I would like to talk about such a beautiful natural water stream as the Kuban River. Description, photo and detailed description - this is exactly the information that you will find in the article.
The beauty of this region is known far beyond the borders of Russia. Here in Soviet times, a huge number of world-famous films were shot. The reason is the picturesque landscapes that are located along the entire coastline. Being in these places, people experience peace of mind and are charged with positive energy.
Geographical position
In the south of Russia, one of the largest water flows of the country, the Kuban River, spreads in stormy streams . On the map it can be found without much difficulty. Geographically, it is located in the northern part of the Caucasus Mountains. Starting its movement from the Karachay-Cherkess region, the river flows through the territory of three regions: Stavropol, Adygea and Krasnodar.
The total area of the watercourse basin is almost 58,000 km². When the Kuban River (see description below) reaches the shores of Azov, it creates the largest delta in Russia. Its area is more than four thousand square meters.
The Kuban originates at the foot of Mount Elbrus. Then it flows down the mountains and plains. And after 870 km it flows into the waters of the Sea of Azov.
Kuban River: a description of the delta
The Kuban delta is wide, often with wetlands. But meanwhile, it is unique in its own way. The fact is that in the south, the delta goes not only to the Sea of Azov, but also to the Black Sea. Numerous estuaries and lakes, islets, meadows, channels with overgrown reeds, reeds are located in the delta. Locals know that where the Kuban River is, you can always meet unique representatives of flora and fauna that amaze with their diversity.
Where the modern delta is located several thousand years ago, the largest Azov Bay was located. However, as a result of the activity of the waters of Azov and Kuban, a rash gradually formed in this place. The bay, as such, was dry, forming a shallow lagoon. And the Kuban river (on the map of that time it is clearly visible) previously flowed into the water stream, which was called Old Kuban. It was he who carried water to the Black Sea basin. However, as a result of landslides (in order to protect the nearby territories from floods), the flow was blocked. And now most of the water falls only into the Sea of Azov.
The source of the Kuban River: features
The Kuban begins its “life” in the place where two mountain streams - Uchkulan and Ullukai - come together. The latter is often considered a continuation of the Kuban. The glaciers located at the top of Elbrus feed a stream with their meltwater. In this place, it is distinguished by a strong and rapid current. The source of the Kuban River is located at an altitude of almost 1400 m above sea level.
It is worth paying attention to one feature. Many believe that it was from her that the name of the stream went. The modern sound is rooted in the Karachai language and literally means “seething stream”.
Hydronym
The name Kuban is far from the only one by the river. She has about 300 of them! Other local names for the river are Kyoban, Guban, Kyobhan and others. In ancient Greek chronicles, the name was listed as Hypanis.
Features of the water stream
The river Kuban is very interesting in terms of zoning. The description of its flow pattern is quite diverse. For its length, the river is considered navigable, therefore it is favorably used for agricultural purposes. A high fall of the stream, more than 1,000 m, allows you to divide it into 4 zones: alpine, mountain, piedmont and plain. Reaching the Krasnodar Territory, near the city of Ust-Labinsk, the Kuban has a shipping route. The main riverbed, Verbenskoye Girlo, flows into the Temryuk Bay. Another - Cossack Eric has access to the Akhtanizovsky estuary of the Sea of Azov. From this we can conclude that the Kuban River belongs to the basin of the Atlantic Ocean.
In high mountainous areas, the stream has a deep bottom and steep, steep slopes. The latter are represented by sandstones, shale, and limestone clusters. Descending to the lower reaches, the shores become low and more gentle. Sometimes there are low hills. The channel coils more and more often, closer to the delta, forming peculiar “horseshoes” - old women.
Tributaries
Kuban is quite full-flowing, the total number of tributaries (small and large) reaches 14 thousand. The largest rivers flow into it mainly from the left bank.
The largest of them:
- mountain river Urup.
- R. Laba is the deepest tributary.
- R. Belaya is a watercourse with the most powerful stream; it has several waterfalls on its way.
- R. Pszish and Psekups - are distinguished by a fast flow.
- Covers and Afips.
Rivers adjoin the right banks of the Kuban : Mara, Gorkaya, Dzheguta. The total length of the Kuban with its tributaries is 9,500 km.
Water Consumption and Type of Nutrition
The average annual flow of the Kuban into the Sea of Azov is 14 cubic meters. km In addition, the stream carries more than 4 million tons of salts to the sea. Food in the Kuban is mixed - most of it, about 65%, is snow and rain, about 20% is glaciers and 15% is groundwater.
The runoff is uneven. Seasonality affects. At different times of the year throughout the territory, runoff indicators can be very different from each other. Kuban also has a certain “anomaly”. At different times, the river can carry water 1.5 times more than the average annual rate.
In the cold season, the Kuban freezes, but the ice cover of the river is unstable. It lasts from December to March, after which the icebreaker begins.
Kuban reservoir
The largest reservoir of the North Caucasus is located on the Kuban River and is called, accordingly, the Kuban. Previously, Tshikskoye existed near it, but it was flooded several years ago. Now the pond is remarkable only as a place for fishing.
The Kuban stream is also used to generate electricity. It was built 4 hydroelectric power stations - Kursavskaya, Barsuchkovskaya, Sengileevskaya and Zelenchukskaya. Together they form the so-called "Kuban cascade." The plans included the construction of the Adygea hydroelectric station, but in recent years the work has been suspended.
Flora and fauna
Flora and fauna of the river are quite diverse. More than a hundred species of fish live in the waters. This is pike perch, silver carp, ram, common carp, bream, catfish, goby, perch, rudd and others. Sea fish also swim in the lowlands of the river. Some of the species are characteristic only for these areas. Plankton is represented by mollusks, worms, crustaceans and other species.
There are many waterfowl on the stream , such as wild geese and ducks, pelicans, herons, swans, and small birds. Rare predatory animals of the Kuban River live in the coastal zone. Their bright representative is a gray peregrine falcon. In the meadows, foxes, wild cats, wild boars, muskrats live.
The river delta is now a little drained by man for the needs of agriculture. It also provides an opportunity to engage in fish farming. In one of these arms, a mullet breeding farm is developing quite successfully.
For tourism, the river is practically not used. Unless in the mountains often carry out rafting on ships or rifts. But fishing is common on both banks in almost all areas.
Plants of the Kuban River are represented by the following species: reed, mangrove, sedge, etc. They are distributed mainly in the area of the coastline. The surface of the water stream in some places is strewn with water lilies, at the bottom you can meet different types of algae. Such thickets have grown on 40-50 thousand hectares.