From the swampy tundras of the Arctic, completely dotted with cloudberries, to the feather grass steppes of Kazakhstan, a grandiose natural stone structure, the Ural Mountains, stretches for more than 2,500 kilometers through vast plains covered with taiga. On a map or from a bird's eye view, you can see how they either expand as backstage parallel ridges, or narrow down to a “narrow” strip (only 30 km), sometimes they almost get lost among the hills overgrown with centuries-old trees, and suddenly suddenly soar in fantastic bulks dotted with scattering domes, over the taiga sea. The Ural Range is a continuous succession of diverse natural landscapes replacing each other.

Geography: Ural Mountains

This stone massif with the territories adjacent to it is usually divided into four parts: Polar, Subpolar, Middle and Southern Urals. Each of them has its own climatic conditions, its vegetation, its natural resources. If you look at the Ural Mountains on the map, you can see that they originate in the Arctic Ocean. The first peak is Konstantinov Kamen, its height is only 492 meters. This part of the mountain range is located on the territory of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Komi Republic. The subpolar Urals originates from the Saber massif and then stretches along the meridian 59 ° N. sh. It consists of two parallel ridges. The territory of the Subpolar Urals ends with a rather high peak (1569 m), which is called the Konzhakovsky Stone. The middle part of this monumental natural structure lies between 56 and 59 degrees north latitude. The geographical position of the Ural Mountains also changes here. The meridional strike is replaced by a south-southeast direction. The last, fourth, part of the Ural massif originates from Mount Yurma and extends to the southern tip of the ridge, which is the widest and reaches about 200 kilometers.

Poetic digression

These gray-haired mountain ranges, smoothed by winds and time, today can no longer impress with either the steepness or the height of the slopes, but their severe majesty fills the air with the aroma of eternity. Here, intermountain valleys sheltered a huge number of crystal-clear springs and lakes of wonderful turquoise hues. From the ancient peaks, emerald streams begin their long run to large lakes and rivers - Pechora, Ob, Kama. The slopes are overgrown with shrubs and trees, which, under a piercing wind, convulsively cling to the cracks in the dilapidated rocks - a delicate and fragile beauty opens up to the eyes of the traveler. The remnants of the virgin forest cling to the stern and gloomy stone guards, as if asking them for protection from a man who brings death to the wild.

Natural characteristics of the Southern and Middle Urals

The nature of the southern part of the Ural ridge is soft and friendly. Mixed taiga covers the slopes. The cozy river valleys are inhabited by the Bashkir people, who gave names to most of the hills and rivers. Including the top of Yaman-Tau, which means "evil mountain". This peak of the Ural Mountains is the highest (1640 m) in these places. The middle part is the lowest of the entire Stone Belt. The abundance of rivers, carrying their waters among the majestic cliffs, enliven the space of wooded parmas (hills), where individual peaks rise above the border of the forest, drearily overlooking the green sea below. Here, on high ridges, one can meet both mountain tundra and real

Harsh North

Moving further north, the stone wall begins to gain height, the mountains look more and more severe and gloomy. It becomes clear why the locals called them that from ancient times. After all, the name "Ural" arose quite recently, in the 18th century, with the light hand of Tatishchev. And the people have always called and continue to call these mountains the Stone, or the Stone Belt. Even most of the peaks of the Urals have preserved the memory of this: Kosvinsky, Denezhkin, Konzhakovsky and many other stones. These giants reach up to the clouds, and the peaks are hidden behind a white curtain. From the description it can be seen that the unique geographical position of the Ural Mountains has absorbed various climatic and beauty of virgin nature cannot be expressed in words, it must be seen with one's own eyes.

If you go even further north, you can see the first caravans, snowfields and moraine ridges. Where the fast river Shchugor rushes to the Pechora, the giant Telpoz-Iz rose up, which means "nest of winds" in translation. This is the highest mountain of the Ural Mountains in this part of the Stone Belt, its height is 1617 m. It received its poetic name from the indigenous people - the Komi-Zyryans. The nest of winds stands out from the general mass with powerful rocky cliffs, strong winds and clouds and the first glaciers almost constantly hanging over the slopes. In the 15th century, the path through the Urals passed along the Shchugor River, and this notable peak was a landmark for travelers. Russian chronicles eloquently called her the Pillar. At the time, it was mistakenly believed that highest mountain Ural mountains. Further north you can see the Saber Peak (1497 m), it is clearly visible from the banks of the Pechora. In the middle of the 19th century, this peak also claimed the championship. And only in the 20th century the disputes ended, and it was established for certain that both of them are inferior to the mountain called Narodnaya, discovered in 1927.

The highest peak of the Ural Mountains: the history of discovery

In 1924-1928. in the northern unexplored regions of the Urals, an expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR led by B. Gorodkov was carried out. In June 1927, one of her detachments (led by geologist A. Aleshko) reached the headwaters of the Naroda River. The expedition, surveying the area, discovered a number of peaks that surpassed all previously known then in the Stone Belt. The highest point of the Ural Mountains was named Narodnaya in honor of the river near which it is located, and the tenth anniversary of the Soviet people (more on that below). In 1929, A. Aleshkov published a report of his expedition - “ Northern Ural(Lyapinsk Territory). This was the first publication that reported on the highest peak of the Ural ridge. In addition, the author spoke about its neighbors: Karpinsky (1780 m) and Didkovsky (1750 m) peaks. With their discovery, disputes about primacy among mountain peaks this region (Saber, Telpoz-Iz, etc.) were completed once and for all.

Folk or Folk?

Which syllable should be stressed? Scholars have debated this issue for a long time. Some claimed that the discoverer named it so in honor of the Soviet people. Their opponents argue that this highest mountain in the Ural Mountains takes its name from the Naroda River that flows at its foot. Naroda in translation from the Mansi language means "forest". It really originates in the forest. Meanwhile, scientists have found out that they called her Poengurr. Now it is impossible to find reliable information about what Aleshkov, the discoverer of the peak, had in mind. In his notes, he did not put stress and did not explain anything about this. So let's leave the disputes for scientists, and we ourselves will pay attention directly to this magnificent peak. The highest mountain of the Ural Mountains allows us to admire an indescribable panorama - the chaos of the mountains, a harsh, majestic and formidable land. Standing at the top of the peak, you understand that nothing has changed here, everything remains the same, like a hundred, two hundred or even a thousand years ago. Time freezes...

Popular tourist route

This is the highest mountain of the Ural Mountains and its environs extreme species recreation only in the late 50s of the last century. With the arrival of tourists here, the appearance of the mountain began to change. Various plaques and commemorative signs appeared here. Tourists have a custom - to leave notes on top. And in 1998 Orthodox Church installed here a worship cross, on which is written "Save and save." In 1999, Christians went even further, they organized a religious procession to the highest point of the Urals.

Description of Mount Narodnaya

The slopes of this majestic peak are covered with punishments - these are natural bowl-shaped depressions that are filled with ice and clear water. In addition, there are many large boulders. There are snowfields and glaciers. The relief in this part of the Stone Belt is mountainous, with deep gorges and sheer cliffs. Tourists must be very careful not to get injured. Moreover, the nearest housing is very, very far away. You can climb Narodnaya Peak along the western ridge, but there are very rocky steeps and a lot of cars, which greatly complicates the ascent. It is easier to climb the northern slope - along the spurs of the mountain. And the eastern side of the peak consists entirely of sheer walls and gorges.

Equipment

You don't need climbing equipment to climb this peak. Nevertheless, to make a trip to a deserted mountainous area, you should have a quality sportswear. And in case of insufficient tourist experience, it is best to use the services of an experienced guide. It should be borne in mind that the climate of the circumpolar Urals is very severe. Here, even in summer, cold, changeable weather reigns. It is believed that the most favorable period for a trip to this region is July and the first half of August. When going on a trip, it should be borne in mind that the trip will last at least a week. There is no housing here, you will have to spend the night only in tents. Geographically, Mount Narodnaya belongs to the Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region. If you are not limited in time, then you can visit another point - the top of Managara. She, of course, is lower than Narodnaya, but she can surprise you with her extraordinary beauty.

How to get to Narodnaya Peak?

First you need to get by rail to the Verkhnyaya Inta station (Komi Republic). Here at st. Dzerzhinsky, 27a is the office of the national park "Yugyd Va". Participants of the hike must register and obtain permission to visit the territory. You need to know that the application is submitted in advance, 10 days before the trip. Having completed all the formalities, go to the bus station, from where you will get to the city of Inta. There is a hotel where you can stay, as it will take some time before being thrown into the mountain area. To do this, you will need to order a car that will take you to the Zhelannaya industrial base near Bolshoe Balbanty Lake. And from here on foot march 17 kilometers to the foot of the mountain along the Balbanyu River. Everything, the rise begins ...

The Ural Mountains are a ridge on the border of Europe and Asia, as well as a natural border within, to the east of which are Siberia and the Far East, and to the west - the European part of the country.

BELT MOUNTAINS

In the old days, for travelers approaching the Urals from the east or west, these mountains really seemed like a belt that tightly intercepted the plain, dividing it into the Cis-Urals and the Trans-Urals.

