The East European Plain is one of the largest plains in the world

The East European or Russian Plain is one of the largest in the world: from north to south it stretches for 2.5 thousand km; from west to east - by 1 thousand km. In size, the Russian Plain is second only to the Amazon Plain, located in Western America.

East European Plain - location

From the name it is clear that the plain is located in the East of Europe, and most of it extends on the territory of Russia. In the northwest, the Russian Plain passes through the Scandinavian mountains; in the south-west - according to the Sudetenland and other European mountain ranges; from the West, the border is the river. Vistula; on the southeast side, the border is the Caucasus; in the East - the Urals. In the North, the plain is washed by the White and Barents Seas; in the South - the waters of the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas.

East European Plain - relief

The main type of relief is flat and flat. Large cities and, accordingly, the bulk of the population of the Russian Federation are concentrated on the territory of the East European Plain. The Russian state was born on these lands. Minerals and other valuable Natural resources are also located within the Russian Plain. The outlines of the Russian Plain practically repeat the outlines of the East European Platform. Due to this advantageous location, there is no seismic hazard and the likelihood of earthquakes. There are hilly areas on the territory of the plain, which appeared as a result of various tectonic processes. There are elevations up to 1000 m.

In ancient times, the Baltic shield of the platform was located in the center of the glaciation. As a result, glacial relief is present on the surface.

The terrain consists of lowlands, as well as highlands, because the platform deposits are located almost horizontally.

Ridges (Timansky) and uplands (Central Russian) were formed in the places of the ledges of the folded basement.
The height of the plain above sea level is about 170 m. The lowest areas are located on the coast of the Caspian Sea.

East European Plain - Glacier Impact

Glaciation processes significantly influenced the relief of the Russian Plain, especially in its northern part. A glacier passed through this territory, as a result of which the famous lakes were formed: Peipsi, Beloe, Pskov.
Previously, glaciation affected the relief of the southeast of the plain, but its effects disappeared due to erosion. Uplands were formed: Smolensk-Moscow, Borisoglebskaya, etc., as well as lowlands: Pechora and Caspian.

In the south there are uplands (Priazovskaya, Privolzhskaya, Central Russian) and lowlands (Ulyanovskaya, Meshcherskaya).
Further to the South are the Black Sea and Caspian lowlands.

The glacier contributed to the formation of valleys, the increase in tectonic depressions, the grinding of rocks, the formation of ornate bays on the Kola Peninsula.

East European Plain - waterways

The rivers of the East European Plain belong to the basins of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, the rest flow into the Caspian Sea and have no connection with the ocean.

The longest and longest flows through the territory of the Russian Plain. deep river Europe - Volga.

East European Plain - natural areas, flora and fauna

Almost all natural zones of Russia are represented on the plain.

• Off the coast Barents Sea, v subtropical zone, concentrated tundra.
• Within the territory of temperate zone, to the South of Polesie and to the Urals, there are conifers and mixed forests, giving way to deciduous in the West.
• In the South, the forest-steppe prevails with a gradual transition to the steppe.
• Near Caspian lowland there is a strip of Deserts and Semi-deserts.
• Arctic, forest and steppe animals live on the lands of the Russian Plain.

To the most dangerous natural phenomena that occur on the territory of the Russian Plain include floods and tornadoes. There is an acute problem of ecology due to human activities.

From the east, the plain is bordered by mountains.

Large tectonic structures - the Russian and Scythian plates - lie at the base of the plain. In most of the territory, their basement is deeply submerged under thick sedimentary strata of different ages lying horizontally. Therefore, flat relief prevails on the platforms. In a number of places, the foundation of the platform has been raised. Large hills are located in these areas. The Dnieper Upland is located within. The Baltic shield corresponds to relatively elevated plains and, as well as low mountains. The raised foundation of the Voronezh anticlise serves as the core. The same rise of the foundation is located at the base of the heights of the High Trans-Volga region. A special case is the Volga Upland, where the foundation lies at great depths. Here, during the entire Mesozoic and Paleogene, there was a subsidence, the accumulation of thick strata of sedimentary rocks. Then, during the Neogene and Quaternary time, there was an uplift of this site. crust, which led to the formation of the Volga Upland.

