Is Russia Europe or Asia? Residents of Moscow and Khabarovsk will probably answer this question in different ways. But is there a single correct and objective answer to it? Where is the geographical border of the European and Asian parts of Russia, where is the cultural-historical, and where is the political? We will try to cover various aspects of this topic in our article.
A little bit about the border of two worlds
Europe, Asia ... These two terms are often used in modern life. We meet them in books and on maps. Politicians, sociologists, and cultural figures speak about them from TV screens, as a rule, contrasting them. Indeed, these are two completely different worlds with different outlooks on life, different cultural traditions and religions.
The border between Europe and Asia is rather arbitrary. After all, if two neighboring continents are separated by the ocean or seas, then in the case of these parts of the world there are no obvious natural boundaries. Nevertheless, the "cordon" between them has been persistently and persistently trying to hold scientists and geographers for several centuries in a row.
Interestingly, the ancient Greeks called Europe only the northern regions of their country - Ancient Greece. But over time, this name spread to more significant open spaces. As for the establishment of a clear border between Europe and Asia, this issue became relevant only in the middle of the 18th century. The famous Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov proposed to carry it along the Don River. V.N. Tatishchev went even further, proposing that the Ural Mountains be considered as such a border.
To date, the geographers of the planet, fortunately, have come to a common opinion on this issue. And it is obvious that the border of the two worlds passes precisely along Russian territory. In this regard, a logical question arises: is Russia Europe or Asia? Let's try to answer it.
Is Russia Europe or Asia?
From the point of view of modern political geography, Russia is a European state. It is on this basis that the country is a member of the Council of Europe.
If we consider this issue from the standpoint of physical geography, then Russia is difficult to attribute to any of these parts of the world. About 70% of its territory is located within Asia, but the capital of the state, like most of its population, is located in the European part.
It is curious that on the old American maps the border between Europe and Asia was drawn along the western borders of the USSR. Today, overseas cartographers often conduct it in the Donbass and Georgia, relating Ukraine, Georgia, and Turkey to Europe. However, in this case we are talking more about the formal division of territories into Europe and non-Europe, based on the so-called "zone of Russian influence."
What part of the world is Russia closer culturally and spiritually to? According to the famous historian A.S. Alekseev, Russia is a self-sufficient state, qualitatively different both from Western European civilization and from all Asian cultures.
The border of Europe and Asia on the map of Russia
When talking about the border, the corresponding images immediately appear in the imagination: barbed wire fences, harsh border guards and checkpoints. However, in our world there are other types of borders. And for their crossing, a person does not need a passport or visa.
The border between Europe and Asia is shown on many maps. And on the ground it is marked by dozens of special signs, obelisks and tablets, which we will talk about a little later. Within Russia, this border passes through the deserted expanses of the northern tundra, the slopes of the mountains, through the steppes, seas and forests. Its total length here is about 5.5 thousand kilometers.
The European-Asian border in Russia, according to generally accepted ideas, is carried out along the following geographical objects (from north to south):
- coast of the Kara Sea;
- eastern foot of the Ural mountain range;
- Emba River;
- Ural river;
- northwest coast of the Caspian;
- Kumo-Manych depression;
- Don River Delta;
- Kerch Strait.
Below on the map you can see how this line passes through the country.
"Border" Ural Mountains
The mountains dividing Russia into Europe and Asia are the Urals. It fits perfectly on the role of the border. The mountain system stretched strictly from north to south for almost 2500 kilometers. This fact was noted in due time by V.N. Tatishchev. It was he who first proposed to draw the Euro-Asian border precisely in the Urals. In support of his proposal, the scientist pointed out the fact that the mountain system is an important watershed of the mainland. In addition, rivers flowing from it to the west and east, significantly differ in their ichthyofauna.
It was not difficult to draw a boundary between the parts of the world in the Urals. The exception was its southern part, where all mountain structures are fan-shaped. Until the 50s of the XX century, the border passed along the watershed line. But later, the International Geographic Union shifted it to the eastern foothills of the mountain range.
Commemorative signs on the line of the Euro-Asian border
Within Russia, there are at least 50 such signs. And their greatest number is in the Urals. These are all kinds of obelisks, steles and pillars of stone, marble, steel or simple wood.
The northernmost sign "Europe - Asia" is located at the Ugra Shar Strait. This is a simple wooden pole with an anchor nailed to it. It was established back in 1973 by employees of one of the polar stations. The largest monument - an obelisk made of red granite - was opened in 2008 on the outskirts of Pervouralsk.
An interesting city in this regard is Orenburg. After all, he, like Turkish Istanbul, is simultaneously located in two parts of the world. And the Ural River, modest in its width, divides it between Europe and Asia. The city has a pedestrian bridge connecting the center of Orenburg with the Trans-Ural Grove. Local residents often joke about this: they say that we work in Europe, and we go to picnics in Asia.
Total
The story of this symbolic bridge in Orenburg is an excellent conclusion to our article. So, is Russia Europe or Asia? Obviously, the country is incorrectly attributed to any of these parts of the world. It will be most correct to call Russia a Eurasian state - unique and self-sufficient.