Western Siberia is a large geographic region that stretches from the Kara Sea to the Kazakhstan steppes. This region is 60% covered with forests and swamps and has a rich mineral resource potential. What are the main features of the geographical location of Western Siberia? What minerals are mined here? And what place does the region occupy in the all-Russian economic system?
Western Siberia: the geographical position of the region
Western Siberia is the largest region comparable in size to countries such as Argentina or India. It is located within two states (Russia and Kazakhstan). The geographical position of Western Siberia is distinguished by several characteristic features. Which ones?
The physical and geographical position of Western Siberia describes the location of this region with respect to macro-forms of relief, large rivers, seas, oceans, natural zones, etc. The region stretches from north to south for almost 2500 kilometers. From west to east, its length varies from 1,000 km in the north to 2,000 km in the south.
If we talk about the borders of this region, then the geographical position of Western Siberia will be as follows: in the north, the region extends to the shores of the Kara Sea, and in the south it is limited to the slopes of the Kazakh small hills. The western border runs along the mountains of the Urals, and the eastern border along the Yenisei River. To the southeast, Western Siberia gradually rises, smoothly passing into the foothills of Altai and the Kuznetsk Alatau.
What else is interest in Western Siberia? The geographical position of this region is characterized by the fact that it lies almost completely within the West Siberian plain of the same name. This is the largest plain of the planet, covering an area of almost 2.6 million square meters. km
By its area, Western Siberia occupies about 15% of the territory of Russia. Here lives no more than 10% of the Russian population (14.6 million people). The population is concentrated mainly in the southern part of this region. Within Western Siberia, there are 11 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the North Kazakhstan region (in its entirety) and certain regions of some other regions of Kazakhstan. The largest cities in the region are Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Barnaul, Kustanai and Nizhnevartovsk.
Western Siberia: A Brief Physical-Geographical Overview
The region lies in the continental climate zone, which is divided into five subzones, from the tundra in the north to the steppe in the south. In winter, air temperatures can reach –30 ... –40 degrees, in summer they range from +10 to +20. In the warm season, Vasyugan marshes play the role of a huge air conditioner, the cooling effect of which extends to almost all of Western Siberia.
All watercourses of the region one way or another carry their waters to the Kara Sea. The Ob and Irtysh are the main river system of Western Siberia. Other major rivers are the Pur, Tom, Tobol, Chulym, Taz, Biya, Nadym. In the West Siberian forests, 40 species of trees and 230 species of shrubs grow. The fauna of the region is also quite rich: about 100 species of mammals, 350 species of birds and 60 species of bone fish.
The unique nature of Western Siberia is protected in several reserves. The oldest of them, Yugansky, was created in 1982. Red-listed species of animals are protected here - golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, black stork and others.
Land features of Western Siberia
As mentioned above, the main part of the geographical region lies within the West Siberian Plain, which is perfectly visible on physical maps. It is “sandwiched” between the Ural Mountains and the Central Siberian Plateau. The plain is conditionally divided into two parts by Siberian Uvali - a hill with absolute heights of 200-300 meters.
The entire orographic structure lies on the plate of the same name with the foundation of the Paleozoic age. From above, this foundation is overlain by thick sediments of the Mesozoic, Paleogene and Quaternary periods. The total thickness of these layers reaches 6 kilometers! The West Siberian Plate is predominantly composed of schists, clays, sands and sandstones.
The surface of Western Siberia does not differ in significant elevations. Nevertheless, the relief of this region is quite diverse. Here, plains of plains, swampy lowlands, and highlands with small plateaus are found.
Natural areas of Western Siberia
Within the region, latitudinal zonality is clearly visible. Five natural zones are distinguished here, the boundaries of which replace each other with incredible accuracy:
- Tundra.
- Lesotundra.
- Taiga.
- Forest steppe.
- Steppe.
Treeless tundra with mosses and lichens occupies the extreme northern expanses of Western Siberia (the Gydansky and Yamal peninsulas ). Further south, it is replaced by the forest-tundra, in which mosaic sections of marshes, shrubs and light forests are mosaic.
A forest zone (or taiga) is an almost 1000-kilometer zone between 55th and 66th degrees of northern latitude. A typical landscape of this zone is a dark coniferous forest with a predominance of fir, spruce and cedar. Pine and birch-aspen forests are found in places.
To the south of the taiga, a forest-steppe begins. Here, its hallmark is a large number of closed salt lakes. Further south, this natural zone is replaced by the steppe. In addition to the classic forbs, pine ribbon forests are found here. They formed in the hollows of the runoff waters of ancient glaciers.
Natural resources and minerals of the region
The natural resources of this region are very diverse. Western Siberia provides more than 70% of all-Russian oil production and about 10% of wood. This is where the most powerful oil and gas production complex in the country is located.
In addition to oil and natural gas, in Western Siberia there are considerable reserves of coal, peat and salt. However, it is very difficult to master the mineral resources of the region. After all, Mother Nature reliably protected local deposits with the help of frozen soils and impassable swamps. In winter, frost and wind interfere with workers here, and in summer flocks of bloodthirsty mosquitoes.
Another huge and almost inexhaustible wealth of Western Siberia is its water. In addition to numerous fresh lakes and rivers, large reserves of groundwater have been discovered in the region. Since ancient times, the lakes of Siberia supplied man with fish, and forests with fur and wood.
Economic and geographical position of the region
The geographical location of Western Siberia (EGP) is largely determined, on the one hand, by the maximum concentration of fuel deposits of world importance, and on the other, by its relative proximity to the places of consumption of these fuel resources. It is here that large-scale cargo flows of oil and gas are formed, directed mainly to the west.
Another positive feature of the economic and geographical position of Western Siberia is the advantageous transport position of this region. Pipelines quickly and relatively cheaply deliver Siberian oil and gas to the CIS countries, Eastern and Western Europe. In the west, the region borders directly on the industrialized Ural region, and in the south it has access to the state borders of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.
There are only two negative features of EGP in Western Siberia:
- Extreme climatic conditions that significantly complicate and cost the process of extraction of local energy resources.
- A significant length of the border with Kazakhstan, which in many areas remains undeveloped.
Features of the economy of Western Siberia
The West Siberian economic region stands out in this part of the country. Its conditional boundaries approximately coincide with the natural boundaries of the geographic region under consideration.
The economy of Western Siberia is based on oil and gas production, forestry and the chemical industry, as well as on the agro-industrial complex with a predominance of grain farming. But first of all, Western Siberia is an important oil base of the country. One of the best refineries in Russia is operating in Omsk. The processing depth of "black gold" here reaches 80%. The energy resources extracted in the region are also processed in Tobolsk.
In Western Siberia, mechanical engineering was also developed. The largest centers of this industry are concentrated in the Omsk, Novosibirsk Oblast and in the Altai Territory. The region produces looms, power and coal equipment, steam boilers, diesel engines and freight cars.
Conclusion
Now you know what features the geographical position of Western Siberia differs. The natural boundaries of this region are the Ural Mountains (in the west), the Yenisei River (in the east), the coast of the Kara Sea (in the north) and the slopes of the Kazakh small hills (in the south).
The economic and geographical position of Western Siberia as a whole is quite favorable, although it has some of its weaknesses.