Caspian Lowland on the map. Sights of Russia: Caspian Lowland

21.10.2019 Jurisprudence

Caspian lowland goes around the north - the largest endorheic lake in the world. The lowland itself is for the most part a waterless, relatively flat space gently inclined towards the sea (the bottom of an ancient sea), receiving a small amount of moisture in the form of rain, only 10% of the territory of which is available for irrigation. The Terek, Sulak, Kuma, Emba and smaller rivers flow through the lowlands to the Caspian Sea, drying up in places in the summer and forming chains of small lakes.

In aerial photography, the Caspian depression (depression) looks like a crown crowning the northern coast of the Caspian Sea. This territory is a flat plain, the southern part of which lies almost 30 m below the level of the World Ocean, and in the northern part the height rises to 150 m above ocean level (Indera, Big and Small Bogdo mountains). The Caspian lowland is located within the boundaries of the Caspian syneclise (from ancient Greek “together” and “inclination”) - a gentle depression of the earth’s crust formed in the Paleozoic. The folded basement of the syneclise lies at a depth of 3000-4000 m and is covered with a thickness of sediments, the thickness of which reaches the greatest depth here for the Russian Platform. In ancient times, the Caspian Lowland was part of the World Ocean; the modern relief was influenced by numerous ups and downs of the Caspian Sea.
In the south of the northwestern sector of the Caspian lowland, between the Kuma-Manych depression, the Ergeninskaya upland and the Volga (at the junction with the Sarpinskaya lowland) there are the so-called Black Lands. This waterless territory with uncomfortable climatic conditions and natural foci of plague, leprosy (the old name is leprosy) and other diseases is unsuitable for life. The population density here is extremely low - less than 4 people/km 2 . In the summer it rages here dust storms, up to 40 days a year. The only direction Agriculture in these places there is transhumance livestock farming.
Having deprived the Black Lands of water, nature did not skimp on minerals: over hundreds of millions of years, sedimentary rocks accumulated here, and now the Black Lands are an area of the richest Caspian Sea. oil field, a place of extraction of uranium, titanium, precious metals - gold, silver and platinum, rare earth elements - scandium, yttrium, rhenium, gallium.
Active mining also has a negative effect: the surface of the Black Lands is quickly turning into an anthropogenic desert (especially considering that the soil here began to form only 4-5 thousand years ago, there is almost no turf). To preserve the local ecosystem, the Black Lands State Biosphere Reserve was created.
In the northeast, “Khar Gazr” descends into the Volga delta, to the Caspian Sea, where stripes of Baer hillocks (first described in 1866 by academician K.M. Baer) - sand ridges - stretch along the coast correct form from 6 to 45 m high, 200-300 m wide and up to several kilometers long, alternating with ilmens (small lakes overgrown with reeds). Human economic activity can lead to their complete destruction in the near future.
with the vast delta of the Volga River, it crosses the Caspian Lowland in the northwestern part. As it approaches the sea, the main branches of the Volga, 300-600 m wide, branch into numerous channels and eriks about 30 m wide. When it flows into the Caspian Sea, the river has about 800 mouths. The Volga water, saturated with industrial and agricultural runoff, poses a serious threat to the environment in the Caspian lowland.
In 2000, to protect the ecosystem of swamps and nesting birds, the Volga-Akhtubinskaya Floodplain Natural Park was created: there are more than 200 species here.
People have settled in these places for a long time. In the area of the Cherepashki farm (Volga-Akhtuba floodplain), Bronze Age burials were found. In ancient times, transit trade was of great importance for the region: one of the routes of the Great Silk Road passed here.
The dry climate of the Caspian lowland and a large number sunny days per year contribute to the development of melon growing, horticulture and vegetable growing in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain.
Astrakhan watermelons are considered the best in Russia and Kazakhstan. All other lands are suitable only for pasture or are not suitable at all. An important sector of the economy of the Caspian lowland is the extraction of table salt, mainly in the salt lakes and Elton. Salt lakes are among the protected natural sites in the territory.
In general, the entire lowland is characterized by the landscape, plants (wormwood, feather grass, fescue, wheatgrass, etc.) and animals of semi-deserts and deserts. Among mammals, rodents and hedgehogs predominate; predators feed on them - wolves, foxes, jackals; steppe antelopes - saiga, in the south - wild boars have been preserved; birds - eagles, flamingos, pelicans, Siberian Cranes, larks, gray cranes, ducks, geese, etc. Many reptiles, for example, marsh turtle, copperhead, steppe viper, etc.
The name of Lake Baskunchak in the Astrakhan region is translated from Turkic as “sunny” or “glorious”. The reason is that nearby is the Big Bogdo Mountain - the object of religious worship of the Kalmyks. The area of the lake is about 100 km2, and it is fed by salt springs. In the summer, the lake dries up and becomes like a snowy desert with a hard and dry salt cover. There is an unusual amount of table salt here, which makes up up to 98% of all lake sediments. Salt reserves in Baskunchak are considered inexhaustible.
A relief detail characteristic of the Caspian lowland is salt domes, one of which is Mount Bolshoye Bogdo, 149 m high. This hill near Lake Baskunchak is called a “mountain” because it stands out sharply in the middle of a flat plain. It was formed as a result of the uplift of plastic salt-bearing strata.
Every year, Mount Big Bogdo becomes higher and higher: the salt dome located inside the mountain increases annually by about 1 mm. “Bogdo” in the languages of the Mongols and Kalmyks is something sublime, majestic, in some cases the holiness of the object is implied. The local population is confident that the Big Bogdo Mountain is consecrated by the Dalai Lama, the high priest of the Buddhist church in Tibet, and comes to worship it.
Today, the largest cities in the Caspian lowland are Russian and Kazakh Atyrau.
Astrakhan, the administrative center of the region of the same name in the Russian Federation, stands in the upper part of the Volga delta, stretching along both banks of the river for 45 km. In the VIII-X centuries. Here was Itil - the capital of the Khazar Kaganate. Itil is also the name of the Volga among the Arabs, and later among the Tatars and Bashkirs. In the XIV century. Astrakhan (Khadzhi-Tarkhan) was the headquarters of the khans of the Golden Horde. In 1556, Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584) annexed the Astrakhan Khanate to Russia. In 1692, a plague epidemic killed more than 10 thousand people out of 16 thousand inhabitants of the city. Currently, Astrakhan is a large river port and a gas production center.
Atyrau (until 1991 - Guryev) - regional center Atyrau region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, standing on the banks of the Ural River. Founded in the 17th century. like a Cossack fort (fortification). In 1991 it was renamed Atyrau. It is considered the “oil capital” of Kazakhstan: oil production began here back in the 17th century.