A number of large uplands were formed as a result of repeated Quaternary glaciations, the accumulation of material - moraine loams and sands. Such are the heights of Valdai, Smolensk-Moscow, Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya, Northern Uvaly.

Between the large hills there are lowlands, in which the valleys of large rivers - the Dnieper, Don, were laid.

To the north, such abounding, but relatively short rivers, such as Onega, carry their water, and the Neva and Neman to the west.

The upper reaches and channels of many rivers are often located close to each other, which, in the conditions of a plain, contributes to their connection by canals. These are channels to them. Moscow, Volga-, Volgo-Don, White Sea-Baltic. Thanks to the canals, ships from Moscow can sail along the rivers to lakes and to the Black, Baltic and seas. Therefore, Moscow is called the port of the five seas.

In winter, all the rivers of the East European Plain freeze. In spring, when the snow melts, most of the floods occur. Numerous reservoirs and hydroelectric power plants have been built on the rivers to retain and use spring water. The Volga and the Dnieper have turned into a cascade used both for generating electricity and for shipping, irrigation of lands, water supply to cities, etc.

Salient feature The East European Plain is a striking manifestation of the latitudinal. It is more pronounced and fuller than on other plains. the globe... It is no coincidence that the law of zoning, formulated by a famous Russian scientist, was primarily based on his study of this particular territory.

The flatness of the territory, the abundance of minerals, a relatively mild climate, sufficient precipitation, a variety of natural resources favorable for various industries - all this contributed to an intensive economic development East European Plain. Economically, this is the most important part of Russia. More than 50% of the country's population lives on it and two-thirds of the total number of cities and workers' settlements are located. The plain is home to the densest network of highways and railways... Most - Volga, Dnieper, Don, Dniester, Western Dvina, Kama - regulated and transformed into a cascade of reservoirs. In vast areas, forests have been cleared and landscapes have become a combination of forests and fields. Many woodlands now - secondary forests, where coniferous and broad-leaved species have been replaced by small-leaved ones - birch, aspen. Half of the country's arable land is located on the territory of the East European Plain, about 40% of hayfields, 12% of pastures. Of all large parts The East European Plain has been developed and changed to the greatest extent by human activity.

The East European Plain covers an area of ​​about 4 million km 2, which is approximately 26% of the territory of Russia. In the north, east and south, its borders run along natural boundaries, in the west - along the state border. In the north, the plain is washed by the Barents and White Seas, in the south - by the Caspian, Black and Azov, in the west - by the Baltic Sea. From the east, the plain is bordered by the Ural Mountains.

Large tectonic structures - the Russian platform and the Scythian plate - lie at the base of the plain. In most of the territory, their basement is deeply submerged under thick strata of sedimentary rocks of various ages, lying horizontally. Therefore, flat relief prevails on the platforms. In a number of places, the foundation of the platform has been raised. Large hills are located in these areas. The Dnieper Upland is located within the Ukrainian Shield. The relatively elevated plains of Karelia and the Kola Peninsula, as well as the low mountains of the Khibiny, correspond to the Baltic shield. The raised foundation of the Voronezh Anticlise serves as the core of the Central Russian Upland. The same rise of the foundation is located at the base of the heights of the High Trans-Volga region. A special case is the Volga Upland, where the foundation lies at great depths. Here, during the entire Mesozoic and Paleogene, there was a subsidence of the earth's crust, the accumulation of thick strata of sedimentary rocks. Then, during the Neogene and Quaternary time, this section of the earth's crust rose, which led to the formation of the Volga Upland.

A number of large uplands were formed as a result of repeated Quaternary glaciations, accumulation of glacial material - moraine loams and sands. Such are the heights of Valdai, Smolensk-Moscow, Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya, Northern Uvaly.

Between the large hills there are lowlands, in which the valleys of large rivers - the Dnieper, Don, Volga - were laid.

On the outskirts of the East European Plain, where the platform foundation is lowered very deeply, there are large lowlands - the Caspian, Prichernomorskaya, Pechora, etc. On these territories, the sea has repeatedly advanced, including recently - in the Quaternary, so they are covered by sea sediments of great thickness and are distinguished by a leveled relief. Average height The Russian Plain is about 170 m, some elevations reach 300-400 m and more.

