The largest plains in Russia: names, map, borders, climate and photos. Plain types

If you look at the physical map of the world, you can see that mountains and plains are the main types of land relief, and the plains are larger in area than the mountain ranges. Most of the population of our planet lives on the plains, which differ fertile soils and a climate conducive to agriculture.

Interestingly, not all continents are equally flat. Most of the plains are located in Africa (about 84%), in Asia, on the contrary - 57% of the continent is occupied by the largest mountain systems world: Tibet, Altai, Himalayas, Pamir, etc.

What are plains and how did they appear

Before we learn the history of the appearance of plains and classify them according to existing types, let's define the term itself. In principle, the word itself contains the answer to the question of what plains are. These are flat areas at the bottom of the oceans or on the surface of the Earth, often occupying vast areas. The largest plain on our planet is the Amazonian lowland in South America.

The plains differ from each other in their geological structure, the nature of the relief and height. Briefly, geologists explain their appearance on land in this way: once in prehistoric times, mountains rose in the place where the plains are now, then over a long period these mountains were destroyed as a result of earthquakes, until they were almost completely leveled.

At first glance, it may seem that the plains are practically flat spaces. In fact, their relief is complex and diverse. So, in some parts of the Earth, the plains are really almost flat, for example, in the semi-deserts north of the Caspian Sea, in other places their surface is crossed by ridges, hills and ridges - hills with gentle slopes. Such a hilly plain is, for example, East European.

Classification of plains by absolute height

It is not difficult to give a description of the plain, because, as we have already found out, this term means the vast expanse of land with a flat or hilly relief. All plains, depending on the height at which they are located relative to sea level, are divided into several types.

• The first is the lowlands. They can be located either below sea level, like the Caspian, or their height does not exceed 200 meters above sea level, like, for example, at the West Siberian. Where the earth's crust sags, there are coastal plains. One of these places is the Padana Lowland, on which the city of Venice is located.
• Uplands are the next type of plains. Their height above sea level ranges from 200 to 500 meters. Highlands are a mixture of hilly and flat areas, such as the Central Plains of North America.
• The highest plains on Earth are plateaus with a flat or hilly terrain, located at an altitude of 500 m to 1 km and above. An example of a plateau is the Anatolian in Turkey or the Altiplano in South America.

the East European Plain

The second largest plain in the world is the East European, which is also called Russian. It stretches from the coast White Sea in the north to the Caspian coast in the south. The Russian Plain belongs to the type of uplands, since its average height above sea level reaches 170 m.

Most of its climate is temperate continental, only in the far north is subarctic. Despite urbanization, almost half of the territory of the East European Plain is covered with forests, and in some of its areas, Askania Nova reserves have been created, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Vodlozersky national park and etc.

West Siberian Plain

Between the Central Siberian Plateau and Ural mountains the West Siberian Plain is located - the third largest after the Amazonian and Russian. Her main feature- Very smooth topography. The climate throughout its territory is continental with a sharp temperature drop and unstable weather.

The Siberian Plain is rich in minerals. In addition to gas and oil, iron ore, peat, brown coal are mined here. On the territory of the plain there are about a million lakes of various sizes and several vegetation zones: tundra, forest-tundra, forest-steppe, forest swamps and steppe.

severe waterlogging large areas- another one distinguishing feature Siberian Plain. This is due to several reasons: permafrost, low temperatures, flat relief, excessive moisture.

In conclusion, we note that the relief of the plains is most convenient for economic activity and life, therefore their territories are largely changed by mankind.

Plains are very large areas earth's surface, the height fluctuations at which are small, and the existing slopes are insignificant. They are distinguished by altitude and by the way of education or, in other words, by origin. What are the plains in terms of height and origin?

What are the plains in height

According to the absolute height, the plains are divided into lowlands, uplands, and plateaus. The lowland is called the plain, the most high areas which do not exceed 200 meters above sea level. Examples of such plains are the Caspian or Amazonian lowlands.

If the elevation difference of the earth's surface on a plain is in the range from 200 to 500 meters, then it is called a hill. In Russia, such plains include, for example, the Central Russian Upland or the Volga Upland.

Plateaus or, in other words, upland plateaus are plains located above half a kilometer above sea level. These are, for example, the Central Siberian Plateau or located in North America Great Plains.

What are the plains by origin

By origin, alluvial (or, in other words, accumulative), denudation, marine, continental accumulative, water-glacial, abrasion and reservoir plains are distinguished.

Alluvial plains are formed as a result of many years of deposition and accumulation of river sediments. Examples of such plains are the Amazonian and La Plata lowlands.