general information

Location: in the extreme southeast of the Russian Plain, skirting the Caspian Sea from the north.

Administrative affiliation: Astrakhan region (Russia), Republic of Kalmykia (as part of the Russian Federation), Republic of Dagestan (as part of the Russian Federation), Republic of Kazakhstan.

Origin: tectonic, sedimentary rocks.

Languages: Russian, Kazakh, Kalmyk, Dagestan, Tatar, Bashkir.

Ethnic composition: Russians, Kazakhs, Kalmyks, Dagestanis, Tatars, Bashkirs.

Religions: Orthodoxy, Islam.
Currency: Russian ruble, Kazakhstani tenge.

Large cities: Astrakhan (Russia), Atyrau (Kazakhstan).

Largest rivers: Volga, Terek, Sulak, Ural, Emba.

Largest lakes (salty): Baskunchak, Elton, Manych-Gudilo, Tinaki.

Natural boundaries: in the west it is limited by the Stavropol, Ergeni and Volga hills, in the north - by General Syrt, in the northeast and east - by the Pre-Urape plateau, in the southeast - by the cliff of the Ustyurt plateau and the Mangyshlak peninsula, in the south - by the coast of the Caspian Sea.

Numbers

Area: about 200,000 km2.
Length: from north to south - up to 550 km, from west to east - up to 770 km.

Population: about 2 million people.

Population density: about 10 people/km 2 .