On the territory of the East European Plain, there are rich deposits of various minerals. Platforms are connected to the foundation iron ores Kursk magnetic anomaly. The Kola Peninsula is especially rich in minerals, where there are significant reserves of iron, copper, nickel, aluminum ores, huge reserves of apatite. The sedimentary cover of the platform is associated with such minerals as oil shale, mined in the Ordovician and Silurian strata in the Baltic region. Deposits associated with carboniferous deposits brown coal Moscow region, Perm - coal Pechora basin, oil and gas of the Urals and Volga regions, salt and gypsum of the Urals. In the sedimentary layers of the Mesozoic, phosphorites, chalk and manganese are mined.

The East European Plain is located in temperate latitudes. It is open to the north and west and as a result is exposed to air masses that form over the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Atlantic air masses bring a significant amount of precipitation to the East European Plain, therefore, forests grow on most of its territory. The amount of precipitation decreases from 600 × 900 mm per year in the west to 300-200 mm in the south and southeast. As a result, in the south of the East European Plain there are dry steppes, and in the extreme southeast, in the Caspian lowland, there are semi-deserts and deserts.

Atlantic air masses have a softening effect on the climate throughout the year. In winter, they bring warming up to thaws. Therefore, in the western regions of the plain is much warmer than in the eastern. Average January temperatures drop from -4 ° C in Kaliningrad region down to -18 ° С in the Urals. As a result, winter isotherms in most of the plain (except for the extreme south) stretch almost meridionally, from north-north-west to south-south-east.

Arctic air in winter spreads over the entire territory of the East European Plain up to the extreme south. It brings with it dryness and coldness. In summer, the invasion of Arctic air is accompanied by cold snaps and droughts. Alternating invasion of Atlantic and Arctic air masses causes instability weather phenomena and the dissimilarity of the seasons different years... Summer temperatures regularly increase from north to south: average temperatures in the north are +8 ... + 10 ° С, in the south +24 ... + 26 ° С, and isotherms stretch almost in a latitudinal direction. In general, the climate in most of the East European Plain is temperate continental.

Unlike other large parts of Russia, the largest rivers of the East European Plain flow southward. These are the Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug, Don, Volga, Kama, Vyatka, Ural. This allows their water to be used to irrigate the arid lands of the south. Large irrigation systems have been created in the North Caucasus, which use the water of the Volga, Don and local rivers. Extensive irrigation systems have been created in the lower Don, they also exist in the Volga region.

To the north are such abounding but relatively short rivers as the Pechora, the Northern Dvina, Onega, to the west - the Western Dvina, the Neva and the Neman.

The upper reaches and channels of many rivers are often located close to each other, which in the conditions of flat relief contributes to their connection by canals. These are channels to them. Moscow, Volgo-Baltic, Volgo-Don, White Sea-Baltic. Thanks to the canals, ships from Moscow can sail along rivers, lakes and reservoirs to the Caspian, Azov, Black, Baltic and White sea... Therefore, Moscow is called the port of the five seas.

In winter, all the rivers of the East European Plain freeze over. In spring, when the snow melts, most of the floods occur. Numerous reservoirs and hydroelectric power plants have been built on the rivers to retain and use spring water. The Volga and the Dnieper have turned into a cascade of reservoirs used both for generating electricity and for shipping, irrigation of lands, water supply to cities and industrial centers.

A characteristic feature of the East European Plain is a bright manifestation of latitudinal zoning. It is expressed more fully and clearly than on other plains of the world. It is no coincidence that the law of zoning, formulated by the famous Russian scientist Dokuchaev, was primarily based on his study of this particular territory.

Flatness of the territory, abundance of minerals, relatively mild climate, sufficient rainfall, a variety of natural landscapes favorable for various industries Agriculture- all this contributed to the intensive economic development of the East European Plain. Economically, this is the most important part of Russia. More than 50% of the country's population lives on it and two-thirds of the total number of cities and workers' settlements are located. The plain is home to the densest network of highways and railways. Most of the largest rivers - Volga, Dnieper, Don, Dniester, Zapadnaya Dvina, Kama - are regulated and transformed into a cascade of reservoirs. In vast areas, forests have been cleared and forest landscapes have been transformed into a combination of forests and fields. Many forests are now secondary forests, where coniferous and broad-leaved species have been replaced by small-leaved ones - birch, aspen. Half of the country's arable land is located on the territory of the East European Plain, about 40% of hayfields, 12% of pastures. Of all the large parts of the East European Plain, the most developed and changed by human activity.

