The East European or Russian Plain is one of the largest in the world: from north to south it stretches for 2.5 thousand km; from west to east - 1 thousand km. In size, the Russian Plain is second only to the Amazon, located in Western America.

East European Plain – location

From the name it is clear that the plain is located in the East of Europe, and most of it extends into Russia. In the northwest, the Russian Plain runs through the Scandinavian mountains; in the southwest - along the Sudetes and other European mountain ranges; from the West the border is the river. Vistula; on the south-eastern side the border is the Caucasus; in the East - the Urals. In the North, the plain is washed by the White and Barents Seas; in the South - the waters of the Black, Azov and Caspian seas.

East European Plain - relief

The main type of relief is gently flat. Large cities and, accordingly, the bulk of the population of the Russian Federation are concentrated on the territory of the East European Plain. On these lands it was born Russian state. Minerals and other valuable natural resources are also found within the Russian Plain. The outlines of the Russian Plain practically repeat the outlines of the East European Platform. Thanks to such an advantageous location, there is no seismic hazard or likelihood of earthquakes. On the territory of the plain there are also hilly areas that appeared as a result of various tectonic processes. There are elevations up to 1000 m.

In ancient times, the Baltic shield platform was located in the center of glaciation. As a result, there is a glacial relief on the surface.

The terrain consists of lowlands and hills, because... The platform deposits are located almost horizontally.

In places where the folded foundation protruded, ridges (Timansky) and hills (Central Russian) formed.
The height of the plain above sea level is approximately 170 m. The lowest areas are located on the coast of the Caspian Sea.

East European Plain - glacier influence

Glaciation processes significantly influenced the relief of the Russian Plain, especially in its northern part. A glacier passed through this territory, as a result of which the famous lakes were formed: Chudskoye, Beloe, Pskovskoye.
Previously, glaciation affected the topography of the southeast of the plain, but its consequences disappeared due to erosion. Uplands were formed: Smolensk-Moscow, Borisoglebskaya, etc., as well as lowlands: Pechora and Caspian.

In the south there are highlands (Priazovskaya, Privolzhskaya, Central Russian) and lowlands (Ulyanovskaya, Meshcherskaya).
Further to the south are the Black Sea and Caspian lowlands.

The glacier contributed to the formation of valleys, the increase in tectonic depressions, the grinding of rocks, and the formation of ornate bays on the Kola Peninsula.

East European Plain - waterways

The rivers of the East European Plain belong to the basins of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, the rest flow into the Caspian Sea and have no connection with the ocean.

The longest and deepest river in Europe, the Volga, flows through the Russian Plain.

East European Plain - natural areas, flora and fauna

Almost all natural zones of Russia are represented on the plain.

• Off the coast of the Barents Sea, in the subtropical zone, tundra is concentrated.
• In the temperate zone, to the south from Polesie and to the Urals, coniferous and mixed forests stretch, giving way to deciduous forests in the West.
• In the South, forest-steppe prevails with a gradual transition to steppe.
• In the region of the Caspian Lowland there is a strip of Deserts and Semi-Deserts.
• Arctic, forest and steppe animals live on the lands of the Russian Plain.

The most dangerous natural phenomena that occur on the territory of the Russian Plain include floods and tornadoes. The environmental problem is acute due to human activities.

The East European (Russian) Plain is one of the largest plains in the world by area; It stretches from the coast Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains, from the Barents and White Seas- to the Azov and Caspian.

The East European Plain has the highest density of rural population, large cities and many small towns and urban settlements, and a variety of natural resources. The plain has long been developed by man.

Relief and geological structure

The East European Elevated Plain consists of hills with heights of 200-300 m above sea level and lowlands along which large rivers flow. The average height of the plain is 170 m, and the highest - 479 m - is on the Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya Upland in the Ural part. The maximum elevation of the Timan Ridge is somewhat lower (471 m).

