapes of the same type to form throughout its space, the zone must have some common features. Relief, climatic and plant community, wildlife, soils.

Regional units A province is a part of a zone or a mountainous area characterized by a common relief and geological structure, as well as bioclimatic features. Usually a province geographically coincides with a large orographic unit - a hill, a lowland, a group of ridges, or a large intermountain basin. Examples of provinces are the Oka-Donskaya, Bugulmino-Belebeevskaya, Chulym-Yeniseiskaya, Putorana, Central Altai, etc. The mountainous provinces also differ from neighboring ones in the type of altitudinal zonality structure.

Regional units A district is a relatively large geomorphologically isolated part of a province, within which the integrity and specificity of the landscape structure is preserved. Each area is distinguished by a certain combination of mesorelief forms with their characteristic microclimates, soil differences and plant communities. District - the lowest unit of the regional level of differentiation of the geographic shell.

Fixing Which PTK is younger. Floodplain or river valley? Why? Name PTK created by man. What is the level of the PTK of the Putorana Plateau? Name all the major NTCs within which the Minusinsk Basin is located.

Homework §28, in c / c mark the boundaries of the PTC at the level of physical and geographical countries.

The study of any territory (for example, a country) inevitably leads to the establishment of territorial differences "from place to place". At the same time, each phenomenon (natural or socio-economic) does not occupy the entire territory, but some part of it - the area. Within the area, it can cover it almost entirely (continuously) or only separate parts, that is, discretely.

The division of the territory (water area) according to some sign (phenomenon, condition) and the degree of its severity or according to a combination of signs is spatial differentiation , i.e. zoning in the broadest sense. It should be borne in mind that such differentiation is always objective, since it proceeds from the presence or absence of a quantitative expression of any feature.

Zoning is a universal method of ordering and systematizing territorial systems, widely used in the geographical sciences. Zoning as a method is of great importance for solving the problems of territorial administration and district grouping, for administrative division, etc. According to Yu. G. Saushkin, the selection and description of districts is a criterion for the theoretical maturity and practical significance of geographical science. There are many ways of zoning, the main of which are cartographic, statistical, mathematical, complex, etc. The essence of the zoning process is to identify peculiar territorial formations and their boundaries in space.

Let us dwell on the content of the concepts "district", "geographical region". The area is the main category in geography, reflecting both the differentiation of space and the processes of territorial complex formation, thus being a criterion for the geographical scope of research and an attribute of geographical thinking. In the broadest sense district - this is a territory identified by the totality of any interrelated features or phenomena, as well as a taxonomic unit in any system of territorial division.

Geographical district - an integral territory (water area), characterized, as a rule, by the common genesis of the interconnectedness of the components of the geographical envelope and elements of the landscape or social reproduction (these characteristics differ from those observed in neighboring territories).

Due to the peculiarities of the geographical location and, mainly, the combination of various components and elements in a given territory, general patterns appear within the region in specific forms that are relatively stable and give the whole combination the character of a system. Internal (intra-district) relationships and interactions of the district differ from external (inter-district) in greater stability and intensity. As a rule, the intensity of the processes inherent in any area (especially the nodal area) is maximum in one of the sections (the core) and decreases towards the periphery, often not allowing to clearly delineate the territory of the area. Sometimes several such cores are found, which indicates a complication of the structure, the formation of spatial combinations of a lower hierarchical order - subdistricts.

The area is homogeneous (homogeneous)- an area, at each point of which a zoned object or phenomenon (for example, soil, landscape, direction of agriculture) is characterized by the same feature or set of features. A homogeneous area is depicted on the map using a qualitative background method.

Area nodal (nodal)- an area with a center (core) that collects or separates flows (substance, energy, information). Nodal areas arise mainly as a result of the division of space between industrial, social, cultural and other enterprises and institutions, administrative and state bodies (states, territorial-political units, land holdings; areas of gravity to cities, ports, railway stations; areas of post offices, polyclinic). The boundaries of the nodal region, identified by the prevailing flows, are drawn where connections with one's own center become weaker than with the neighboring one.

District formation- the process of the emergence of stable spatial combinations of landscape elements (natural district formation) or elements of social reproduction (economic district formation) with a high intensity of internal relationships and interactions. District formation is a manifestation of the heterogeneity of the geographic envelope, the chorologically unequal intensity of the interaction of its various elements. District formation may not cover the entire territory, while administrative zoning requires the division of the territory “without a trace”. In this case, empty, “reserve” territories from the point of view of the development of the district-forming process, are attached to the district by will (most often on the basis of territorial contiguity). Thus, an administratively fixed economic region may not have economic integrity at all (but only territorial).

Unlike the process of district formation, zoning is characterized by setting a goal; it can be carried out to identify objectively existing areas, regionalize socio-economic policy, in the interests of management, etc. The result of zoning is a network (grid) of districts, which reflects the hierarchy of spatial systems. At the same time, both districts of the same level and the hierarchical chain of districts of different levels must meet predetermined typological and classification characteristics.

Zoning is a method of dividing the study area into such taxa that would meet at least two criteria - the criterion of the specificity of the allocated territorial cells and the criterion of the interconnection of the elements that saturate them.

Spatial-temporal typological zoning- the union of objects that are internally heterogeneous, but have some common features, selected in accordance with the purpose of zoning, and the delimitation of objects that do not have these features from them. Between neighboring objects, according to the established feature, there must be a difference not less than an arbitrarily chosen level of indistinguishability.

