The natural conditions and natural resources of Russia are an incredibly vast and complex topic that can be considered for many years. In this article, however, only general information will be provided regarding the state of the natural environment of the Russian state.
About the natural conditions of Russia
It is immediately worth noting that the concepts of "natural conditions" and "natural resources" of Russia are practically inseparable. In fact, the useful resources mined in our state are an integral part of natural conditions, an integral element of the environment. Nevertheless, the concepts presented above still have their own definitions. So, first it is worth telling about natural conditions.
Most modern scientists and specialists interpret this concept as a combination of all the properties and signs of the environment, which in one way or another can affect the life of a person and society. The natural conditions and natural resources of Russia have always been diverse. If we talk about the first, then it is worth highlighting two important concepts: climate and relief. Applicable to Russia, these two definitions are interpreted as follows:
- climate, or "coldness", is the level of heat in the country;
- relief, or “plainness”, is a combination of various kinds of irregularities of the land, the bottom of rivers, seas, oceans, etc.
Both climate and relief may be different in certain areas of the state. For example, the famous East European Plain is considered the largest in the world. This is where most of Russia's natural resources are concentrated. It will be a long time to list all other areas of the country, indicating their climatic and relief characteristics. For this, there are many scientific works and encyclopedias. Further, only basic concepts and their most important components will be described.
Environmental impact
Natural conditions and resources of European Russia have a significant impact on the development of the state. Next you will understand why. First, it is worth talking about the role that climatic conditions play for the country. The influence they exert on the life of citizens of a given state has always been decisive. Man is constantly adapting to the climate and conditions that nature provided him. In Russia, this problem is especially relevant. Due to the vast area of the state, climatic and relief conditions in different parts of the country are very different from each other. That is why economic development in different regions is not the same.
Only one conclusion can be drawn here: environmental conditions are very strongly reflected in individual productivity, as well as in social labor activity. All this to a greater extent determines the amount of material costs. Life, rest, work, health status of citizens - all this entirely depends on the behavior of the environment. And what influence the natural conditions and resources of central Russia have will be described later in the article.
The concept
What are the natural resources of Russia? Specialists and various scientists disclose this concept as a set of properties and components of the environment that are used to meet the needs of man and society. Moreover, these needs can be very different: both spiritual and physical. For example, perhaps the most important natural resources: water and soil. Thanks to these two elements on the planet, an incredible number of the most diverse plants and cultures emerge. Energy sources such as forests, wind or water energy, biofuels, combustible materials and many other elements are also essential natural resources.
Thus, environmental resources can be described as a kind of natural base, based on which, citizens of Russia can conduct their life activities. It is also worth noting that the main criteria for the inclusion of certain natural elements are such important concepts as economic feasibility and technical feasibility.
Natural conditions and resources of central Russia: communication and interaction
It has already been said above why natural conditions play an important role in society. Environmental conditions are understood as certain objects, forces and qualities of nature, which at one stage or another of the productive forces are very significant for society, but not necessary for the direct productive activity of man. Natural resources are certain objects of the environment. They are directly used to meet human needs.
Natural conditions and resources of the central region of Russia (and other areas too) are closely related to each other. But how? If we take the presented concepts in the aggregate, it will turn out exactly what society calls the natural environment. Moreover, the two most important elements, resources and conditions, are relative concepts. In a given historical period, one and the same element of nature can act both as a resource and as a natural condition.
It is worth noting the existence of one interesting tendency: over time, an increasing number of natural conditions become a class of resources. This happens due to the rapid technical and social progress. For example, you can take the same solar or wind energy or the same water. All these substances have long been considered nothing more than a natural condition. These elements significantly influenced the continued existence of the entire surrounding world. At the same time, both water and energy today are almost completely subordinate to man: while still remaining the conditions of nature, these elements are also the most important resources. Thus, such concepts as the natural conditions and resources of Russia are inextricable and closely interconnected. We will try to briefly describe the main of them later in the article.
Agroclimatic resources
The natural conditions and resources of central Russia are always taken into account by various scientists and specialists. In the agricultural sector, it is necessary to monitor first of all the agroclimatic resources of the environment. They are one of the most important types of resource component of Russia. Scientists include light, humidity and heat in this class. In fact, these are all those factors that primarily affect the fertility of certain crops. All agriculture entirely depends entirely on these elements.
You might think that light, moisture and heat cannot be direct resources for society, because these are, rather, certain conditions that will not be so easy to influence. This is partly a true statement. However, agroclimatic factors are still resources. And there are a fairly large number of reasons. The first such reason is the person’s ability to subordinate the listed environmental elements to himself. In the case of moisture, these are hydroelectric power stations; with wind, these are windmills. Thermal energy can be stored using special solar panels. Despite the fact that a person subjugated all of the above elements to himself only partially, one thing is for sure: all that once could only be conditions now effectively serves as resources.
