Geography of Ukraine

The geography of Ukraine is mainly characterized by zones, which extend in the east-west direction. The country is part of the East European Plain and the Carpathians.

• 3.1 Substrate

Nature regions

In the north, in the Ukrainian- Belarusian border area, the country share of the Pripyat Marshes. Further south, followed by the mixed forest strips Polesia (also Polissja, russ Polesje ), on the strip. According to its low level in the West Podolia, is called in the eastern part Dnipro Valley The sink intersects with the forest-steppe zone.

Further south, joins in the central and eastern Ukraine to the steppe region, in the western part runs adjacent to the plate Podolic the Carpathian Mountains, stretching from northwest to southeast.

The majority of the country consists of flat or gently rolling terrain that is covered by forest, forest-steppe and steppe.

The Carpathians with the 2061m high Howerla and the mountains of the Crimean peninsula with mountains up to 1500 m altitude steal away from striking. Other mountains are the Petros 2022 m, the Blisnizja with 1883 m and 1818 m altitude with Siwulja.

In western Ukraine the Volhynian heights members ( around the city Rivne to 220 to 250 m) and the Podolian heights ( to the west and southwest) the terrain. It concludes with the Kamulaberg the highest elevation, at 471 m, this terrain from.

The country is divided into the following land: forest 15.9%, agriculture 53.9 %, pasture 10.7 %, other 19.5 % (as of 1994).

Ridges and plates

Looking at a map of the region are clearly distinguished except the Timanrücken and Donezplatte almost three meridional ridges running out. There are the Wolynisch - Podolic plate and its eastern extension, the Dneprhochland, the means and the Russian Volga plate with its sequel, the Jergenihügel. These ridges are separated by the lower-lying areas of the Dnieper and Oka - Don Lowland.

On the shores of the Black and Azov Sea extends the Black Sea Lowland. Thus, the role of tectonic ( orographic ) factors in the formation of the relief form the East European Plain is relatively large. However, more than the tectonic elements of the external physical - geographical forces act on the relief, such as the marine transgressions, the Quaternary glaciation and the stream erosion.

The image of the plane in its northern half is shaped by the action of the ice. At the beginning of the Quaternary a wide area of the European part of Ukraine was repeatedly covered by ice, which, advancing from the northwest, from the heights of Scandinavia. At the time of greatest glaciation, the ice stretched in two tongues in the valleys of the Dnieper and Don to the south ( on the Dnieper River to beyond the Vorskla, on-Don to Medveditsa ).

In eastern Ukraine, there is a more striking geomorphological structure: The Donezplatte ( with a height of up to 369 m), which is an undulating plateau and is divided by valleys and gorges ( Owrag and Balka ).

In the south is located on the Crimean peninsula, a further survey: The Crimean Mountains runs from southwest to northeast along the south coast of the peninsula with a length of about 150 km and a width of almost 50 km. The western half of the mountain is the highest. Here rises the flat summit of the "Roman Kosh " ( 1543 m), the highest waterfall in the Ukraine, the Wuchang- Su Waterfall is located in this region. To the east decreases the height. There are also outcrops of volcanic rocks and laccoliths (eg the massif of Ajudag at Gurzuf ). Today's Crimean Mountains was created by a dome-shaped elevation leveled, old mountains in the upper Tertiary and Quaternary, the structure is complicated by numerous fractures and dislocations. The main ridge of the Crimean formed by the chain of table massifs ( Yaila ), which are composed of massive limestone layers and karst formations contain ( funnel, caves, sinkholes ). To the east of the main ridge leaves into numerous small, indented by warping and erosion of the ranges and massifs, the flat slope to the north and break with a sharp escarpment south to the sea.

