The largest ranges of Russia: description, names and location

"Here you do not have a plain, here the climate is different" - the words of Vladimir Vysotsky, known to almost everyone, can become an epigraph of this topic. It's about the mountains, the most beautiful of all the natural reliefs. Not for nothing, sung in the works of many poets, they beckon tourists, climbers and people who want to immerse themselves in a unique, nothing like microclimate. Looking at the physical map, you can see a lot of mountain massifs scattered around the globe. The Russian territory is also rich in them.

Geographical features of Russia

Russian mountains, like border guards, flank the southern and north-eastern outskirts of the country, creating a unique and reliable shield for the plains. Only a powerful Ural boldly crosses the vast expanses of Russia, regardless of borders or with time. The bulk of the population lives on flat terrain, seeing the mountains either on television or occasionally, choosing to rest in mountainous areas. Less than half of the volume of relief zones in Russia is occupied by mountains. And practically all the ridges of Russia are in the South and Far East of the country.

Briefly about the mountains

If you touch the defining signs, by which you can accurately find out that there are mountains in front of the observer, then there are several characteristic moments:

• Height more than 200 meters above the foot level;
• Steep slopes;
• The presence of vertices.

By origin the mountains differ. If there was a deformation of the earth's crust, then the mountain-tectonic nature that arose.

As a result of a serious eruption of volcanoes, ashes, other particles accumulate, forming mountains. Such formations have a volcanic origin, and at the top of such a mountain there is necessarily a crater.

Differences in elevation due to erosion can also create mountains. Often several arrays of homogeneous origin accumulate on a single territory. Then they are called mountain systems.

List of ridges of Russia

To find a fairy kingdom, heroes usually go "for mountains and seas". That's right there we're on our way. The mountain ranges of Russia, excluding the majestic Ural, are located on the outskirts of the country. On its territory there are about 20 mountain ranges and more than 1 thousand known peaks, the highest of which is Elbrus. But there are so deaf and hard-to-reach places that it is not possible to measure the height of some peaks. Conditionally ridges of Russia can be divided into six sections:

1. Caucasus.
2. The Ural Mountains.
3. Hibiny.
4. Far East.
5. South of Siberia.
6. The north-east of Siberia.

The last three points include quite extensive territories, on which the largest mountain systems and ridges of Russia are located.

Arrays of the Siberian northeast

The northeastern regions of Siberia are amazingly beautiful. Young and ancient mountain systems, taiga regions, tundra - this is the relief and nature of this region. The highest point of the East Siberian Plateau, Mount Pobeda, reaches a height of 3 kilometers. It is also one of the highest among all the mountain systems of Eastern Siberia, which stretch for more than 14 kilometers. In addition to the above-mentioned highlands, the massif includes the Verkhoyansky Range, Byrranga Mountains and the Central Siberian Plateau.

Breeds of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic period are common in the northeastern territories. Also there are both ancient and modern glaciers. Subarctic type of climate leads to the fact that some rivers freeze in full, that is literally to the bottom.

Mountainous country of Verkhoyansk

Verkhoyansk Ridge on the map of Russia is one of the seven mountain regions of the north-eastern region. It is located in the territory of Yakutia. The system includes such major ranges of Russia as Harulah, Orulgan and Suntar-Hayat. The climate of this region differs severity. Cold and low temperatures prevail here for 8-9 months in a row. In January, the average temperature drops to -40. The snow cover begins to melt in June, although spring comes around mid-May. The summer is rather short and unfriendly, rarely warmer than 14 degrees. It is during this period that the lion's share of precipitation falls.

Due to difficult weather conditions, the population in this area is rather insignificant, accordingly, pastures and forests are used poorly. The minerals of the Verkhoyansk mountain system are gold and polymetallic ores. The Verkhoyansk Range on the map of Russia stretches for 1200 km from the Lena River to Tompo, the tributary of Aldan.

The mountains here are very attractive. The backbone of Russia, called Verkhoyanskiy, is very similar in its outlines to the Alpine relief. On the lonely cold peaks of the Verkhoyansk Range, arctic tranquility reigns. Just below the frozen desert is replaced by a miserable tundra with its poor vegetation. On the slopes there are cedar pine forests, dwarf birches, larch and shrubs. Also there are steppe inclusions.

Severe south of Siberia: mountain expanse

To the east of the Ural mountains, many thousands of kilometers away, lies the mountainous Siberia - the land of stunning purity and beauty. The ridges of Russia, which are in this area, are famous all over the world:

• Altai.
• Alatau.
• Sayans.
• Salair.
• The mountains of Tuva.
• Transbaikalia.
• The Baikal region.
• The Stanovoi Range.
• Aldan Highlands.

The mountain systems and ridges of Russia, such as Altai, are very beautiful and outwardly resemble an uneven arch. Teletskoe Lake is located in the center of the Altai Mountains . In some regions, there are steppes, meadows similar to alpine, lime groves. The highest point of Altai is Belukha Mountain. Its height is more than 4.5 kilometers.

Further Alatau and Sayany are adjacent to the Altai Mountains. The mountain chain in these places extends considerably, reaching up to six hundred kilometers. In the Sayan Mountains the great Yenisei begins its journey. In the beginning, the river was fast and willful, but after building the hydroelectric structures, it subdued its character. These mountain ranges are joined by the ridges of Russia, whose names are known to the initiates: the Tuva mountains with the highest points of Mongun-Taiga, Sangi-Len, Tannu-Ola. The tops of the Sayano-Tuva mountains look like domes. Closer to the Mongolian border, small glaciers on the slopes are replaced by steppe regions.