For centuries, the Russian plain served as a territory connecting the western and eastern civilization... Historically, two lively trade arteries have run through these lands. The first is known as “the way from the Varangians to the Greeks”. According to him, as is known from school history, medieval trade in goods of the peoples of the East and Russia with the states of Western Europe was carried out.

The second is the route along the Volga, which made it possible to transport goods by ships to Southern Europe from China, India and Central Asia and in the opposite direction. The first Russian cities were built along the trade routes - Kiev, Smolensk, Rostov. Veliky Novgorod became the northern gateway of the route from the "Varangians", protecting the safety of trade.

Now the Russian Plain is still a territory of strategic importance. The capital of the country is located on its lands and Largest cities... The most important administrative centers for the life of the state are concentrated here.

Geographical location of the plain

The East European Plain, or Russian, occupies territories in the east of Europe. In Russia, these are its extreme western lands. In the northwest and west, it is bounded by the Scandinavian Mountains, the Barents and White Seas, the Baltic coast and the Vistula River. In the east and southeast, it is adjacent to Ural mountains and the Caucasus. In the south, the plain is bounded by the shores of the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas.

Features of the relief and landscape

The East European Plain is represented by a gentle-flat relief, formed as a result of faults in tectonic rocks. On the basis of relief features, the massif can be divided into three bands: central, southern and northern. The center of the plain consists of extensive highlands and lowlands alternating with each other. The north and south are mostly lowlands with rare low elevations.

The relief, although it is formed in a tectonic way, and insignificant tremors are possible on the territory, there are no tangible earthquakes here.

Natural areas and regions

(The plain has planes with characteristic smooth gradients)

The East European Plain includes all natural zones found on the territory of Russia:

• Tundra and forest-tundra are represented by the nature of the north of the Kola Peninsula and occupy a small part of the territory, slightly expanding to the east. The vegetation of the tundra, namely, shrubs, mosses and lichens, is replaced by birch forests of the forest-tundra.
• Taiga, with its pine and spruce forests, occupies the north and center of the plain. On the borders with mixed broadleaf forests places are often swampy. Typical Eastern European landscape - coniferous and mixed forests and swamps are replaced by small rivers and lakes.
• In the forest-steppe zone, you can see alternating hills and lowlands. This zone is characterized by oak and ash forests. You can often find birch and aspen forests.
• The steppe is represented by valleys, where oak forests and groves, alder and elm forests grow near the banks of rivers, and tulips and sage bloom in the fields.
• Semi-deserts and deserts are located on the Caspian lowland, where the climate is harsh and the soil is saline, but even there you can find vegetation in the form of various varieties of cacti, wormwood and plants that adapt well to a sharp change in daily temperatures.

Rivers and lakes plains

(A river on the flat terrain of the Ryazan region)

The rivers of the "Russian valley" are majestic and slowly carry their waters in one of two directions - to the north or south, to the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, or to the southern inland seas of the mainland. The rivers of the northern direction flow into the Barents, White or Baltic Seas. Rivers of the southern direction - to the Black, Azov or Caspian Sea... The most large river Europe, the Volga, also "flows lazily" through the lands of the East European Plain.

The Russian plain is a kingdom natural water in all its manifestations. The glacier, which passed through the plain thousands of years ago, formed many lakes on its territory. There are especially many of them in Karelia. The consequences of the presence of the glacier were the emergence in the North-West of such large lakes as Ladoga, Onega, Pskov-Peipsi reservoir.

Under the layer of earth in the localization of the Russian Plain, reserves of artesian water are stored in the amount of three underground basins of huge volumes and many located at a shallower depth.

