People who are engaged in nature conservation in the kuban. Ecology and nature protection: Rare species of plants and animals of the Krasnodar Territory and the Kuban. Leading All-Russian health resort

Krasnodar Territory is located in the southwestern part of Russia.

The constituent entity of the Russian Federation, formed on September 13, 1937, borders on many regions, territories and republics: Rostov Region, Stavropol Territory, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Adygea and Abkhazia.

The flora of the Krasnodar Territory

Krasnodar Territory is famous mainly for steppe vegetation from Rostov to Kuban. Earlier, feather grass, wheatgrass, vetch, timothy grass grew in these territories, and now they are replaced by wheat fields.

Before the Krasnodar Territory became popular among tourists, along the rivers grew: hazel, wild almonds, ubiquitous thorns. But now on the floodplains of the rivers you can find willow, willow, poplar, alder. Also in these places grow: oaks, elderberries, thorns, wild roses and other plants.

Steppe vegetation is represented by sage, wormwood, as well as licorice, alfalfa and timothy.

The well-watered areas of the Krasnodar Territory are overflowing with aquatic vegetation. On the estuaries, you can see a white flower, nymphaeum, steam-water walnut, duckweed and ferns. Reeds, cattails and kuga grow along the estuaries, on the shore. On the territory of the Krasnodar Territory, there are places where lotuses grow.

Small estuaries and dry bogs are suitable for growing rice, therefore these places are often used by the population.

If we talk about the Black Sea coast and its vegetation, then it is worth noting the diversity of mountain nature.

The forests of these places are full of mosses, lianas and thermophilic plants. They are distinguished by their multi-tiered structure. Thanks to the warm climate, fallen leaves in autumn create an earthy litter, so there is always young vegetation in mountain forests. In such forests you can find oaks, beeches, chestnuts, lindens, maples. Also, such types of trees are often found: birch, apple and pear, cherry, cherry plum and dogwood.

The alpine zone is suitable for growing fir trees.

Blueberries and mountain ash and rhododedrod grow under the tree trunks.

There is a subalpic behind the forests. Umbrella and leguminous plants, buttercups and Asteraceae grow here. Some of the representatives of these plants are cow parsnip, whitebear, rosette, primrose and cuffs.

Fauna of the Krasnodar Territory

The fauna of the Krasnodar Territory is quite wide and varied. Many animals living in these territories are listed in the Red Book.

Representatives of rare and protected animals are: dressing polecat, Caucasian otter, golden eagle, bustard, snake eagle, gravedigger, steppe eagle, osprey, pelicans and many other animals.

The forest area is perfect for the habitation and life of many animals. For example, foxes, pheasants, quails, hedgehogs, moles, jerboas and hares.

The most valuable and rare species of animals are found in the mountains. Here you can find wild boars, Caucasian deer, jackals, roe deer, mountain goats and bison. Predatory representatives are also brown bears, wolves, foxes, lynxes, badgers and others.

Otters and minks live near rivers, and raccoon dogs are also found near them.

Mountain goats, mountain bison, chamois, Caucasian snowcocks and Caucasian black grouse are rare species in the Krasnodar Territory.

There are a lot of fish in the rivers, you can even find sturgeon species.

Many geese and ducks, sandpipers can be found here among birds and chickens.

Representatives of reptiles are: marsh and Greek turtles, water and common snakes, steppe vipers and legless lizards.

The forests are home to a huge number of birds. In the valley one can hear the trills and flapping of the wings of magpies, orioles, blackbirds, cuckoos, jays and owls. The sound of woodpeckers is heard everywhere. Harriers, falcons and hawks live in the plains.

Bitterns, black grouse, quails, mountain turkeys, cormorants, gulls, and eagle owls are also found in the Krasnodar Territory. A considerable number of birds are also found in cities and villages: swallows, sparrows, pigeons, tits, starlings and others.

Climate in Krasnodar Territory

Spring comes in early March. It is characterized by temperature inconsistency and strong winds. The average temperature in April is +10 degrees.

Summer in the Krasnodar Territory lasts almost 5 months. The average temperature is 25-30 degrees, sometimes even higher. The Krasnodar summer is characterized by frequent rains followed by the sun.

