THE EAST EUROPEAN PLAIN, Russian Plain, one of the largest plains on the globe, within which lies the European part of Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, as well as most of Ukraine, western Poland and East End Kazakhstan. The length from west to east is about 2400 km, from north to south – 2500 km. Area over 4 million km 2. In the north it is washed by the White and Barents Seas; in the west it borders on the Central European Plain (approximately along the Vistula River valley); in the southwest - with the mountains of Central Europe (Sudetes, etc.) and the Carpathians; in the south it reaches the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas, the Crimean Mountains and the Caucasus; in the southeast and east - limited to the western foothills of the Urals and Mugodzhary. Some researchers include V.-E. R. the southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula and Karelia, others classify this territory as Fennoscandia, the nature of which differs sharply from the nature of the plain.
Relief and geological structure
V.-E. R. geostructurally corresponds in general to the ancient Russian plate East European Platform, in the south - northern part of the young Scythian platform, in the northeast - southern part of the young Barents-Pechora platform .
Complex relief of V.-E. R. characterized by slight fluctuations in height (average height about 170 m). The highest altitudes are observed on the Podolsk (up to 471 m, Mount Kamula) and Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya (up to 479 m) elevations, the lowest (about 27 m below sea level - the lowest point in Russia) is located on the Caspian Lowland, on the coast of the Caspian Sea.
On E.-E. R. Two geomorphological regions are distinguished: the northern moraine with glacial landforms and the southern non-moraine with erosive landforms. The northern moraine region is characterized by lowlands and plains (Baltic, Upper Volga, Meshcherskaya, etc.), as well as small hills (Vepsovskaya, Zhemaitskaya, Khaanya, etc.). In the east is the Timan Ridge. The far north is occupied by vast coastal lowlands (Pechorskaya and others). There are also a number of large hills - tundras, among them - the Lovozero tundras and others.
In the north-west, in the area of distribution of the Valdai glaciation, accumulative glacial relief predominates: hilly and ridge-moraine, western with flat lacustrine-glacial and outwash plains. There are many swamps and lakes (Chudsko-Pskovskoe, Ilmen, Upper Volga lakes, Beloe, etc.), the so-called lake district. To the south and east, in the area of distribution of the more ancient Moscow glaciation, smoothed undulating secondary moraine plains, reworked by erosion, are characteristic; There are basins of drained lakes. Moraine-erosive hills and ridges (Belarusian ridge, Smolensk-Moscow upland, etc.) alternate with moraine, outwash, lacustrine-glacial and alluvial lowlands and plains (Mologo-Sheksninskaya, Verkhnevolzhskaya, etc.). In some places, karst landforms are developed (Belomorsko-Kuloiskoe plateau, etc.). More often there are ravines and gullies, as well as river valleys with asymmetrical slopes. Along the southern border of the Moscow glaciation, typical areas are Polesye (Polesskaya Lowland, etc.) and Opole (Vladimirskoye, Yuryevskoye, etc.).
In the north, island permafrost is common in the tundra, while in the extreme northeast there is continuous permafrost up to 500 m thick and temperatures from –2 to –4 °C. To the south, in the forest-tundra, the thickness of the permafrost decreases, its temperature rises to 0 °C. There is permafrost degradation and thermal abrasion on sea coasts with destruction and retreat of the shores up to 3 m per year.
For the southern non-moraine region of V.-E. R. characterized by large hills with erosive gully-gully relief (Volynskaya, Podolskaya, Pridneprovskaya, Priazovskaya, Central Russian, Volga, Ergeni, Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya, General Syrt, etc.) and outwash, alluvial accumulative lowlands and plains related to the area of the Dnieper and Don glaciations (Pridneprovskaya, Oksko-Donskaya, etc.). Characterized by wide asymmetrical terraced river valleys. In the southwest (the Black Sea and Dnieper lowlands, the Volyn and Podolsk uplands, etc.) there are flat watersheds with shallow steppe depressions, the so-called “saucers,” formed due to the widespread development of loess and loess-like loams. In the northeast (High Trans-Volga region, General Syrt, etc.), where there are no loess-like deposits and bedrock comes to the surface, the watersheds are complicated by terraces, and the peaks are weathered remains of bizarre shapes - shikhans. In the south and southeast, flat coastal accumulative lowlands are typical (Black Sea, Azov, Caspian).
Climate
Far north of V.-E. The river, which is located in the subarctic zone, has a subarctic climate. Most of the plain, located in the temperate zone, is dominated by a temperate continental climate with the dominance of western air masses. As you move away from the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the continental climate increases, it becomes more severe and drier, and in the southeast, on the Caspian Lowland, it becomes continental, with hot, dry summers and cold, little snowy winters. The average January temperature ranges from –2 to –5 °C in the southwest and drops to –20 °C in the northeast. The average July temperature increases from north to south from 6 to 23–24 °C and up to 25.5 °C in the southeast. The northern and central parts of the plain are characterized by excessive and sufficient moisture, the southern part is characterized by insufficient and meager moisture, reaching the point of aridity. The most moist part of V.-E. R. (between 55–60° N) receives 700–800 mm of precipitation per year in the west and 600–700 mm in the east. Their number decreases to the north (in the tundra to 300–250 mm) and to the south, but especially to the southeast (in the semi-desert and desert to 200–150 mm). Maximum precipitation occurs in summer. In winter, snow cover (thickness 10–20 cm) lies from 60 days a year in the south to 220 days (thickness 60–70 cm) in the northeast. In the forest-steppe and steppe, frosts are frequent, droughts and hot winds are typical; in semi-deserts and deserts there are dust storms.