The Ural Mountains are a mountain range on the border of Europe and Asia, stretching from north to south. In geography, the division of these mountains according to the nature of the relief is accepted, natural conditions and other features in Pai-Khoi, Polar Urals, Subpolar.

Northern, Middle, Southern Urals and Mugod-zhary. It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of the Ural Mountains and the Urals: in a broader sense, the territory of the Urals includes the regions adjacent to the mountain system - the Urals, Cis-Urals and Trans-Urals.

The relief of the Ural Mountains is the main watershed range and several side ranges separated by wide depressions. In the Far North - glaciers and snowfields, in the middle part - mountains with smoothed peaks.

The Ural Mountains are old, they are about 300 million years old, they are noticeably eroded. The highest peak - Mount Narodnaya - is about two kilometers high.

The watershed of large rivers runs along the mountain range: the Ural rivers belong mainly to the basin of the Caspian Sea (Kama with Chusovaya and Belaya, Ural). The Pechora, Tobol, and others belong to the system of one of the largest rivers in Siberia, the Ob. There are many lakes on the eastern slope of the Urals.

The landscapes of the Ural Mountains are predominantly forested, there is a noticeable difference in the nature of vegetation on different sides of the mountains: on the western slope - mainly dark coniferous, spruce-fir forests (in the Southern Urals - mixed and broad-leaved forests in places), on the eastern slope - light coniferous pine-larch forests. In the south - forest-steppe and steppe (mostly plowed).

The Ural Mountains have long been of interest to geographers, including from the point of view of their unique location. In the era ancient rome these mountains seemed to scientists so distant that they were seriously called Riphean, or Ripean: literally translated from Latin - “coastal”, and in an expanded sense - “mountains at the edge of the earth”. They received the name Hyperborean (from the Greek "extreme northern") on behalf of the mythical country of Hyperborea, it was used for a thousand years, until in 1459 the Fra Mauro world map appeared, on which the "edge of the world" was shifted beyond the Urals.

It is believed that the mountains were discovered by the Novgorodians in 1096, during one of the campaigns to Pechora and Ugra by a squad of Novgorod ushkuins engaged in fur trade, trade and collection of yasak. At that time, the mountains did not receive any name. At the beginning of the XV century. Russian settlements appear on the upper Kama - Anfalovsky town and Sol-Kama.

First famous name these mountains are contained in documents at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, where they are called Stone: this is how any large rock or cliff was called in Ancient Russia. On the "Big Drawing" - the first map of the Russian state, compiled in the second half of the 16th century. - Ural is designated as Big Stone. In the XVI-XVIII centuries. the name Belt appears, reflecting the geographical position of the mountains between two plains. There are such variants of names as Big Stone, Big Belt, Stone Belt, Big Belt Stone.

The name "Ural" was originally used only for the territory of the Southern Urals and was taken from the Bashkir language, which meant "height" or "hill". By the middle of the XVIII century. the name "Ural Mountains" is already applied to the entire mountain system.

ALL MENDELEEV'S TABLE

This figurative expression is resorted to whenever it is required to give a short and colorful description. natural resources Ural mountains.

The antiquity of the Ural Mountains created unique conditions for the development of minerals: as a result of prolonged destruction by erosion, the deposits literally came to the surface. The combination of energy sources and raw materials predetermined the development of the Urals as a mining region.

Iron, copper, chromium and nickel ores, potash salts, asbestos, coal, precious and semi-precious stones - Ural gems - have been mined here since ancient times. Since the middle of the XX century. oil and gas fields are being developed.

Russia has long been developing the lands adjacent to the Ural Mountains, occupying the Komi-Permyak towns, annexing the Udmurt and Bashkir territories: in the middle of the 16th century. after the defeat of the Kazan Khanate, most of Bashkiria and the Kama part of Udmurtia voluntarily became part of Russia. A special role in securing Russia in the Urals was played by the Ural Cossacks, who received the highest permission to engage in free arable farming here. The merchants Stroganovs laid the foundation for the purposeful development of the wealth of the Ural Mountains, having received from Tsar Ivan IV a charter on the Ural lands "and what lies in them."

At the beginning of the XVIII century. large-scale factory construction began in the Urals, caused by the needs of both economic development country, and the needs of the military departments. Under Peter I, copper-smelting and iron foundries were built here, and subsequently large industrial centers were formed around them: Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Perm, Nizhny Tagil, Zlatoust. Gradually, the Ural Mountains found themselves in the center of the largest mining region in Russia, along with Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In the era of the USSR, the Urals became one of the industrial centers of the country, the most famous enterprises are the Ural Heavy Machinery Plant (Uralmash), the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ), the Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Plant (Magnitogorsk). During the Great Patriotic War, industrial production was exported to the Urals from the territories of the USSR occupied by the Germans.

In recent decades, the industrial importance of the Ural Mountains has declined markedly: many deposits are almost exhausted, the level of pollution environment pretty big.

The bulk of the local population lives on the territory of the Ural economic region and in the Republic of Bashkortostan. In the more northern regions, belonging to the Northwestern and Western Siberian economic regions, the population is extremely rare.

During the industrial development of the Ural Mountains, as well as the plowing of the surrounding lands, hunting and deforestation, the habitats of many animals were destroyed, and many species of animals and birds disappeared, among them - a wild horse, saiga, bustard, little bustard. Herds of deer, which used to graze throughout the Urals, now migrated deep into the tundra. However measures taken for the protection and reproduction of the fauna of the Urals, it was possible to preserve the brown bear, wolf, wolverine, fox, sable, ermine, lynx in the reserves. Where it has not yet been possible to restore populations of local species, acclimatization of imported individuals is being successfully carried out: for example, in the Ilmensky Reserve - sika deer, beaver, deer, raccoon dog, American mink.

SIGHTS OF THE URAL MOUNTAINS

Natural:

■ Pechoro-Ilychsky, Visimsky, Basegi, South Ural, Shulgan-Tash, Orenburg steppe, Bashkirsky reserves, Ilmensky mineralogical reserve.

■ Divya, Arakaevskaya, Sugomakskaya, Kungurskaya ice and Kapova caves.

■ Rocky outcrops of the Seven Brothers.

■ Chertovo Settlement and Stone Tents.

■ Bashkir National Park, Yugyd Va National Park (Komi Republic).

■ Hoffmann Glacier (Saber Ridge).

■ Azov Mountain.

■ Alikaev Stone.

■ Deer Brooks Nature Park.

■ Blue Mountains pass.

■ Revun rapids (Iset river).

■ Zhigalan waterfalls (River Zhigalan).

■ Aleksandrovskaya Sopka.

■ Taganay National Park.

■ Ustinovskiy Canyon.

■ Gumerovskoye gorge.

■ Red Key spring.

■ Sterlitamak shikhans.

■ Krasnaya Krucha.

■ The Sterlitamak shikhans in Bashkiria are ancient coral reefs that formed at the bottom of the Perm Sea. This is amazing place is located near the city of Sterlitamak and consists of several high cone-shaped hills. A unique geological monument, whose age is more than 230 million years.

■ The peoples of the Urals still use the names of the Urals in their languages: Mansi - Ner, Khanty - Kev, Komi - Iz, Nenets - Pe or Igarka Pe. In all languages ​​it means the same thing - "stone". Among the Russians who have long lived in the north of the Urals, a tradition has also been preserved to call these mountains Kamen.

■ The bowls of the St. Petersburg Hermitage were made from Ural malachite and jasper, as well as the interior decoration and the altar of the St. Petersburg Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

■ Scientists have not yet found an explanation for the mysterious natural phenomenon: the Ural lakes Uvildy, Bolshoy Kisegach and Turgoyak have unusually clear water. In neighboring lakes, it is completely muddy.

■ The top of Mount Kachkanar is a collection of bizarrely shaped rocks, many of which have proper names. The most famous of them is Camel Rock.

■ In the past, the richest deposits of high-quality iron ore in the Magnitnaya, Vysoka and Blagodat mountains, known throughout the world and listed in all textbooks on geology, are now either hidden or turned into quarries hundreds of meters deep.

■ The ethnographic appearance of the Urals was created by three streams of settlers: Russian Old Believers who fled here in the 17th-18th centuries, peasants transferred to the Ural factories from the European part of Russia (mainly from the modern Tula and Ryazan regions) and Ukrainians, attracted as an additional labor force at the beginning 19th century

■ In 1996, the Yugyd Va National Park, together with the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve, with which the park borders in the south, was included in the list of World natural heritage UNESCO under the name "Virgin forests of Komi".

■ Alikaev Stone - a 50-meter rock on the Ufa River. The second name of the rock is Maryin cliff. The TV movie “Shadows Disappear at Noon” was filmed here, about life in the Ural outback. It was from the Alikaev stone, according to the plot of the film, that the Menshikov brothers threw off the chairman of the collective farm, Marya Krasnaya. Since then, the stone has a second name - Maryin cliff.