Autumn comes in October. The temperature during this period does not rise above 15 degrees, but drops lower and lower towards December. This month there is frequent precipitation in the form of torrential rains. The first snow falls in November, but it lasts no more than 2 days.

Winter in the Krasnodar Territory is quite mild. Average winter temperatures range from 0 to 2 degrees. There is almost no snow cover, only on the mountain peaks.

Caucasian Biosphere Reserve Brief information about the reserve The Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve is a "reservoir" of the unique nature of the Western Caucasus. It is located in coordinates: 44-45.5 degrees north latitude and a degree east longitude. The landscape of the reserve is characterized by meters above sea level. The reserved lands are located on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory (Sochi, Mostovskoy District), the Republic of Adygea and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic of the Russian Federation, close to the borders of the Republic of Abkhazia. Directly in Sochi (Khosta), three kilometers from the sea coast, there is a reserved yew-boxwood grove. The total area of ​​the protected area is ha. The Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve is a "reservoir" of the unique nature of the Western Caucasus. It is located in coordinates: 44-45.5 degrees north latitude and a degree east longitude. The landscape of the reserve is characterized by meters above sea level. The reserved lands are located on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory (Sochi, Mostovskoy District), the Republic of Adygea and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic of the Russian Federation, close to the borders of the Republic of Abkhazia. Directly in Sochi (Khosta), three kilometers from the sea coast, there is a reserved yew-boxwood grove. The total area of ​​the protected area is ha.

Nature The nature of the reserve has been preserved in its pristine beauty, and this is why it is valuable for science. All typical and unique landscapes of the North-West Caucasus are presented here. The Caucasian Nature Reserve is included in the list of the first biosphere reserves, the network of which will spread throughout the planet. The nature of the reserve has been preserved in its pristine beauty, and this is why it is valuable for science. All typical and unique landscapes of the North-West Caucasus are presented here. The Caucasian Nature Reserve is included in the list of the first biosphere reserves, the network of which will spread throughout the planet.

Bison and Tours The restored mountain-forest bison settled in the reserve and beyond. He spends the summer on subalpine and alpine meadows, and in the winter many animals go down to the clearing of the former bison park, where they were once kept in a paddock. The West Caucasian tours are the most numerous ungulates in the reserve. There are about ten thousand of them. Rocky areas covered with low shrubs and grasses are favorite places on tours.

Mountain rivers Mountain rivers originate from eternal snow and ice. They rush with rushing waterfalls to shady forests and gorges. Mountain rivers originate from eternal snow and ice. They rush with rushing waterfalls to shady forests and gorges. The sun is reflected in all the colors of the rainbow in the spray of the waterfalls.

Performed:

1st year student

economic

faculty

accounting analysis and

Vartanyan K.K.

lecturer: Udovchenko

Irina Leonidovna

Krasnodar, 2002

Plan.

1. Introduction.

2. Environmental problems typical for our region.

3. Groundwater and their condition.

4. Radioactive contamination in the region.

5. The reasons for the difficult ecological situation in the Kuban and the prospects for its improvement.

6. Conclusion.

At all stages of his development, man was closely connected with the world around him. But since the emergence of a highly industrial society, dangerous human intervention in nature has increased dramatically, the volume of this intervention has expanded, it has become a variety and now threatens to become a global threat to humanity.

Environmental issues are organically linked with the global problems of our time. The well-being of present and future generations and the development of modern civilization largely depend on a constructive solution to the problem of optimizing the biosphere. All mankind was interested in the successful solution of the ecological problem.

The socio-ecological situation in Russia is characterized as tense. 14% of its territory is ecologically unsafe.

Environmental instability in one region affects the state of affairs in others.

Krasnodar Territory is not only an administrative and economic system in the Russian Federation, but also an ecological system.

Degradation of the natural environment, combined with economic, political, socio-psychological factors, negatively affects the health of the population of the Kuban.

The socio-ecological problems of the Kuban have become important and complex.

The main directions of the relationship between society and nature

The difference between nature and society consists primarily in the fact that society is the highest qualitative form of organization of matter, and because of this, the laws of society and nature differ significantly from each other.

The difference between nature and society is also manifested in the nature of the impact on the very nature of animals and humans. Animals only adapt to nature, use it, while man adapts natural processes and objects for his needs.