The zealous guards of the deep Lake Baikal, the mountains of the Baikal region, like a precious frame surround a clean reservoir. By the way, the lake owes its appearance to the high tectonic activity observed in this mountain massif. Frequent earthquakes speak about the restless condition of the earth's crust in this region. If the sedimentary rocks did not regularly fill the bottom of Baikal, its depth could reach 6 km.

A little to the east are the mountain ranges of Russia called Transbaikalia. Their feature is the greatest width of the mountain belt, reaching thousands of kilometers. The total length of Transbaikalia is about 4 thousand kilometers.

Stanovoi range: a bridge between regions

Near the Pacific Ocean, the southern ridges are connected with the Far East. And the connecting links in this chain are the Stanovoi Range of Russia, as well as the Aldan plateau. The main massif of the Stanovoi Range is a goal and deserted, with gorges overgrown with forests. Pyramids of mountains serve as a natural feature between the Amur and Yakutia, and the peaks do not rise above 2 km. On the slopes and in the gorges of the Stanovoi Range, mainly coniferous trees grow. Wolves, goats and foxes are practically the only inhabitants of these places, with the exception of small groups of nomads: Chukchi, Tungus and Yakuts.

The Far East: vast expanses

Mountain ranges of the Far East are very different and unpredictable. From the Dzhugdzhur ridge, located on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk, they stretch across the territory of the Amur and Primorye to Sakhalin, Kamchatka and the Kuril chain. Throughout, the relief is very colorful, interrupted by sea bays, valleys and lakes. On the severe island of Sakhalin, the East Sakhalin and West Sakhalin mountains are located. Further, from Kamchatka to Japan, the Kuril ridge stretches, forming a characteristic island arc. On the Kamchatka peninsula, the Klyuchevskaya volcano volcano stands apart.

Klyuchevskaya hill: the pearl of Kamchatka

This active volcano is the highest point of the peninsula. The height of the peak is almost 5 km, and to be precise, it is more than 4800 meters. Consequently, the volcano is recognized as the highest in Eurasia. Since the end of the 17th century, it erupted 55 times, although not seriously damaging nearby settlements. The age of the Klyuchevskaya hill is 70 years old. On the lifeless ashy slopes of Klyuchevskaya Hills you can watch endlessly, as well as wander through the dense flower meadows at its foot.

Those who decided to make an ascent to the top of the mountain, it must be remembered that volcanic gases will not allow it to stay on it for longer than 10 minutes. Yes, and a large height is also not the best way to affect the human body. But this time will be enough to enjoy the surrounding beauty from the height of the mountain. In any case, the impression of conquering the Klyuchevskaya Hills will last for life.

The Caucasus is under me ...

The largest mountain range in Russia is the Greater Caucasus - located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Caucasian mountains are relatively young, but they are characterized by constant growth. In a year their peaks become closer to the sky by several centimeters. The Great Caucasus consists of not too high Black Mountains, low Sunzhensky and Tersky ranges, which do not reach even a one kilometer mark. In the south you can see the high Lateral, the Watershed and the Main Ranges. The pride of the Caucasus Mountains - the peak of Elbrus - lies just on the territory of the Lateral Ridge.

The center of the Caucasus is subject to extensive avalanches and catastrophic rockfalls. But the climate in this part of the mountains is mild, subtropical, somewhat similar to the south of Europe. The eastern part of the Caucasus resembles the Central Asian meager relief. No wonder the state, located there, called Dagestan, which in translation means "mountainous country".

But in general, the Caucasus is so beautiful that even the great Alexander Sergeyevich sang it in his works.

A bit about Elbrus

Speaking about the Caucasus, it is impossible not to mention the highest of European peaks - Elbrus. Rather, there are two peaks, since the mountain has two peaks with a height difference of about 20 meters. By the nature of education, Elbrus is an extinct volcano. About a million years ago, at the time of its formation, layers of ash, mud, piles of stones rushed along the slopes of the mountain at a frantic speed. All this gradually increased the height of the volcano. Now mountain education has the honorary status of the highest ski mountain in the world. In addition, he was recently assigned to the list of seven Russian miracles. On the southern slopes of Elbrus cable cars and places for comfortable accommodation of tourists are equipped.

Legends of the Urals

Speaking of the Russian mountain ranges, one can not help remembering the Ural Mountains. This is the pride of the country, the dividing line between the west and the east. The mountains stretch for a long 2000 km from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the Kazakh steppes. There is a legend that it was in these mountains that a unique civilization of wise Aryans originated, in the search for traces of which the crowds of scientists and tourists are going to the Urals. There are also paranormal zones, which may interest even ufologists, because, according to rumors, they saw aliens in the Urals. This amazing place is in the Taganay National Park. It is not known how true the stories of local residents are, but the fact that there are equipment failures in this area and adequate people visit strange visions is an indisputable fact.

In the Urals, even own Stonehenge. They say that this place has a powerful energy message. It removes bad thoughts and worries.

Ancient Ural temples and monasteries invariably attract pilgrims from all over the world.

Also, the Ural Mountains are a tourist mecca, and at any time of the year. In the summer period - rafting on mountain rivers, horseback riding, trekking, and in winter - traditional skating on snowy slopes. And in recent years, after the appearance of the Chelyabinsk meteorite in the earth's atmosphere, the routes to the place of its fall have become popular.

There is something to do on the territory of the Urals and speleologists: complexes of caves define a serious field for activities.

The ridges of Russia are very diverse and make up the huge natural wealth of this diverse and ambiguous country. Most of the inhabitants of Russia live in the plains, but the mountains invariably attract people with their wild pristine beauty.