Inland waters
Most of the rivers of V.-E. R. belongs to the Atlantic and Northern basins. Arctic Oceans. The Neva, Daugava (Western Dvina), Vistula, Neman, etc. flow into the Baltic Sea; the Dnieper, Dniester, and Southern Bug carry their waters to the Black Sea; Don, Kuban, etc. flow into the Sea of Azov. Pechora flows into the Barents Sea; to the White Sea - Mezen, Northern Dvina, Onega, etc. The Volga, the largest river in Europe, as well as the Ural, Emba, Bolshoi Uzen, Maly Uzen, etc. belong to the internal drainage basin, mainly of the Caspian Sea. All rivers are predominantly snow-fed with spring flood. In the southwest of the E.-E.r. rivers do not freeze every year; in the northeast, freeze-up lasts up to 8 months. The long-term runoff modulus decreases from 10–12 l/s per km 2 in the north to 0.1 l/s per km 2 or less in the southeast. The hydrographic network has undergone strong anthropogenic changes: a system of canals (Volga-Baltic, White Sea-Baltic, etc.) connects all the seas washing East-Europe. R. The flow of many rivers, especially those flowing to the south, is regulated. Significant sections of the Volga, Kama, Dnieper, Dniester and others have been transformed into cascades of large reservoirs (Rybinskoye, Kuibyshevskoye, Tsimlyanskoye, Kremenchugskoye, Kakhovskoye, etc.).
There are numerous lakes of various genesis: glacial-tectonic - Ladoga (area with islands 18.3 thousand km 2) and Onega (area 9.7 thousand km 2) - the largest in Europe; moraine - Chudsko-Pskovskoye, Ilmen, Beloye, etc., estuary (Chizhinsky spills, etc.), karst (Okonskoe vent in Polesie, etc.), thermokarst in the north and suffosion in the south of V.-E. R. etc. Salt tectonics played a role in the formation of salt lakes (Baskunchak, Elton, Aralsor, Inder), since some of them arose during the destruction of salt domes.
Natural landscapes
V.-E. R. – a classic example of a territory with a clearly defined latitudinal and sublatitudinal zonality of natural landscapes. Almost the entire plain is located in the temperate geographical zone and only the northern part is in the subarctic. In the north, where permafrost is common, small areas expanding to the east are occupied by the tundra zone: typical moss-lichen, grass-moss-shrub (lingonberry, blueberry, crowberry, etc.) and southern shrub (dwarf birch, willow) on the tundra- gley and bog soils, as well as on dwarf illuvial-humus podzols (on sands). These are landscapes that are uncomfortable to live in and have a low ability to recover. To the south there is a narrow strip of forest-tundra with low-growing birch and spruce forests, and in the east - with larch. This is a pastoral zone with man-made and field landscapes around rare cities. About 50% of the plain's territory is occupied by forests. Zone of dark coniferous (mainly spruce, and in the east - with the participation of fir and larch) European taiga, swampy in places (from 6% in the southern to 9.5% in the northern taiga), on gley-podzolic (in the northern taiga), podzolic soils and podzols expands to the east. To the south there is a subzone of mixed coniferous-deciduous (oak, spruce, pine) forests on soddy-podzolic soils, which extends most widely in the western part. Along the river valleys there are pine forests growing on podzols. In the west, from the coast of the Baltic Sea to the foothills of the Carpathians, there is a subzone of broad-leaved (oak, linden, ash, maple, hornbeam) forests on gray forest soils; forests wedge out towards the Volga valley and have an island distribution in the east. The subzone is represented by forest-field-meadow natural landscapes with forest cover of only 28%. Primary forests are often replaced by secondary birch and aspen forests, occupying 50–70% of the forest area. The natural landscapes of opolis are unique - with plowed flat areas, remnants of oak forests and a ravine-beam network along the slopes, as well as woodlands - swampy lowlands with pine forests. From the northern part of Moldova to the Southern Urals there is a forest-steppe zone with oak groves (mostly cut down) on gray forest soils and rich forb-grass meadow steppes (some areas are preserved in nature reserves) on chernozems, which make up the main fund of arable land. The share of arable land in the forest-steppe zone is up to 80%. Southern part of V.-E. R. (except in the southeast) is occupied by forb-feather grass steppes on ordinary chernozems, which give way to the south by fescue-feather grass dry steppes on dark chestnut soils. In most of the Caspian Lowland, cereal-wormwood semi-deserts predominate on light chestnut and brown desert-steppe soils and wormwood-salote deserts on brown soils in combination with solonetzes and solonchaks.
Ecological situation
V.-E. R. mastered for a long time and significantly changed by man. In many natural landscapes, natural-anthropogenic complexes dominate, especially in steppe, forest-steppe, mixed and deciduous forests (up to 75%). Territory of V.-E. R. highly urbanized. The most densely populated zones (up to 100 people/km 2) are the zones of mixed and broad-leaved forests of the Central region of V.-E. r., where territories with a relatively satisfactory or favorable environmental situation occupy only 15% of the area. The environmental situation is particularly tense in large cities and industrial centers (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Cherepovets, Lipetsk, Voronezh, etc.). In Moscow, emissions in atmospheric air amounted (2014) to 996.8 thousand tons, or 19.3% of emissions from the entire Central Federal District (5169.7 thousand tons), in the Moscow region - 966.8 thousand tons (18.7%); V Lipetsk region emissions from stationary sources reached 330 thousand tons (21.2% of the district’s emissions). In Moscow, 93.2% are emissions from road transport, of which carbon monoxide accounts for 80.7%. The largest amount of emissions from stationary sources was noted in the Komi Republic (707.0 thousand tons). The proportion of residents (up to 3%) living in cities with high and very high high level pollution. In 2013, Moscow, Dzerzhinsk, and Ivanovo were excluded from the priority list of the most polluted cities in the Russian Federation. Foci of contamination are typical for large industrial centers, especially for Dzerzhinsk, Vorkuta, Nizhny Novgorod and others. Soils were contaminated (2014) with petroleum products in the city of Arzamas (2565 and 6730 mg/kg) of the Nizhny Novgorod region, in the city of Chapaevsk (1488 and 18,034 mg/kg) of the Samara region, in the areas of Nizhny Novgorod (1282 and 14,000 mg /kg), Samara (1007 and 1815 mg/kg) and other cities. Spills of oil and petroleum products as a result of accidents at oil and gas production facilities and main pipeline transport lead to changes in soil properties - an increase in pH to 7.7–8.2, salinization and the formation of technogenic salt marshes, and the appearance of microelements anomalies. In agricultural areas, soil contamination with pesticides, including the banned DDT, is observed.