Lowest point:-28 m below sea level.

Highest point: Mount Big Bogdo (149.6 m above sea level).

Climate and weather

Sharply continental.

Severe and little snow winter, hot summer.

Average January temperature:-14°C in the north, -8°C on the coast of the Caspian Sea.
Average temperature in July:-22°C in the north, +24°C on the coast of the Caspian Sea.
Average annual precipitation: less than 200 mm.
Relative humidity: 50-60%.

Economy

Minerals: oil, natural gas, uranium, titanium, gold, silver, platinum, scandium, yttrium, rhenium, gallium, table salt.
Industry: mining (oil and gas, ore, salt mining).

Agriculture: plant growing (melon growing, gardening, vegetable growing), livestock breeding (pasture - sheep breeding).
Sphere of services: tourism (recreational fishing in the Volga delta), transport.

Attractions

■ Natural: natural park "Volga-Akhtubinskaya floodplain" and the Volga delta, Astrakhan reserve, natural biosphere reserve "Black Lands", nature reserve "Manych-Gudilo" (salt lake), Kuma-Manych depression (border between Europe and Asia), strip of Baerovsky hillocks, Bolshoye Bogdo mountain (salt dome), Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky reserve (Lake Baskunchak, Baskunchakskaya cave, Surikovskaya gully), Lotus Valley in Astrakhan in the Volga delta, Kordon tract, Burley Sands nature reserve (Kharabalinsky district).
■ Historical: Bronze Age burials (Cherepashki farm, Volga-Akhtuba floodplain), Golden Horde settlement of Chertovo fortified settlement (Ikryaninsky district, XIII-XIV centuries), Sarai-Batu - Selitrennoe fortified settlement (1242-1254), settlement "Samosdelka" - Itil (XI-XIII centuries), Kalmyk temple-monument Khosheutovsky khurul in honor of the victory of Russian troops over Napoleon in Patriotic War 1812 (1814-1818).
■ Cultural: the Russian Watermelon Museum (Kamyzyak), the mausoleum of the poet Kurmangazy (1818-1889) and the Museum of Culture of the Kazakh People (Altynzhar village, Astrakhan region).
■ Cult: Church of the Intercession Holy Mother of God(village of Solenoye Zaimishche, Astrakhan region, 1906), Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (village of Nikolskoye, Astrakhan region, late XIX- beginning of the 20th century).

Curious facts

■ The thickness of the surface salt deposits on Lake Baskunchak reaches 10-18 m. Only certain types of bacteria live in brine (saturated salt solution). Today, the extremely pure salt of Lake Baskunchak accounts for up to 80% of the total salt production in Russia: from 1.5 to 5 million tons of salt are mined here per year. The Baskunchak railway was built to export salt.
■ The Cordon tract is a natural monument of regional significance (status since 1995): the Mexican prickly pear cactus, blooming with large yellow or pale pink flowers, grows here in natural conditions. The cactus was planted for experimental purposes by scientists from the Khosheutov point of the Republic of Armenia in 1904-1917.
■ Big Bogdo was nicknamed the “singing mountain”: during the weathering process, depressions similar to giant honeycombs were formed on the rocky cliffs. If the wind blows, the holes produce characteristic sounds of different pitches.

■ A lotus flower grows in the Astrakhan Nature Reserve. It has been known in the Volga delta for more than 200 years, here it is called the Caspian rose. Lotus blooms from mid-July to September. According to one version, the lotus was brought here by birds during migration. According to another, the lotus was brought to the delta by nomadic Kalmyks, according to whose beliefs the lotus is a sacred plant. And according to the third, the lotus has always grown in the Volga delta since time immemorial. The floating leaves of the nut lotus reach 80 cm in diameter and can support a small child, much like the famous tropical Victoria regia.
■ In the vicinity of Mount Bolshoye Bogdo there lives a squeaky gecko - a lizard only 4.1 cm long.
■ Fish living in the Volga delta can reach gigantic size. In 1926, a beluga was caught, 424 cm long, weighing about 1 ton, and 75 years old. In 2003, at the “Catch Fish for History” competition, organized by the Astrakhan State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve, a catfish 2.5 m long and weighing 93 kg was presented.
■ The Caspian lowland is characterized by strong wind speed up to 1220 m/sec or more. In June 1985, a tornado with a wind speed of over 40 m/sec passed through the village of Tambovka.
■ In Astrakhan, watermelons have been grown since the 7th century. Translated from Turkic, watermelon (harbyuz) means “big cucumber.” This fruit was not only eaten raw: for the winter, watermelons were pickled and boiled with pepper. In 2007, the Lunar watermelon variety was created here - with lemon-yellow pulp. At the end of August, the city hosts the Russian Watermelon festival and a competition for the largest watermelon, as well as a competition for the title of the fastest watermelon eater.

