The nature of the Volga region relief climate natural zones. Natural resources of the Volga region and their diversity. c) natural resources
Astrakhan, Volgograd, Penza, Samara, Saratov, Ulyanovsk regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Republic of Kalmykia-Khalmg-Tangch.
Economic and geographical location
The Volga region stretches for almost 1.5 thousand km along the great Russian Volga River, from the confluence of the Kama into it to the Caspian Sea. Territory - 536 thousand km 2. The EGP of this area is extremely favorable. A network of transport routes connects it with the most important economic regions of the country. The axis of this network - the Volga-Kama river route - gives access to the Caspian, Azov, Black, Baltic, White and Barents Seas. The use of oil and gas pipelines also contributes to the improvement of the area's EGP.
Natural conditions and resources
The Volga region has favorable natural conditions and is rich in water (the Volga and its tributaries) and land resources, located in a temperate climate. However, the area is unevenly provided with moisture. In the lower reaches of the Volga, there are droughts, accompanied by dry winds that are destructive for crops. Most of the region has fertile soils and extensive pastures.
The relief of the Volga region is different. Western part(right bank) - elevated, hilly (Volga Upland, turning into low mountains in the south). Eastern (left bank) - low-lying, slightly hilly plain, more wooded and monotonous.
The relief and climatic conditions determine the variety of soils and vegetation. Nature is diverse. In the latitudinal direction, forests, forest-steppes, steppes are replaced, which are then replaced by sultry semi-deserts.
The area is rich in minerals: oil, gas, sulfur, salt, building materials (limestone, gypsum, sand).
Oil is produced in Tataria, Samara region, gas - in Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan (gas condensate field) regions. Table salt is mined at Lake Baskunchak.
Population
The population of the Volga region is multinational, amounting to 16.6 million people. The average population density is 30 people. by 1 km 2. It is much higher in the middle reaches of the Volga on the right bank. The minimum population density (4 people per 1 km 2) is in Kalmykia.
The Russian population predominates. The population of the Republic of Tatarstan is 3.7 million people. (among them Russians - 43%); 327 thousand people live in Kalmykia (the share of Russians is more than 30%). The urban population is concentrated mainly in large cities located on the Volga (urbanization rate - 73%). Millionaire cities - Samara, Kazan, Volgograd. The Volga region is provided with labor resources.
Farm
The main branches of specialization of the Volga region- oil and oil refining, gas and chemical industries, complex mechanical engineering, electric power industry and production of building materials.
The Volga region occupies 2nd place in Russia after the West Siberian economic region for oil and gas production. The amount of oil and gas produced exceeds the needs of the region, therefore oil and gas pipelines have been laid to the west, including abroad. It is also an area with a developed oil refining industry, not only for its own oil, but also for the oil of Western Siberia. There are 6 oil refineries in operation (Syzran, Samara, Volgograd, Nizhnekamsk). Refinery and petrochemicals are closely related. Along with natural gas, associated gas is extracted and processed (used in the chemical industry).
The Volga region specializes in the production of electricity, which it supplies to other regions of Russia. Energy is provided by hydroelectric power plants of the Volga-Kama cascade (Volzhskaya near Samara, Saratov, Nizhnekamsk and Volzhskaya near Volgograd, etc.). Thermal power plants use local raw materials, and Balakovskaya (Saratovskaya) and Tatar nuclear power plants have been built (the construction of the latter caused public protests).
The chemical industry of the Volga region is represented by mining and chemical (extracting sulfur and table salt), organic synthesis chemistry, and polymer production. The largest centers are: Nizhnekamsk, Samara, Kazan, Syzran, Saratov, Volzhsky, Togliatti. In the industrial hubs of Samara-Togliatti, Saratov-Engels, Volgograd-Volzhsky, energy and petrochemical cycles have developed. The production of energy, petroleum products, alcohols, synthetic rubber, and plastics are geographically close to them.
The needs of the energy, oil and gas and chemical industries accelerated the development of mechanical engineering. Developed transport links, the availability of qualified personnel, and the proximity to the Central Region necessitated the creation of instrument and machine-tool factories (Penza, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Volzhsky, Kazan). The aircraft industry is represented in Samara and Saratov.
But the automotive industry stands out especially in the Volga region: Ulyanovsk (UAZ cars), Togliatti (Zhiguli), Naberezhnye Chelny (heavy vehicles), Engels (trolleybuses). Volgograd has the country's largest tractor plant.
The importance of the food industry is preserved in the region. The Caspian Sea and the Volga estuary are the most important inland fishing basin. However, it should be noted that with the development of petrochemistry, chemistry and the construction of large machine-building plants, the ecological state of the Volga River has deteriorated sharply.
Agro-industrial complex. In the forest and semi-desert zone, the leading role in agriculture belongs to animal husbandry. In the forest-steppe and steppe zones - crop production (primarily grain farming). This part of the Volga region also has the highest plowed area (up to 50%). The grain region is located approximately from the latitude of Kazan to the latitude of Samara (rye, winter wheat); meat and dairy cattle breeding is also developed here. Crops of industrial crops are widespread, for example, mustard crops account for 90% of the crops in the Russian Federation. Sheep farms are located to the south of Volgograd. In the interfluve of the Volga and Akhtuba (lower reaches), vegetables and melons and gourds are grown.
