The length of the territory of the Russian Federation is the largest in the world. Hence the world's largest changes in climate and living conditions, which can be observed moving from the mountains of the Caucasus, where the southernmost point of Russia is located, to Rudolph Island in the Arctic, where the northernmost is located. The distance from the westernmost (Baltic Spit) to the extreme east (Ratmanova Island) is approaching 10 thousand km and is unthinkable for any other state on the planet.
From the date line
In the east, in the Bering Strait, two islands are separated by a border between two continents, two parts of the world, two oceans, two largest countries, and even between two dates. The most extreme points of Russia from all four cardinal directions have their own peculiarity, but the eastern one is a particularly vivid story.
The two islands are similar as brothers: the cliffs protruding from the ocean with flat peaks, only one bigger, the other much smaller. On different sides of the state border they are called differently. The Russian names are given in honor of travelers who participated in the most important sea expeditions of the 18th century: the name of the large island (Russian) is Ratmanova Island, and the small (American) island is Kruzenshtern. The Americans adopted the name of the saint, on the day of remembrance of which they were discovered by the Bering expedition: Big Diomede - Russian, Small - American.
Border guards live on Ratmanova Island at the outpost with which the new day begins; Russian land also begins with it. 169 ° 02 'C. The village is the coordinates of the extreme eastern point of the country, located on the eastern coast of the island in the middle of the sea, and the extreme mainland point, from which Russia begins, is 38 minutes to the west, on Cape Dezhnev.
Sand Spit Bisected
The part of the state border between Russia and Poland, where the extreme western point of the Russian territory is located, passes through an amazing natural formation - the Baltic sand spit, which arose between the waters of the Gdansk and Kaliningrad bays due to the specific climatic and geological conditions of this Baltic region. The very southern point of Russia, in the mountains of the Caucasus, has the same natural uniqueness that attracts tourists, although only lovers of extreme relaxation can reach it. The area around the Baltic Spit has always attracted vacationers who value amenities.
But the border guards from the Narmeln outpost closest to the point with coordinates 54 ° 27′45 ″ s. w. 19 ° 38′19 ″ c. etc., not to rest, they guard the state border around the clock.
Mainland and island
If we analyze the extreme points of Russia, the extreme southern point - the mountain, Dagestan - the only one that has an unambiguous interpretation, in other directions there are two types: continental and island.
A similar situation is with the westernmost point of Russia at the frontier post Narmeln. The island character is given to it by belonging to the Kaliningrad region, which is the Russian region, separated from the main territory and surrounded by other countries, but with access to the sea. Such an education is scientifically called half-exclave.
The main, mainland Russia from the western side begins from a point having a longitude of 27 ° 19'E and located on the eastern bank of the Pedpedze River in the Pskov Region.
Among the ice
The northern side of the Taimyr Peninsula, Cape Chelyuskin (77 ° 43 'N) is not only the extreme northern Russian point, here is the edge of the whole part of the world - Asia, here is the edge of the largest continent of the planet - Eurasia. These are places with a harsh climate and harsh living conditions, although this can be described as the whole huge Russian coast of the Arctic Ocean.
The island extreme northern point is located even closer to the North Pole - on the island of Rudolph. The island, like Cape Fliegeli, located in its northeast, like the entire archipelago - Franz Josef Land, was discovered, explored and named by the participants of the Austro-Hungarian polar expedition, which took place in the late 1870s.
Cape Fligeli (81 ° 49 'N) is the only named point located close to the northernmost Russian one, which is located a little higher, at the tip of the island closest to the pole.
In general, all the extreme (western, eastern, northern, southern) points of Russia do not differ in accessibility (the western most accessible, although located in the border zone), but only very purposeful and motivated explorers can reach the northern edge of Russian land.
Bazarduzu and Ragdan
41 ° 12 's w. - such a latitudinal mark has the southernmost point of Russia. In the days of the USSR, few people were interested in such a geographical mark; everyone knew Kushka, the extreme southern point of the Soviet Union. It turned out that Russia begins in the south, in the stunningly beautiful mountains of Dagestan. The border with neighboring Azerbaijan is whimsically meandering along the mountain spurs of the Caucasian ridge, and it is very difficult to identify a specific geographical point object.
Very close to it is the magnificent mountain peak of Bazardyuzu (4466 m), the highest in Dagestan. This is a favorite place for climbers - experienced and beginners, in these fantastic places you can find a route of any complexity.
But even closer to such a significant point is Mount Ragdan. At a distance of about two kilometers from its peak, on one of the slopes, at an altitude of 3,500 m, the southernmost point of Russia is located, the highest mountain of all four directions.