Caspian lowland, geographical position which is determined by the territory of the bottom of the ancient sea, is a flat area with flat stretches of land, somewhat inclined towards the largest salt lake on the planet - the Caspian Sea. There are many attractions of various origins located on the plain. The indigenous inhabitants are Kalmyks.

Short description

This area is practically waterless, with small mountains and hills visible in places. These are the Small and Large Bogdo, the Inder Mountains. The territory of the Caspian lowland extends 700 km in length and 500 km in width. Occupies about 200 sq. km of total area. It is surrounded on several sides by the hills of the Volga region, the Pre-Ural plateau, and also by hills. The coast of the Caspian Sea from the north, the Russian Plain from the south-east and Kazakhstan in the west are the boundaries of the territory called the Caspian Lowland. On the map of the hemispheres its location can be seen more accurately.

The river and ravine network is poorly developed. The lowland consists of clay and sand. The terrain of the territory is characterized by movement of the earth's crust, which is accompanied by the growth of ravines, craters, and landslides.

Inland waters

The Caspian lowland is crossed by six large rivers (Ural, Volga, Terek, Emba, Kuma, Sulak) and several small watercourses. The latter often dry out completely in the summer season, forming many pits. The Volga is the most abundant and long river plains. All water flows are fed by snow and groundwater. Most of these reservoirs are fresh, but there are also salty ones. The most famous salt lake of those places is Lake Indera, its area is 75 square meters. km.

Structural features

The Caspian lowland, the height of which varies mainly within 100 m, also has a minimum indicator, namely on the southern side it rises by only 25 m. The geological structure of the territory consists of several large tectonic structures: the Ergeninskaya Upland, the Caspian deep depression, and the Nogai , Terskoy. Once upon a time, the territory of the plain was constantly flooded by sea waters, as a result of which clay and loamy deposits remained on the north and sandy deposits on the south.

Unique Baer mounds

The Caspian lowland has small and large depressions, estuaries, spits, hollows, and along the seashore there are Baer mounds, stretching in a strip. They begin between the mouths of the Kuma and Emba rivers. Their height varies from 10 to 45 m, their length is about 25 km, and their width is 200-300 m. The distance between the ridges of the Baer mounds is 1-2 km. This relief formation looks like artificially made sea waves. Their peaks are wide and their slopes are gentle. They can be described in different ways, due to the heterogeneity of addition. In the first case, they are composed of late Khvalynian sand, and in the second - early Khvalynian clay, covered with sand.

The origin of these mounds is still unclear. There are a number of hypotheses:

The first of which is the result of some shallowing of the Caspian Sea.
The second talks about tectonic origin.
The third indicates glacial lakes.

But there are allegations that these versions are untenable. Due to the location of the Baer mounds near the coast, a change in their structure and clarity is observed. Losing their forms closer to the north, they are replaced by other reliefs.

Climate

The Caspian lowland is an area where the constant “guests” are anticyclones that come from the depths of Asia. But with cyclones it’s more difficult, because of this the climate here is very dry. Winters are relatively harsh and have little snow, temperatures vary from -8 o C to -14 o C. Summers are quite hot for this area. July temperature: +22… +23 o C. 150-200 mm of precipitation falls on the south-eastern side, and 350 mm on the north-western side. Evaporation rate 1000 mm. Humidification is extremely insufficient. Dry winds and dust storms are typical. They form hills called dunes.