Fuel and energy complex,(see. Electricity). The region is provided with fuel. The power industry of the region is of republican importance - it supplies other regions of the country (hydroelectric power plants on Yolga and Kama, thermal power plants, nuclear power plants).
Transport. The transport network of the region is formed by the Volga and the roads crossing it. Volga-Don and other navigable canals provide access to the seas. The modern Volga is a chain of reservoirs. But the Volga route is seasonal (the river freezes in winter). An important role is played by iron and car roads, as well as gas and oil pipelines.
The Volga region has a variety of natural resources. Agro-climatic resources, oil, gas, table salt, fish are especially distinguished from the diversity of the region's resource base.
Oil reserves in the Volga region are severely depleted. They make up only 6% of the total in Russia. Therefore, the share of the region in the country's oil production is only 10%, and is constantly decreasing. However, the Volga region remains one of the most important oil bases.
The prospects for the development of the gas industry are associated with the large Astrakhan condensate field, which, according to experts, contains 6% of the world's gas reserves. There are significant reserves of salt and various raw materials for the production of building materials.
But, perhaps, the main wealth of the Volga region is the vast areas of excellent agricultural land. In combination with large water resources, they create a natural basis for the development of agriculture that is unique for Russia.
Fuel, energy and mining and chemical resources of the Volga region
The oil and gas chemical complex of the Volga region is the largest in Russia in terms of production scale and completion. It includes the entire technological chain of sequential processing of oil and gas from their extraction to the production of various chemical products and products from them. The development of the cycle was facilitated, first of all, by the presence of a powerful resource base. Petrochemical industries were able to develop at a rapid pace due to the good availability of water, fuel and energy resources. In addition, an important role was played by the location of the region, located in the center of the European part of Russia, in close proximity to the main consumers of products, as well as good transport availability of the Volga region. Oil and gas industry- traditional industries of specialization of the Volga region, 11.2% of all-Russian oil and 1% of gas are produced here. The main oil fields are located in Tatarstan, Samara, Volgograd and Saratov regions. In the fields, oil is purified from water, salts, and prepared for further processing. There are installations for complex oil treatment (CSP), with the help of which, with the widespread use of oil stabilization fractions, hydrocarbon raw materials are extracted. Associated petroleum gases are also processed here, from which liquefied gases and gas petrol are produced. There are 3 gas-petrol plants in the Volga region: Minnibaevsky, Otradnensky and Astrakhan. The content of heavy hydrocarbons in associated petroleum gas reaches 25%, the level of its utilization at the Volga region plants is the highest in the country - over 80%.
Oil and gas are further processed at oil refineries, where they receive fuel (motor gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil), lubricating oils, liquefied gases (propane, butane, isobutane, etc.), which are raw materials for chemical industry... The Volga region is one of the largest oil refining regions in the country. Primary oil refining is about 50 million tons. The main oil refining enterprises are concentrated in the Samara region: Samara oil refinery, Novokuibyshevsky petrochemical complex, Syzran oil refinery (built on the basis of the Baku oil refinery evacuated here during the war years). Oil is also refined at the Volgograd Oil Refinery (it specializes in the production of lubricating oils), a process unit for oil refining operates at the Nizhnekamsk Petrochemical Complex, and the Cracking oil refinery operates in Saratov. Oil refineries in the Volga region were designed to process not only the Volga region oil, but also oil supplied through the Samotlor - Tyumen - Kurgan - Ufa - Almetyevsk, Aktau - Samara oil pipelines. The main types of refined products are fuel oil, diesel fuel and gasoline. The share of secondary processes in the total volume of oil refining remains low, and the share of primary processing is excessively high, which leads to large economic losses. On the basis of the Astrakhan gas condensate field, the Astrakhan gas complex is being formed, which includes gas fields and a gas processing plant. The complex specializes in the production of technical gas sulfur, motor gasoline, diesel and boiler fuel, propane-butane fraction.
Hydrocarbon raw materials are used for the production of mineral fertilizers, synthetic ethyl alcohol, synthetic rubber, plastics, etc. The Volga region retains a leading position in terms of the level of development of the chemical and petrochemical industry among other economic regions of Russia. Almost all (with the exception of soda production and production of chemical reagents) branches of this industry are represented here. In the production of most of the most important types of products in this industry, the Volga region has an all-Russian specialization. Characteristic feature complex is a high degree of concentration of industries. Several large petrochemical centers have developed in the region. Combinations of petrochemical industries in their most complete form arose within the Samarskaya Luka - in Samara, Novokuibyshevsk, Syzran, Togliatti. Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Complex is the largest producer of synthetic alcohol, high and low pressure polyethylene. There are factories for the production of mineral fertilizers and synthetic rubber in Togliatti. An ammonia pipeline was laid from Togliatti to the Yuzhny port in the Odessa region.