Numerous rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are heavily polluted (2014), especially in the center and south of Eastern Europe. rivers, including the rivers Moscow, Pakhra, Klyazma, Myshega (city of Aleksin), Volga and others, mainly within cities and downstream. Fence fresh water(2014) in the Central Federal District amounted to 10,583.62 million m3; the volume of domestic water consumption is greatest in the Moscow region (76.56 m 3 / person) and in Moscow (69.27 m 3 / person), the discharge of contaminated wastewater is also maximum in these regions - 1121.91 million m 3 and 862 .86 million m 3 respectively. Share of polluted wastewater in total volume discharges amount to 40–80%. The discharge of polluted waters in St. Petersburg reached 1054.14 million m3, or 91.5% of the total volume of discharges. There is a shortage of fresh water, especially in the southern regions of V.-E. R. The problem of waste disposal is acute. In 2014, 150.3 million tons of waste were collected in the Belgorod region - the largest in the Central Federal District, as well as disposed waste - 107.511 million tons. The anthropogenic terrain is typical: waste heaps (height up to 50 m), quarries, etc. Leningrad region over 630 quarries with an area of more than 1 hectare. Large quarries remain in the Lipetsk and Kursk regions. The taiga contains the main areas of logging and wood processing industries, which are powerful polluters. natural environment. There are clear cuttings and overcuts, and littering of forests. The proportion of small-leaved species is growing, including on the site of former arable lands and hay meadows, as well as spruce forests, which are less resistant to pests and windfalls. The number of fires has increased; in 2010, more than 500 thousand hectares of land burned. Secondary swamping of territories is noted. The number and biodiversity of wildlife is declining, including as a result of poaching. In 2014, 228 ungulates were poached in the Central Federal District alone.
For agricultural lands, especially in the southern regions, soil degradation processes are typical. The annual loss of soil in the steppe and forest-steppe is up to 6 t/ha, in some places 30 t/ha; the average annual loss of humus in soils is 0.5–1 t/ha. Up to 50–60% of the land is prone to erosion; the density of the ravine network reaches 1–2.0 km/km 2 . The processes of siltation and eutrophication of water bodies are increasing, and the shallowing of small rivers continues. Secondary salinization and flooding of soils are noted.
Specially protected natural areas
Numerous reserves, national parks and sanctuaries have been created to study and protect typical and rare natural landscapes. In the European part of Russia there are (2016) 32 nature reserves and 23 national parks, including 10 biosphere reserves (Voronezh, Prioksko-Terrasny, Central Forest, etc.). Among the oldest reserves: Astrakhan Nature Reserve(1919), Askania-Nova (1921, Ukraine), Belovezhskaya Pushcha(1939, Belarus). Among the largest nature reserves is the Nenets Nature Reserve (313.4 thousand km 2), and among the national parks is Vodlozersky national park(4683.4 km 2). Areas of indigenous taiga “Virgin Komi Forests” and Belovezhskaya Pushcha are on the list World Heritage. There are many reserves: federal (Tarusa, Kamennaya Steppe, Mshinskoe swamp) and regional, as well as natural monuments (Irgiz floodplain, Racheyskaya taiga, etc.). Natural parks have been created (Gagarinsky, Eltonsky, etc.). The share of protected areas in different regions varies from 15.2% in the Tver region to 2.3% in the Rostov region.
The East European Plain is one of the largest plains on the planet. It covers four million square kilometers, completely or partially affecting the territories of ten states. What relief and climate are typical for the East European Plain? You will find all the details about it in our article.
Geography of the East European Plain
The relief of Europe is very diverse - there are mountains, plains, and swampy lowlands. Its largest orographic structure by area is the East European Plain. From west to east it extends for about a thousand kilometers, and from north to south - more than 2.5 thousand kilometers.
Due to the fact that most of the plain is located on the territory of Russia, it received the name Russian. With an eye to the historical past, it is also often called the Sarmatian Plain.
It starts from the Scandinavian mountains and the Baltic Sea coast and stretches to the foot of the Ural Mountains. Its southern border of the plain runs near the Southern Carpathians and Stara Planina, the Crimean Mountains, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, and the northern edge runs along the shores of the White and Barents Seas. On the territory of the East European Plain there is a significant part of Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, and Belarus. It also includes Kazakhstan, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland.
Relief and geological structure
The outlines of the plain almost completely coincide with the ancient East European platform (only a small area in the south lies on the Scythian plate). Thanks to this, there are no significant elevations in its relief, and the average height is only 170 meters. Highest point reaches 479 meters - this is the Bugulma-Belebeevskaya Upland, which is located in the Urals.