■ The Zhigalan waterfalls on the Zhigalan River, on the eastern slope of the Kvarkush ridge, form a 550 m long cascade. With a river length of about 8 km, the elevation difference from source to mouth is almost 630 m.

■ Sugomak cave is the only cave in the Ural Mountains, 123 m long, formed in marble rock. There are only a few such caves on the territory of Russia.

■ The Krasny Klyuch spring is the most powerful water source in Russia and the second largest in the world after the Fontaine de Vaucluse vault spring. The water flow of the Red Key spring is 14.88 m3/sec. Landmark of Bashkiria in the status of a hydrological monument of nature of federal significance.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Location: between the East European and West Siberian plains.

Geographical division: Pai-Khoi ridge. Polar Urals (from Konstantinov Kamen to the headwaters of the Khulga River), Subpolar Urals (the section between the Khulga and Shchugor rivers), Northern Urals (Voy) (from the Shchugor River to Kosvinsky Kamen and Mount Oslyanka), Middle Urals (Shor) (from Mt. Oslyanka to the Ufa River) and the Southern Urals (the southern part of the mountains below the city of Orsk), Mugodzhary ().

Economic regions: Ural, Volga, North-Western, West Siberian.

Administrative affiliation: the Russian Federation(Perm, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Orenburg, Arkhangelsk and Tyumen regions, Udmurt Republic, Republic of Bashkortostan, Republic of Komi), Kazakhstan (Aktobe region).

Large cities: Ekaterinburg - 1,428,262 people. (2015), Chelyabinsk - 1,182,221 people. (2015), Ufa - 1,096,702 people. (2014), Perm - 1,036,476 people. (2015), Izhevsk - 642,024 people. (2015), Orenburg - 561,279 people. (2015), Magnitogorsk - 417,057 people. (2015), Nizhny Tagil - 356,744 people. (2015), Kurgan - 326,405 people. (2015).

Languages: Russian, Bashkir, Udmurt, Komi-Permyak, Kazakh.
Ethnic composition: Russians, Bashkirs, Udmurts, Komi, Kazakhs.
Religions: Orthodoxy, Islam, traditional beliefs.
Monetary unit: ruble, tenge.

Rivers: the Caspian Sea basin (Kama with Chusovaya and Belaya, Ural), the Arctic Ocean basin (Pechora with Usa; Tobol, Iset, Tura belong to the Ob system).

Lakes: Tavatui, Argazi, Uvildy, Turgoyak, Big Pike.

CLIMATE

Continental.
Average January temperature: from -20°C (Polar Urals) to -15°C (Southern Urals).
Average temperature in July: from + 9°С (Polar Urals) to +20°С (Southern Urals).
Average annual precipitation: Subpolar and Northern Urals - 1000 mm, Southern Urals - 650-750 mm.
Relative humidity: 60-70%.

ECONOMY

Minerals: iron, copper, chromium, nickel, potassium salts, asbestos, coal, oil.
Industry: mining, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, heavy engineering, chemical and petrochemical, fertilizers, electrical engineering.
Hydroelectric power industry: Pavlovskaya, Yuma-guzinskaya, Shirokovskaya, Iriklinskaya HPPs.
Forestry.
Agriculture: crop production (wheat, rye, garden crops), animal husbandry (cattle, pig breeding).
Traditional crafts: artistic processing of Ural gems, knitting of Orenburg downy shawls.
Service sector: tourism, transport, trade.

"The stone belt of the Russian Land" - this is how the Ural Mountains were called in the old days. Indeed, they seem to gird Russia, separating the European part from the Asian. The mountain ranges, stretching for more than 2,000 kilometers, do not end on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. They just submerge into the water for a short time, in order to “emerge” later - first on the island of Vaygach. And then on the archipelago New Earth. Thus, the Ural stretches to the pole for another 800 kilometers.

The "stone belt" of the Urals is relatively narrow: it does not exceed 200 kilometers, narrowing in places to 50 kilometers or less. These are ancient mountains that arose several hundred million years ago, when fragments of the earth's crust were soldered together with a long uneven "seam". Since then, although the ridges have been renewed by ascending movements, they have been more destroyed. The highest point of the Urals is Mount Narodnaya - it rises only 1895 meters. Peaks over 1000 meters are excluded even in the most elevated parts.

Very diverse in height, relief and landscapes, the Ural Mountains are usually divided into several parts. The northernmost, wedged into the waters of the Arctic Ocean, is the Pai-Khoi ridge, low (300-500 meters) ridges of which are partially submerged in glacial and marine sediments of the surrounding plains.

The Polar Urals are noticeably higher (up to 1300 meters or more). In its relief there are traces of ancient glacial activity: narrow ridges with sharp peaks (carlings); between them lie wide deep valleys (troughs), including through ones. According to one of them, the Polar Urals crosses Railway, going to the city of Labytnangi (on the Ob). In the Subpolar Urals, which is very similar in appearance, the mountains reach their maximum heights.

In the Northern Urals, separate massifs - "stones" stand out, noticeably rising above the surrounding low mountains - Denezhkin Kamen (1492 meters), Konzhakovsky Kamen (1569 meters). Longitudinal ridges and depressions separating them are clearly expressed here. The rivers are forced to follow them for a long time before they gain strength to escape from the mountainous country along a narrow gorge. The peaks, unlike the polar ones, are rounded or flat, decorated with steps - upland terraces. Both peaks and slopes are covered with collapses of large boulders; in some places, remnants in the form of truncated pyramids (locally tumpy) rise above them.

In the north, you can meet the inhabitants of the tundra - reindeer in the forests are found bears, wolves, foxes, sables, ermines, lynxes, as well as ungulates (moose, deer, etc.).

Random photos of mountains

Scientists are not always able to establish when people settled in a particular area. Ural is one such example. Traces of the activities of people who lived here 25-40 thousand years ago are preserved only in deep caves. Found several parking lots ancient man. Northern ("Basic") was 175 kilometers from polar circle.

The Middle Urals can be attributed to the mountains with a great deal of conventionality: a noticeable dip formed in this place of the "belt". There are only a few isolated gentle hills no higher than 800 meters. The plateaus of the Cis-Urals, belonging to the Russian Plain, freely "overflow" through the main watershed and pass into the Trans-Ural Plateau - already within Western Siberia.

In the Southern Urals, which has a mountainous appearance, parallel ridges reach their maximum width. Peaks rarely overcome the thousand-meter barrier (the highest point is Mount Yamantau - 1640 meters); their outlines are soft, the slopes are gentle.

Random photos of mountains

The mountains of the Southern Urals, largely composed of easily soluble rocks, have a karst relief form - blind valleys, funnels, caves and failures formed during the destruction of arches.

The nature of the Southern Urals differs sharply from the nature of the Northern Urals. In summer, in the dry steppes of the Mugodzhary ridge, the earth warms up to 30-40`C. Even a weak wind raises whirlwinds of dust. The Ural River flows at the foot of the mountains along a long depression of the meridional direction. The valley of this river is almost treeless, the current is calm, although there are also rapids.

Ground squirrels, shrews, snakes and lizards are found in the Southern steppes. Rodents (hamsters, field mice) spread on the plowed lands.

Random photos of mountains

The landscapes of the Urals are diverse, because the chain crosses how many natural zones - from the tundra to the steppes. Altitudinal belts are weakly expressed; only the largest peaks are noticeably different in their bareness from the foothills overgrown with forests. Rather, you can catch the difference between the slopes. Western, still "European", are relatively warm and humid. Oaks, maples and other broad-leaved trees grow on them, which no longer penetrate the eastern slopes: Siberian, North Asian landscapes dominate here.

Nature, as it were, confirms the decision of man to draw a border between parts of the world along the Urals.

In the foothills and mountains of the Urals, the subsoil is full of untold riches: copper, iron, nickel, gold, diamonds, platinum, precious stones and gems, coal and rock salt ... This is one of the few areas on the planet where mining originated five thousand years ago and will continue to exist for a very long time.

GEOLOGICAL AND TECTONIC STRUCTURE OF THE URALS

The Ural Mountains formed in the region of the Hercynian folding. They are separated from the Russian Platform by the Cis-Ural marginal foredeep, filled with Paleogene sedimentary strata: clays, sands, gypsum, limestones.

The oldest rocks of the Urals - Archean and Proterozoic crystalline schists and quartzites - make up its water-spreading ridge.

To the west of it are Paleozoic sedimentary and metamorphic rocks crumpled into folds: sandstones, shales, limestones and marbles.

In the eastern part of the Urals, among the Paleozoic sedimentary strata, igneous rocks of various compositions are widespread. This is the reason for the exceptional wealth of the eastern slope of the Urals and the Trans-Urals with a variety of ore minerals, precious and semi-precious stones.

CLIMATE OF THE URAL MOUNTAINS

The Ural lies in the depths. mainland far from the Atlantic Ocean. This determines the continentality of its climate. Climatic heterogeneity within the Urals is associated primarily with its large extent from north to south, from the shores of the Barents and Kara seas to the dry steppes of Kazakhstan. As a result, the northern and southern regions of the Urals find themselves in unequal radiation and circulation conditions and fall into different climatic zones - subarctic (up to the polar slope) and temperate (the rest of the territory).

