In what part of Russia is the Krasnodar Territory located? How many seas does it have access to? What rivers flow through its territory? In this article, we will talk in detail about the climate, inland waters, features of the relief, plains and mountains of the Krasnodar Territory, as well as introduce you to the main natural attractions of this region.
Krasnodar Territory on the map of Russia
To begin with: do not confuse Krasnodar Territory with Krasnoyarsk. Yes, their names are similar, but otherwise they are radically different regions. The first is located in the southwestern part of the country, and the second stretches a huge wedge in Siberia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean in the north and almost to the border with Mongolia in the south. The administrative centers of the territories are located at different latitudes: Krasnoyarsk - at the 56th, and Krasnodar - at the 45th, almost in the subtropics. At the same time, Krasnodar residents also know perfectly well what snow and frost are.
Krasnodar Territory was formed in 1937. Often used its second (unofficial) name - Kuban. The region is located in the extreme southwest of the Russian Federation and has wide access to two inland seas of the Atlantic basin - the Black and Azov. The total length of the administrative borders of the region is 1540 km, of which almost half (740 km) falls on the coast.
The area of the Krasnodar Territory is not large by Russian standards - 75.5 thousand square kilometers. This is slightly smaller than the Czech Republic, but larger than any of the Baltic countries. The region borders on the Rostov region in the north, the Stavropol Territory in the east, the Karachay-Cherkess Republic in the southeast, and Abkhazia in the south. In addition, the Republic of Adygea is enclosed in its territory by an enclave.
Today, 5.6 million people live in the Krasnodar Territory. The largest cities in the region are Krasnodar, Novorossiysk, Sochi, Armavir, Yeysk and Anapa. The edges are in the third time zone (UTC + 3). There is no time difference with Moscow.
Relief of the Krasnodar Territory: general features
Geomorphologists divide the territory of this region into two parts: northern (plain) and southern (mountain). The natural border between them is the valley of the Kuban. The northern and central expanses of the region are occupied by plains, and the southern part of the Krasnodar Territory is occupied by the foothill strip and mountain ranges of the Greater Caucasus, the largest folded country in Europe. Obviously, it is here that the highest point of the region is located - Mount Tsakhvoa (3345 meters). In the extreme southeast, spurs of the Stavropol Upland enter the territory of the region .
Thus, the relief of the Krasnodar Territory is extremely diverse. Even more originality is given to it by the lowland wetlands of the Kuban delta and the unique mud volcanoes of the Taman Peninsula (we will talk about them later).
In a relatively small territory of the Krasnodar Territory, you can find a wide range of diverse landscapes: steppe, forest, mountain meadow, mountain glacial, coastal, semi-desert and salt marshes. More details about the relief of the Krasnodar Territory - later in the article.
Variety of embossed edge shapes
The region is located at the junction of three geological structures: the southern slopes of the ancient Ukrainian crystalline shield, the young Scythian plate and the geosynclinal zone of the Greater Caucasus. This largely explains the amazing richness of landforms in the Krasnodar Territory.
In the lowland part of the region, deep river valleys, gullies and ravines with fairly steep slopes are widespread. Landslides occur in places. In general, the high density of the ravine-beam network and significant slopes of the terrain contribute to the development of erosion processes in this region.
Geomorphologically interesting is the Kuban River Delta. A flat-level relief was formed here with a predominance of extensive estuaries and lowered hollows. Sometimes it is revived by low ridges and river banks. A significant part of the Kuban delta today is actively used by humans (in particular, for growing rice).
The karst relief of the Krasnodar Territory is represented by caves, mines and funnels. These forms are widespread in the southern part of the region, in the mountains and foothills of the Caucasus. Limestones prevail in the geological structure of these territories; therefore, karst processes are particularly active here. It is worth highlighting the ridge Alec, which stretches along the coast. Within it, at least 40 karst mines and caves were discovered.
The Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory is densely indented by narrow, canyon-like valleys of mountain streams, referred to here as cracks. Of particular interest is the crevice of the Mzymta River. The width of this canyon is 30 meters, but the height reaches 800 meters.
