The largest plains of the earth on the map. The largest plains in Russia: names, map, borders, climate and photos

Plains are one of the main landforms of our planet. They occupy two or three surfaces of the planet Earth and are found even at the bottom of the oceans. To determine which plain is the largest in the world, an overview of the longest of them, stretching across four continents, will help.

Plain giant of Eurasia

The East European Plain tops the ranking of the longest on the Eurasian continent. It extends on the East European platform, covering the area, starting from the coast of the Baltic Sea and reaching the foot of the Ural Mountains. Another name - "Russian" - the area received due to the fact that most of it is located within Russia.

On four sides, the area is bounded by five seas: from the south - the Azov and Black, and from the north - the White, Caspian and Barents. total area territory reaches 4 million km².

Throughout its length, a mostly flat-flat relief prevails, in which they successfully coexist and harmoniously alternate:

• elevations - individual points reach a height of 300 meters above sea level;
• lowlands - act as a basin of "water arteries".

Such structural features and elevation differences arose as a result of faults. They are characterized by tectonic origin.

The territory is conditionally divided into three lanes:

1. Northern - includes the Valdai and Smolensk-Moscow Uplands, as well as the northern Uvaly.
2. Central - represented by alternating Bugulma-Belebeevskaya, Volga and Central Russian uplands, separated by the Low Trans-Volga and Oka-Don lowlands.
3. Southern - includes the Stavropol Upland and Ergeni, separated by the Caspian and Black Sea lowlands.

The key influence on the appearance of the northern part of the Russian Plain was played by large-scale icing that occurred in the last ice Age. During this period, dozens of lakes arose in the area, for example, Beloe, Pskovskoye, Chudskoye.

Within the flat area are concentrated big cities Russia and is home to most of the country's population. The plain is famous for being a storehouse of minerals. The most demanded and largest field is the Kursk magnetic anomaly.

Long plateau in Africa

The East African Plateau is located in the southeast of the mainland. It is the most mobile and tectonically active part of the continent. Due to this, the terrain is highly dissected: the deepest depressions of the great rift system are adjacent to mountain peaks. The total length of tectonic disturbances is 6000 km.

The main features of the relief terrain of this continent include:

• the greatest rift system;
• most large lake Victoria;
• volcanoes Meru and Kilimanjaro.

The most typical and widespread landform of the mainland are calderas. They are basins of volcanic origin. The largest caldera in diameter, referred to as Ngorongoro, is considered the giant of the planet. The volcanic activity of the continent remains intense to this day. And many volcanoes are now activated.

On the plateau there are sources and watersheds flowing into Indian Ocean the largest rivers of the continent: Congo, Nile and Zambezi. Large masses of water from the tributaries of rivers and lakes affect the climate and vegetation of the long plateau. The vegetation cover is dominated by savannahs, at the foot of the mountain ranges there are tropical forests, at an altitude of 1200 meters and above - a park landscape.

The animal world is no less diverse. On the plateau you can meet both herbivores and predators, including the "king of beasts". Drier places abound with poisonous snakes and lizards.

The Great Plains are a foothill plateau with an area of ​​1.2 million km². They include 10 US states and 3 Canadian provinces.

The characteristic landscape of the area is separate sections divided into vast plateaus by table-like ledges, the height of which reaches 300 meters:

• Missouri;
• Llano Estacado;
• Edward.

The deep-flowing Missouri and Mississippi rivers flow through the plains. Over the centuries of their existence, they managed to cut through the area with canyons, forming an extensive network of ravines. A feature of the landscape are numerous hilly areas, alternating with deep ravines and depressions - badlands. Due to the abundance of precipitation and regular weathering, their relief is extremely unstable.

Tornadoes are the main scourge of the Great Plains. The American part of the plain even falls into the “tornado alley” zone, where tornadoes are most often recorded. In the prairie region of the Great Plains winter period the shi-nuk wind prevails. This natural phenomenon is interesting in that it is accompanied by a sudden jump in air temperature, which is accompanied by snow melting. For this reason, the Indians living on the prairies deified the shi-nuk.

One of the most numerous inhabitants of the Great Plains are fold-lip bats. Their number in some caves is in the millions.

Permanent leader of South America

The largest plain in the globe rightfully considered the Amazonian lowland. Its length is 5 million km². It was formed as a result of the flood of the full-flowing Amazon River under the influence of the accumulation of loose rocks.

The lowland lies in the Amazon Basin, which extends into the territory of Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Guinea and Colombia. The Amazon River, originating in the Andes and carrying its waters to the Atlantic Ocean, is the silver leader in length and fullness in the world. Its waters make up about 20% of total number water flowing from all rivers into the oceans.