The belt of mountains is narrow, the heights of the ridges are relatively small, so there is no special mountain climate in the Urals. However, meridionally elongated mountains have a rather significant effect on circulation processes, playing the role of a barrier to the prevailing western transport of air masses. Therefore, although the climates of neighboring plains are repeated in the mountains, but in a slightly modified form. In particular, at any crossing of the Urals in the mountains, a climate of more northern regions is observed than on the adjacent plains of the foothills, i.e. climatic zones in the mountains, shifted to the south compared to the neighboring plains. Thus, within the Ural mountainous country, the change in climatic conditions is subject to the law of latitudinal zonality and is only somewhat complicated by altitudinal zonality. There is a change in climate from tundra to steppe.

Being an obstacle to the movement of air masses from west to east, the Urals is an example of a physiographic country where the effect of orography on climate is quite clearly manifested. This effect is primarily manifested in better moistening of the western slope, which is the first to encounter cyclones, and the Cis-Urals. At all crossings of the Urals, the amount of precipitation on the western slopes is 150 - 200 mm more than on the eastern ones.

The greatest amount of precipitation (over 1000 mm) falls on the western slopes of the Polar, Subpolar and partially Northern Urals. This is due to both the height of the mountains and their position on the main paths of the Atlantic cyclones. To the south, the amount of precipitation gradually decreases to 600 - 700 mm, again increasing to 850 mm in the most highly elevated part of the Southern Urals. In the southern and southeastern parts of the Urals, as well as in the far north, the annual precipitation is less than 500 - 450 mm. The maximum precipitation occurs during the warm period.

In winter, snow cover sets in the Urals. Its thickness in the Cis-Urals is 70 - 90 cm. In the mountains, the snow thickness increases with height, reaching 1.5 - 2 m on the western slopes of the Subpolar and Northern Urals. Snow is especially plentiful in the upper part of the forest belt. There is much less snow in the Trans-Urals. In the southern part of the Trans-Urals, its thickness does not exceed 30–40 cm.

In general, within the Ural mountain country, the climate varies from severe and cold in the north to continental and rather dry in the south. There are noticeable differences in climate mountainous areas, western and eastern foothills. The climate of the Cis-Urals and the western slopes of rop is close in a number of ways to the climate of the eastern regions of the Russian Plain, and the climate of the eastern slopes of rop and the Trans-Urals is close to the continental climate of Western Siberia.

The rugged relief of the mountains causes a significant variety of their local climates. Here there is a change in temperature with height, although not as significant as in the Caucasus. During the summer, temperatures drop. For example, in the foothills of the Subpolar Urals average temperature July is 12 C, and at altitudes of 1600 - 1800 m - only 3 - 4 "C. In winter, cold air stagnates in the intermountain basins and temperature inversions are observed. As a result, the degree of climate continentality in the basins is much higher than on mountain ranges. Therefore mountains of unequal height, slopes of different wind and solar exposure, mountain ranges and intermountain basins differ from each other in their climatic features.

Climatic features and orographic conditions contribute to the development in the Polar and Subpolar Urals, between 68 and 64 N, of small forms of modern glaciation. There are 143 glaciers here, and their total area is just over 28 km2, which indicates a very small size of glaciers. Not without reason, when speaking about the modern glaciation of the Urals, the word "glaciers" is usually used. Their main types are steam (2/3 of the total number) and leaning (sloping). There are kirov-hanging and kirov-valley. The largest of them are the IGAN glaciers (area 1.25 km2, length 1.8 km) and MGU (area 1.16 km2, length 2.2 km).

The area of ​​distribution of modern glaciation is the highest part of the Urals with a wide development of ancient glacial cirques and cirques, with the presence of trough valleys and peaked peaks. Relative heights reach 800 - 1000 m. The Alpine type of relief is most characteristic of the ridges lying to the west of the watershed, but the cirques and cirques are located mainly on the eastern slopes of these ridges. On the same ridges falls and the largest number precipitation, but due to blizzard transport and avalanche snow coming from steep slopes, snow accumulates in negative forms of lee slopes, providing food for modern glaciers that exist due to this at altitudes of 800 - 1200 m, i.e. below the climatic limit.

WATER RESOURCES

The rivers of the Urals belong to the basins of the Pechora, Volga, Ural and Ob, i.e., respectively, the Barents, Caspian and Kara seas. The amount of river runoff in the Urals is much greater than in the adjacent Russian and West Siberian plains. The mountainous relief, increased precipitation, lower temperatures in the mountains favor an increase in runoff, so most of the rivers and rivers of the Urals are born in the mountains and flow down their slopes to the west and east, to the plains of the Cis-Urals and Trans-Urals. In the north, the mountains are a watershed between the river systems of the Pechora and Ob, to the south - between the basins of the Tobol, which also belongs to the Ob and Kama systems - the largest tributary of the Volga. The extreme south of the territory belongs to the Ural River basin, and the watershed shifts to the plains of the Trans-Urals.

The rivers are fed by snow (up to 70% of the flow), rain (20 - 30%) and groundwater (usually no more than 20%). Significantly increases (up to 40%) the participation of groundwater in the feeding of rivers in karst areas. An important feature of most of the rivers of the Urals is the relatively low variability of runoff from year to year. The ratio of the runoff of the most abundant year to the runoff of the least water usually ranges from 1.5 to 3.

Lakes in the Urals are very unevenly distributed. Their greatest number is concentrated in the eastern foothills of the Middle and Southern Urals, where tectonic lakes, in the mountains of the Subpolar and Polar Urals, where tarns are numerous. On the Trans-Ural plateau, suffusion-subsidence lakes are common, and in the Cis-Urals there are karst lakes. In total, there are more than 6000 lakes in the Urals, each with an area of ​​​​more than 1 ra, their total area is over 2000 km2. Small lakes predominate, there are relatively few large lakes. Only some lakes in the eastern foothills have an area measured in tens of square kilometers: Argazi (101 km2), Uvildy (71 km2), Irtyash (70 km2), Turgoyak (27 km2), etc. In total, more than 60 large lakes with a total an area of ​​about 800 km2. All large lakes are of tectonic origin.

The most extensive lakes in terms of the water surface are Uvildy, Irtyash.

The deepest are Uvildy, Kisegach, Turgoyak.

The most capacious are Uvildy and Turgoyak.

The cleanest water is in the lakes Turgoyak, Zyuratkul, Uvildy (a white disk is visible at a depth of 19.5 m).

In addition to natural reservoirs, there are several thousand reservoir ponds in the Urals, including more than 200 factory ponds, some of which have been preserved since Peter the Great.

Great is the importance of the water resources of the rivers and lakes of the Urals, primarily as a source of industrial and domestic water supply for numerous cities. A lot of water is consumed by the Ural industry, especially metallurgical and chemical industries, therefore, despite the seemingly sufficient amount of water, it is not enough in the Urals. A particularly acute shortage of water is observed in the eastern foothills of the Middle and Southern Urals, where the water content of the rivers flowing down from the mountains is low.

Most of the rivers of the Urals are suitable for timber rafting, but very few are used for navigation. Partially navigable are Belaya, Ufa, Vishera, Tobol, and in high water - Tavda with Sosva and Lozva and Tura. The Ural rivers are of interest as a source of hydropower for the construction of small hydroelectric power plants on mountain rivers, but so far they have been little used. Rivers and lakes - beautiful places recreation.

MINERALS OF THE URAL MOUNTAINS

Among natural resources Urals, a prominent role belongs, of course, to the riches of its bowels. Among the minerals, deposits of ore raw materials are of the greatest importance, however, many of them have been discovered for a long time and have been exploited for a long time, therefore they are largely depleted.

Ural ores are often complex. In iron ores there are impurities of titanium, nickel, chromium, vanadium; in copper - zinc, gold, silver. Most of the ore deposits are located on the eastern slope and in the Trans-Urals, where igneous rocks abound.

The Urals are primarily vast iron ore and copper provinces. More than a hundred deposits are known here: iron ore (Vysokoy, Blagodat, Magnitnaya mountains; Bakalskoye, Zigazinskoye, Avzyanskoye, Alapaevskoye, etc.) and titanium-magnetite (Kusinskoye, Pervouralskoye, Kachkanarskoye). There are numerous deposits of copper-pyrite and copper-zinc ores (Karabashskoye, Sibayskoye, Gayskoye, Uchalinskoye, Blyava, etc.). Among other non-ferrous and rare metals, there are large deposits of chromium (Saranovskoye, Kempirsayskoye), nickel and cobalt (Verkhneufaleyskoye, Orsko-Khalilovskoye), bauxite (the Krasnaya Shapochka group of deposits), Polunochnoye deposit of manganese ores, etc.

Placer and primary deposits of precious metals are very numerous here: gold (Berezovskoye, Nevyanskoye, Kochkarskoye, etc.), platinum (Nizhniy Tagilskoye, Sysertskoye, Zaozernoye, etc.), silver. Gold deposits in the Urals have been developed since the 18th century.