The tectonic stability of the plain is also associated with the platform. She never finds herself in the midst of volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. All the vibrations of the earth's crust that occur here are low-grade and are only echoes of unrest mountainous areas nearby.
However, this area was not always calm. The relief of the East European Plain was formed by very ancient tectonic processes and glaciations. In the south, they occurred much earlier, so their traces and consequences have long been smoothed out by active climatic processes and water erosion. In the north, traces of past glaciation are most clearly visible. They appear as sandy depressions, winding bays Kola Peninsula, which cut deeply into the land, as well as in the form of a large number of lakes. In general, the modern landscapes of the plain are represented by a number of hills and glaciolacustrine lowlands, alternating with each other.
Minerals
The ancient platform underlying the East European Plain is represented by crystalline rocks, which are covered by a sedimentary layer of different ages, located in horizontal position. In the Ukrainian region, rocks also come out in the form of low cliffs and rapids.
The plain area is rich in a variety of minerals. Its sedimentary cover contains deposits of limestone, chalk, shale, phosphorites, sand and clay. Oil shale deposits are located in the Baltic region, salt and gypsum are mined in the Urals, and oil and gas are mined in Perm. Large deposits of coal, anthracite and peat are concentrated in the Donbass basin. Brown and hard coal are also mined in the Dnepropetrovsk basin of Ukraine, in the Perm and Moscow region in Russia.
The crystalline shields of the plain are composed mainly of metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are rich in gneisses, schists, amphibolites, diabase, porphyrite, and quartzite. Raw materials for the production of ceramics and stone building materials are mined here.
One of the most “fertile” areas is the Kola Peninsula - a source of large quantities of metal ores and minerals. Within its boundaries, iron, lithium, titanium, nickel, platinum, beryllium, various mica, ceramic pegmatites, chrysolite, amethyst, jasper, garnet, iolite and other minerals are mined.
Climate
The geographical location of the East European Plain and its low-lying terrain largely determine its climate. The Ural Mountains near its outskirts do not allow air masses from the east to pass through, so throughout the year it is influenced by winds from the west. They form over the Atlantic Ocean, bringing moisture and warmth in winter, and precipitation and coolness in summer.
Due to the absence of mountains in the north, winds from the southern Arctic also easily penetrate deep into the plain. In winter they bring cold continental air masses, low temperatures, frosts and light snow. In summer they bring with them drought and cold snaps.
During the cold season, temperatures are highly dependent on incoming winds. In summer, on the contrary, the climate of the East European Plain is most powerfully influenced by solar heat, so temperatures are distributed in accordance with the geographic latitude of the area.
In general, weather conditions in the plain are very unstable. Atlantic and Arctic air masses above it often replace each other, which is accompanied by a constant alternation of cyclones and anticyclones.
Natural areas
The East European Plain is located mainly within the temperate climate zone. Only a small part of it in the far north lies in the subarctic zone. Due to the flat terrain, latitudinal zoning is very clearly visible on it, which manifests itself in a smooth transition from the tundra in the north to the arid deserts on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Tundra, covered with dwarf trees and shrubs, is found only in the extreme northern territories of Finland and Russia. Below it gives way to taiga, the zone of which expands as it approaches the Urals. Mostly coniferous trees such as larch, spruce, pine, fir, as well as herbs and berry bushes grow here.
After the taiga, the zone of mixed and deciduous forests begins. It covers the entire Baltic region, Belarus, Romania, part of Bulgaria, a large part of Russia, the north and northeast of Ukraine. The center and south of Ukraine, Moldova, northeast Kazakhstan and the southern part of Russia are covered by a zone of forest-steppe and steppe. The lower reaches of the Volga and the shores of the Caspian Sea are covered with deserts and semi-deserts.
Hydrography
The rivers of the East European Plain flow in both northern and southern directions. The main watershed between them runs through Polesie, and part of them belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin, and flows to the Barents, White and Baltic seas. Others flow south, emptying into the Caspian Sea and the seas of the Atlantic Ocean. The longest and deepest river of the plain is the Volga. Other significant watercourses are the Dnieper, Don, Dniester, Pechora, Northern and Western Dvina, Southern Bug, Neva.
There are also many swamps and lakes in the East European Plain, but they are not evenly distributed. They are distributed very densely in the northwestern part, but in the southeast they are practically absent. On the territory of the Baltic States, Finland, Polesie, Karelia and the Kola Peninsula, reservoirs of glacial and moraine type were formed. In the south, in the region of the Caspian and Azov lowlands, there are estuary lakes and salt marshes.
Despite the relatively flat terrain, there are many interesting geological formations within the East European Plain. Such, for example, are the “Sheep foreheads” rocks, which are found in Karelia, on the Kola Peninsula and in the Northern Ladoga region.
They are protrusions on the surface of rocks that were smoothed during the descent of an ancient glacier. The rocks are also called "curly" rocks. Their slopes in places where the glacier moved are polished and smooth. The opposite slopes, on the contrary, are steep and very uneven.
Zhiguli are the only mountains on the plain that were formed as a result of tectonic processes. They are located in the southeastern part, in the Volga Upland region. These are young mountains that continue to grow, increasing by about 1 centimeter every hundred years. Today their maximum height reaches 381 meters.
The Zhiguli Mountains are composed of dolomites and limestones. Oil deposits are also located within their boundaries. Their slopes are covered with forests and forest-steppe vegetation, among which endemic species are found. Most of it is included in the Zhigulevsky Nature Reserve and is closed to the public. The area, which is not under protection, is actively visited by tourists and ski enthusiasts.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha
Within the East European Plain there are many nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and other protected areas. One of the oldest formations is the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, located on the border of Poland and Belarus.