Studying the main directions of modern society's impact on nature (expanding boundaries, penetrating nature; increasing the intensity of the use of natural resources; interference in the course of biological and physiological processes, etc.), three points should be kept in mind that characterize this process.

First, the need for a transformative impact of society on nature, without which it cannot exist and develop.

Secondly, the strengthening of the process of society's impact on nature in all directions, which leads not only to the emergence (along with geological and biological) of the third - anthropogenic, caused by the production activities of people, circulation of substances, but also to the formation of a special sphere of interaction organized by human labor society with nature, called the noosphere - the elements of which are people, technology, cultural and economic complexes and a part of nature that serves as an object of human influence.

Thirdly, the contradictory nature of this impact, when, along with positive results, society is faced with negative consequences of its actions, damaging both nature and, ultimately, society itself.

Environmental problems typical for our region.

On the basis of information received by state control bodies on the state of the environment, environmental problems characteristic of the Krasnodar Territory have been identified. They are periodically reported by the media (mass media). They can be schematically represented as follows:

§ there is a depletion of fish stocks;

§ degradation of water bodies (shallowing, silting of rivers, channels, disappearance of small rivers, waterlogging, overgrowing of estuaries, etc.);

§ coastal erosion (erosion in the areas of settlements and farmland);

§ degradation of especially important natural objects (destruction of natural landscape monuments, national parks, the disappearance of some species of plants, animals, etc.);

§ physical degradation of ecosystems in resort areas (reduction of territories, pollution of beaches, therapeutic mud, mineral waters);

§ physical degradation of soil (wind, water erosion of soil, reduction of pasture areas, destruction of the natural structure of cultivated areas, decrease in soil fertility, salinization, waterlogging, etc.);

§ discharges of illegal urban wastewater (synthetic detergents, oil products of the petrochemical industry, intensive pollution of wastewater with organic substances, etc.);

§ landfills for solid household waste (dust, smoke, unpleasant odor, flushes into water bodies, etc.);

§ emissions of carbon oxides, sulfur, vanadium pentoxide into the atmosphere (areas of thermal stations and other energy facilities, the possibility of acid rain, etc.);

§ pollution of the natural environment with toxic industrial waste (oil refining, woodworking, machine-tool, instrument-making, pharmaceutical, food industry, etc.);

§ radioactive contamination of the territory of Krasnodar.

Groundwater and their condition

The Krasnodar Territory has significant water reserves. There are 7088 water sources here, including 547 rivers, 12 reservoirs and over 6500 artesian wells. The fresh water field near Krasnodar is one of the largest in the world.

Studies have shown that groundwater is often abundant in mercury, arsenic, manganese and other substances. Oil pollution of the underground water kingdom took on a large scale. For example, the content of oil in the groundwater under the oil depot is 130 times higher than the MPC, and of phenols is 80 times.

In addition to heavy metals and petroleum products, nitrates and chlorides are on the black list. Under such enterprises as a fat-and-oil plant, a meat-packing plant, a vitamin plant, real salt rivers flow. Moreover, the depth of penetration of salt pollution in some places reaches 80 meters.

What to do with the water supply wells that water the city? The cost of their re-equipment will amount to millions of rubles, which are not there. We'll have to buy water in the neighboring areas.

Not a single citizen today is insured against the fact that one day the "periodic table" will not pour out of an open tap.

It should be borne in mind that the water supply and sewer pipes have long served their time and here Krasnodar is in for, to put it mildly, in big trouble. And some experts say that an underground catastrophe awaits the city. Let's listen to the opinion of Oleg Ivanovich Mashchenko, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. On October 13, 2000, in the Kuban Segodnya newspaper, he published an article “Krasnodar - an underground catastrophe”. But no one knows, - he writes, - that under the ground there is an incessant pouring rain for a minute.

Some people like to drink water directly from the tap, despite the warnings of the sanitary inspection. A. Ivanov, a member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, also likes to drink water like that. He writes about this in an article in the same newspaper on October 6, 2000: “The other day, in the center of Krasnodar, on Chapaev Street, he poured water into a mug from a courtyard pump - and was stunned: mortal remains of obviously worm origin were floating in it. Somehow I immediately got sick of drinking. " As you can see, drinking tap water is not safe.