It occupies lowland almost 40% of the continent. It is covered with tropical rainforests, referred to as the Amazon. It is conditionally divided into two parts: western and eastern.

It is a flat wide plain with a length of 1600 km. Located on its lands, the largest tributary of the Maider under the influence of tidal waves of the water giant - Atlantic Ocean during periods of flooding, it almost completely floods the surface, forming one large water surface.

For this reason, the vegetation of the western Amazon is sparse and is represented mainly by palm trees and cocoa trees. Of the animals, the most common are those adapted to life on trees: sloths, monkeys, small anteaters.

The territory, located to the east of the mouths of Tapajos and Rio Negro, is divided into a series of hills reaching a height of 350 m. The rivers here are deeper incised and do not flood the valleys during periods of high water. In this part of the Amazon summer period arid subequatorial climate prevails. The vegetation is rich and is represented by both evergreen and deciduous trees. Animal world represented by species found on open spaces: armadillos, mazama deer, rodents.

Despite the length dense forests make the Amazonian lowland a sparsely populated part of the continent. Only a few small settlements can be found on the territory of the plain. Indigenous people live in cities located along the main river of the continent.

Large areas of the Amazonian forests are now being cleared by the locals and used for ranching and growing soybeans. Massive logging is gradually turning huge concentrations of the Amazonian rainforest into arid savannah, upsetting the fragile ecological balance not only of the continent, but of the entire planet.

The East European Plain also has another name: Russian. The area of ​​this huge space is 5 million km2. It was on this arena that the Russian was formed, tsars and heroes "performed" on it, the main events of the country's history took place. The plain is limited by the seas: Caspian, Black, Baltic, Barents, White.

The low (about 170 m above sea level) East European Plain has a diverse relief. In the northwest, the Kola Peninsula and Karelia are covered with low mountains and ridges. This is the crown of Europe - the foundation on which the entire plain was formed and stands. The appearance of this region was greatly influenced by the glaciers that came down from the mountains.

Glaciers contributed to the formation of ridges and hills, characteristic of the northern part of the plain. These hills reach the flesh to the line that conditionally connects Smolensk, Moscow and Vologda. There are a lot of lakes in this region, including such large ones as Ilmen, Beloe, Seliger. In the south of the plain there is a ledge - the Smolensk-Moscow Upland, in the center - the Central Russian Upland, in the east - the Volga Upland.

West Siberian Plain

Lowland West Siberian Plain- one of the largest playgrounds on the planet. The length of the plain from north to south is about 2500 km, from west to east - about 1000 km. This area is characterized by small elevation differences, especially in the central and northern regions. Huge, wide, flat spaces are punctuated by rivers.

The main area of ​​the West Siberian Plain is occupied by woodland - the basins of ancient lakes. This region is characterized by a harsh, sharply continental climate. In winter, the weather is influenced by cold continental air; in summer, moist air masses are brought from the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. The largest rivers in the region are the Irtysh, Yenisei, Ob, Tom.

Central Siberian Plateau and Central Yakut Plain

Siberia is divided into two parts by the Yenisei, which flows from north to south. On the right bank of the river begins a huge plateau - a terrain with small hills, deep valleys, steep slopes. This is the Central Siberian Plateau, which is also classified as a plain due to its low altitude and the abundance of flat interfluves.

The eastern plateaus, gradually decreasing, pass in the east into the Central Yakut plain. The plains of Yakutia are rich in an abundance of rivers, lakes and swamps. Permafrost extends hundreds of meters underground. At the same time, the climate in this region is characterized by aridity, therefore, sands characteristic of Asia may well be located above the permafrost layer.

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

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

What are plains and how did they appear

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

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

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

Classification of plains by absolute height

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

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

the East European Plain

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

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

West Siberian Plain

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

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

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

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

one of the largest plains on our planet (the second largest after the Amazonian plain in Western America). It is located in the eastern part. Since most of it is within the borders Russian Federation, sometimes called Russian. In the northwestern part it is limited by the mountains of Scandinavia, in the southwestern part - by other mountains. central Europe, in the southeast - , and in the East - . From the north, the Russian Plain is washed by the waters and, and from the south -, and.

The length of the plain from north to south is more than 2.5 thousand kilometers, and from west to east - 1 thousand kilometers. Almost the entire length of the East European Plain is dominated by a gently sloping plain. Within the territory of the East European Plain, most and most major cities country. It was here that many centuries ago formed Russian state which later became the largest country in the world. It also contains a large part natural resources Russia.