Denudation plains are formed as a result of the long destruction of mountainous terrain. This, for example, is the Kazakh upland.

Sea plains are located along the coasts of the seas and oceans and they were formed as a result of the retreat of the sea. An example of such a plain is the Black Sea Lowland.

Continental accumulative plains are located at the foot of the mountains and they were formed as a result of the deposition and accumulation of rocks brought by water flows. Examples of such a plain are the Kuban or Chechen plains.

Water-glacial plains are called plains that were once formed as a result of the activity of a glacier, such as Polesie or Meshchera.

Abrasive plains formed as a result of destruction coastline seas with waves and surf.

Stratum plains make up 64% of all plains on the continents. They are located on platforms. earth's crust, but are composed of layers of sedimentary rocks. Examples of such plains are the East European, West Siberian and many others.

My friend Nina lives in Kazakhstan. When I went to visit her, I saw what the plains of this country are like. We were driving to the village through the spring steppe, and it seemed to me that it had no boundaries.

What are called plains

Today my son Sasha and I are learning geography again. We understand what plains are and what signs they have.

Plains are large areas of the earth's surface with a slight slope of the terrain (no more than 5 °). Altitude fluctuations on the plain up to about 200 m.

Signs of plains by absolute height.

1. Elevated (height difference 200–500 m above sea level).
2. Low-lying (elevation difference is not more than 200 m).
3. Upland (lie at a level of over 500 m).
4. depressions (their highest point located below sea level).
5. Underwater plains.

The plains differ in the type of relief:

• horizontal or flat;
• wavy;
• hilly;
• stepped;
• concave.

There are denudation and accumulative plains. Denudation appeared during the destruction of the mountains. Accumulative are formed during the accumulation of sedimentary deposits.

The largest plain on earth

To make it clear to Sasha what the plains are, we considered the Amazonian lowland as an example. This plain is the largest on our planet. Its area is more than 5 million km². It is located in South America, in the Amazon basin and was formed as a result of the activity of this river, it is accumulative. The plain stretches from the Andes to Atlantic Ocean. The relief of this area is not uniform. The Western Amazon is very low and flat. In the eastern Amazon, you can find elevations up to 350 m. But basically this plain is flat.

Economic importance of the plains

I told my son how important the plains are in the economy. The plains have always had great importance in people's lives. Grain and horticultural crops grow best on their spaces.

Cows, sheep and horses graze on the expanses of the steppes, pampas and prairies. This is possible thanks to the herbs and shrubs that grow in abundance on the plains.

The basis of food for people is the plains, and this is very important.

Mostly on the plains there are villages and big cities with their industry.

Plains are the most convenient places for people and animals to live. Most of the people live on the plains, 65% of the world's population.

The relief of the earth is a collection of oceans and seas and land surface irregularities that vary in age, origin and size. It consists of forms that are combined with each other. The relief of the Earth is quite diverse: giant depressions of the oceans and vast expanses of land, endless plains and mountains, high hills and deep gorges. Plains occupy the main part of the Earth's surface. This article will give Full description plains.

Mountains and plains

Different sciences are engaged in the study of the reliefs of the Earth. The main landforms are mountains and plains. Geography can most fully answer the question concerning what mountains and plains are. Plains are land areas that occupy 60% of the Earth's surface. Mountains occupy 40%. Definition of mountains and plains:

• Plains are fairly large areas of land with slight slopes and slight fluctuations in elevation.
• The mountains are vast, raised high above the plains and sharply dissected land areas with significant elevation changes. The structure of the mountains: folded or folded-blocky.

According to the absolute height of the mountains are divided into:

• Lowlands. The height of such mountains is up to 1000m. They usually have gently sloping peaks, rounded slopes and relatively wide valleys. These include some mountains of northern Russia, Central Europe, such as the Khibiny on the Kola Peninsula.
• Middle mountains. Their height ranges from 1000m to 2000m. These include the Apennines and the Pyrenees, the Carpathian and Crimean mountains and others.
• Highlands. These mountains are over 2000m high. These are the Alps, the Himalayas, the Caucasus and others.

Plains classification

Plains are divided into types according to different characteristics, for example, by height, by type of surface, by the history of their development and their structure. Types of plains by absolute height:

1. Plains below sea level. An example can be such depressions as Kattara, its height is 133 m below sea level, the Turfan depression, the Caspian lowland.
2. Low plains. The height of such plains ranges from 0 to 200 m. These include the largest plains in the world, the Amazonian and La Plata lowlands.
3. The elevated plains have a height of 200m to 500m. An example is big desert Victoria.
4. Upland plateaus over 500m high, such as the Ustyurt Plateau, the Great Plains of North America and others.