So, all of us have already heard that in the central part of the city, and not only there, pipeline systems have long ago fallen into disrepair. But is there really no way to neutralize the water we consume? Experts say: very much even there. Among them is Gennady Mikhailovich Sychev, General Director of the Design Bureau, Plastmash. Since the 60s, this organization has been developing equipment for water purification and desalination based on membrane technology. It guarantees a high degree of purification from nitrates, pesticides, heavy metals and other highly toxic impurities, before which traditional water purification systems and conventional sorption coal water purifiers are powerless. More than once the design bureau: "Plastmash": made proposals to the city authorities. We offered water treatment equipment for implementation in Krasnodar. But the city authorities kept silent, did not even give a single answer to the letters of this organization.

According to the regional center for hydrometeorology and environmental monitoring, the water indicator in the Kuban River within the city does not look good. In 1997, the water in the river was as follows: the excess of the MPC for impurities was noted for such indicators as copper by 8 times, total iron by 3 times, as well as phenols.

Zander disappears into the Kuban River. But this river was traditionally also a sevruga river. From this, only memories remained. In dirty muddy water, which is littered by all and sundry, it is time to reproduce by some harmful organism, not fish. The water we drink is stuffed not only with heavy metals, chlorine - organic matter, but also with causative agents of viral infections.

The situation with the quality of drinking water is aggravated by the fact that there is often no supply of modern disinfectants on the water pipelines, which should be used in an emergency.

Environmental motives for water are widely reflected in poetry. Poet V. Sorokin, responding to environmental problems, writes in the poem "Ugly water"

What ugly water

Poisoned with iron and fuel oil

She never freezes

Noises, noises at any time of the day!

The state of radioactive contamination in the region.

There is a so-called natural radioactive background, which every person is accustomed to from birth to death, like air. There are places where it is promoted. These include the so-called: Maikop clays (stretching along the Caucasian ridge to the west), and sometimes the uranium content reaches 200 grams per ton.

We all walk under the threat of radioactivity caused by radon - a colorless inert gas 8 times heavier than air, which is formed in uranium and thorium ores.

Since 1994, there has been a federal comprehensive program for protecting the population from natural sources of radioactive contamination. As a consequence, there is a similar edge program. But the programs do not work not on a national scale, nor in the Kuban - there is no money.

The problem of natural radioactivity is very important, but mankind has already gotten so dirty that artificial radioactivity has become the No. 1 problem. The Krasnodar Committee for Environmental Control of Hazardous Substances, Waste and Radiation Pollution (!) Is dreaming (!) To install people with dosimeters at least on the main highways. Otherwise, KAMAZ will stay for the night next to the same: truckers: and it will grab fifty milliroentgen roentgen during the night!

Another example. In 1996, a batch of metalalom went to Germany through the Yeisk port. The Germans turned it back -: phonit:, but somehow it passed through our port in that direction ?!

The sensational case was with Chinese cuirassin lamps. They were first noticed in the Khabarovsk Territory and hundreds and a half were seized: they gave radiation. So after all, they appeared in the Kuban. This was reported by the press.

In 1997, in Tikhoretsk, the needle of the dosimeter jerked onto the sanitary ware from Ukraine - all these toilets and sinks ... "fired", that is. gave radiation.

In 1989, a container with depleted uranium was found on Severnaya Street. Where he came from - have not yet been found out.

On the territory of the kindergarten on the street. Industrial in 1997 found an increased radioactive background. During the investigation, it turned out that during the Great Patriotic War there was some kind of barrack where luminous marks were applied to aircraft devices with phosphorus. And then a kindergarten was built on this place. All this was removed by civil defense forces, decontamination was carried out.

A problem that has nothing to do with radioactive contamination, but which knocks on us every day, is excess noise.

The environment on the territory of our region remains polluted. Its consequences led to the deterioration of water and soil cover. At the same time, the concentration of certain substances harmful to human health exceeds the MPC by tens and hundreds of times. All this affects the health status of the population.

The reasons for the difficult ecological situation in the Kuban and the prospects for its improvement.

There are many reasons for the difficult ecological situation in the Kuban, they are all multilevel and multifaceted.