Biological resources
The most common natural conditions and resources of the central region of Russia, also western and northern, are called biological. What exactly is included in this group? Most experts attribute various hunting, fish or forest elements to the group of biological resources. Russia is especially rich in these resources. A variety of relief and climatic conditions suggests the presence of many different elements of nature in different parts of the state. For several thousand years now, people have been actively using such important resources as wood, food elements (berries, nuts, vegetables and other products), furs, meat of various living creatures, etc.
By the number of elements presented, our state takes first place in the world. The biological environmental conditions and resources of the north-west of Russia alone make it possible to call our country one of the largest in terms of the number of elements useful to humans. Scientists have long compiled various tables and statistics to determine how much the Russian Federation is rich in biological resources. All these data can be easily found in various kinds of scientific publications.
Land resources
The amount of land in a given state is directly comparable to the land area. On the planet, the land area occupies approximately 29% of the entire surface of the globe. However, only 30% can be used for agricultural funds suitable for growing food. The rest of the territory consists of swamps, glaciers, deserts, mountains, etc.
Russian land resources are truly huge. They make up the ninth of the entire world surface. However, most of the land in Russia is simply not exploited. The reason for this is permafrost. So, out of 1709 million hectares of land, about 1,100 million hectares are not used at all, and this is almost 60% of the country's land mass. Nevertheless, the statistical indicators provide very optimistic data: about 11.5 hectares of land for each Russian citizen. At the moment, this is the highest rate in the whole world. Under arable land in Russia, about 8% of the total land area of the country is allocated.
Due to the extremely uneven distribution of land resources, the authorities of the Russian Federation are obliged to qualitatively distribute the crops grown in the regions of the country. Often there are problems that can even lead to a strong economic crisis. That is why the natural conditions and resources of the European south of Russia, north or west of the country should be distributed very competently and efficiently.
Water resources
What are the aquatic natural conditions and resources of the European north of Russia, the east and south of the country? Most experts say that the state’s water resources are understood as surface and underground drains, glacial waters, as well as precipitation. Surface runoff is a well-known body of water: rivers, seas, oceans, lakes, etc. Underground is called groundwater extracted from under the soil.
Water supply, hydropower, soil irrigation - all of these most important processes simply would not have existed without water resources. Most of the water falls on the territory of Siberia and the Far East. The rivers Lena, Ob, Yenisei and many other basins are the main sources of fresh water in the country. Water has always played a crucial role in human life. At the same time, water resources are very peculiar. There are two types: exhaustible and inexhaustible. Fresh water is the most important for humans, as it is drinking. It refers to exhaustible resources. That is why the rational and competent use of water as a resource seems so important.
Mineral resources
The usefulness of mineral resources was discovered by man not so long ago. However, it is now safe to say that all minerals have the properties of exhaustibility and non-renewability. Proper distribution of this type of resources will help to use minerals as long as possible and more efficiently.
The main purpose of mineral resources is industrial. Scientists and specialists divide them into three main categories:
- Non-metallic minerals. This includes mining and chemical elements (phosphorus, salts, apatites, etc.).
- Metal ore minerals. It is worth highlighting all kinds of metals and ores - ferrous or non-ferrous.
- Fuel minerals. These include various flammable liquids such as fuel, gases, solid materials (oil shale, peat, coal, etc.).
All mineral resources are extremely unevenly distributed across the Russian Federation. Basically, the natural conditions and resources of the northern region of Russia suggest a large number of mineral elements. The area of our country where the amount of mineral resources is greatest today is Altai and Transbaikalia. The Kursk region, for example, is widely known as the region of the so-called magnetic anomaly. A large amount of mountain ore and many other mineral resources are concentrated here.
Russia is a state that actively exports all natural resources, especially mineral ones. Unlike other countries, the purpose of which is, as a rule, the conservation of mined minerals and their further independent use, the Russian Federation sends a large amount of mined material abroad. What is an assessment of the conditions and resources of Russia? The answer to this question will be provided later.
Economic assessment of natural conditions and resources of Russia
There are a fairly large number of interpretations and opinions on how exactly the assessment of the environmental conditions of Russia should be given. However, the concept of O.R. Nazarevsky is considered by far the most common and effective. What exactly is it about in the Nazarevsky system? Natural conditions and natural resources of Russia are closely related to natural indicators. All of them are systematized according to another 30 indicators, half of which are climatic. These include rainfall, temperature, seismicity, frost-free periods, etc. Each indicator is evaluated on a special five-point scale. In accordance with it, five degrees of environmental comfort are also distinguished. Here are the following indicators:
- very favorable;
- favorable;
- unfavorable;
- unfavorable;
- very unfavorable.
In fact, the assessment of the natural conditions and resources of Central Russia and other parts of the country consists of all these elements. According to experts, today the fourth part of our state is either unfavorable or unfavorable for human life.