The East European Plain almost completely coincides with the East European Platform. This circumstance explains its flat relief, as well as the absence of significant natural phenomena associated with movement ( , ). Small hilly areas within the East European Plain have resulted from faults and other complex tectonic processes. The height of some hills and plateaus reaches 600-1000 meters. In ancient times, the shield of the East European Platform was in the center of glaciation, as evidenced by some landforms.

The East European Plain. satellite view

On the territory of the Russian Plain, platform deposits occur almost horizontally, making up lowlands and uplands that form the surface topography. Where the folded foundation protrudes to the surface, elevations and ridges are formed (for example, the Timan ridge). On average, the height of the Russian Plain is about 170 meters above sea level. The lowest areas are on the Caspian coast (its level is about 30 meters below the level).

Glaciation left its mark on the formation of the relief of the East European Plain. This effect was most pronounced in the northern part of the plain. As a result of the passage of the glacier through this territory, a multitude of (, Pskov, Beloe and others) arose. These are the consequences of one of the most recent glaciers. In the south, southeast and eastern parts, which were subjected to glaciation in more than early period, their consequences are smoothed out by processes. As a result of this, a number of uplands (Smolensk-Moscow, Borisoglebskaya, Danilevskaya and others) and lacustrine-glacial lowlands (Caspian, Pechora) were formed.

To the south, there is a zone of uplands and lowlands, elongated in the meridional direction. Among the hills, one can note the Azov, Central Russian, Volga. Here they also alternate with plains: Meshcherskaya, Oka-Donskaya, Ulyanovsk and others.

Further south are the coastal lowlands, which in ancient times were partially submerged under sea level. The plain relief here was partially corrected by water erosion and other processes, as a result of which the Black Sea and Caspian lowlands were formed.

As a result of the passage of the glacier through the territory of the East European Plain, valleys formed, tectonic depressions expanded, and even some rocks were polished. Another example of glacier impact is winding deep peninsulas. With the retreat of the glacier, not only lakes were formed, but concave sandy lowlands also arose. This happened as a result of the deposition a large number sand material. Thus, over the course of many millennia, the many-sided relief of the East European Plain was formed.

Russian plain

Almost all species exist on the East European Plain. natural areas available on the territory of Russia. Off the coast at

There are many places on our planet that are of interest not only to researchers and scientists, but also to ordinary travelers. This high mountains, stormy rivers. But in this article, we will introduce you to the great plains of the world. Do not think that these vast territories are not too interesting to explore. After reading our article, you will understand that this opinion is erroneous.

Where are the Great Plains located?

Boundless high plateaus are located between the Cordillera in the west and the Central Plains in the east. The researchers gave the name of this territory - the Great Plains. Mainland North America It is also famous for the Central Plains, but the Great Plains differ in absolute heights, dry climate and thickness of sedimentary rocks. Layers of Paleogene and Cretaceous rocks lie under the thickness of loess-like rocks and forests. Since predominantly steppe vegetation dominates here, the Great Plains are often called the Prairies plateau.

Continental climate, position (rather high) above sea level, easy erosion of soils became the reasons for the development of erosion processes in these territories. Most characteristic relief - ravines. Erosion sometimes reaches giant size— Thousands of hectares of once fertile soil are being turned into badlands.

Great Plains: dimensions

This foothill plateau in Canada and the United States is located east of the Rocky Mountains. Its height is from 800 to 1,700 meters above sea level. Length - three thousand six hundred kilometers. Width - from five hundred to eight hundred kilometers. The map shows that this is a huge territory - the Great Plains. Their area is 1,300,000 square kilometers.

Relief

The plains stretch for 3600 km from north to south. They represent a heterogeneous territory. On the land of Canada (basin of the Saskatchewan River) is their northern part - the Alberta Plateau. Here, stained relief forms predominate. The plateau is distinguished by forest landscapes located on soddy-podzolic soils. Often and separate aspen pegs.

In the Missouri basin (Missouri Plateau) there is a wavy moraine relief with strong erosional dissection, forest-steppe vegetation of aspen and birch copses separated by forb steppes. Such a landscape is typical for the Ishim steppe (Southern Siberia). In the middle part of the plateau there is a ridge of terminal moraines.

South of the Missouri Plateau is the High Plains. These territories are not affected by glaciation; the surface is dissected by rivers, slightly wavy. There is no forest vegetation here - this plateau is dominated by forb steppe, densely covered with ravines. In this part of the Great Plains have long been plowed up, and erosion is especially progressing here.

Further south is the Llano Estacado plateau. It has a more even relief, which is diluted in some places by karst funnels. The vegetation of this plateau is steppe, here you can find single yuccas and columnar cacti.