A large area of relict taiga, a native forest that existed in this area back in prehistoric times, has been preserved here. It is assumed that this is what the forests of Europe looked like millions of years ago.
On the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha there are two plant zones, and coniferous forests are closely adjacent to mixed broadleaf forests. The local fauna includes fallow deer, mouflon, reindeer, tarpan horses, bears, minks, beavers and raccoon dogs. The pride of the park is the bison, which are saved here from complete extinction.
Lesson objectives.
1. Find out the features of the nature of the plain as a factor in the formation of the most populated and developed region.
2. Develop research skills.
3. Develop a moral and aesthetic attitude towards nature.
Lesson objectives.
1. Formation of ideas and knowledge about the features of the natural area - the Russian Plain, its role in the formation of the Russian state.
2. Study of the nature and resources of the Russian Plain.
3. Deepening and expanding knowledge about the components of the plain PTC.
Equipment: maps of Russia - physical, climatic, vegetation of natural zones, contour maps, video film, books, mobile classroom, multimedia projector, interactive whiteboard.
Forms of work: group with elements of role-playing game.
Lesson type:
for didactic purposes - learning new material;
according to teaching methods - role-playing game.
Lesson Plan
1. Organization of the lesson.
2. Updating students' knowledge. Setting educational objectives. Studying a new topic.
3. Students work in groups. Student answers. Relaxation.
4. Lesson summary. Evaluating student responses. Achieving the goal.
5. Test solutions when using laptops. Practical part, completing tasks in contour maps.
6. Homework.
1. Stage - organizational.
Greetings. Ready for the lesson. Mark those absent in the log.
2. Stage - updating students' knowledge.
Teacher. We are beginning to study the physical and geographical regions of Russia.
Question No. 1. Name and show all these areas on physical map Russia.
Lesson topic. Russian (East European) Plain. Geographical location and natural features.
Teacher. Guys, we have to find out what in the nature of the Russian Plain enchants a person, gives him spiritual and physical strength, affects economic activity.
To solve the problems, you need to explore the following questions.
1. Geographical location and relief of the Russian Plain.
2. Climate and inland waters.
3. Natural areas of the Russian Plain.
4. Natural resources and their use.
5. Environmental problems of the Russian (East European) Plain.
We begin our study of the Russian Plain by determining the geographical location of the area, as it determines the characteristics of the PTC.
Give a definition of the concept “geographical location”.
Geographical location is the position of any object or point on the earth's surface in relation to other objects or territories.
Updating knowledge
Question No. 2. What underlies the division of Russia into regions or physical-geographical areas?
Answer. The division is based on relief and geological structure - azonal components.
Question No. 3. The first PTC (physiographic region) that we will get acquainted with is the Russian Plain, or as it is also called the East European Plain.
Why do you think this plain has such names?
Answer. Russian - because here is the center of Russia, Ancient Rus' was located on the plain. Most Russians in Russia live here.
Question No. 4. Why Eastern European?
Answer. The plain is located in eastern Europe.
3. Stage. Work in groups.
Today we work in groups, you receive tasks and instructions for completing tasks, for which 5 minutes are allotted.
Students are divided into groups of 4-5 people, consultants are assigned, cards with research tasks are distributed (as the students work, they draw up an outline of their answer on separate sheets of paper), and they receive evaluation sheets.
Evaluation paper
| No. | Last name, first name | Score for answers |
Score for test |
Final mark |
Student Research.
Group No. 1
Problematic question: How does the geographical location determine the nature of the Russian Plain?
1. The seas washing the territory of the Russian Plain.
2. Which ocean basin do they belong to?
3. Which ocean has the greatest influence on the natural features of the plain?
4. The length of the plain from north to south along 40 degrees east. (1 degree=111 km.).
Conclusion. The plain occupies the western part of Russia. The area is about 3 million sq. km. The Arctic and Atlantic oceans influence the characteristics of nature.
The Russian Plain occupies almost the entire western, European part of Russia. It extends from the coasts of the Barents and White Seas in the north to the Azov and Caspian Seas in the south; from the western borders of the country to the Ural Mountains. The length of the territories from north to south exceeds 2500 km, the area of the plain within Russia is about 3 million sq. km.
The geographical position of the plain is associated with the influence on the characteristics of its nature by the seas of the Atlantic and the less severe seas of the Arctic oceans. The Russian Plain has the most complete set of natural zones (from tundra to temperate deserts). In most of its territory, natural conditions are quite favorable for the life and economic activities of the population.
Group No. 2
Problematic question: How was the modern relief of the plain formed?
1. Comparing the physical and tectonic maps, draw the following conclusion:
How does tectonic structure affect the relief of the plain? What is an ancient platform?
2. Which territories have the highest and lowest absolute altitudes?
3. The relief of the plain is varied. Why? What external processes shaped the relief of the plain?
Conclusion. The Russian Plain is located on the ancient Russian platform. The highest height is the Khibiny Mountains 1191 m, the lowest is the Caspian Lowland - 28 m. The relief is varied, the glacier in the north had a strong influence, and flowing waters in the south.
The Russian Plain is located on an ancient Precambrian platform. This determines the main feature of its relief – flatness. The folded foundation of the Russian Plain lies at different depths and comes to the surface in Russia only on the Kola Peninsula and Karelia (Baltic Shield). In the rest of the territory, the foundation is covered by a sedimentary cover of varying thickness.
The cover smoothes out the unevenness of the foundation, but still, as in an x-ray, they “shine through” through the thickness of sedimentary rocks and predetermine the location of the largest hills and lowlands. Greatest height have the Khibiny mountains on the Kola Peninsula, they are located on the shield, the smallest is the Caspian lowland - 28 m, i.e. 28 m below sea level.