Of the non-metallic minerals of the Urals, deposits of potassium, magnesium and table salts (Verkhnekamskoye, Solikamskoye, Sol-Iletskoye), coal (Vorkuta, Kizelovsky, Chelyabinsk, South Ural basins), oil (Ishimbayskoye) stand out. Deposits of asbestos, talc, magnesite, diamond placers are also known here. In the trough near the western slope of the Ural Mountains, minerals of sedimentary origin are concentrated - oil (Bashkortostan, Perm region), natural gas (Orenburg region).

Mining is accompanied by fragmentation of rocks and pollution of the atmosphere. The rocks extracted from the depths, getting into the zone of oxidation, enter into various chemical reactions with atmospheric air and water. The products of chemical reactions enter the atmosphere and water bodies, polluting them. Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, the chemical industry and other industries contribute to the pollution of atmospheric air and water bodies, so the state of the environment in the industrial regions of the Urals is of concern. The Urals is the undoubted "leader" among the regions of Russia in terms of environmental pollution.

GEMS

The term "gems" can be used extremely broadly, but specialists prefer a clear classification. The science of precious stones divides them into two types: organic and inorganic origin.

Organic: Stones are created by animals or plants, for example, amber is fossilized tree resin, and pearls mature in shellfish shells. Other examples include coral, jet and tortoiseshell. Bones and teeth of terrestrial and marine animals were processed and used as material for making brooches, necklaces and figurines.

Inorganic: Hard, naturally occurring minerals with a consistent chemical structure. Most gemstones are inorganic, but of the thousands of minerals extracted from the bowels of our planet, only about twenty are awarded the high title of "gem" - for their rarity, beauty, durability and strength.

Most gemstones are found in nature in the form of crystals or their fragments. To get to know the crystals better, just sprinkle a little salt or sugar on a piece of paper and look at them through a magnifying glass. Each grain of salt will look like a small cube, and a grain of sugar will look like a miniature tablet with sharp edges. If the crystals are perfect, all their faces are flat and sparkle with reflected light. These are typical crystalline forms of these substances, and salt is indeed a mineral, and sugar refers to substances of plant origin.

Facets of crystals form almost all minerals, if in nature they had the opportunity to grow in favorable conditions, and in many cases, acquiring precious stones in the form of raw materials, you can see these facets in part or in full. The edges of crystals are not a random game of nature. They appear only when the internal arrangement of atoms has a certain order, and give more information about the geometry of this arrangement.

Differences in the arrangement of atoms within crystals cause many differences in their properties, including such as color, hardness, ease of splitting and others, which the amateur must take into account when working stones.

According to the classification of A. E. Fersman and M. Bauer, groups of precious stones are divided into orders or classes (I, II, III) depending on the relative value of the stones combined in them.

Gemstones of the 1st order: diamond, sapphire, ruby, emerald, alexandrite, chrysoberyl, noble spinel, euclase. They also include pearls - a precious stone of organic origin. Pure, transparent, even dense tone stones are highly valued. Poorly colored, cloudy, with cracks and other imperfections, stones of this order can be valued lower than gems of the II order.

Gems of the II order: topaz, beryl (aquamarine, sparrowite, heliodor), pink tourmaline (rubellite), phenakite, demantoid (Ural chrysolite), amethyst, almandine, pyrope, uvarovite, chromium diopside, zircon (hyacinth, yellow and green zircon), noble opal. With exceptional beauty of tone, transparency and size, the listed stones are sometimes valued along with precious stones of the 1st order.

Gems of the III order: turquoise, green and polychrome tourmalines, cordierite, spodumene (kunzite), dioptase, epidote, rock crystal, smoky quartz (rauchtopaz), light amethyst, carnelian, heliotrope, chrysoprase, semi-opal, agate, feldspars (sun stone , moonstone), sodalite, prehnite, andalusite, diopside, hematite (bloodstone), pyrite, rutile, amber, jet. Only rare species and specimens are of high value. Many of them are so-called semi-precious in terms of application and value.

The Urals have long amazed researchers with an abundance of minerals and its main wealth - minerals. What is there in the underground pantries of the Urals! Extraordinarily large hexagonal crystals of rock crystal, amazing amethysts, rubies, sapphires, topazes, wonderful jaspers, red tourmaline, the beauty and pride of the Urals is a green emerald, which is valued several times more expensive than gold.

The most "mineral" place in the region is Ilmeny, where more than 260 minerals and 70 rocks have been found. About 20 minerals were discovered here for the first time in the world. The Ilmensky mountains are a real mineralogical museum. There are such precious stones as: sapphire, ruby, diamond, etc., semi-precious stones: amazonite, hyacinth, amethyst, opal, topaz, granite, malachite, corundum, jasper, sun, moon and Arabic stone, rock crystal, etc. .d.

Rock crystal, colorless, transparent, usually chemically pure, almost without impurities, a kind of low-temperature modification of quartz - SiO2, crystallizing in a trigonal system with a hardness of 7 and a density of 2.65 g / cm3. The word "crystal" itself comes from the Greek word "crystalloss", which means "ice". Scientists of antiquity, starting with Aristotle and including the famous Pliny, were convinced that "in the fierce Alpine winter, ice turns into stone. The sun is not able to melt such a stone later ...". And not only the appearance, but also the ability to always remain cool contributed to the fact that this opinion lasted in science until the end of the 18th century, when the physicist Robert Boyle proved that ice and crystal are completely different substances by measuring the specific gravity of both. The internal structure of ROCK CRYSTAL is often complicated by twin intergrowths, which significantly worsen its piezoelectric homogeneity. Large pure single crystals are rare, predominantly in voids and fissures of metamorphic shales, in voids of various types of hydrothermal veins, and also in chamber pegmatites. Homogeneous transparent single crystals are the most valuable technical raw material for optical devices (spectrograph prisms, lenses for ultraviolet optics, etc.) and piezoelectric products in electrical and radio engineering.

Rock crystal is also used for the manufacture of quartz glass (raw materials of lower grades), in artistic stone-cutting art and for jewelry. Rock crystal deposits in Russia are concentrated mainly in the Urals. The name emerald comes from the Greek smaragdos, or green stone. AT ancient Russia known as smaragd. The emerald occupies a privileged place among precious stones, it has been known since ancient times and has been used both as an adornment and in religious ceremonies.

Emerald is a variety of beryl, a silicate of aluminum and beryllium. Emerald crystals belong to the hexagonal syngony. Emerald owes its green color to chromium ions, which have replaced some of the aluminum ions in the crystal lattice. This gemstone is rarely found in flawless crystals, as a rule, emerald crystals are badly damaged. Known and valued since antiquity, it is used for inserts into the most expensive jewelry, usually processed with a step cut, one of the varieties of which is called emerald.

Quite a few very large emeralds are known that have received individual names and have been preserved in their original form, although the largest known weighing 28200 g, or 141,000 carats, found in Brazil in 1974, as well as found in South Africa weighing 4800 g "or 24,000 carats, were sawn and faceted for jewelry inserts.

In ancient times, emeralds were mined mainly in Egypt, in the mines of Cleopatra. Precious stones from this mine settled in the treasuries of the richest rulers ancient world. Emeralds are believed to have been adored by the Queen of Sheba. There is also a legend that the emperor Nero watched the battles of gladiators through emerald lenses.

Emeralds of much better quality than stones from Egypt have been found in dark mica schists, along with other beryllium minerals - chrysoberyl and phenakite, on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains near the Tokovaya River, about 80 km east of Yekaterinburg. The deposit was accidentally found by a peasant in 1830, noticing several green stones among the roots of a fallen tree. Emerald is one of the stones associated with the Supreme Spirit. It is believed that it brings happiness only to a pure, but illiterate person. The ancient Arabs believed that a person who wears an emerald does not see terrible dreams. In addition, the stone strengthens the heart, eliminates troubles, has a beneficial effect on vision, protects against seizures and evil spirits.

In ancient times, the emerald was considered a powerful talisman of mothers and sailors. If you look at a stone for a long time, then in it, like in a mirror, you can see everything secret and discover the future. This stone is credited with a connection with the subconscious, the ability to turn dreams into reality, to penetrate secret thoughts, it was used as a remedy for the bites of poisonous snakes. It was called the "stone of the mysterious Isis" - the goddess of life and health, the patroness of fertility and motherhood. He acted as a symbol of the beauty of nature. The special protective properties of the emerald are an active struggle against the deceit and infidelity of its owner. If the stone cannot resist bad qualities, it can crack.

DIAMOND - a mineral, a native element, occurs in the form of eight and dodecahedral crystals (often with rounded edges) and their parts. Diamond is found not only in the form of crystals, it forms intergrowths and aggregates, among which there are: bead - fine-grained intergrowths, ballas - spherical aggregates, carbonado - very fine-grained black aggregates. The name of the diamond comes from the Greek "adamas" or irresistible, indestructible. The unusual properties of this stone gave rise to a lot of legends. The ability to bring good luck is just one of the countless properties attributed to the diamond. Diamond has always been considered the stone of winners, it was the talisman of Julius Caesar, Louis IV and Napoleon. Diamonds first came to Europe in the 5th-6th centuries BC. At the same time, diamond gained its popularity as a precious stone relatively recently, only five hundred and a half years ago, when people learned how to cut it. The first similarity of a diamond was possessed by Charles the Bold, who simply adored diamonds.