According to the features of the orographic pattern within the Eastern European plain Three stripes are clearly visible: central, northern and southern. A strip of alternating large uplands and lowlands passes through the central part of the plain: the Central Russian, Volga, Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya uplands and General Syrt are separated by the Oka-Don lowland and the Low Trans-Volga region, along which the Don and Volga rivers flow, carrying their waters to the south.

To the north of this strip, low plains predominate, on the surface of which smaller hills are scattered here and there in garlands and singly. From west to east-northeast, the Smolensk-Moscow, Valdai Uplands and Northern Uvals stretch here, replacing each other. They mainly pass through the watersheds between the Arctic, Atlantic and internal (drainless Aral-Caspian) basins. From the Northern Uvals the territory descends to the White and Barents Seas. This part of the Russian Plain A.A. Borzov called it northern slope. Large rivers flow along it - Onega, Northern Dvina, Pechora with numerous high-water tributaries.

The southern part of the East European Plain is occupied by lowlands, of which only the Caspian is located on Russian territory.

The East European Plain has a typical platform topography, which is predetermined by the tectonic features of the platform: the heterogeneity of its structure (the presence of deep faults, ring structures, aulacogens, anteclises, syneclises and other smaller structures) with the unequal manifestation of recent tectonic movements.

Almost all large hills and lowlands of the plain are of tectonic origin, with a significant part inherited from the structure of the crystalline basement. In the process of a long and complex development path, they formed as a single territory in morphostructural, orographic and genetic terms.

At the base of the East European Plain lie the Russian plate with a Precambrian crystalline foundation and in the south the northern edge of the Scythian plate with a Paleozoic folded foundation. These include syneclises - areas of deep foundation (Moscow, Pechora, Caspian, Glazov), anteclises - areas of shallow foundation (Voronezh, Volgo-Ural), aulacogens - deep tectonic ditches, in the place of which syneclises subsequently arose (Kresttsovsky, So-ligalichsky, Moskovsky, etc.), protrusions of the Baikal foundation - Timan.

The Moscow syneclise is one of the oldest and most complex internal structures of the Russian plate with a deep crystalline foundation. It is based on the Central Russian and Moscow aulacogens, filled with thick strata of the Riphean and is expressed in relief by fairly large uplands - Valdai, Smolensk-Moscow and lowlands - Upper Volga, North Dvina.

The Pechora syneclise is located wedge-shaped in the northeast of the Russian Plate, between the Timan Ridge and the Urals. Its uneven block foundation is lowered to varying depths - up to 5000-6000 m in the east. The syneclise is filled with a thick layer of Paleozoic rocks, overlain by Meso-Cenozoic sediments.

In the center of the Russian plate there are two large anteclises - the Voronezh and the Volga-Ural, separated by the Pachelma aulacogen.

The Caspian marginal syneclise is a vast area of ​​deep (up to 18-20 km) subsidence of the crystalline basement and belongs to the structures of ancient origin; the syneclise is limited on almost all sides by flexures and faults and has angular outlines.

The southern part of the East European Plain is located on the Scythian epi-Hercynian plate, lying between the southern edge of the Russian plate and the alpine folded structures of the Caucasus.

Modern relief, which has undergone a long and complex history, turns out to be in most cases inherited and dependent on the nature of the ancient structure and manifestations of neotectonic movements.

Neotectonic movements on the East European Plain manifested themselves with different intensity and direction: in most of the territory they are expressed by weak and moderate uplifts, weak mobility, and the Caspian and Pechora lowlands experience weak subsidence (Fig. 6).