The first group of reasons is associated with the negative effects of agricultural activities. The soil is being contaminated with excessive application of fertilizers and pesticides. Pesticide genocide is taking place.

At present, the State Chemical Commission of Russia has registered about 600 names of pesticide fertilizers.

The second group of reasons for the difficult environmental situation is associated with vehicles. According to the air pollution index, Krasnodar is among the 45 dirtiest cities in Russia: the air of the regional center is a little cleaner than the Rostov one, but worse than the Stavropol one, our closest neighbor. Almost every sixth car comes with excess toxicity.

There are very few cars running on gas (about 90 thousand in total) and this figure has not been growing for several years.

The region has long been asking the center for permission to provide its vehicles with unleaded gasoline, which will allow equipping cars with exhaust gas neutralizers.

To stabilize the state of affairs with environmental protection, today it takes 10% of the amount of expenditure items of the city budget. It stands out 5 times less.

The third group of reasons for a difficult ecological situation is associated with the deforestation of forests, shrubs with the destruction of natural vegetation, poaching in protected areas, etc.

The fourth group of reasons for the difficult ecological situation is associated with the increasing object of household wastewater, which is significantly ahead of the construction and modernization of treatment facilities; an increase in the number of mobile petrol stations (gas stations), which cause significant harm to the environment and human health. At the gas station they dilute gasoline with whatever they can. Specialists of the certification and testing laboratory of petroleum products state the facts of the "additive" of gasoline.

In Krasnodar, more than 70% of gasoline is sold through commercial trade. The results of the explosive business are dire. Over the past 5 years, the air of the regional center has grown heavier. It added: by 19% formaldehyde; by 14% benzopyrene; by 22% phenol.

The fifth group - they are due to insufficient accounting of the world experience in the chemicalization of agriculture to improve technologies, transport, store and apply fertilizers in strict accordance with the requirements of a particular crop, to prevent unproductive loss of plant nutrients and environmental pollution.

The sixth group is associated with the use of heavy soil cultivation equipment; not observing crop rotations; insufficient introduction of organic matter, lack of collector-drainage systems in irrigated areas; significant soil pollution with heavy metals, nitrogen-containing compounds and pesticides.

The seventh group - follows from the previous six groups - is not a coincidence of practical expediency and morality. Profit at any cost, money, is put in the first place. What this leads to is evident from the named reasons for the complex ecological situation.

Prospects for improving the environmental situation in the Kuban.

In the recent past, the Kuban was an area with a high technogenic use of agricultural land, which, in fact, determined the need to study the content of the pathways for the entry of heavy metals into agricultural landscape systems; the establishment of pollution zones and the development of measures for the remediation of such areas. For this purpose, the Ecological Center was created (1991), on its basis in 1995 - the Scientific Research Institute of Applied Ecology of the Kuban Agrarian University.

One of the directions of activities to improve the ecological situation in the Kuban is the development of a value-based approach to nature, as opposed to the previous ideas about domination, about nature, and its conquest.

Today, the main task of the Committee on Ecology and Nature Management is to ensure the environmental safety of the population of the Krasnodar Territory.

Which urban areas are of greatest concern to environmentalists? These are areas that are adjacent to the Kuban River. In general, there is no more or less favorable zone in our city. Here the question arises at full height: how to build rationally? When a large settlement is born, it is customary to move its residential areas towards the river or forest. The Russian region in Germany is considered a striking example of correct landscape planning. This is a powerful industrial center, built in such a way that within a 15-minute drive, if desired, a citizen can leave the city, finding himself among meadows, forests and pools. In Krasnodar and close to none of this. The Pervomaiskaya grove was squeezed by businessmen from all sides. Parks and squares are littered. Each district has its own industrial facility.

In 1992, the Bulgarian ship in the Tuapse port lost control of the control during a storm, as a result of which the ship was thrown onto the breakwater. The stern part sank immediately, the bow was washed ashore. At the same time, 200 tons of fuel oil spilled out of the fuel tanks. The Bulgarians wanted to blame the accident on a natural disaster. The Ecology Committee managed to prove the captain's guilt and recover 200 thousand dollars for cleaning activities.