Soil Features

The Caspian lowland, or rather its lands, have several colors: from light chestnut to desert-steppe brown. The soil here is highly saline. In the north there are steppes with cereals and wormwood; to the south there are semi-deserts and deserts, where wormwood mainly grows. Pastures predominate among the land. Arable land occupies less than 20% of the entire territory, mainly near the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain. Here they grow melons, gardening and vegetable growing. In the Ural-Emba oil and gas region, oil and gas production has been established; table salt is mined in lakes Elton and Baskunchak. Baskunchak is also rich in gypsum and limestone, the annual production of which is about 50 tons.

Animal world

On animal world influenced by European fauna. The Caspian lowland in the north is inhabited by ferrets, marmots, raccoons, and water rats. Fish fishing is well developed: sturgeon, stellate sturgeon and others. Local seals are considered the most valuable animals. Along the banks, in the Turgai thickets, there are many birds, goitered gazelles, foxes, long-eared hedgehogs, jerboas, mice, and larks also live there.

14.07.2019 19:12

The famous Black Lands reserve, created in a place where there are practically no people living and no water, is located in the Caspian lowland, a most interesting object from the point of view of science and geotourism. The Caspian Lowland is a territory located at the extreme point of the southeast of the Russian Plain and encircling the Caspian Sea. In the southeast, the black lands or Khar-Gazr in Kalmyk, approaches the Volga delta, this is where another interesting natural object- Baer mounds (in honor of academician K.M. Burr, who discovered this miracle of nature), which are sandy ridges up to 45 meters high and up to 300 meters wide, the length of which is several kilometers. Between the hillocks you can see ilmens, small lakes overgrown with grass; any activity is prohibited here, as it can destroy these delightful creations of nature.

On the territory of the Caspian lowland there is the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, where the Great Russian River, dividing into many branches, there are about 800 of them, flows into the Caspian Sea and ends its course. A natural park of the same name was established in this territory with the aim of protecting the ecosystem and nests of more than 200 species of birds. This place is extremely popular among fishermen, because the variety and size of underwater inhabitants can surprise even the most experienced fisherman! Therefore, when traveling in the Volga Delta, you should definitely take a selfie with a huge catch, especially since fishing promotions in July will allow you to save significantly on this type of vacation. Another miracle of nature located in the Caspian lowland can be safely called the famous salt lake Baskunchak, which is rightfully considered a bottomless bowl of salt. In addition to the above-mentioned attractions created by nature, it should also be noted: the Lotus Valley, the Burley Sands reserve, the Kordon tract, the Manych-Gudilo nature reserve and, of course, the Big Bogdo salt dome.

In addition to natural attractions, the region is also rich in historical ones. Among the architectural monuments, it is worth noting such as the Devil's Settlement, located in the Ikryaninsky district, erected during the time of the Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu, or as it is also called Selitrennoye Gordische, is a fortified complex built around the beginning of the 13th century. It is also worth noting the burials discovered here, dating back to Bronze Age and more recent monuments, such as the Khosheutovsky khurul, a monument to the wars that defeated Napoleon. Also on the territory of cities located in the Caspian lowland there are many cultural and religious buildings built in different eras.

The largest city located here is Astrakhan, the center of the region of the same name; most of the enterprises involved in the extraction and processing of minerals, which are rich in the lowland area, are concentrated here. And oil, uranium, gas, and many industrial and precious metals are mined here.

Part of the Caspian lowland is located on the territory of Kazakhstan; here the largest regional center is the city of Atyrau, considered the oil capital of all of Kazakhstan.

The Caspian lowland is not only the “Black Land” where nothing grows except wormwood, but also the most fertile lands of the Astrakhan region, where the climate allows you to grow some of the most delicious watermelons. The list of attractions in the region is not limited to the list above; even ten similar articles would not be enough to describe them all; such a volume of printed information is unlikely to be adequately absorbed, therefore, if you are interested, we advise you to visit this unique place located on the territory of our Motherland. Good luck.