The development of the morphostructure of the northwestern plain is associated with the movements of the marginal part of the Baltic shield and the Moscow syneclise, therefore monoclinal (sloping) strata plains are developed here, expressed in orography in the form of hills (Valdai, Smolensk-Moscow, Belorussian, Northern Uvaly, etc.), and strata plains occupying a lower position (Verkhnevolzhskaya, Meshcherskaya). The central part of the Russian Plain was influenced by intense uplifts of the Voronezh and Volga-Ural anteclises, as well as subsidence of neighboring aulacogens and troughs. These processes contributed to the formation of layered, stepwise uplands (Central Russian and Volga) and the layered Oka-Don plain. The eastern part developed in connection with the movements of the Urals and the edge of the Russian plate, so a mosaic of morphostructures is observed here. In the north and south, accumulative lowlands of the marginal syneclises of the plate (Pechora and Caspian) are developed. Between them alternate stratified-tiered hills (Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya, Obshchiy Syrt), monoclinal-layered hills (Verkhnekamskaya) and the intraplatform folded Timan Ridge.

During the Quaternary, climate cooling in the northern hemisphere contributed to the spread of glaciation.

There are three glaciations on the East European Plain: Oka, Dnieper with the Moscow stage and Valdai. Glaciers and fluvioglacial waters created two types of plains - moraine and outwash.

The southern border of the maximum distribution of the Dnieper cover glaciation crossed the Central Russian Upland in the Tula region, then descended along the Don valley - to the mouth of the Khopr and Medveditsa, crossed the Volga Upland, then the Volga near the mouth of the Sura River, then went to the upper reaches of the Vyatka and Kama and crossed the Urals in area 60° N. Then came the Valdai glaciation. The edge of the Valdai ice sheet was located 60 km north of Minsk and went northeast, reaching Nyandoma.

Natural processes of the Neogene-Quaternary time and modern climatic conditions on the territory of the East European Plain determined various types of morphosculptures, which are zonal in their distribution: on the coast of the seas of the Arctic Ocean, marine and moraine plains with cryogenic relief forms are common. To the south lie moraine plains, transformed at various stages by erosion and periglacial processes. Along the southern periphery of the Moscow glaciation there is a strip of outwash plains, interrupted by remnant elevated plains covered with loess-like loams, dissected by ravines and ravines. To the south there is a strip of fluvial ancient and modern landforms on highlands and lowlands. On the coast of the Azov and Caspian Seas there are Neogene-Quaternary plains with erosional, depression-subsidence and aeolian relief.

The long geological history of the largest geostructure - the ancient platform - predetermined the accumulation of various minerals on the East European Plain. The richest deposits of iron ore are concentrated in the foundation of the platform (Kursk Magnetic Anomaly). Associated with the sedimentary cover of the platform are deposits of coal (eastern part of Donbass, Moscow basin), oil and gas in Paleozoic and Mesozoic deposits (Ural-Volga basin), and oil shale (near Syzran). Building materials (songs, gravel, clays, limestones) are widely used. Brown iron ores (near Lipetsk), bauxites (near Tikhvin), phosphorites (in a number of areas) and salts (Caspian region) are also associated with the sedimentary cover.

Climate

The climate of the East European Plain is influenced by its position in temperate and high latitudes, as well as neighboring territories (Western Europe and Northern Asia) and the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Total solar radiation per year in the north of the plain, in the Pechora basin, reaches 2700 mJ/m2 (65 kcal/cm2), and in the south, in the Caspian lowland, 4800-5050 mJ/m2 (115-120 kcal/cm2). The distribution of radiation across the plain changes dramatically with the seasons. In winter, radiation is much less than in summer, and more than 60% of it is reflected by snow cover. In January, the total solar radiation at the latitude Kaliningrad - Moscow - Perm is 50 mJ/m2 (about 1 kcal/cm2), and in the southeast of the Caspian lowland it is about 120 mJ/m2 (3 kcal/cm2). Radiation reaches its greatest value in the summer and in July; its total values ​​in the north of the plain are about 550 mJ/m2 (13 kcal/cm2), and in the south - 700 mJ/m2 (17 kcal/cm2). All year round Western transport of air masses dominates over the East European Plain. Atlantic air brings coolness and precipitation in summer, and warmth and precipitation in winter. When moving east, it transforms: in summer it becomes warmer and drier in the ground layer, and in winter - colder, but also loses moisture

During the warm period of the year, from April, cyclonic activity occurs along the lines of the Arctic and polar fronts, shifting to the north. Cyclonic weather is most typical for the northwest of the plain, so cool sea air from temperate latitudes often comes to these areas from the Atlantic. It lowers the temperature, but at the same time it heats up from the underlying surface and is additionally saturated with moisture due to evaporation from the moistened surface.