The Central Russian Upland and the Timan Ridge are confined to basement uplifts. The Caspian and Pechora lowlands correspond to depressions.
The relief of the plain is quite varied. In most of the territory it is rugged and picturesque. In the northern part, small hills and ridges are scattered against the general background of a low-lying plain. Here, through the Valdai Upland and Northern Uvaly, there is a watershed between rivers carrying their waters to the north and northwest (Western and Northern Dvina, Pechora) and flowing to the south (Dnieper, Don and Volga with their fairly numerous tributaries).
The northern part of the Russian Plain was formed by ancient glaciers. The Kola Peninsula and Karelia are located where the destructive activity of the glacier was intense. Here, strong bedrock with traces of glacial processing often comes to the surface. To the south, where the accumulation of material brought by the glacier took place, moraine ridges and hilly moraine relief were formed. Moraine hills alternate with depressions occupied by lakes or wetlands.
Along the southern edge of the glaciation, glacial meltwater deposited masses of sandy material. Flat or slightly concave sandy plains arose here. Currently, they are crossed by weakly incised river valleys.
To the south, large hills and lowlands alternate. The Central Russian, Volga Uplands and General Syrt are separated by lowlands along which the Don and Volga flow. Erosive terrain is widespread here. The hills are especially densely and deeply dissected by ravines and gullies.
The extreme south of the Russian Plain, which was flooded by seas in the Neogene and Quaternary times, is distinguished by weak dissection and a slightly wavy, almost flat surface. The Russian Plain is located in a temperate climate zone. Only its extreme north is in the subarctic zone.
Relaxation. The guys look at slides with natural landscapes and musical accompaniment.
Group No. 3
Problematic question: Why did a temperate continental climate form on the Russian Plain?
1. Name the climate-forming factors that determine the climate of the plain.
2. How does the Atlantic Ocean affect the climate of the plain?
3. What kind of weather do cyclones bring?
4. Based on the climate map: determine the average temperatures in January and July, the annual amount of precipitation in Petrozavodsk, Moscow, Voronezh, Volgograd.
Conclusion. The climate is temperate continental, continentality increases towards the southeast. The Atlantic has the greatest influence.
The climate of the Russian Plain is temperate continental. Continentality increases to the east and especially to the southeast. The nature of the relief ensures free penetration of Atlantic air masses to the eastern edges of the plain, and Arctic air masses far to the south. During transition periods, the advance of arctic air causes a sharp drop in temperature and frost, and in summer – drought.
The Russian Plain receives the most precipitation compared to other large plains in our country. It is influenced by the westerly transport of air masses and cyclones moving from the Atlantic. This influence is especially strong in the northern and middle parts of the Russian Plain. The passage of cyclones is associated with precipitation. The moisture here is abundant and sufficient, so there are many rivers, lakes and swamps. In the zone of maximum quantity there are the sources of the largest rivers of the Russian Plain: the Volga, Northern Dvina. The northwest of the plain is one of the lake regions of the country. Along with large lakes - Ladoga, Onega, Chudskoye, Ilmen - there are many small ones located in depressions between moraine hills.
In the southern part of the plain, where cyclones rarely pass, there is less precipitation than can evaporate. Insufficient hydration. In summer there are often droughts and dry winds. The climate becomes increasingly dry to the southeast.
Group No. 4
Problematic question: How do you explain the words of A.I. Voeikov: “Rivers are a product of climate”?
1. Find and name the large rivers of the plain; which ocean basins do they belong to?
2. Why do rivers flow in different directions?
3. Climate affects rivers. What does it mean?
4. There are many large lakes on the territory of the Russian Plain. Most of them are located in the northwest of the plain. Why?
Conclusion. The rivers have spring floods, and the food supply is mixed.
Most of the lakes are located in the northwest of the plain. The basins are glacial-tectonic and dammed, i.e. influence of an ancient glacier.
All rivers of the Russian Plain are predominantly snow-fed and spring floods. But the rivers of the northern part of the plain differ significantly from the rivers of the southern part in terms of the amount of flow and its distribution over the seasons. Northern rivers are full of water. Rain and groundwater play a significant role in their nutrition, which is why the flow is more evenly distributed throughout the year than that of southern rivers.
In the southern part of the plain, where moisture is insufficient, the rivers have low water. The share of rain and groundwater in their nutrition is sharply reduced, so the overwhelming majority of the runoff occurs during a short period of spring floods.
The longest and most abundant river of the Russian Plain and all of Europe is the Volga.
The Volga is one of the main riches and decorations of the Russian Plain. Starting from a small swamp on the Valdai Hills, the river carries its waters to the Caspian Sea. It has absorbed the waters of hundreds of rivers and streams flowing from the Ural Mountains and emerging on the plain. The main sources of nutrition for the Volga are snow (60%) and groundwater (30%). In winter the river freezes.
Crossing several natural zones on its way, it reflects in the water surface large cities, majestic forests, high slopes of the right banks, and coastal sands of the Caspian deserts.
Nowadays the Volga has turned into a grand staircase with mirrored steps of reservoirs regulating its flow. Water falling from dams provides electricity to the cities and villages of the Russian Plain. The river is connected by canals to five seas. The Volga is a river - a worker, an artery of life, the mother of Russian rivers, glorified by our people.