Caspian lowland 47°32′ N. w. / 49°01′ E. d. / 47.533; 49.017 47.533° N. w. 49.017° east d.(G) (I) 47°32′ N. w. / 49°01′ E. d. / 47.533; 49.017 47.533° N. w. 49.017° east d. Coordinates:

Atyrau region, West Kazakhstan region, Mangistau region, Dagestan, Kalmykia, Astrakhan region Caspian lowland (Kaz. Caspian mana oypaty , emergency Kaspiyalukh gІodobly

listen)) is located on the East European Plain in Kazakhstan and Russia, surrounding the northern Caspian Sea.

Geographical position

The Caspian lowland is surrounded in the north by General Syrt, in the west by the Volga Upland and Ergeni, in the east by the Pre-Ural Plateau and Ustyurt. The area of the lowland is about 200 thousand km². The height above sea level is up to 149 m, the southern part of the lowland lies below sea level (up to −28 m). The northwestern part of the lowland between the Ergeninskaya Upland, the Kuma-Manych depression and the Volga is called the Black Lands.

The Caspian lowland is a flat surface, gently inclined towards the sea, among which rise individual hills - the Inder Mountains, Big Bogdo, Small Bogdo and others. The Caspian lowland is crossed by the rivers Volga, Ural, Emba, Kuma, Terek and others.(Bolshoy and Maly Uzen, Uil, Sagiz) dry up in the summer or break up into a number of basins, forming lake spills - Kamysh-Samara lakes, Sarpinsky lakes. There are many salt lakes (Baskunchak, Elton, Inder, Botkul, etc.).

Geological structure

The Caspian lowland includes several large tectonic structures (Caspian syneclise, Ergeninsky uplift, Nogai and Tersk depressions). In Quaternary times, the lowland was repeatedly flooded by the sea, which left clayey and loamy deposits in the northern part and sandy deposits in the southern part.

The surface of the Caspian lowland is characterized by micro- and mesoforms in the form of depressions, estuaries, spits, hollows, in the south - aeolian forms, and along the coast of the Caspian Sea - a strip of Baer hillocks.

Climate and vegetation

In the north there are wormwood-grass steppes on light chestnut soils, in the south there are semi-deserts and deserts on brown and sandy soils with a predominance of wormwood.

Economic significance

In the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, melon growing, gardening, and vegetable growing are widespread.

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Literature

Grigoriev A.A. Brief geographical encyclopedia. Volume 3. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1962. - P. 580.
South-East of the European part of the USSR, M., 1971; Kazakhstan, M., 1969 (Natural conditions and natural resources of the USSR).