The position of January isotherms in the northern half of the East European Plain is submeridional, which is associated with greater frequency of occurrence in the western regions of the Atlantic air and its lesser transformation. Average temperature January in the Kaliningrad region is -4°C, in the western part of the compact territory of Russia about -10°C, and in the northeast -20°C. In the southern part of the country, isotherms deviate to the southeast, amounting to -5...-6°C in the area of ​​the lower reaches of the Don and Volga.

In summer, almost everywhere on the plain, the most important factor in the distribution of temperature is solar radiation, so isotherms, unlike in winter, are located mainly in accordance with geographic latitude. In the far north of the plain, the average July temperature rises to 8°C, which is associated with the transformation of air coming from the Arctic. The average July isotherm of 20°C goes through Voronezh to Cheboksary, approximately coinciding with the border between forest and forest-steppe, and the Caspian lowland is crossed by an isotherm of 24°C.

The distribution of precipitation over the territory of the East European Plain depends primarily on circulation factors (westerly transport of air masses, the position of the Arctic and polar fronts and cyclonic activity). Especially many cyclones move from west to east between 55-60° N. latitude. (Valdai and Smolensk-Moscow uplands). This strip is the most humidified part of the Russian Plain: the annual precipitation here reaches 700-800 mm in the west and 600-700 mm in the east.

Relief has an important influence on the increase in annual precipitation: on the western slopes of the hills, 150-200 mm more precipitation falls than on the underlying lowlands. In the southern part of the plain, maximum precipitation occurs in June, and in middle lane- for July.

The degree of moisture in an area is determined by the ratio of heat and moisture. It is expressed in various quantities: a) the moisture coefficient, which on the East European Plain varies from 0.35 in the Caspian Lowland to 1.33 or more in the Pechora Lowland; b) the dryness index, which varies from 3 in the deserts of the Caspian lowland to 0.45 in the tundra of the Pechora lowland; c) average annual difference in precipitation and evaporation (mm). In the northern part of the plain, moisture is excessive, since precipitation exceeds evaporation by 200 mm or more. In the band of transitional moisture from the headwaters of the Dniester, Don and Kama rivers, the amount of precipitation is approximately equal to evaporation, and the further south of this band, the more evaporation exceeds precipitation (from 100 to 700 mm), i.e., moisture becomes insufficient.

Differences in the climate of the East European Plain affect the nature of vegetation and the presence of fairly clearly defined soil and plant zonation.

For centuries, the Russian Plain served as a territory connecting Western and Eastern civilizations along trade routes. Historically, two busy trade arteries ran through these lands. The first is known as the “path from the Varangians to the Greeks.” According to it, as is known from school history, medieval trade in goods of the peoples of the East and Rus' with the states of Western Europe was carried out.

The second is the route along the Volga, which made it possible to transport goods by ship to Southern Europe from China, India and Central Asia and in the opposite direction. The first Russian cities were built along trade routes - Kyiv, Smolensk, Rostov. Veliky Novgorod became the northern gateway from the “Varangians”, protecting the security of trade.

Now the Russian Plain is still a territory strategic importance. The capital of the country and the largest cities are located on its lands. The most important administrative centers for the life of the state are concentrated here.

Geographical position of the plain

The East European Plain, or Russian, occupies territories in eastern Europe. In Russia, these are its extreme western lands. In the northwest and west it is limited by the Scandinavian Mountains, the Barents and White Seas, the Baltic coast and the Vistula River. In the east and southeast it neighbors the Ural Mountains and the Caucasus. In the south, the plain is limited by the shores of the Black, Azov and Caspian seas.