In the southwest of Ukraine, the Carpathian Mountains, which are located only a part of Ukraine collect. From the Carpathians belongs to the middle, very low and narrow section. The mountains are arranged in several parallel chains running from northwest to southeast and have a height of 600 m to 2000 m. At the northern foot of the Carpathians is a foothill with hills and plateaus of 300 m to 500 m height. The landscape contributes predominantly a highland region. The mountains are divided by deep transverse and longitudinal valleys, peaks and ridges flat and wooded. Steep rocky peak and chains occur in the central part of the mountain on which Gorgane is called, with altitudes of up to 1800 m. The Black Mountains ( Gory Tschornyje ) on the southern watershed have also rock formations that were created by the Quaternary glaciation. Here achieve the Ukrainian Carpathians with the Howerla its greatest height ( 2061 m).

The south slope of the Ukrainian Carpathians is located in the Trans- Carpathian Ukraine. This slope is cut sharply through the tributaries of the upper Tissa ( Tisza ), descends to the valley of the middle Danube, and is separated from it by the edge of volcanic chains and peaks with altitudes ranging from 1000 m to 1086 m. To Transcarpathia - Ukraine also has a small depression at the foot of the mountain.

Lowland zones

The rand union lowland zones, which were taken during the Quaternary glaciation, can be divided into two areas of landscape types: 1 The wide, flat lowlands consist of sand deposits from the water streams of melting glaciers ( fluvioglaziale deposits ) were spread, as well as from Alluvialsanden. These lowlands are heavily waterlogged. As a classic area for such a landscape, the huge Polessye Valley is considered in the basin of the Pripyat. 2 In the area of ​​glacier tongues from the maximum ( crack ) Icing the lowlands lying on the Dnieper and the Don lößartiger with traces of moraine, with a top layer, sandy loams and with wide terraces to the river valleys, the most on the left bank of the Dnieper are developed.

In the south of Ukraine, the geomorphology is characterized by lowland plains of the with wide river valleys and pronounced microrelief forms, the various steppe areas by molds type ( " pad ", " pod ", " Sapadina ", " Bljudze " - bowl) are characteristic. The following 3 levels fall within this group: 1 The Black Sea solvents Bene: It is located on the north coast of the Black and Azov Sea. 2 A suitable Lößebene extends on the left bank of the Dnieper in the river basins of the Sula, the Psel and the Vorskla. South of the " Poltawstschina " ( Poltava Oblast ) it unites with the Lößebene the Black Sea. 3 a wavy and inclined plane extends to the left bank of the Volga from the Kama south to nearly 50 ° N. and consists of Syrt clays.

• See also: Physical Geography of Galicia

Forest areas

The forest is, rather uneven distributed in relation to the Dnieper River Basin. It mainly covers the upper part of the pelvis, and is less common in the lower part. Where forest covers the area, it is limited to small -scale plantations and wind -breaking strip around agricultural areas.

The upper part of the Dnieper basin, north of the Ukraine, consists of a mixture of unheitlichen forest, covering an area of ​​3.2 million hectares. Important tree species (also known as quaking aspen ), the pine, this is a particularly valuable type, as well as birch and aspen. Other common species are oak, black alder, ash and maple. Care and maintenance of many non- agricultural use forest areas is urgently needed. Thus it can be observed that wooded areas on highways, railway lines, along power lines, but especially near settlements and cities are removed to a large extent.

The Ukrainian part of the Dnipro Basin is covered by 5 million hectares of forest. For this purpose, can be assumed by agricultural processing, from a Nutzholzmenge of 890 million m³. The average forest cover is relatively low ( 17%), in contrast to the upper part of the basin, is where to go from 25% forest cover. A regenerative use of forest plantations plays in the lower Dnieper basin a special ecological role, although their share of the total forest is low, which is 1 %, ie roll over 40,000 hectares.

The natural forest reserves of Ukraine in the area of the Dnieper basin are in a pitiful state. This is connected with the fact that forests are often located within the control of industrial plants. As a result of the nuclear disaster of Chernobyl 2.5 million hectares of forest in the Ukraine affected by radioactive contamination, as well as 200,000 acres have been excluded from access, over 165,000 acres are in the restricted area.

Biological resources

In addition to the (forest ) Carpathians of the Dnieper basin is a unique ecologically self-sufficient system. The basin is biologically diverse and home to a network of ecologically stable areas and is the recipient of various natural processes. The catchment area and its elements integrate several inter- active micro - ecosystems, which play a major role in relation to biodiversity conservation (biodiversity ) at national and European level.