An accident occurred in the Novorossiysk port through the fault of the dispatcher, fearing an overflow during the loading of the vessel, he closed the valve so quickly that the pipeline system collapsed as a result of a powerful water hammer. Within two minutes, until the automatic system worked, oil poured into the sea through a 900-mm hole under a huge pressure.

The next area of ​​activity to improve the environmental situation in the Kuban is the formation of a new worldview of a specialist based on a deep understanding of the role of man in the world around him,

human creator.

Conclusion.

An important issue for improving the ecological situation in the region is the ecological and geochemical certification of settlements and individual enterprises in the planning and development of cities in the Krasnodar Territory. It will help ensure that the Kuban does not turn into an ecological disaster zone, taking all measures of influence, including criminal liability for causing harm to the environment.

Within the framework of the Days of Protection from Environmental Hazard in the Krasnodar Territory, special attention is paid to activities for:

§ protection of water bodies;

§ protection of flora and fauna;

§ protection of forests from fires;

§ reduction of harmful emissions from vehicles;

§ liquidation of unauthorized landfills;

§ protection and strengthening of public health;

§ activities aimed at improving environmental education, upbringing and enlightenment.

The All-Russian Organizing Committee of the Days of Protection from Environmental Hazard calls on scientists and specialists, students and schoolchildren, retirees, every person to take an active part in the Days of Protection from Environmental Hazards, to make their own contribution to creating a healthy environment, to make life safer for current and future generations ...

The year 2002 was unfavorable for our region.

Natural disasters hit the Kuban. In winter, heavy snowfalls caused severe damage to the population. In the spring, the melting of snow led to flooding of the cultivated area, flooded the houses of the inhabitants of the region. A delegation headed by A. Tkachev went to the flooded areas. Material assistance was provided to the victims of the flooding.

Literature.

1. and nature protection of ecosystems of small rivers. H - 1.2. Krasnodar, 1992.

2. Baganeva N.G. Issues of legal protection of the urban environment. Socio-ecological problems of the Kuban. Krasnodar, 1991 with. 5.6.

3. Releases I.N. "The ecological sphere of society: current trends and development prospects." Krasnodar, publishing house KSMA 1998 with. 5-6.

The nature of the Kuban is beautiful and diverse, it is closely related to its geographical location. A fairly vast region is located in the southwest of the Russian Federation and is part of the Southern Federal District, which was formed in 1937. Let us emphasize that according to its natural characteristics, the Kuban is not homogeneous, which is explained by its varied relief.

There are four zones in the region: alpine zones with its ten and more thousand meters above sea level; mountainous with a noticeable decrease - 500 and 1000 meters; foothill - 200-500 meters and flat - within 200 meters above sea level. Hence the exceptional diversity of its natural landscapes. One must also bear in mind such a factor as the presence of two warm seas - the Black and the Azov. At the same time, in some places it is reliably protected from the evil northern cold by high mountains and where there is this barrier - the subtropics. The lower mountains have an almost Mediterranean climate. The coast, adjacent to the steppes, open to all winds, is, of course, cooler than the subtropics. But in summer, both seas heat up for plus 27 degrees and above, and in the off-season they slowly give off heat, and therefore winters are mild here, with rare snowfalls and not so noticeable frosts, which creates comfort for all inhabitants of the region, including temporary tourists who come here for rest and treatment.

The name of the region was given by the Kuban River

And it begins at the glaciers and snow covers melting into the warmth of the majestic Elbrus and flows through the territory of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Stavropol, Krasnodar Territory (662 kilometers), Adygea and Abkhazia. Actually, these lands constitute the territory of the Kuban. And it is already becoming quite clear that the name of the region is associated with the name. By the way, it had up to three hundred names among different tribes and peoples who inhabited and still inhabit its shores. Of course, it is difficult to bring all of them: it will take a lot of space, but the most popular and memorable, please: Koban, Guban, Antikytos (Abundant fish), Gipanis (Fast flowing), Varzhan (Muddy waters), and under the Tatar-Mongols Keban and finally Russian - Kuban, which wears now.