Relief features and landscape

The East European Plain is represented by a gently sloping relief, formed as a result of faults in tectonic rocks. Based on relief features, the massif can be divided into three stripes: central, southern and northern. The center of the plain consists of alternating vast hills and lowlands. The north and south are mostly represented by lowlands with rare low altitudes.

Although the relief is formed tectonically and minor tremors are possible in the area, there are no noticeable earthquakes here.

Natural areas and regions

(The plain has planes with characteristic smooth drops)

The East European Plain includes all natural zones found in Russia:

• Tundra and forest-tundra are represented by the nature of the north of the Kola Peninsula and occupy a small part of the territory, slightly expanding to the east. The vegetation of the tundra, namely shrubs, mosses and lichens, is replaced by birch forests of the forest-tundra.
• Taiga, with its pine and spruce forests, occupies the north and center of the plain. On the borders with mixed broad-leaved forests, areas are often swampy. A typical Eastern European landscape - coniferous and mixed forests and swamps give way to small rivers and lakes.
• In the forest-steppe zone you can see alternating hills and lowlands. Oak and ash forests are typical for this zone. You can often find birch and aspen forests.
• The steppe is represented by valleys, where oak forests and groves, forests of alder and elm grow near the river banks, and tulips and sages bloom in the fields.
• In the Caspian lowland there are semi-deserts and deserts, where the climate is harsh and the soil is saline, but even there you can find vegetation in the form different varieties cacti, wormwood and plants that adapt well to sudden changes in daily temperatures.

Rivers and lakes of the plain

(River on a flat area of ​​the Ryazan region)

The rivers of the “Russian Valley” are majestic and slowly flow their waters in one of two directions - north or south, to the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, or to the southern inland seas of the continent. Northern rivers flow into the Barents, White or Baltic seas. Rivers of the southern direction - to the Black, Azov or Caspian Sea. The largest river in Europe, the Volga, also “flows lazily” through the lands of the East European Plain.

The Russian Plain is the kingdom of natural water in all its manifestations. A glacier that passed through the plain thousands of years ago formed many lakes on its territory. There are especially many of them in Karelia. The consequences of the presence of the glacier were the emergence in the North-West of such large lakes as Ladoga, Onega, and the Pskov-Peipus reservoir.

Under the thickness of the earth in the localization of the Russian Plain, reserves of artesian water are stored in the amount of three underground basins of huge volumes and many located at shallower depths.

Climate of the East European Plain

(Flat terrain with slight drops near Pskov)

The Atlantic dictates the weather regime on the Russian Plain. Western winds, air masses that move moisture, make summers on the plain warm and humid, winters cold and windy. During the cold season, winds from the Atlantic bring about ten cyclones, contributing to variable heat and cold. But air masses from the Arctic Ocean also tend to the plain.

Therefore, the climate becomes continental only in the interior of the massif, closer to the south and southeast. The East European Plain has two climatic zones - subarctic and temperate, increasing continentality to the east.

The Russian Plain is one of the largest plains on the planet. It is located in the eastern part of Europe, which is why its second name is the East European Plain. Since most of it is located on the territory of the Russian Federation, it is also called the Russian Plain. Its length from north to south is more than 2.5 thousand kilometers.

Relief of the Russian Plain

This plain is dominated by gently sloping terrain. There are many natural resources of Russia here. Hilly areas on the Russian Plain arose as a result of faults. The height of some hills reaches 1000 meters.

The height of the Russian Plain is approximately 170 meters above sea level, but there are some areas that are 30 meters below sea level. As a result of the passage of the glacier, many lakes and valleys arose in this territory, and some tectonic depressions expanded.

Rivers

The rivers flowing along the East European Plain belong to the basins of two oceans: the Arctic and the Atlantic, while others flow into the Caspian Sea and are not connected with the world ocean. The longest river, the Volga, flows through this plain.

Natural areas

On the Russian Plain there are all types of natural zones as in Russia. There are no earthquakes or volcanic eruptions in this area. Tremors are quite possible, but they do not cause harm.