Notes

Excerpt characterizing the Caspian Lowland

Where, how, when did this countess, raised by a French emigrant, suck into herself from that Russian air that she breathed, this spirit, where did she get these techniques that pas de chale should have long ago been supplanted? But these spirits and techniques were the same, inimitable, unstudied, Russian ones that her uncle expected from her. As soon as she stood up and smiled solemnly, proudly and slyly with gaiety, the first fear that gripped Nikolai and everyone present, the fear that she would do the wrong thing, passed and they were already admiring her.
She did the same thing and did it so precisely, so completely accurately that Anisya Fedorovna, who immediately handed her the scarf she needed for her business, burst into tears through laughter, looking at this thin, graceful, so alien to her, well-bred countess in silk and velvet. , who knew how to understand everything that was in Anisya, and in Anisya’s father, and in her aunt, and in her mother, and in every Russian person.
“Well, the countess is a pure march,” the uncle said, laughing joyfully, having finished the dance. - Oh yes niece! If only you could choose a good guy for your hubby, it’s pure business!
“It’s already been chosen,” Nikolai said, smiling.
- ABOUT? - the uncle said in surprise, looking questioningly at Natasha. Natasha nodded her head affirmatively with a happy smile.
- What a great one! - she said. But as soon as she said this, another, new system of thoughts and feelings arose in her. What did Nikolai’s smile mean when he said: “already chosen”? Is he happy about this or not? He seems to think that my Bolkonsky would not approve, would not understand this joy of ours. No, he would understand everything. Where is he now? Natasha thought and her face suddenly became serious. But this only lasted for one second. “Don’t think, don’t dare think about it,” she said to herself and, smiling, sat down next to her uncle again, asking him to play something else.
Uncle played another song and a waltz; then, after a pause, he cleared his throat and sang his favorite hunting song.
Like powder since the evening
It turned out well...
Uncle sang the way the people sing, with that complete and naive conviction that in a song all the meaning lies only in the words, that the melody comes by itself and that there is no separate melody, and that a melody is only for the purpose. Because of this, this unconscious melody, like the melody of a bird, was unusually good for my uncle. Natasha was delighted with her uncle's singing. She decided that she would no longer study the harp, but would only play the guitar. She asked her uncle for a guitar and immediately found the chords for the song.
At ten o'clock a line, a droshky and three horsemen sent to look for them arrived for Natasha and Petya. The Count and Countess did not know where they were and were very worried, as the messenger said.
Petya was taken down and placed like a dead body in a line; Natasha and Nikolai got into the droshky. Uncle wrapped Natasha up and said goodbye to her with completely new tenderness. He escorted them on foot to the bridge, which had to be forded, and ordered the hunters to go ahead with lanterns.
“Farewell, dear niece,” his voice shouted from the darkness, not the one that Natasha knew before, but the one that sang: “Like powder since evening.”
The village we were passing through had red lights and a cheerful smell of smoke.
- What a charm this uncle is! - Natasha said when they drove out onto the main road.
“Yes,” said Nikolai. - Are you cold?
- No, I’m great, great. “I feel so good,” Natasha even said with bewilderment. They were silent for a long time.
The night was dark and damp. The horses were not visible; you could only hear them splashing through the invisible mud.
What was going on in this childish, receptive soul, which so greedily caught and assimilated all the varied impressions of life? How did it all fit into her? But she was very happy. Already approaching the house, she suddenly began to sing the tune of the song: “Like powder from the evening,” a tune that she had been catching all the way and finally caught.
- Did you catch it? - said Nikolai.
- What were you thinking about now, Nikolenka? – Natasha asked. “They loved asking each other that.”
- I? - Nikolai said, remembering; - you see, at first I thought that Rugai, the red male, looked like his uncle and that if he were a man, he would still keep his uncle with him, if not for the race, then for the frets, he would have kept everything. How nice he is, uncle! Is not it? - Well, what about you?
- I? Wait, wait. Yes, at first I thought that we were driving and we thought that we were going home, and God knows where we were going in this darkness and suddenly we would arrive and see that we were not in Otradny, but in a magical kingdom. And then I also thought... No, nothing more.

BLACK LANDS OF THE CASPIAN DEPRESSION
Black Lands (Kalmyk “har gazr”) is a semi-desert territory, deprived of continuous snow cover in winter due to strong winds. Black sagebrush and brown semi-desert soils reinforce the “color” meaning of the placename, but the word “black” implies more than just color.

In the south of the northwestern sector of the Caspian lowland, between the Kuma-Manych depression,

The Ergeninskaya Upland and the Volga (at the junction with the Sarpinskaya Lowland) are the so-called Black Lands. This waterless territory with uncomfortable climatic conditions and natural foci of plague, leprosy (the old name is leprosy) and other diseases is unsuitable for life. The population density here is extremely low - less than 4 people/km2. In the summer, dust storms rage here, up to 40 days a year. The only direction of agriculture in these places is transhumance. Having deprived the Black Lands of water, nature did not skimp on minerals: over hundreds of millions of years, sedimentary rocks accumulated here, and now the Black Lands are the region of the richest Caspian oil field, a place of extraction of uranium, titanium, precious metals - gold, silver and platinum, rare earth elements - scandium, yttrium, rhenium, gallium.

Active mining also has a negative effect: the surface of the Black Lands is quickly turning into an anthropogenic desert (especially considering that the soil here began to form only 4-5 thousand years ago, there is almost no turf). To preserve the local ecosystem, the Black Lands State Biosphere Reserve was created.