Greater Caucasus
Within the Krasnodar Territory, mountains occupy about a third of its total territory. They begin with low hills in the vicinity of Anapa and extend in a southeast direction up to the border with Abkhazia, gradually gaining height. In the area of the resort city of Sochi, the height of the Caucasus Mountains is already reaching 3,000 meters above sea level.
The mountains of the Greater Caucasus are part of the young Alpine-Himalayan folded belt. The northern slopes of the ridge are more gentle than the southern ones, which abruptly break off to the sea. The central part of the Caucasus Mountains is composed of ancient (gneisses, granites, diorites), and the slopes are composed of younger rocks (mainly limestones, sandstones, dolomites and marls).
The highest point of the Greater Caucasus within the Krasnodar Territory is Mount Tsakhvoa. It is located in the Mostovsky district and crowns the Herzen ridge. On the northern slope of the mountain, one of the largest glaciers of the region, with an area of 2.5 square meters, spread out. km Other famous peaks of the Krasnodar Territory are Chugush, Akaragvarta, Oshten and Fisht.
Azov-Kuban plain
The plain extends from the coast of the Sea of Azov and the Kuban Valley to the northern administrative borders of the Krasnodar Territory. In the literature, one more name is found - the Kuban-Priazovskaya lowland. It is based on the young Scythian plate with a rather powerful sedimentary cover. Therefore, the main lowland rocks are clays and loesslike loams.
The Azov-Kuban plain is inclined to the northwest. In this direction, its absolute heights gradually decrease from 250 to 0 meters. Along the shores of the Sea of Azov, the landscape of the plain is complicated by the numerous branches of the Kuban delta, estuaries, meadows and swampy land.
There are natural gas deposits in the northwestern part of the plain.
Relief of the Taman Peninsula
The Taman Peninsula is located between the Black and Azov Seas. The Kerch Strait separates it from the neighboring Crimean Peninsula. The low-lying terrain of Taman is complicated by riverbed ramparts, lonely hills, sand spits and estuaries. The coast of the peninsula, composed of limestone and shell rock, sometimes abruptly breaks off to the sea.
But the main highlight of the Taman Peninsula is the mud volcanoes. There are at least 30 pieces. From their bowels they do not throw out lava, but slightly warm healing mud. The largest mud volcano in Taman is Akhtanizovskaya Blevaka. Its height is 67 meters, and the diameter of the crater is 23 meters.
Climate and inland waters
The climate in most of the Krasnodar Territory is temperate continental (only on a narrow strip of the Black Sea coast is the subtropical Mediterranean). In the mountains, the climatic and temperature zonality is clearly expressed. The so-called hair dryers are characteristic of the northern foothills of the Caucasus - warm and dry winds blowing from the mountains to the valleys. In spring, they significantly accelerate the melting of the snow cover. Summer in the Krasnodar Territory is hot, and winters are quite mild. The average annual rainfall varies widely (from 350 mm in the plains to 3000 mm in the mountains).
The hydrographic network is more developed in the southern part of the region. The largest river in the region is the Kuban. It originates on the slopes of Elbrus - the highest mountain in Europe. The length of the Kuban River within the Krasnodar Territory is 662 km, the total length is 870 km. Other major watercourses of the region are Eya, Beisug, Kirpili, Mzymta.
In the mountains there are many karst lakes. However, their area is small. On the coast of the Sea of Azov, estuary lakes are widespread.
Natural attractions of the region
Between sea bathing and sunbathing, guests of the Krasnodar Territory have the opportunity to visit many interesting natural sites. Here is a list of the main and most visited natural attractions of this region:
- Agur waterfalls.
- Sochi Arboretum.
- Preserve "Saddles" with lotus plantations.
- Mount Fisht.
- Canyon of the Mzymta River.
- Beshenka River Canyon.
- Big Azish cave.
- Guam gorge.
- Kardyvach lake.
- Mud volcano Tizdar.
A diverse relief, mild climate, the presence of mountains and the sea coast - all these factors attract a huge number of tourists to the Krasnodar Territory. It is not for nothing that the main summer resorts of the country are located here - Sochi, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Yeysk and others.