Of the lakes on the Russian Plain, Lake Ladoga is the largest. Its area is 18,100 km. The lake stretches from north to south for 219 km with a maximum width of 124 km. The average depth is 51 m. The lake reaches its greatest depths (203 m) in its northern part. The northern shore of Lake Ladoga is rocky, indented by long, narrow bays. The remaining banks are low and flat. There are many islands on the lake (about 650), most of which are located near the northern shore.
The lake freezes completely only by mid-February. The ice thickness reaches 0.7–1 m. The lake opens in April, but ice floes float on its water surface for a long time. Only in the second half of May the lake is completely free of ice.
On Lake Ladoga there are hours of fog making navigation difficult. Strong, prolonged storms often occur, with waves reaching a height of 3 meters. According to navigation conditions, Ladoga is equated to the seas. The lake is connected via the Neva to the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea; through the Svir River, Lake Onega and the White Sea - Baltic Canal - with the White and Barents Seas; through the Volga-Baltic Canal - with the Volga and Caspian Sea. In recent years, there has been severe pollution of the water of Lake Ladoga by industrial activities in its basin. The problem of maintaining the cleanliness of the lake is acute, since the city of St. Petersburg receives water from Ladoga. In 1988, a special resolution was adopted to protect Lake Ladoga.
4. Stage. Lesson summary. Evaluating student responses.
Conclusion on the topic studied
The East European (Russian) Plain has extremely diverse natural conditions and resources. This is due to the geological history of development and geographical location. The Russian land began from these places; for a long time, the plain was populated and developed by people. It is no coincidence that the capital of the country, Moscow, and the most developed economic region, Central Russia, with the highest population density, are located on the Russian plain.
The nature of the Russian Plain enchants with its beauty. It gives a person spiritual and physical strength, calms, and restores health. The unique charm of Russian nature is sung by A.S. Pushkin,
M.Yu. Lermontov, reflected in the paintings of I.I. Levitan, I.I. Shishkina, V.D. Polenova. People passed on the skills of decorative and applied arts from generation to generation, using natural resources and the very spirit of Russian culture.
5. Stage. Practical part of the lesson. To consolidate and assimilate the educational material, the children perform a test on laptops (exercises with eyes); at the teacher’s command, press the “result” key.
Summing up, preparing evaluation sheets.
Practical part in workbooks p. 49 (task No. 2).
Giving grades in diaries.
6. Stage. Homework: paragraph 27, workbook page 49 (task No. 1).
Self-analysis of a geography lesson
The lesson was held in a classroom with good learning opportunities, a developmental education class.
Students have analytical thinking skills.
Lesson type - combined, with elements of role-playing game. Based on the topic and type of lesson, the characteristics of the student group, the following lesson goals were determined:
Identify the features of the nature of the plain as a factor in the formation of the most populated and developed region;
Improve the ability to work with atlas maps, textbook text, a computer, and draw up logical support diagrams;
Ensure the development of abilities for evaluative actions and express judgments;
Develop research skills;
Develop the ability to work in a team, develop mutual assistance;
Develop a moral and aesthetic attitude towards nature.
To achieve these goals, various methods training:
1. By sources of transmission and perception of information:
- verbal- formulation of targets, explanation of methods of activity;
- visual- cards, interactive whiteboard, multimedia projector, mobile classroom;
- practical- work with atlas maps, textbooks, workbooks, using laptops.
2. By the nature of cognitive activity:
- reproductive- the student worked with terms;
- research- identified features, established cause and effect;
- compared, explained, analyzed problematic issues.
The following were used in the lesson forms of organization educational activities:
1. Individual - each student worked with the text of the textbook, atlas maps, and completed control tasks.
2. Pairs - discussions, mutual control.
3. Group - creative work.
When developing the lesson, I adhered to principles:
1. The principle of motivation is the creation of passion and interest in knowledge.
2. The principle of a conscious learning process.
3. The principle of collectivism.
Used techniques mental thinking activity:
1. Method of comparison - favorable and unfavorable conditions.
2. Technique of analysis and synthesis - determining the features of the placement of natural resources.
3. The technique of generalization when formulating conclusions and summing up.
Lesson steps
Stage 1 – organizational.
The task of this stage is to provide a favorable psychological environment for learning activities.
Stage 2 – updating of background knowledge.
At this stage, the teacher ensures the reproduction of the knowledge and skills on the basis of which new content will be built. Implementation targets, formation of skills to determine the goal, plan your educational activities.
Stage 3 – learning new material, working in groups.
The objectives of the stage are to ensure perception and understanding of the concepts acquired by students, creating conditions for students to master knowledge in the form of activity.
1. Creating problematic situations.
2. Using the research method of teaching to establish cause-and-effect relationships.
3. Improving skills in text analysis and diagramming.
4. Working with the textbook text in order to develop scientific thinking.
5. The creative task is aimed at strengthening the ability to analyze atlas maps, as well as at developing mental thinking activity. development of logic.
Stage 4 – the result of the lesson, consolidation of new knowledge and methods of activity.
The task of the stage is to ensure an increase in the level of comprehension of the studied material. Improving assessment activities.
Stage 5 – practical part, logical conclusion of the lesson.
Stage 6 – information about homework.
The form of the lesson made it possible to combine traditional and non-traditional forms of work: a combined lesson with elements of role-playing game. The psychological regime was supported by the teacher’s benevolent attitude towards students. The feasibility of tasks for each student, the atmosphere of business cooperation. The high density, pace of the lesson, and the combination of different types of work made it possible to implement the entire volume of the proposed material and solve the assigned tasks.
The East European Plain is second in size only to the Amazon Lowland, located in South America. The second largest plain on our planet is located on the Eurasian continent. Most of it is located in the eastern part of the continent, the smaller part is in the western part. Since the geographical location of the East European Plain is mainly in Russia, it is often called the Russian Plain.