The most dangerous natural phenomena on the East European Plain are tornadoes and floods. Main environmental problem- pollution of soil and atmosphere by industrial waste because There are many industrial enterprises in this area.

Flora and fauna of the Russian Plain

On the Russian Plain there are three main groups of animals: arctic, forest and steppe. Forest animals are more common. Eastern species - lemmings (tundra); chipmunk (taiga); marmots and gophers (steppes); saiga antelope (Caspian deserts and semi-deserts). Western species - pine marten, mink, forest cat, wild boar, garden dormouse, forest dormouse, hazel dormouse, black polecat (mixed and broad-leaved forests).

The fauna of the East European Plain is greater than that of any other part of Russia. Due to hunting and changes in the habitat of animals, many fur-bearing animals suffered for their valuable fur, and ungulates for their meat. River beaver and squirrel were trade items among the Eastern Slavs.

Almost until the 19th century, the wild forest horse, the tarpan, lived in mixed and deciduous forests. Bison are protected in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Reserve. Beavers have begun to be successfully bred in the Voronezh Nature Reserve. The Askania-Nova steppe reserve is home to a variety of animals from Africa, Asia and Australia.

In the Voronezh regions, an elk appeared and the previously exterminated wild boar was restored. The Astrakhan Nature Reserve was created in the Volga delta to protect waterfowl. Despite negative influence person, fauna The Russian Plain is still great.

EASTERN EUROPEAN PLAIN (Russian Plain), one of the largest plains on the globe. Occupies mainly the Eastern and part Western Europe, where the European part of Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, most of Ukraine, the western part of Poland and the eastern part of Kazakhstan are located. The length from west to east is about 2400 km, from north to south - 2500 km. In the north it is washed by the White and Barents Seas; in the west it borders on the Central European Plain (approximately along the Vistula River valley); in the southwest - with the mountains of Central Europe (Sudetes, etc.) and the Carpathians; in the south it reaches the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas and is limited by the Crimean Mountains and the Caucasus; in the southeast and east - the western foothills of the Urals and Mugodzhary. Some researchers include the southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula and Karelia in the East European Plain, others classify this territory as Fennoscandia, the nature of which is sharply different from the nature of the plain.

Relief and geological structure.

The East European Plain geostructurally corresponds mainly to the Russian plate of the ancient East European platform, in the south to the northern part of the young Scythian platform, in the northeast to the southern part of the young Barents-Pechora platform.

The complex topography of the East European Plain is characterized by slight fluctuations in heights (average height is about 170 m). The highest altitudes are on the Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya (up to 479 m) and on the Podolsk (up to 471 m, Mount Kamula) elevations, the smallest (about 27 m below sea level, 2001; the lowest point in Russia) are on the coast of the Caspian Sea. On the East European Plain, two geomorphological regions are distinguished: the northern moraine with glacial landforms and the southern non-moraine with erosive landforms. The northern moraine region is characterized by lowlands and plains (Baltic, Upper Volga, Meshcherskaya, etc.), as well as small hills (Vepsovskaya, Zhemaitskaya, Khaanya, etc.). In the east is the Timan Ridge. The far north is occupied by vast coastal lowlands (Pechorskaya and others). In the north-west, in the area of ​​distribution of the Valdai glaciation, accumulative glacial relief predominates: hilly and ridge-moraine, western with flat lacustrine-glacial and outwash plains. There are many swamps and lakes (Chudsko-Pskovskoe, Ilmen, Upper Volga lakes, Beloe, etc.) - the so-called lake district. To the south and east, in the area of ​​distribution of the more ancient Moscow glaciation, smoothed undulating moraine plains, reworked by erosion, are characteristic; There are basins of drained lakes. Moraine-erosive hills and ridges (Belarusian ridge, Smolensk-Moscow upland, etc.) alternate with moraine, outwash, lacustrine-glacial and alluvial lowlands and plains (Mologo-Sheksninskaya, Verkhnevolzhskaya, etc.). More often there are ravines and gullies, as well as river valleys with asymmetrical slopes. Along the southern border of the Moscow glaciation, Polesye (Polesskaya Lowland, etc.) and opolye (Vladimirskoye, etc.) are typical.

