What mountains share Europe and Asia? What separates Europe and Asia?

Not every person is capable without hesitation to say which mountains divide Europe and Asia. In order to correctly answer this question, we must first note that Eurasia is the largest continent on the planet. It is customary to divide into two continents - Europe and Asia. From the economic point of view, beginning from ancient times to our days, the border between them plays a very important role for moving from East to West and backwards. According to the ancient Greeks, it passed through the center of the Mediterranean Sea. Since the fifth century BC it was considered to be the Don River and the Kerch Strait. This opinion was held by Ptolemy, therefore this doctrine was firmly established and lasted until the eighteenth century. In this article we will talk about what separates Europe and Asia in the modern sense.

First formal separation

In scientific literature officially the mainland was first divided into two continents by the famous Swedish scientist Philip Johann von Stralenberg in 1730. Responding in his writings to the question of which mountains share Europe and Asia, he clearly noted that this is the Ural range. At the same time, the scientist emphasized that besides him the border passes through the same river, the Caucasus, the strait of the Ugra Shar, the Caspian, the Black and the Azov Seas. Many authoritative researchers of the time supported this idea, as they wrote about in their works. There is an opinion that Stratenberg was offered such an idea by VN Tatishchev, the founder of many local cities and settlements. Now, in more detail about what mountains share Europe and Asia.

Formation of the Ural Mountains

The Urals is not just a naturally formed border between adjacent continents, but also serves as a watershed of the eastern and western basins. The formation of the mountains began approximately 350 million years ago, in other words, in the Paleozoic era, and lasted approximately 150 million years. The total length of the ridge exceeds the mark of two thousand kilometers. As for its width, it varies in different parts from forty kilometers to one hundred and fifty. The very name "Ural" in translation from the Bashkir language means "elevation" or "height". Speaking of which mountains share Europe and Asia, one can not but note the interesting historical fact that on the very first Russian map they were called the "Great Stone" and were depicted as a large belt where a considerable number of rivers began. Due to the fact that the ridge is quite old, its peaks are not very high. The first official documentary memory of him is in The Tale of Bygone Years and dates from the eleventh century. The Urals are geographically divided into Polar, Subpolar, Northern, Central and Southern parts.

Natural resources

Now in the Urals, you can find a large number of different minerals and minerals. There are copper and iron ores, cobalt, nickel, zinc, oil, coal and even precious stones with gold. In this regard, since the times of the Soviet Union, mountains between Europe and Asia are considered the largest metallurgical and mining base of the state. This is not surprising, because 48 of the 55 types of minerals that were mined at that time in the whole country, met here. Many of them, including precious and semiprecious, are located in close proximity to the earth's surface. There are also several minerals that are found exclusively here. A clear example of this is the dark emerald uvarovite. This also includes rich forest resources. One can not but note the fact that in the middle and southern parts of the mountains excellent conditions for farming have been created.

Climate

The Urals are characterized by a typical mountain climate, under which conditions the precipitation is distributed unevenly. The natural conditions here can vary very much even within the same zone. The explanation for this is quite simple. The fact is that the mountains that separate Europe and Asia play the role of a kind of climatic barrier. Due to the large amount of precipitation in the western part, the climate here is milder and more humid. As for the eastern region of the ridge, then everything is the other way round - it is dry because of a lack of precipitation.

Obelisk

Separate words deserve the local obelisks located on the border between Asia and Europe. They started here in the nineteenth century. The first monuments were monuments in the form of stele, made of wood and having a rectangular shape. On them, mandatory signs were posted, which were called "Asia" and "Europe". In order to ensure the safety of the obelisks, small guard houses were built next to them, in which, as a rule, forest walkers lived. Individual monuments can boast of their own unique history. For example, the monument, located near the mountain Berezovaya, appeared in 1807. Thirty years later, in connection with the visit of the site by the imperial delegation, the wooden structure was replaced with a marble one, with the emblem of the tsar.

Border on the Ural River

The river dividing Europe and Asia is the Urals. Its total length is about two and a half thousand kilometers. It should be noted that in its basin there are about eight thousand rivers of different sizes. In the source of the Urals lie five large springs, located at an altitude of 637 meters above sea level. Uniting in the marshy valley, they form a fairly powerful stream. The idea of using the river as a boundary between two continents was suggested by the above-mentioned Russian scientist VN Tatishchev.

Istanbul

The only city on the planet that is located simultaneously on two continents is the Turkish Istanbul. The history of this metropolis has more than two and a half thousand years. All these years he had a very important commercial value due to his geographical location. The Mediterranean Sea, separating Europe and Asia, separates them also from Africa. It is here across the Bosphorus Strait that the Marmara Sea is connected to the Black Sea. In the same way, the continents are divided. The very location of the modern city of Istanbul was often called the gateway connecting the Silk Road with the Old World.

Expedition of 2010

In April 2010, the Russian Geographical Society initiated and conducted an expedition, the main task of which was to determine the true origin of the border between Asia and Europe. In the course of the work, the scientists established that the axis of the Ural ridge is lost in the Zlatoust region and is sprayed onto several lines. They are some parallel arrays. In this regard, they suggested that it is not entirely reasonable to consider the Ural River as a boundary . In their opinion, it should be laid along the Caspian lowland, or more precisely - along its eastern edge. However, the research of Russian scientists remains to this day not considered by the relevant body - the Geographical International Union.

conclusions

From all of the above, we can safely conclude that the main boundary between Asia and Europe is the Ural Mountains. One of the proofs of this is even the fact that fauna and flora differ markedly in their different aspects. In addition, a big difference arises even in the directions and character of the rivers.