Today, the classic brilliant cut has 57 facets, and provides the famous "play" of the diamond. Usually colorless or painted in pale shades of yellow, brown, gray, green, pink, extremely rarely black. Brightly colored transparent crystals are considered unique, given individual names and described in great detail. Diamond is similar to many colorless minerals - quartz, topaz, zircon, which are often used as its imitations. Differs in hardness - it is the hardest of natural materials (on the Mohs scale), optical properties, transparency for x-rays, luminosity in x-ray, cathode, ultraviolet rays.

The ruby ​​got its name from the Latin rubeus, meaning red. The ancient Russian names for the stone are yahont and carbuncle. The color of rubies varies from deep pink to deep red with a purple hue. Among the rubies, the most highly valued stones are the color of "pigeon blood".

Ruby is a transparent variety of the mineral corundum, aluminum oxide. Ruby color is red, bright red, dark red or purple red. Ruby hardness 9, glass luster.

The first information about these beautiful stones dates back to the 4th century BC and is found in Indian and Burmese chronicles. In the Roman Empire, the ruby ​​was extremely revered, and was valued much higher than the diamond. In different centuries, Cleopatra, Messalina and Mary Stuart became connoisseurs of rubies, and the ruby ​​collections of Cardinal Richelieu and Marie Medici were once famous throughout Europe.

Ruby is recommended for paralysis, anemia, inflammation, fractures and pain in the joints and bone tissues, asthma, weakness of the heart, rheumatic heart disease, inflammation of the pericardial sac, inflammation of the middle ear, chronic depression, insomnia, arthritis, diseases of the spine, chronic inflammation of the tonsils, rheumatism. Ruby lowers blood pressure and helps to cure psoriasis. Helps with exhaustion of the nervous system, relieves night terrors, helps with epilepsy. Has a tonic effect.

PLANT AND ANIMAL WORLD OF THE URALS

The flora and fauna of the Urals is diverse, but has much in common with the fauna of the neighboring plains. However, the mountainous relief increases this diversity, causing the appearance of altitudinal belts in the Urals and creating differences between the eastern and western slopes.

Glaciation had a great influence on the vegetation of the Urals. Before the glaciation, more heat-loving flora grew in the Urals: oak, beech, hornbeam, hazel. The remains of this flora are preserved only on the western slope of the Southern Urals. With the advancement to the south, the altitudinal zonality of the Urals becomes more complicated. Gradually, the boundaries of the belts rise higher and higher along the slopes, and in their lower part, when moving to a more southern zone, a new belt appears.

South of the Arctic Circle, the forests are dominated by larch. As it moves south, it gradually rises along the slopes of the mountains, forming the upper boundary of the forest belt. Spruce, cedar, birch join the larch. Near Mount Narodnaya, pine and fir are found in the forests. These forests are located mainly on podzolic soils. There are a lot of blueberries in the grassy cover of these forests.

The fauna of the Ural taiga is much richer than the fauna of the tundra. Elk, wolverine, sable, squirrel, chipmunk, weasel, flying squirrel, brown bear, reindeer, ermine, weasel live here. Otters and beavers are found along the river valleys. New valuable animals settled in the Urals. In the Ilmensky Reserve, the acclimatization of the spotted deer was successfully carried out, and the muskrat, beaver, deer, muskrat, raccoon dog, American mink, and Barguzin sable were also settled.

In the Urals, according to the difference in heights, climatic conditions, there are several parts:

Polar Ural. The mountain tundra is a harsh picture of stone placers - kurums, rocks and remnants. Plants do not create a continuous cover. Lichens, perennial grasses, creeping shrubs grow on tundra-gley soils. Animal world represented by arctic fox, lemming, snowy owl. Reindeer, white hare, ptarmigan, wolf, ermine, weasel live both in the tundra and in the forest zone.

The subpolar Urals are distinguished by the highest heights of the ridges. Traces of ancient glaciation are more clearly visible here than on Polar Urals. On the crests of the mountains there are stone seas and mountain tundra, which is replaced by mountain taiga down the slopes. The southern border of the Subpolar Urals coincides with 640 N. A natural national park has been formed on the western slope of the Subpolar Urals and the adjacent regions of the Northern Urals.

The Northern Urals has no modern glaciers; it is dominated by medium-altitude mountains, the slopes of the mountains are covered with taiga.

The Middle Urals is represented by dark coniferous taiga, which is replaced by mixed forests in the south, and linden massifs in the southwest. The Middle Urals is the kingdom of mountain taiga. It is covered with dark coniferous spruce and fir forests. Below 500 - 300 m they are replaced by larch and pine, in the undergrowth of which grow mountain ash, bird cherry, viburnum, elder, honeysuckle.

NATURAL UNICOMS OF THE URALS

Ilmensky ridge. highest height 748 meters, it is unique in the richness of its bowels. Among the almost 200 different minerals found here, there are rare and rare ones not found anywhere else in the world. For their protection, in 1920, a mineralogical reserve was created here. Since 1935 this reserve has become complex, now all nature is protected in the Ilmensky reserve.

Kungurskaya ice cave- a magnificent creation of nature. This is one of the largest caves in our country. It is located on the outskirts of the small industrial city of Kungur, on the right bank of the Sylva River, in the bowels of a stone mass - Ice Mountain. The cave has four tiers of passages. It was formed in the thickness of rocks as a result of the activity of groundwater, which dissolved and removed gypsum and anhydrite. The total length of all surveyed 58 grottoes and passages between them exceeds 5 km.

Ecological problems: 1) In terms of environmental pollution, the Urals are in the lead (48% - mercury emissions, 40% - chlorine compounds). 2) Of the 37 polluting cities in Russia, 11 are located in the Urals. 3) Technogenic deserts have formed around 20 cities. 4) 1/3 of the rivers are devoid of biological life. 5) 1 billion tons of rocks are extracted annually, of which 80% goes to the dump. 6) Special danger - radiation pollution (Chelyabinsk-65 - plutonium production).

CONCLUSION

Mountains are a mysterious and still little known world, uniquely beautiful and full of dangers. Where else can you get from the scorching summer of the desert to harsh winter snow, to hear the roar of a wildly roaring stream under the overhanging rocks in a gloomy gorge into which the sun never looks. Pictures flickering outside the window of a car or car will never let you fully feel this formidable splendor ...

Week tour, one day hiking and excursions combined with comfort (trekking) in the mountain resort of Khadzhokh (Adygea, Krasnodar region). Tourists live at the camp site and visit numerous natural monuments. Rufabgo Waterfalls, Lago-Naki Plateau, Meshoko Gorge, Big Azish Cave, Belaya River Canyon, Guam Gorge.

People's Peak

The highest point of the Ural Mountains is Peak Narodnaya. It stretches upwards for as much as 1895m. It is located in a very hard to reach place. But just from it, an indescribable view and nature of the Ural mountains unfold.

Mount Narodnaya - is considered the most beautiful place in the Urals, and is also a historical monument. Among the well-known versions of the origin of its name, there is such that it is named in commemoration of the great Soviet people. The second explanation says that the mountain got its name because of the river that flows at the foot of the mountains. Today, the majority calls this mountain Narodnaya, while the emphasis is placed on the initial syllable. "Folk" from the translation of the Mansi language means "forest". In fact, the mountain begins somewhere in the depths of the forest. Because the highest point of the Ural Mountains is located in an extremely difficult to reach area, its historical origin has not yet been studied.

The first expedition route to the mountain

The first expeditionary route was sent to the mountain in 1843, but before that many people knew about the mountain. The then-famous scientist Antal Reguli, who once came to this area to study the life and life of such a people as the Mansi, became the head of the expedition. Although the travelers never reached the mountain. But Mount Narodnaya was first explored and described in 1927. Then the Ural Mountains were studied by the North Ural Expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Ural Plan, headed by Professor B. N. Gorodkov. The expeditionary campaign consisted of small detachments. It is interesting, but before this trip they said that the highest point of the Ural Mountains was Mount Telpoz-iz (along with it, Mount Saber fought for the championship in height). However, the detachment, which was headed by postgraduate geologist A. N. Aleshkov during the campaign in 1927, assured that more high mountains The Urals are located in the subpolar part. Therefore, Aleshkov gave the mountain the name Narodnaya and for the first time in history measured the height, which was defined as 1870 meters.

Later, accurate measurements were taken, which showed that Aleshkov somewhat "underestimated" the height of the mountain. Today's sources say that the height of the mountain was 1895 meters. Probably not more places where the Urals come to such high altitudes, only on Mount Narodnaya. The slopes of this majestic peak are dotted with punishments - direct cup-shaped crevices that are filled with ice and the purest water. In addition, there are many blocks of stone. Along the way, you may encounter snowfields and glaciers. The surface of this part of the Stone Belt is mountainous, with the deepest crevices and sheer cliffs. Tourists should be careful not to get serious injuries while climbing the mountain. Moreover, it is very far from the nearest settlement.