The southern non-moraine region of the East European Plain is characterized by large hills with erosive gully-gully relief (Volyn, Podolsk, Dnieper, Azov, Central Russian, Volga, Ergeni, Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya, General Syrt, etc.) and outwash, alluvial accumulative lowlands and plains , related to the region of the Dnieper glaciation (Dnieper, Oka-Don, etc.). Characterized by wide asymmetrical terraced river valleys. In the southwest (the Black Sea and Dnieper lowlands, the Volyn and Podolsk uplands, etc.) there are flat watersheds with shallow steppe depressions, the so-called “saucers,” formed due to the widespread development of loess and loess-like loams. In the northeast (High Trans-Volga region, General Syrt, etc.), where there are no loess-like deposits and bedrock comes to the surface, the watersheds are complicated by terraces, and the peaks are weathered remnants, the so-called shihans. In the south and southeast there are flat coastal accumulative lowlands (Black Sea, Azov, Caspian).

Climate. In the far north of the East European Plain there is a subarctic climate, in most of the plain it is temperate continental with the dominance of western air masses. As you move away from the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the climate becomes more continental, harsh and dry, and in the southeast, on the Caspian Lowland, it becomes continental, with hot, dry summers and cold winters with little snow. The average January temperature is from -2 to -5 °C, in the southwest it drops to -20 °C in the northeast. The average July temperature increases from north to south from 6 to 23-24 °C and up to 25 °C in the southeast. The northern and central parts of the plain are characterized by excessive and sufficient moisture, the southern - insufficient and arid. The most humidified part of the East European Plain (between 55-60° north latitude) receives 700-800 mm of precipitation per year in the west and 600-700 mm in the east. Their number decreases to the north (in the tundra 250-300 mm) and to the south, but especially to the southeast (in the semi-desert and desert 150-200 mm). Maximum precipitation occurs in summer. In winter, snow cover (10-20 cm thick) lies from 60 days a year in the south to 220 days (60-70 cm thick) in the northeast. In the forest-steppe and steppe, frosts, droughts and hot winds are frequent; in semi-deserts and deserts there are dust storms.

Rivers and lakes. Most of the rivers of the East European Plain belong to the Atlantic basins [the Neva, Daugava (Western Dvina), Vistula, Neman, etc. flow into the Baltic Sea; to the Black Sea - Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug; into the Sea of ​​Azov - Don, Kuban, etc.] and the Arctic Ocean (Pechora flows into the Barents Sea; into the White Sea - Mezen, Northern Dvina, Onega, etc.). The Volga (the largest river in Europe), the Ural, Emba, Bolshoy Uzen, Maly Uzen, etc. belong to the internal drainage basin, mainly of the Caspian Sea. All rivers are predominantly snow-fed with spring floods. In the southwest of the East European Plain, rivers do not freeze every year; in the northeast, freeze-up lasts up to 8 months. The long-term runoff modulus decreases from 10-12 l/s per km 2 in the north to 0.1 l/s per km 2 or less in the southeast. The hydrographic network has undergone strong anthropogenic changes: a system of canals (Volga-Baltic, White Sea-Baltic, etc.) connects all the seas washing the East European Plain. The flow of many rivers, especially those flowing to the south, is regulated. Significant sections of the Volga, Kama, Dnieper, Dniester and others have been turned into cascades of reservoirs (Rybinskoye, Kuibyshevskoye, Tsimlyanskoye, Kremenchugskoye, Kakhovskoye, etc.). There are numerous lakes: glacial-tectonic (Ladoga and Onega - the largest in Europe), moraine (Chudsko-Pskovskoye, Ilmen, Beloe, etc.), etc. Salt tectonics played a role in the formation of salt lakes (Baskunchak, Elton, Aralsor, Inder), since some of them arose during the destruction of salt domes.