The official length of the river is 870 kilometers. The basin area is 58 thousand square kilometers. In addition to waters from melting glaciers and snows, it is formed by the rivers Ullukan and Uchkulan merging together. Kuban belongs to the Atlantic Ocean basin. In total, over fourteen thousand large and small tributaries flow into it. Let us name some of them - left bank: Afips, Belaya Laba, Pshish and others. Right bank - Mara, Gorkaya, Dzhubga, etc. If we include its tributary Ulukam to the Kuban, the length will increase to 906 kilometers. And its fall from the glacial tongue to Ullukam adds another 2970 meters. The total network of all waters of the Kuban and tributaries exceeds 9482 kilometers. From hundreds of years of observations it is clear that over 65 percent of its water comes from rains and melting snows, 20 percent from glaciers, 15 percent from groundwater. The Kuban flows into the Sea of ​​Azov. At the same time, it pours into it more than four million tons of salts dissolved in it, note, annually. The delta of the main river of the Krasnodar Territory and the region called Kuban is no less than 4300 square kilometers. The shores of the Kuban are picturesque. Here you will find broad-leaved trees, thickets of reeds and a wide variety of shrubs. The fauna is rich - you can find a wild boar, a hare, a fox, and even a nutria or a muskrat. The feathered world is widely represented - wild geese, pelicans, cormorants, swans, falcons, peregrine falcons, gray heron, there is no need to talk about various little things like sparrows, wagtails, etc. In the river, more than a hundred species of fish, we emphasize, are characteristic only for these places: silver carp, vimbets, shemaya, Kuban barbel, ram, Caucasian chub, etc. We add to what has been said. From ancient times, the Kuban Cossacks lived along the banks of the great river. Back in the time of Catherine the Great, forty kurens were resettled here, the responsibility of the inhabitants of which was to protect the southern borders of Russia from all sorts of adversaries. By the decree of the Empress, they were given the Kuban lands.

Leading All-Russian health resort

Kuban is not only steppes and foothills. Its main wealth is two warm seas - Black and Azov. In summer, their shores are full of vacationers and those who are suffering to put their health in order. The Black Sea coast alone stretches for more than seven hundred kilometers. Far beyond the boundaries of the Krasnodar Territory, including abroad, its resort zones are known: Bolshoi, Yeisk. By the way, Taman acquired the status of an All-Russian health resort relatively recently, due to the presence of more than three dozen curative mud volcanoes here. Some of them have been inactive for a long time, while others erupt from time to time. As, for example, in the area of ​​the village of Golubitskaya. A mud volcano periodically hits the sea and even forms an island. The waves are gradually blurring it. But a little later, powerful jets of dirt form it again. Mud treats skin diseases, ailments of the musculoskeletal system, rheumatism, sciatica and so on. Healing mud is supplied to many health resorts of the Kuban. Over 15 million of both Russians themselves and guests from near and far abroad rest and receive treatment by the warm seas annually. They can be received by thousands of sanatoriums, boarding houses, children's health camps, recreation centers. Hotels, inns, guest houses, tent camps, campgrounds do not count at all: there are a great many of them. Resort service is approaching the European level step by step.

Only mountains can be better than mountains

We have already said that the Kuban has its own subtropics, where palms, magnolias and relics in the form of juniper thickets or pistachios, Pitsunda pine, oaks, which are a thousand years old, grow. The subtropical background is created by mountains that reliably protect the same Greater Sochi from cold northern winds. The highest mountain in the Kuban and, therefore, in the Krasnodar Territory is Tsakhvoy (3346 meters above sea level), and it is located in the Mostovsky District of the Caucasian State Natural Biosphere Reserve, created in 1924. The flora includes 30 thousand species. It is home to 70 species of mammals, 241 species of birds, many of which are listed in the Red Book of the Kuban, for example, on the verge of extinction.

Created in 1986. It is no less famous than the Caucasian reserve. And first of all, it is famous for its mountain-skiing resort, where the main competitions of the Winter Olympics of a planetary scale were held and where new unique records were set in winter sports. The Fisht mountain range (2853 m) with two other high peaks - Psheho-Su (2743 m) and Oshten (2804 m), as well as the Kamennoye More and Nagoy-Chuk ridges are now known all over the world. Mountains are not only amazingly beautiful gray-haired peaks, but also breathtaking alpine meadows with their beauty and crystal clear air, arrays of coniferous trees, grow in large numbers, juniper, whose breath instantly kills all viruses and microbes in your body, oak, beech, and even shrubs and no account. And Vysotsky was a thousand rights, asserting in his famous song that only mountains can be better than mountains.