Ascent to Narodnaya Peak follows only the western ridge, although there are many rocky steeps and many depressions, which makes the hike much more difficult. It will be easier to climb the northern slope - along the foothills. And from the east, the peak is completely covered with sheer cliffs and crevices. Among the important tourist attractions, this mountain appeared in 1950. Naturally, she is not known, as for example Caucasian mountains, but even here there are signs with marks of visitors to these places, namely tourists.

Crusade

A religious procession was once organized on Narodnaya Street. A worship cross was also installed on it, and the words “Save and Preserve” were carved by believers. A specific feature of the mountain from the neighboring mountains is considered not as high as the dark rock, of which it consists. On the slopes of the mountain there are many crevices that are filled with water and ice. Equipment for climbers to climb the highest point of the Ural Mountains is not required. But, at the same time, for the implementation of a tourist route to this wild and mountainous territory, it is necessary to have an excellent sports form, and if there is not enough tourist experience, then it is worth resorting to the services of experienced guides to the mountains.

It should also be taken into account that the climate is very severe in the Subpolar Urals. It happens that in the summer the weather is cold and changeable. Quite a suitable period for climbing the mountain is from the first days of July to mid-August. The ascent will take about a week. There is no housing here, so overnight stays should be made only in tourist tents. According to its territorial location, Mount Narodnaya belongs to the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. It is really worth visiting here, as unprecedented beauties open up, and there is an opportunity to breathe in the purest mountain air.

Panorama from the mountain

The highest point of the Ural Mountains provides tourists with an indescribable panorama - the chaos of the mountains, a harsh, majestic and formidable land. Being at the very top of the peak, people understand that nothing changes here, it remains the same, for a long period of time. Here time stops.

In order to understand the beauty of the mountain, you just need to see the unique pictures of this area or visit it. This is what will reflect the mystery and attractiveness of this place. It will allow you to delve into the nature of the Urals and its originality.

The Urals is a unique geographical region, along which the border of two parts of the world - Europe and Asia - passes. Several dozens of monuments and commemorative signs have been erected on this border for more than two thousand kilometers.

Ural map

At the heart of the region is the Ural mountain system. The Ural Mountains stretch for more than 2500 km - from the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean to the deserts of Kazakhstan.

Geographers divided the Ural Mountains into five geographical zones: Polar, Subpolar, Northern, Middle and Southern Urals. The highest mountains in the Subpolar Urals. Here, in the Subpolar Urals, is the highest mountain in the Urals - Mount Narodnaya. But it is these northern regions of the Urals that are the most inaccessible and underdeveloped. On the contrary, the lowest mountains are located in the Middle Urals, which is also the most developed and densely populated.

The Urals include such administrative territories of Russia: Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Kurgan region, Perm region, Bashkortostan, as well as the eastern parts of the Komi Republic, Arkhangelsk region and the western part of the Tyumen region. In Kazakhstan, the Ural Mountains can be traced in the Aktobe and Kustanai regions.

Interestingly, the term "Ural" did not exist until the 18th century. We owe the appearance of this name to Vasily Tatishchev. And until that moment, only Russia and Siberia existed in the minds of the inhabitants of the country. The Urals were then attributed to Siberia.

Where did the toponym "Ural" come from? There are several versions of this, but the most likely is that the word "Ural" came from the Bashkir language. Of all the peoples living in this territory, only the Bashkirs from ancient times used the word "Ural" ("belt"). Moreover, the Bashkirs even have legends in which there is a "Ural". For example, the epic "Ural-batyr", which tells about the progenitors of the people of the Urals. "Ural-Batyr" absorbed the most ancient mythology that existed many millennia ago. It presents a wide range of ancient views, rooted in the bowels of the primitive communal system.

The modern history of the Urals begins with the campaign of Yermak's squad, who started to conquer Siberia. However, this does not mean at all that the Ural Mountains were nothing interesting before the arrival of the Russians. Since ancient times, people with their own special culture have lived here. Archaeologists have found thousands of ancient settlements in the Urals.

With the beginning of the Russian colonization of these territories, the Mansi who lived here were forced to leave their original places, moving further and further into the taiga.

The Bashkirs were also forced to retreat from their lands in the south of the Urals. Many Ural factories were built on Bashkir lands, bought from the Bashkirs by breeders for next to nothing.

Not surprisingly, Bashkir riots broke out from time to time. Bashkirs raided Russian settlements, burned them to the ground. It was a bitter retribution for the humiliation they experienced.

The Ural Mountains are fraught with a wide variety of minerals and minerals. It was in the Urals that the first Russian gold was discovered, and platinum reserves were the largest in the world. Many minerals were first discovered in the Ural Mountains. There are also gems here - emeralds, beryls, amethysts and many others. The Ural malachite also became famous all over the world.

Ural is famous for its beauty. There are thousands of amazing sights in the Ural Mountains. Here you can see beautiful mountains, swim in clean lakes, raft down rivers, visit caves, see interesting monuments history and architecture...

Mount Narodnaya in the Subpolar Urals

Mount Narodnaya (emphasis on the first syllable) is the highest point of the Ural Mountains. A mountain almost two thousand meters above sea level is located in a remote area in the Subpolar Urals.

The history of the origin of the name of this key Ural attraction is not an easy one. Serious disputes have been boiling over among scientists for a long time about the name of the mountain. According to one version, the peak, discovered just on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the revolution, was named after the Soviet people - Narodnaya (with an emphasis on the second syllable).

According to another version, it was named after the Naroda River flowing at the foot of the mountain (the emphasis in the name of the peak in this case falls on the first syllable). river names.

Professor P.L. Gorchakovsky wrote in his article in 1963: “As the late professor B.N. Gorodkov, the name of Narodnaya Mountain was derived from the Russian word for "people".

A.N. Aleshkov believed that the idea of ​​the highest peak of a mountainous country is in harmony with this word; the name came to him only by association with the name of the Naroda River ... "

However, now it is officially customary to put stress on the first syllable - NATIONAL. Such is the contradiction.

Meanwhile, scientists have found out that the old, original Mansi name of the mountain is Poengurr.

The history of the surroundings of Mount Narodnaya due to the inaccessibility of this area (hundreds of kilometers from settlements) is very poor. First scientific expedition visited these parts in 1843-45.

It was headed by the Hungarian researcher Antal Reguli. Here Reguli studied the life and language of the Mansi, their traditions and beliefs. It was Antal Reguli who first proved the kinship of the Hungarian, Finnish, Mansi and Khanty languages!

Then, in 1847-50, an integrated geographical expedition under the guidance of geologist E.K. Hoffmann.

Narodnaya Mountain itself was first explored and described only in 1927. That summer, the Ural Mountains were studied by the North Ural Expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences and Uralplan under the guidance of Professor B.N. Gorodkov. The expedition consisted of several detachments.

It is curious that before this expedition it was believed that the highest point of the Ural Mountains was Mount Telposiz (Mount Saber also claimed the championship in height). But the detachment of postgraduate geologist A.N. Aleshkov during the expedition in 1927 proved that the highest mountains of the Urals are located in the circumpolar part.

It was Aleshkov who gave the mountain the name Narodnaya and for the first time in history measured its height, which he determined at 1870 meters.

Later, more accurate measurements showed that Aleshkov "underestimated" the height of the mountain a little. It is currently known that its height is 1895 meters above sea level. Nowhere does the Ural reach great heights, as on this Mount Narodnaya.

Popular tourist route Mount Narodnaya and its environs became only in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At the same time, the appearance of the main peak of the Ural Mountains began to change. Signs, commemorative signs began to appear here, and even a bust of Lenin appeared. Also, among tourists, the custom has taken root to leave notes on the top of the mountain. In 1998, a worship cross with the inscription "Save and save" was installed here. A year later, the Orthodox went even further - they organized highest point Ural procession.

Mount Narodnaya is surrounded by peaks named after geologists Karpinsky and Didkovsky. Among the truly grandiose mountains of this part of the Urals, Mount Narodnaya stands out only for its height and dark rocks.

On the slopes of the mountain there are many kars - natural bowl-shaped depressions filled with clear transparent water and ice. There are glaciers and snowfields here. The slopes of the mountain are covered with large boulders.

The relief in this part of the Urals is mountainous, with steep slopes and deep gorges. You have to be very careful not to get hurt. Moreover, it is very far from housing.

You can climb the highest point of the Ural Mountains along the ridge from the west, but rocky steeps and karts complicate the ascent. The easiest way to climb is from the north - along the spurs of the mountain. The eastern slope of Mount Narodnaya, on the contrary, breaks off with sheer walls and gorges.

Climbing equipment is not required to climb the highest point of the Ural Mountains. Nevertheless, to make a hike in this wild and mountainous area, it is necessary to have a good sports shape, and if there is insufficient tourist experience, it is better to use the services of an experienced guide.

