What is interesting in the Turan lowland. Its deserts, rivers and lakes

Turan lowland – one of the most interesting regions of Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Once this place stretched a vast sea, the modern remnants of which are the Caspian sea and the Aral sea. Currently it is a huge plain, which is desert Karakum, Kyzylkum, and others.

Where is Turan lowland

The Nature of this area depends largely on geographic location. The Turanian lowland is situated on the territory of three sovereign States – of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In the direction North-South lowland reaches 1,6 thousand km, and in the direction West-East – 1 km, occupying a huge area.

The name of the region comes from the word "Turan", "country tours”. This name is recorded in the sacred book of Zoroastrianism-the Avesta, which dates back to 1000 years BC. The researchers suggest that “tours” is the steppe Aryans.

The Region is rich in minerals (oil, gas, gold, sulfur, etc.), widespread livestock and irrigation agriculture.

Topography

The relief of the Turan lowland is mainly of a rather gentle character, the elevation here is relatively small. Here, however, the plains are interspersed with numerous elevations and valleys. The lowest point of lowliness is the Karagiye depression, the absolute height of which – minus 132 meters (located below sea level), and the highest place – the mountain of Tamdytau (of 0.922 km).

The Average height of the region is 200-300 meters above sea level. The most raised area of the Turan lowland is the Kyzylkum desert with an average altitude 0,388 km. In the ancient Turanian lowland was the bottom of a huge inland sea, the remnants of which are Aral and the Caspian sea.

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The Kyzyl Kum Desert, Karakum sand with pronounced Eolian landscape. Here you can admire the hilly sand dunes and dunes.

Climate

The Climate of the region is sharply continental and arid, is determined by its geographical features. First, the Turanian lowland is situated in the heart of the continent. Far from the oceans and moist air streams. Second, the southern and South-Western areas of the Turan lowland is bounded by mountain barriers, which weaken the circulation of air masses.

This makes the region extremely arid and covered in large part by deserts. In the direction from North to South, rainfall tends to decrease, and the amplitude of temperature oscillation increases.

The River system of the district

Because of the climatic characteristics of the river network of the region is poorly developed, represented mainly by the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya into the Aral sea. It, in turn, actually the lake of the Turan lowland. And in the last century due to the active development of agriculture of the Amu Darya runoff is greatly reduced, and the Syr Darya – almost stopped, which caused the gradual drying up of the Aral sea and a lot of environmental problems. The River Turan lowland Syr Darya divides the whole territory into two unequal parts-the Northern and the southern. Except for two rather deep rivers, on the Turan lowland in the South-East – North West lies dry riverbed Uzboy.

Kara Kum

The Karakum Desert ("black sand") is a huge area of 350 thousand sq. km the origin of the name is probably connected with vegetation, which in summer loses its green color. And sand dunes are called AK-Kum ("white sand"). Still, the Karakum is famous for the fact that its found a sand Temple city Gonur Depe, here worshipped fire.

The Desert is very dry and almost uninhabitable. In the year falls here in various fields of 60-150 mm of rainfall, with the vast majority of them (70%) falls in the cold season.It is very hot Here in the summer, temperature in some parts rises to 50⁰, and the sand is heated to 80, making the barefoot movement it absolutely impossible. In winter there are severe frosts, and sometimes the thermometer drops below 30⁰ Celsius.

Despite the adverse weather conditions in the desert is also home to numerous animals – tortoise, wild cat, various rodents, Scorpions, snakes, etc. In the Northern part of the clay deserts of the Turan lowland are inhabited by antelopes and gazelles. Perhaps the main attraction of the desert is a picturesque crater of Darvaz, which the locals compare with the real door to hell. the fact that after a failed drilling and the drilling rig falling into the earth from under the ground began to rise the gas, threatening to poison the nearby villages. In order to avoid this, it was decided to ignite the gas. So there was a blazing 60-foot funnel, the height of escaping from her flame sometimes exceeds 10 meters.

Kum

This is the largest desert of Central Asia. On the territory of modernKazakhstan is only its Northern part.

Desert, whose name translates as “red sand", located between the rivers Syrdarya and Amudarya. Do the desert Sands have a reddish hue. They are of Eolian and alluvial origin, are of Paleogene age. Is desert 300 thousand square kilometers. The vast Sands are interspersed with small ostanovili the corner (less than a kilometer in height). Tracts of sand formed by the winds, reach a height sometimes of 75 meters.

Unlike its sister the Turan (Karakum), the Kyzylkum desert more hospitable to life. Here graze small cattle, and thanks to artesian water and the canal from the Syr Darya in some areas are able to harvest rice, fruits and grapes.