Rivers and lakes of the Kuban

We have already spoken about the main river with the same name. In total, there are more than thirteen thousand and a half rivers in the region (and in some sources they call the figure thirty thousand), the total length of which exceeds more than 38 thousand kilometers. Laba, Belaya, Urup, Pshish, Bolshoi and Maly Zelenchuki. Ashe, Ponura, Shahe, Khosta, Chepbas and others. Many mountain rivers flowing into the Black Sea. Mzymta's tough temper is well known in the Kuban. Anyone who comes to the Kuban tries to get to its shores. And not only because rafting on it is popular here. In one of the gorges of the Mzymta there are attractions for extreme lovers. It is here that the longest suspension bridge in the world was built over an abyss of two hundred meters, already being on which is a great heroism. And if you jump down from it on an elastic rope to a depth of sixty meters ?! And if you ride on his giant swing over the same gorge with a pendulum swing of half a kilometer ?! Isn't it weak ?! And, of course, the mountain rivers and plains have excellent fishing. As well as the lakes, of which there are more than five dozen in the Kuban: Khan, Huko, Psenodakh, Kardyvach, Bezdonnoe, Zmeinoe, Samurskoe, Vedmino, Sineokoe, Bezmolvnoe, Oblivion, the famous Ritsa, Goluboe, Abrau. I would like to tell you about the latter in a little more detail. It is located on the Abrau Peninsula. Fourteen kilometers from Novorossiysk and seven kilometers from the resort town of Dyurso on the Black Sea coast.

The largest alpine, with fresh water. It is 3100 long, 630 wide and 11 meters deep. Luxurious embankment - with gazebos and benches. Once upon a time there was a royal estate in Abrau. And Prince Golitsyn was engaged in the cultivation of grapes. Now champagne "Abrau-Dyurso" is known to the whole world and Paris, by the way, too. In the village there is a Wine Museum, a sparkling wine factory. The demand is great - everyone who comes here tries to take the famous Kuban champagne with them. And one more interesting detail. It is on the Abrau Peninsula that the Utrish nature reserve and its famous dolphinarium of the same name with an open-air theater are located, where several performances are given daily in high season. Bottlenose dolphins, seals and walruses live in their natural environment - right in the sea, surrounded by a high net. The animals are so accustomed to people, they are so complacent about them that they do not try to overcome the obstacle and swim away into the open. In addition, delicious food is provided for them. After the show, you have the opportunity to take pictures with cute and smart animals, hug them and even kiss them. They quickly slip out of the water onto the platform and try to make friends with you.

Kuban is a country not only of wondrous nature, but also of legends!

And indeed it is. For example, in Anapa there is. The excavation shows that this city is one of the oldest in the region, with a history of two and a half thousand years. Recently, in continuation of the excavation, a crypt was found with frescoes telling about the exploits of the ancient Greek hero Hercules. But it was he who freed Prometheus from the strong chains, who presented people with sacred fire and thereby angered Zeus the Thunder God, who ordered him to be chained to one of the Black Sea rocks. So some sources claim that to this day this rock, which is not criminal from the side of the sea, is located on Bolshoy Utrish, which is near Anapa. True, the legend is disputed by the Sochi residents, who categorically claim that the hero-Prometheus was chained to the top of Falcon Rocks, which are located not far from their city. And in 1998, a grandiose monument was erected to him, made by the sculptor from Omsk Kapralov. So the powerful figure of Prometheus stands on the rock with scraps of iron chains on his arms and with his head proudly raised to the sky! The fast mountain river Agura flows nearby. Before she was a girl - a beauty who secretly carried water to Prometheus, who was tormented by thirst. But the evil God Achon, who strictly observed that Zeus's command was strictly carried out (no water for him to eat, and even the bloodthirsty eagle tormented the great martyr's liver) tracked down the compassionate one and turned it into a river. Since then, it flows past the Eagle Rocks. The Kuban also has other legends. It is said that the Argonauts sailed past the Big and Small Utrish in search of the Golden Fleece in their "Argo". Is it true or not ?! Mythology specialists understand!