Climate of the East European Plain

(Flat terrain with small drops near Pskov)

The Atlantic dictates the weather regime on the Russian Plain. Westerly winds, air masses that move moisture, make summer on the plain warm and humid, winter cold and windy. In the cold season, winds from the Atlantic bring about ten cyclones, contributing to changeable heat and cold. But the air masses from the Arctic Ocean also tend to the plain.

Therefore, the climate becomes continental only in the interior of the massif, closer to the south and southeast. The East European Plain has two climatic zones- subarctic and temperate, increasing continentality to the east.

The article contains information that gives a complete picture of the East European Plain, its relief and minerals. Indicates the states that are located in this territory. Allows you to accurately determine geographical position plains and indicates the factors that influenced the climatic features.

The East European Plain

The East European Plain is one of the largest territorial units on the planet. Its area exceeds 4 million km. sq.

On the flat plane, in whole or in part, there are such states as:

• Russian Federation;
• Finland;
• Estonia;
• Latvia;
• Lithuania;
• Republic of Belarus;
• Poland;
• Germany;
• Ukraine;
• Moldova;
• Kazakhstan.

Rice. 1. East European Plain on the map.

The type of geological structure of the platform was formed under the influence of shields and folded belts.

It ranks second in the ranking of quantities after the Amazonian Plain. The plain is localized in the eastern part of Europe. Due to the fact that its main part is localized within the borders of Russia, the East European Plain is also called Russian. The Russian plain is washed by the waters of the seas:

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• White;
• Barents;
• Black;
• Azovsky;
• Caspian.

The geographical position of the East European Plain is such that its length in the direction from north to south is more than 2.5 thousand kilometers, and from west to east - 1 thousand kilometers.

The geographical position of the plain determines the influence of the Atlantic and North seas on the specifics of its nature. Arctic oceans... The full spectrum is celebrated here natural areas- from tundra to deserts.

Peculiarities geological structure The East European platform is determined by the age of the rocks that make up the territory, among which the ancient Karelian folded crystalline basement is distinguished. Its age is over 1600 million years.

The minimum height of the territory is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea and is 26 m below sea level.

The predominant relief in this area is a flat-flat landscape.

The zoning of soils and flora is provincial in nature and is distributed in the direction from west to east.

On the flat territory is concentrated most of population of Russia and the bulk of large settlements... Interesting: It was here that the Russian state arose many centuries ago, which became the largest country in the world in terms of its territory.

Almost all types of natural zones that are characteristic of Russia are present on the East European Plain.

Rice. 2. Natural areas East European Plains on the map.

Minerals of the East European Plain

There is a significant accumulation of minerals in Russia.

Natural resources that lie in the bowels of the East European Plain:

• iron ore;
• coal;
• Uranus;
• non-ferrous metal ores;
• oil;

Natural Monuments - a protected area where there are unique objects living or inanimate nature.

The main monuments of the East European Plain: Lake Seliger, Kivach Waterfall, Kizhi Museum-Reserve.

Rice. 3. Kizhi Museum-Reserve on the map.

A large part of the territory is set aside for agricultural land. Russian regions on the territory of the plain are actively using its potential and exploiting water and land resources... However, this is not always a good thing. The territory is highly urbanized and significantly changed by man.

The level of pollution of a lot of rivers and lakes has reached a critical level. This is especially noticeable in the center and in the south of the plain.

Security measures are caused by uncontrolled economic activities human, which is today the main source of environmental problems.

The plain almost completely corresponds to the boundaries of the East European Platform.

This explains the plain appearance of the relief. Small hilly formations within the East European Plain arose as a result of faults and other tectonic processes. This suggests that the plain has a tectonic structure.

Glaciation made its contribution to the formation of the flat relief.

The waterways of the plain are fed by snow, which occurs during the spring flood. Abundant northern rivers flow into the White, Barents, Baltic Seas, and occupy 37.5% of the entire area of ​​the plain. Stoke inland waters due to the seasonal nature of the distribution, which occurs relatively evenly. V summer season rivers are not subject to sharp shallowing.

What have we learned?

Found out what is total area the territory of the East European Plain. We found out in which areas the highest water pollution was noted as a result of human activities. We found out what natural monuments are located on the territory of the plain. Got an idea of ​​the zoning of soils.

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