East European Plain: its borders and location
From north to south the plain has a length of more than 2.5 thousand kilometers, and from east to west 1 thousand kilometers. Its flat terrain is explained by its almost complete coincidence with the East European Platform. This means that major natural phenomena do not threaten it; small earthquakes and flooding are possible. In the north-west the plain ends with the Scandinavian Mountains, in the south-west - the Carpathians, in the south - the Caucasus, in the east - the Mugodjars and the Urals. Its highest part is located in the Khibiny Mountains (1190m), the lowest is located on the Caspian coast (below sea level 28 m). Most of the plain is in the forest zone, the southern and central part- these are forest-steppes and steppes. The extreme south and eastern part is covered with desert and semi-desert.
East European Plain: its rivers and lakes
Onega, Pechora, Mezen, Northern Dvina are large rivers in the northern part that belong to the Arctic Ocean. The Baltic Sea basin includes such large rivers as the Western Dvina, Neman, and Vistula. The Dniester, Southern Bug, and Dnieper flow to the Black Sea. The Volga and Ural rivers belong to the Caspian Sea basin. The Don flows its waters towards the Sea of Azov. In addition to large rivers, there are several large lakes on the Russian Plain: Ladoga, Beloe, Onega, Ilmen, Chudskoye.
East European Plain: fauna
Animals of the forest group, arctic and steppe live on the Russian Plain. Forest fauna are more common. These are lemmings, chipmunks, gophers and marmots, antelopes, martens and forest cats, minks, black polecat and wild boar, garden, hazel and forest dormouse and so on. Unfortunately, man has caused significant damage to the fauna of the plain. Even before the 19th century, the tarpan (wild forest horse) lived in mixed forests. Today in Belovezhskaya Pushcha they are trying to preserve bison. There is the Askania-Nova steppe reserve, where animals from Asia, Africa and Australia live. And the Voronezh Nature Reserve successfully protects beavers. Moose and wild boars, previously completely exterminated, have reappeared in this area.
Minerals of the East European Plain
The Russian Plain contains many mineral resources that have great importance not only for our country, but also for the rest of the world. First of all, these are the Pechora coal basin, Kursk magnetic ore deposits, nepheline and apathetic ores on the Kola Peninsula, Volga-Ural and Yaroslavl oil, brown coal in the Moscow region. No less important are the aluminum ores of Tikhvin and the brown iron ore of Lipetsk. Limestone, sand, clay and gravel are common throughout almost the entire plain. Table salt is mined in lakes Elton and Baskunchak, and potassium salt is mined in the Kama Cis-Ural region. In addition to all this, gas production is underway (Azov coast region).
For centuries, the Russian Plain served as a territory connecting Western and Eastern civilizations along trade routes. Historically, two busy trade arteries ran through these lands. The first is known as the “path from the Varangians to the Greeks.” According to it, as is known from school history, medieval trade in goods of the peoples of the East and Rus' 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 ship to Southern Europe from China, India and Central Asia and in the opposite direction. The first Russian cities were built along trade routes - Kyiv, Smolensk, Rostov. Veliky Novgorod became the northern gateway from the “Varangians”, protecting the security 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 position of the plain
The East European Plain, or Russian, occupies territories in eastern Europe. In Russia, these are its extreme western lands. In the northwest and west it is limited by the Scandinavian Mountains, the Barents and White Seas, the Baltic coast and the Vistula River. In the east and southeast it neighbors the Ural Mountains and the Caucasus. In the south, the plain is limited by the shores of the Black, Azov and Caspian seas.
Relief features and landscape
The East European Plain is represented by a gently sloping relief, formed as a result of faults in tectonic rocks. Based on relief features, the massif can be divided into three stripes: central, southern and northern. The center of the plain consists of alternating vast hills and lowlands. The north and south are mostly represented by lowlands with rare low altitudes.
Although the relief is formed in a tectonic manner and minor tremors are possible in the area, there are no noticeable earthquakes here.
Natural areas and regions
(The plain has planes with characteristic smooth drops)
The East European Plain includes all natural zones found in Russia:
- Tundra and forest-tundra are represented by the nature of the north of the Kola Peninsula and occupy a small part 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 broad-leaved forests, areas are often swampy. A typical Eastern European landscape - coniferous and mixed forests and swamps give way to small rivers and lakes.
- In the forest-steppe zone you can see alternating hills and lowlands. Oak and ash forests are typical for this zone. You can often find birch and aspen forests.
- The steppe is represented by valleys, where oak forests and groves, forests of alder and elm grow near the river banks, and tulips and sages bloom in the fields.
- In the Caspian lowland there are semi-deserts and deserts, 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 sudden changes in daily temperatures.
Rivers and lakes of the plain
(River on a flat area of the Ryazan region)
The rivers of the “Russian Valley” are majestic and slowly flow their waters in one of two directions - north or south, to the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, or to the southern inland seas of the continent. Northern rivers flow into the Barents, White or Baltic seas. Rivers in the southern direction - into the Black, Azov or Caspian Seas. The largest river in Europe, the Volga, also “flows lazily” through the lands of the East European Plain.
The Russian Plain is the kingdom of natural water in all its manifestations. A glacier that 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, and the Pskov-Peipus reservoir.
Under the thickness of the 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 shallower depths.
Climate of the East European Plain
(Flat terrain with slight drops near Pskov)
The Atlantic dictates the weather regime on the Russian Plain. Western winds, air masses that move moisture, make summers on the plain warm and humid, winters cold and windy. During the cold season, winds from the Atlantic bring about ten cyclones, contributing to variable heat and cold. But 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.