In the northeast, “Khar Gazr” descends into the Volga delta, to the Caspian Sea, where stripes of Baer’s mounds (first described in 1866 by academician K. M. Baer) stretch along the coast - sand ridges of regular shape with a height of 6 to 45 m, width 200-300 m and up to several kilometers long, alternating with ilmens (small lakes overgrown with reeds). Human economic activity can lead to their complete destruction in the near future.

The Volga-Akhtuba floodplain with the vast delta of the Volga River crosses the Caspian Lowland in the northwestern part. As it approaches the sea, the main branches of the Volga, 300-600 m wide, branch into numerous channels and eriks about 30 m wide. When it flows into the Caspian Sea, the river has about 800 mouths. The Volga water, saturated with industrial and agricultural runoff, poses a serious threat to the environment in the Caspian lowland. In 2000, to protect the ecosystem of swamps and nesting birds, the Volga-Akhtubinskaya Floodplain Natural Park was created: there are more than 200 species here.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Location: in the extreme southeast of the Russian Plain, skirting the Caspian Sea from the north.
Administrative affiliation: Astrakhan region (Russia), Republic of Kalmykia (as part of the Russian Federation), Republic of Dagestan (as part of the Russian Federation), Republic of Kazakhstan.
Origin: tectonic, sedimentary rocks.
Languages: Russian, Kazakh, Kalmyk, Dagestan, Tatar, Bashkir.
Ethnic composition: Russians, Kazakhs, Kalmyks, Dagestanis, Tatars, Bashkirs.
Religions: Orthodoxy, Islam.
Monetary units: Russian ruble, Kazakhstani tenge.
Large cities: Astrakhan (Russia), Aty pay (Kazakhstan).
The largest rivers: Volga, Terek, Sulak, Ural, Emba.
The largest lakes (salty): Baskunchak, Elton, Manych-Gudilo, Tinaki.
Natural boundaries: in the west it is limited by the Stavropol, Ergeni and Volga hills, in the north - by General Syrt, in the northeast and east - by the Pre-Urape plateau, in the southeast - by the cliff of the Ustyurt plateau and the Mangyshlak peninsula, in the south - by the coast of the Caspian Sea.
FIGURES Area: about 200,000 km2.
Length: from north to south - up to 550 km, from west to east - up to 770 km.
Population: about 2 million people.
Population density: about 10 people/km2.
Lowest point: -28 m below sea level.
Highest point: Mount Bolshoye Bogdo (149.6 m above sea level).

CLIMATE
Sharply continental. Severe and little snow winter, hot summer.
Average January temperature: - 14°C in the north, -8°C on the Caspian Sea coast.
Average July temperature: +22°C in the north, +24°C on the coast of the Caspian Sea.
Average annual precipitation: less than 200 mm.
Relative humidity: 50-60%.

ECONOMY
Minerals: oil, natural gas, uranium, titanium, gold, silver, platinum, scandium, yttrium, rhenium, gallium, table salt.
Industry: mining (oil and gas, ore, salt mining).
Agriculture: plant growing (melon growing, gardening, vegetable growing), livestock breeding (pasture - sheep breeding).
Sphere of services: tourism (recreational fishing in the Volga delta), transport.
INTERESTING FACTS - The thickness of the surface salt deposits on Lake Baskunchak reaches 10-18 m. Only certain types of bacteria live in brine (saturated salt solution). Today, the extremely pure salt of Lake Baskunchak accounts for up to 80% of the total salt production in Russia: from 1.5 to 5 million tons of salt are mined here per year. The Baskunchak railway was built to export salt.
- The Cordon tract is a natural monument of regional significance (status since 1995): the Mexican prickly pear cactus, blooming with large yellow or pale pink flowers, grows here in natural conditions. The cactus was planted for experimental purposes by scientists from the Khosheutov point of the Republic of Armenia in 1904-1917.
- Big Bogdo was nicknamed the “singing mountain”: during the weathering process, depressions similar to giant honeycombs were formed on the rocky cliffs. If the wind blows, the holes produce characteristic sounds of different pitches.