Keep in mind that the climate in the Subpolar Urals is harsh. Even in summer, the weather is cold and changeable.

The most favorable period for hiking is from July to mid-August. The trip will take about a week. There is no housing here and you can only spend the night in tents.

Geographically, Mount Narodnaya belongs to the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. Relatively close to Narodnaya there is a less high, but very beautiful Mount Manaraga.

Konzhakovsky Stone in the Northern Urals

Konzhakovsky Stone is the highest mountain in the Sverdlovsk region, a popular tourist attraction. This peak is located in the Northern Urals, near the village of Kytlym. Sverdlovsk region

The mountain got its name from the name of the hunter Konzhakov, a representative of the Mansi people, who previously lived in a yurt at the base of the mountain. Tourists usually call Konzhakovsky Stone simply Konzhak.

The height of the Konzhakovsky Stone is 1569 meters above sea level. The rock mass is composed of pyroxenites, dunites and gabbro. It consists of several peaks: Trapeze (1253 meters), South Job (1311 meters), North Job (1263 meters), Konzhakovsky Stone (1570 meters), Sharp Kosva (1403 meters) and others.

Interesting is the Iovskoye plateau, which is located at an altitude of 1100-1200 meters. It has a small lake (at an altitude of 1125 meters). From the east, the plateau abruptly breaks off into the valley of the Poludnevaya river by the Iovskiy failure.

The Konzhakovka, Katysher, Serebryanka (1, 2 and 3), Iov and Poludnevaya rivers originate from the Konzhakovsky Stone massif.

The highest point of the mountain at an altitude of 1569 meters is marked with a metal tripod with various pennants, flags and other memorable signs.

Altitudinal zoning is well traced on the Konzhakovsky stone. A coniferous forest grows in the lower part of the stone. Further, the taiga is replaced by the forest-tundra. From a height of 900-1000 meters, a zone of mountain tundra begins with stone placers - kurums. There is snow on top of the stone even in summer.

The unforgettable view from the top and slopes of the Konzhakovsky stone will impress anyone. From here you can see the most beautiful mountain ranges, taiga. The view of Kosvinsky Kamen is especially beautiful. There is a great environment, clean air.

The path to the top of the Konzhakovsky stone is best to start from the Karpinsk-Kytlym route, where the so-called “marathon” runs - a marathon trail with markings and kilometer markings. Thanks to her, you won't get lost here. The length of the path in one direction is 21 kilometers.

Konzhakovsky Stone is good both for not very experienced tourists and sportsmen. Quite complex categorical hikes are also possible here. It is best to go to Konjac for a few days with a tent. You can stop at the "artists' clearing" in the Konzhakovka river valley.

Since 1996, every year on the first Saturday of July, the international mountain marathon "Konzhak" has been held here, gathering many participants from all over the Urals, from other regions of Russia and even from abroad. The number of participants reaches several thousand. Both champions and ordinary travel enthusiasts, young and old, participate.

Devil's Settlement in the Middle Urals

Devil's Settlement is majestic rocks on top of the mountain of the same name, 6 kilometers southwest of the village of Iset. The top of the Devil's Settlement rises 347 meters above sea level. Of these, the last 20 meters is a mighty granite ridge. The jagged ridge of granite towers-outliers is elongated from the southeast to the northwest. From the north, the Settlement is cut off by an impregnable wall, and from the south, the rock is more gentle and you can climb it along giant stone steps. The southern part of the Settlement is being destroyed quite intensively. This is evidenced by stone placers on the southern slope of the mountain. This is due to sharp temperature fluctuations on the southern slope well-lit by the sun.

A wooden staircase installed there helps to climb to the highest point of the cliff. From the top you can see a wide panorama of the surrounding mountains, forests, and lakes.

The mound has a mattress-like structure, giving the false impression that it is made of flat slabs. The origin of "stone cities" refers to the distant past of the Ural Mountains. The granites that make up the rocks are of volcanic origin and formed about 300 million years ago. During this solid time, the mountain has undergone severe destruction under the influence of temperature extremes, water and wind. As a result, such a bizarre natural formation was formed.

On both sides of the main granite mass (at some distance) you can see small stone tents. The most interesting stone tent to the west of the main massif. It reaches a height of 7 m, the mattress-like structure is very clearly visible here.

Almost all the surrounding mountains are also dotted with stone tents. Devil's Settlement is located in the center of the so-called Upper Iset granite massif, but of the hundreds of other rocky outcrops, it is certainly the most grandiose!

Below, under the mountain is a cordon. The Semipalatinka River, a tributary of the Iset River, also flows there. Devil's Settlement is great for training climbers. The area is dominated by beautiful pine forests, with many berries in summer.

As for the origin of the name, it is quite obvious. These rocks appear too unnatural to the satellite - as if they were built by an unclean force. However, there is another, rather original hypothesis of the origin of the toponym. The fact is that the word "Chortan", more precisely "Sortan", can be decomposed into components "Sart-tan". Translated from the Mansi language, this is “front trade”. These words, when perceived by Russians, were transformed - Sartan - Chertyn - Devil. So it turned out Devil's Settlement - the settlement of the front trade.

As archaeologists have established, people have been present in the area of ​​Devil's Settlement since ancient times. During the excavations at the foot of the rocks, many shards of pottery and pieces of sheet copper were found. They also found copper pendants-amulets. The finds date back to the Iron Age.

Our distant ancestors deeply revered the Settlement. They considered them to be the refuge of spirits and made sacrifices to them. Thus, people tried to appease the higher powers so that everything would be safe.

We owe the first scientific description of the "stone city" to the members of the Ural Society of Natural Science Lovers (UOLE).

On May 26, 1861, a campaign took place, initiated by a resident of the Verkh-Isetsky plant, Vladimir Zakharovich Zemlyanitsyn, a priest, a full member of the OULE. He invited his acquaintances (also members of the UOLE) - the bookseller Pavel Alexandrovich Naumov and the teacher of the Yekaterinburg gymnasium Ippolit Andreevich Mashanov.

« One of the permanent residents of the Verkh-Isetsky plant V.Z.Z. I decided to visit the Devil's Settlement with my acquaintance, having heard from local old-timers about (its) existence near Lake Isetskoye<…>. From Verkh-Isetsk, they drove first to the north-west along the winter Verkh-Nevinsky road to the village of Koptyaki, lying on the south-west of the shore of Lake Iset. In Koptyaki, the travelers spent the night in the house of elder Balin. In the evening we went to the shore of Lake Isetskoye, admired the view of the lake and the spurs of the Ural Mountains on the opposite shore, and the slightly noticeable village of Murzinka on the northern shore. On the lake in the distance, the Solovetsky Islands were visible - schismatic sketes existed on them. The next day, May 27, the travelers left, admonished by the advice of the elder Balin. According to him: "Unclean Force" painfully plays near the "Settlement" and often leads the Orthodox astray. The travelers went to the “dam”, located two versts from Koptyakov<…>.

Leaving the horses at the watchman's dam and asking again about the road to the Settlement, the travelers decided to set off alone, without a guide, having only a compass with them.<…>Finally, passing the swamp, they went through the mountains to a wide clearing. The clearing rested on an isthmus that connected two low mountains. Three giant larches grew between the mountains, which later served as beacons for those going to the "Gorodishche". They are hiding in the forest on the right mountain. Then there was a climb up the mountain, first through thick grass, then through brown, and, finally, along the so-called "Devil's Mane" among the people. However, this "mane" greatly facilitates the ascent to the "Devil's Settlement", because you walk on granite slabs, as if on steps. One of the travelers was the first to reach the "Devil's Mane" and shouted: "Hurrah! It must be close! Indeed, among the pine forest<…>some whitened<…>weight. It was "Devil's Town".

Mashanov took samples of granite from Devil's Settlement and handed them over to the Uole Museum.

In 1874, members of the UOL organized a second excursion to the Devil's Settlement. This time, Onisim Yegorovich Kler himself took part in it. The cliffs of the Devil's Settlement made such a strong impression on him that he wrote: “But aren’t these cyclopean structures of ancient people? ..”

The artist Terekhov took a very clear image of these rocks. He made 990 photographs free of charge for the Notes of the Wole and requested that these photographs be credited to him as a lifetime contribution to the Wole. His request was granted.

The next excursion took place on August 20, 1889. Members of WOLES S.I. went to it. Sergeev, A.Ya. Ponomarev and others. They set off from the newly built Iset station. We walked several kilometers along the railway track and turned towards the mountains.

But their campaign did not work out. On the first day they could not find the Devil's Settlement and spent the whole day wandering in the swamps in the floodplain of the Kedrovka River. Then we accidentally met people sent by the head of the Iset station to search for them and returned to the station, where we spent the night. Only the next day they found the Devil's Settlement and climbed to the top of the rocks.

At present, Chertovo Gorodishche is the most visited rock mass in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg. Unfortunately, more than a hundred years of mass visits could not but affect the ecological situation and the appearance of the rock massif.