The surface of the plain is inclined, horizontal, convex or concave. According to the type of surface, plains are distinguished: hilly, wavy, ridged, stepped. As a rule, the higher the plains, the more dissected they are. The types of plains also depend on the history of development and their structure:

• alluvial valleys such as the Great Plain of China, the Karakum desert, etc.;
• glacial valleys;
• water-glacial, for example Polesie, foothills of the Alps, the Caucasus and Altai;
• flat low-lying sea plains. Such plains are a narrow strip along the coasts of the seas and oceans. These are such plains as the Caspian and Black Sea.

There are plains that arose on the site of the mountains after their destruction. They are composed of hard crystalline rocks and crumpled into folds. Such plains are called denudation. Examples of them are the Kazakh small-sand pit, the plains of the Baltic and Canadian shields.

The climate of the plain depends on the climatic zone in which they are located and on what air masses they are influenced. This article systematized data on the main reliefs of the Earth and gave the concept of what mountains are and what a plain is.

The plain is one of the main forms of the earth's relief. On physical map The world's plains are marked with three colors: green, yellow and light brown. They occupy about 60% of the entire surface of our planet. The most extensive plains are confined to plates and platforms.

Characteristics of the plains

A plain is a piece of land or seabed that has a slight fluctuation in elevation (up to 200 m) and a slight slope (up to 5º). They are found at different heights, including at the bottom of the oceans.

A distinctive feature of the plains is a clear, open horizon line, straight or wavy, depending on the surface topography.

Another feature is that the plains are the main territories inhabited by people.

Natural areas of the plains

Since the plains occupy a vast territory, almost all natural areas. For example, tundra, taiga, mixed and broadleaf forests, steppes and semi-deserts. Most of the Amazon lowland is occupied by selva, and on the plains of Australia there are semi-deserts and savannahs.

Plain types

In geography, the plains are divided according to several criteria.

1. Altitude distinguish:

. base . The height above sea level does not exceed 200m. A striking example- West Siberian Plain.

. Exalted - with a height difference from 200 to 500 m above sea level. For example, the Central Russian Plain.

. upland plains , whose level is measured by marks over 500 m. For example, the Iranian Highlands.

. hollows The highest point is below sea level. An example is the Caspian lowland.

Separately, underwater plains are distinguished, which include the bottom of basins, shelves and abyssal areas.

2. By origin plains are:

. accumulative (marine, river and continental) - formed as a result of the influence of rivers, tides and tides. Their surface is covered with alluvial deposits, and in the sea - with marine, river and glacial deposits. From the sea, one can cite as an example the West Siberian lowland, and from the river - the Amazon. Among continental plains, marginal lowlands with a slight slope towards the sea are referred to as accumulative plains.

. Abrasive - formed as a result of the impact of the surf on land. In areas dominated strong winds, sea waves are frequent, and the coastline is formed from weak rocks, this type of plains is more often formed.

. Structural - the most complex in origin. In place of such plains, mountains once rose. As a result of volcanic activity and earthquakes, the mountains were destroyed. The magma flowing from cracks and splits fettered the surface of the land, like armor, hiding all the unevenness of the relief.

. Lake - formed on the site of dried-up lakes. Such plains are usually small in area and are often bordered by coastal ridges and ledges. An example of a lake plain is Jalanash and Kegen on the territory of Kazakhstan.

3. By type of relief plains are distinguished:

. flat or horizontal - Great Chinese and West Siberian Plains.

. wavy - are formed under the influence of water and water-glacial flows. For example, the Central Russian Upland

. hilly - in the relief there are separate hills, hills, ravines. An example is the East European Plain.

. stepped - are formed under the influence of the internal forces of the Earth. Example - Central Siberian Plateau

. concave - they include the plains of intermountain depressions. For example, the Tsaidam basin.

There are also ridge and ridge plains. But in nature, a mixed type is most often found. For example, the Pribelskaya undulating plain in Bashkortostan.

Plains climate

The climate of the plains is formed depending on its geographical location, the proximity of the ocean, the area of ​​the plain itself, its length from north to south, and also climate zone. Free movement of cyclones provides a clear change of seasons. Often the plains abound with rivers and lakes, which contribute to the formation of climatic conditions.

The largest plains in the world

Plains are common on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. In Eurasia, the largest are the East European, West Siberian, Turan, East China plains. In Africa - the East African Plateau, in North America - the Mississippi, Great, Mexican, in South America - the Amazonian lowland (the largest in the world, its area is over 5 million square kilometers) and the Guiana Plateau.