In the very south of the Great Plains is the Edwards Plateau, which, in terms of landscape appearance, resembles the neighboring regions of Mexico with its characteristic succulents (yuccas, cacti). This plateau is poorly dissected and is distinguished by the predominance of chestnut soils.

Animal world

The Great Plains, whose area is huge, are distinguished by a rather diverse fauna, which is directly related to the nature of the landscapes. In the northern part one can meet the steppe bison, the pronghorn antelope, in the southern and central regions the steppe fox, wolf, and prairie dogs live. Of the birds, the steppe falcon and meadow-howling black grouse are common.

Russian plain

Experts often call this territory the East European Plain. This is a real natural pantry of Russia. Judge for yourself: coal, iron ore, oil and natural gas, other useful resources. Her fertile soils, according to experts, can easily feed the Russians.

The Great Russian Plain ranks second in terms of area in the world, second only to the Amazonian Lowland. It belongs to the low plains. From the north, this territory is washed by the White and Barents Seas, the Caspian, Azov and Black - in the south.

Like many other great plains of the world, Russian in the southwest and west and is adjacent to the mountains - the Sudetes, the Carpathians, in the northwest it is limited by the Scandinavian mountains, in the east - by the Urals and Mugodzhary, and in the southeast - by the Caucasus and the Crimean mountains .

Dimensions

The Russian Plain stretches from east to west for 2.5 thousand kilometers. From south to north - 2750 kilometers. The total area of ​​the territory is five and a half million square kilometers. The maximum height was recorded on Mount Yudychvumchorr (Kola Peninsula - 1191 meters). The lowest point is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, it is characterized by a minus value of -27 meters.

On the territory of the Russian Plain, partially or completely, there are such countries as:

• Kazakhstan.
• Belarus.
• Lithuania.
• Latvia.
• Poland.
• Moldova.
• Russia.
• Estonia.
• Ukraine.

Relief

Planes predominate in the relief of the Russian Plain. Similar geographical position characterized by rare earthquakes, as well as volcanic activity.

Hydrography

The main part of the waters of the Russian Plain has access to the ocean. The southern and western northern regions flow into the Arctic Ocean. The northern rivers include Onega, Mezen, Northern Dvina Pechora. The southern and western rivers carry their waters into the Vistula, Neman, Neva, etc. The Dniester and Dnieper, the Southern Bug flow into the Black Sea, and the Don into the Sea of ​​Azov.

Climate

The Russian Plain has a temperate continental climate. Average summer temperatures can range from -12 degrees (in the Barents Sea area) to +25 degrees (in the Caspian lowland). The maximum winter temperatures are recorded in the west. In these areas, the air temperature does not drop below -3 degrees. In Komi, this figure reaches -20 degrees.

Precipitation in the southeast falls up to 400 mm (during the year), in the west their amount doubles. vary from semi-desert in the south to tundra in the north.

Chinese plain

Many have probably heard about this plain, but perhaps not everyone knows where the Great Plain of China is located. One of the largest plains in Asia. In the east, it is washed by the Yanshan Mountains in the north, and the Taihangshan Range in the west. Its eastern slopes have steep ledges, more than a thousand meters high. In the southwest are the Dabeshan and Tongboshan ranges. The total area of ​​the plain is more than 325 thousand square kilometers.

In the piedmont, western part, which is composed of ancient alluvial fans, the plain reaches a height of one hundred meters. Closer to the sea, it drops to less than fifty meters.

Relief

On the sea coast, the plain is almost flat, only slight slopes are noticeable. There are swampy and depressions occupied by small lakes. Within the plain are the Shandong Mountains.

Rivers

In addition to the largest river, the Huang He, the Huaihe and Haihe rivers flow here. They are characterized by rather sharp fluctuations in runoff and monsoonal regime.

The maximum summer flow often exceeds the spring minimum by almost a hundred times.

Climatic conditions

The Chinese plain has a monsoonal subtropical climate. IN winter time here dominated by dry and cold air, which comes from Asia. In January, the average temperature is -2...-4 degrees.

In summer the air warms up to +25...+28 degrees. Up to 500 mm of precipitation falls annually in the north and up to 1000 mm in the south.

Vegetation

To date, the forests that grew here earlier with an admixture of subtropical evergreens have not been preserved. There are groves of ash, arborvitae, poplars, pines.

The soils are mostly alluvial, which have undergone significant changes during agricultural cultivation.

Amazonian lowland

This is the greatest plain in the world. It covers an area of ​​more than 5 million square kilometers. Its maximum height is 120 meters.

Vast areas of lowland are inextricably linked with the life of the Amazon River - the largest catchment area in the world. A huge part of its territory near the river floodplain is regularly flooded, resulting in the formation of swampy areas (marches).