The most important center of petrochemistry in Russia is Nizhnekamsk (Tatarstan). Here is the world's largest unique complex of petrochemical industries producing rubber, styrene, polyethylene. Nizhnekamsk Petrochemical Complex has the most powerful plants for processing a wide fraction of hydrocarbons in the country; there is a tire factory in the city. An organic synthesis plant for the production of high and low pressure polyethylene and a household chemicals plant operate in Kazan. Partly using the raw materials produced by the Volgograd refinery, chemical enterprises operate in Volgograd and Volzhsky. The Volzhsky Chemical Combine produces synthetic rubber, alcohol, and artificial fiber. The city has factories for the production of tires and rubber products. At the Volgograd Chemical Plant, on the basis of salt and natural gas processing, the production of caustic soda, chlorine, pesticides, acetylene, fertilizers, organochlorine products, polyvinyl chloride and epoxy resins was created. Large chemical enterprises of Balakov, Engels, Saratov specialize in the production of synthetic alcohol, artificial and synthetic fibers, and mineral fertilizers.
Water resources of the Volga region
The Volga region has the largest water resources. The economic axis of the Volga region and at the same time the main water source is the river. Volga.
The main food of the Volga is melted spring waters. Rainfall, which falls mainly in the summer, and the groundwater, due to which the river lives in winter, play a lesser role in its feeding. In accordance with this, in the annual level of the river, the following are distinguished: high and prolonged spring floods, a fairly stable summer low-water period and a low winter low-water period. The duration of the flood is 72 days on average. The maximum rise in water usually occurs in the first half of May, half a month after the spring ice drift. From the beginning of June to October - November, a summer low water period is established. Thus, most of the navigation period, when the river is free of ice (200 days on average), coincides with the period of low low-water levels (2 - 3 m)
Currently Volga - waterway connected with the five seas of Europe. Day and night, an endless stream of various cargoes go along it - building materials and timber, cars and coal, oil, salt, bread, vegetables and fruits. Two-thirds of the republic's river cargo is transported along the Volga and its tributaries. 1450 ports and marinas and all the largest cities of the Volga region are located on it. The Volga unites them as a great transport artery. Freight turnover on it is 10 times higher than the railway in this area.
All the leading fundamental industries of the Volga region are located in the port cities, which the Volga connects and integrates into a single communication. The Volga provides the entire region with water, hydropower, and cheap transport, thus being the economic axis of the Volga region. Its importance for the economy of this region is equal to the importance of the spine for the human body.
Biological resources of the Volga region
Speaking about biological resources, it should be noted that the Volga region is the largest economic region for breeding, catching and processing fish.
The Astrakhan region specializes in breeding and catching fish. In the Volga delta, 24 spawning and nursery fish farms are concentrated, specializing in breeding herring, pike perch, bream, carp. Four sturgeon factories - the largest is Kizan, one more factory specializes in sturgeon breeding: stellate sturgeon and beluga.
Metal ore resources
The Volga region has reserves of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, the bulk of which is concentrated in the Volgograd region. Today's Volgograd is a large industrial center of the Volga region. It has developed metallurgy (the plant "Red October"), mechanical engineering, including the largest tractor-building plant, chemical oil refining, light, food and other industries. Volgograd is a major transport hub.
Practically inexhaustible deposits of limestone, chalk, building sands and stone (in the right bank of the Don) meet the needs of the region in building materials.
Natural conditions in different areas of the Volga region are not the same. The Volga divides it into two parts: the elevated Right Bank and the relatively low Left Bank. The raised bank of the Volga is the edge of the Volga Upland, which passes to the Ergeni plateau south of Volgograd. The relief of most of the district's territory is convenient for placing industrial sites, laying transport lines, and housing construction. Thick strata of sedimentary rocks, the most ancient of which are deposits of the Devonian and Carboniferous age, contain a variety of minerals.
The climate of the Volga region is continental. Due to the large meridional extent within the region, significant differences are observed in it. The average January temperature in Kazan is -13.6 ° C, in the Volga delta -6 ° C. July temperatures for the same places are 20 and 25 ° C.
Precipitation decreases from north to south and from west to east. They vary from 550 mm in the northwest of the region to 300 mm on the western slopes of Ergeni. The minimum amount of precipitation falls on the Caspian lowland - 250-170 mm per year. A characteristic feature of the Lower Volga region, especially its trans-Volga part, is the dominance of anticyclones, leading to severe droughts.
The Volga region is located in several natural areas. Its northern part is in the zone of coniferous and mixed forests and podzolic soils. The right bank up to the parallel of the city of Volsk is occupied by forest-steppe. On the left bank, the forest-steppe turns into a steppe south of Samarskaya Luka, that is, 150-200 km to the north than on the Right Bank. The soils of the forest-steppe are gray podzolized in the north, rich chernozems in the south. The steppe is characterized by dark chestnut soils, ordinary and southern chernozems. The Caspian lowland is occupied by semi-desert, where the vegetation is represented by wormwood, grasses, and saltwort. Soils here are solonetzic light chestnut in a complex with solonetz. The Volga-Akhtuba floodplain with fertile alluvial soils, floodplain forests and meadows stands out as an oasis in the semi-desert zone.
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