Regionalization methodology – « the doctrine of the principles of construction, forms and methods of scientific knowledge, which aims at dividing geographic space into taxa and identifying patterns of spatial differentiation of natural, demographic and economic geosystems. The features of the application of general scientific and general methods in zoning are also considered..

A generalization of the data of natural science and social science from the standpoint of monism led A. Yu. Reteyum to the conclusion that the world consists of complex objects that have the same concentric structural plan, similar to the architectonics of our planet. These material, material-ideal and ideal-material formations he proposed to call chorions - spatio-temporal cells (from the Greek. chorion - country, locality, region, space, time interval).

In the course of physiographic research, numerous territorial and aquatorial combinations of components of animate and inanimate nature (tracts, landscapes, etc.) were found, confined to certain masses of mineral matter with a characteristic relief.

The ability of individual material-energy principles to organize the environment around them can obviously be considered as a law, but the status of specific centralistic forms has not been established in the literature.

The phenomenon of territorial stratification in the economy was first considered in detail by I. G. Tyunen, who established the existence of agricultural zones around market centers. The experience of economic construction in our country allowed N. N. Kolosovsky to draw a conclusion about the formation of territorial production complexes based on sources of raw materials and energy - clusters of enterprises connected with them vertically and horizontally. Associations of cities with settlements dependent on them and surrounding lands have been known since the time of P. Vidal de la Blache as nodal areas. The order of influence and mutual influence of cities is reproduced by the theory of central places by V. Kristaller and A. Lesh.

One can state the universality of the structure and organization of formations endowed with a center that plays a double and triple role: the initial basis, the ordering core and the final peak.

Acquaintance with the central part of any real system reveals a concentric structure due to centripetal and centrifugal tendencies.

With the help of the concepts of body, placer, field, wave, fire, sign or idea, it is possible to develop a monistic attitude to the level of methodology for the analysis and synthesis of chorions. A. Yu. Reteyum called her archism (from the Greek. arche - the beginning). From the standpoint of archism, chorions are considered as nuclear, i.e. nuclear, systems. The functions of the core - hearth and focus in these systems - are performed by the body, scattering, field, wave, fire, sign or idea. A relatively large mass, energy and (or) information is concentrated here, the nucleus is surrounded by more or less continuous shells and is associated with branched subsystems, i.e., subordinate chorions.

All of the above summarizes the scheme of the process of monistic study of reality. By changing the space-time boundaries of monistic research, one can see how matter flows and changes the shape of certain chorions under the influence of the electromagnetic and gravitational fields of the Sun, Earth and Moon.

It can be concluded that the geographic space formed by geosystems of various kinds is continual with elements of discreteness.

Geosystems of many groups are located on the earth's surface. And each of them has a certain area of ​​​​distribution. A special study of the regularities in the distribution of taxa of geosystems brings the geographical problem of zoning to a completely different plane. . Identification of areas and their description - the task of zoning from a systemic point of view.

Areas can be simple or complex, depending on how many species, genera, or types of geosystems we are considering together. Despite the fact that people are always interested in a rather narrow range of natural properties, there is a need to analyze simple and complex habitats. This is due to the practical need to take into account the qualities of both homogeneity and heterogeneity of space when planning activities, especially construction, agriculture and forestry. You need to know the first to select the areal boundaries of the distribution of any one action, for example, planting trees, the second - for the territorial (less often - aquatorial) binding of combinations of actions, for example, land reclamation. Strict consideration of specific conditions increases the efficiency of labor and ensures the stability of its results.

Some groups of geosystems have a global distribution, others have a regional distribution, some are narrowly localized in their distribution. According to the outlines, among the ranges one can distinguish continuous, insular and single regions. There are at least ten types of areal forms: areal (when the distribution is both continuous and insular), linear, tree-like, network, ring, banded, etc. Each type of areal, as a rule, is not characteristic of all categories of geosystems.

The analysis of the distribution of geosystems inevitably turns into a study genesis one area or another. It is found that geosystems that are fed by large monolithic bodies or vast fields often have a continuous range. Island areas are inherent in geosystems associated with various spatially separated beginnings, both currently active and inactive.

By origin, ranges are monofactorial and polyfactorial. In the first case, we are dealing with only one condition for the distribution of geosystems of a certain group. It is clear that a real monofactorial area is essentially a projection onto a plane of homogeneous components of a larger system, the core of which acts as a common cause of distribution. In the second case, the location of geosystems is controlled by a set of conditions, but when the circumstances of the formation of an area are clarified, the core of the enclosing geosystem is always or almost always found, which determines the location of the subsystems generated by it.

Knowledge of the origin of geosystems is important in the study of their distribution. At a certain stage, it allows one to rise to the point of reflecting paragenetic associations.

From the standpoint of the theory of nuclear (nuclear) geosystems (Reteyum, 1988), the goal of zoning is to single out homogeneous, more precisely, isotropic territories or water areas in a known ratio. The concept of isotropy in this context does not mean the perfect similarity of the properties of all points of the bounded region. A certain closeness of the characteristics of regional elements is implied; upon closer examination, each of them turns out to be anisotropic, of different quality.

Thus, zoning should reflect the phenomenon of homogeneity-heterogeneity. The sequence of operations here is as follows: the choice of geosystems → the establishment of the necessary features → classification → finding the areas of distribution of individual groups.

In geography, and above all in physical geography, multi-stage schemes of subordinate regions have been developed. While recognizing their scientific significance (they reproduce in their own way the complexity of the structure of the Earth's nature), one should nevertheless note their inconsistency, which is explained by the vagueness of the initial principles (mixing the procedures for delimiting geosystems and delimiting areas, including complex ones).