Natural landscapes. The East European Plain is a classic example of a territory with a clearly defined latitudinal and sublatitudinal zonation of landscapes. Almost the entire plain is located in the temperate geographical zone and only the northern part is in the subarctic. In the north, where permafrost is common, tundras are developed: moss-lichen and shrub (dwarf birch, willow) on tundra gley, swamp soils and podburs. To the south there is a narrow strip of forest-tundra with low-growing birch and spruce forests. About 50% of the plain's territory is occupied by forests. Zone of dark coniferous (mainly spruce, in the east - with the participation of fir) European taiga, swampy in places, in podzolic soils and podzols expands to the east. To the south there is a subzone of mixed coniferous-deciduous (oak, spruce, pine) forests on soddy-podzolic soils. Pine forests are developed along the river valleys. In the west, from the coast of the Baltic Sea to the foothills of the Carpathians, there is a subzone of broad-leaved (oak, linden, ash, maple, hornbeam) forests on gray forest soils; forests wedge out towards the Volga and have an island distribution in the east. Primary forests are often replaced by secondary birch and aspen forests, occupying 50-70% of the forest area. The landscapes of opolis are unique - with plowed flat areas, remnants of oak forests and a ravine-beam network along the slopes, as well as woodlands - swampy lowlands with pine forests. From the northern part of Moldova to Southern Urals there is a forest-steppe zone with oak groves (mostly cut down) on gray forest soils and rich forb-grass meadow steppes (preserved in nature reserves) on chernozems (the main fund of arable land). The share of arable land in the forest-steppe is up to 80%. The southern part of the East European Plain (except for the southeast) is occupied by forb-feather grass steppes on ordinary chernozems, which are replaced to the south by fescue-feather grass dry steppes on chestnut soils. In most of the Caspian Lowland, wormwood-feather grass semi-deserts predominate on light chestnut and brown desert-steppe soils and wormwood-hodgepodge deserts on brown desert-steppe soils in combination with solonetzes and solonchaks.

Ecological situation and specially protected natural areas. The East European Plain has been developed and significantly changed by humans. In many natural areas natural-anthropogenic complexes dominate, especially in the landscapes of steppe, forest-steppe, mixed and deciduous forests. The territory of the East European Plain is highly urbanized. The zones of mixed and broad-leaved forests are most densely populated (up to 100 people/km2). Anthropogenic relief is typical: waste heaps (up to 50 m high), quarries, etc. The ecological situation is particularly tense in large cities and industrial centers (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Cherepovets, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-Don, etc.). Many rivers in the central and southern parts are heavily polluted.

Numerous reserves, national parks and sanctuaries have been created to study and protect typical and rare natural landscapes. In the European part of Russia there were (2005) over 80 nature reserves and national parks, including more than 20 biosphere reserves (Voronezh, Prioksko-Terrasny, Tsentralnolesnoy, etc.). Among the oldest reserves are: Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Askania Nova and Astrakhan Reserve. Among the largest is Vodlozersky national park(486.9 thousand km 2) and the Nenets Nature Reserve (313.4 thousand km 2). The areas of indigenous taiga “Virgin Forests of Komi” and Belovezhskaya Pushcha are on the World Heritage List.

Lit. : Spiridonov A.I. Geomorphological zoning of the East European Plain // Earth Science. M., 1969. T. 8; Plains of the European part of the USSR / Edited by Yu. A. Meshcheryakov, A. A. Aseev. M., 1974; Milkov F. N., Gvozdetsky N. A. Physical geography USSR. General overview. European part of the USSR. Caucasus. 5th ed. M., 1986; Isachenko A. G. Ecological geography of the North-West of Russia. St. Petersburg, 1995. Part 1; Eastern European forests: history in the Holocene and modern times: In 2 books. M., 2004.

A. N. Makkaveev, M. N. Petrushina.