The Pripyat Basin, Pole Rhodesia and the floodplain of the Dnieper River are typical examples of these ecosystems. The importance of the floodplain of the Pripyat be clear that they consist in the fact of an almost undisturbed system of rivers and Waldauen. The wetland consists of the only remaining floodplains, with forest and vegetative diversity and is unique with its parts in relation to its geographical position, its forest, its undergrowth and plant diversity.

The Dnieper River Basin is known for one of the most important riparian areas in Europe. It is home to residents of various birds and animals and is a powerful protection against floods and Wasserdurchdringungen. It also functions as the main carbon sink. Parts of the basin are also known internationally, they fall under the protection of the Ramsar Convention. This includes the nature reserves in the central Pripyat, the Pripyat floodplain and the Dnieper River Delta.

The biological diversity can be seen in more than 90 fish species (60 of them live only in the Dnieper ) roll over 182 bird species and over 2,500 plant species.

Soil structure

Ukraine was already at the time of the Tsars one of the most fertile agricultural areas in Europe. The country is dominated by a very thick layer of fertile soil, the black earth belt ( Tschoronozem ) that starts at the middle Dnieper River in the forest steppe and steppe region in the south continue reached its largest size. Chernozem soils cover 56 percent of the area of Ukraine. Large parts of it are used as arable land.

At the beginning of the century this fertile loess soil was up to three meters thick, today reached the strength of little more than half. This is caused by erosion resulting from excessive stress and false Bepflügung by the former collective farms.

Even today allows this ground big returns. Besides all the cereals and sugar beet grow a variety of vegetables and fruits in the country. Intensive cultivation of the forest-steppe and steppe belt has let the original vegetation of the spring grass steppe almost disappear. Only the area Askania -Nova in the area of Kherson, the latter has not.

The Askania Nova is a nature reserve, where animals such as bison, ostriches and Przewalski's horses have been settled.

The area around Donetsk is characterized by rich coal deposits. Also, here are considerable deposits of manganese and iron ore. These are mined there for several decades, which contributes to a significant contamination of the Donbas.

Underground

South of the Moscow basin extends an area of high position of präkambischen subsoil ( Voronezh Massif ) with iron ore deposits and the famous Kursk geomagnetic anomaly. The Precambrian is here by strongly folded metamorphic rock masses represented by granite massifs that were observed in Pavlovsk on-Don. The Precambrian is unconformably by Devonian, sandy- argillaceous limestones series and superimposed over which follow Jurassic, Cretaceous and early Tertiary deposits. Further south is the Podolic - Azov Massif, extending from the western Ukraine to the Sea of ​​Azov between the Dnieper and Dniester. It consists of archaic granite and gneiss with northwest -southeast strechender folding. Rocks algnokischen age, similar to those composing the Voronezh Massif occur in Krywbass where they contain rich iron ore deposits. These layers are folded just like the Voronezh massif north- south. Between the two massifs is the Dnepr - Donets depression, which closes in the district of Chernigov and the Caspian Sea continues to Mangyshlak Peninsula.

In eastern Ukraine is the Donets Basin. The valley contains in its southern part Donze wrinkle chain consisting of Carboniferous and Permian strata of great thickness (15,000 m); to the north the wrinkles fade smoothly, and to the east they connect the Donets Basin with folds chains of Mangyshlak (Russia). In the western wing of the Valley ( Isjum, Romny ) phenomena of salt tectonics with petroleum deposits are developed. Most of the Carboniferous deposits form layers ( 12,000 m), which consist of shales, sandstones, limestones and Steinkohleflözen. Above them are dolomite, gypsum and salts of performation ( Artjomowsk. All these layers are pressed together in long solid, simple wrinkles that show Südvergenz and are strongly rejected in itself. Fractures keep effusions ultrabasic Eruptiva result. In the Central part of the Donets basin occur mercury and Wismuterze in the field of Nagolny mountains.

Layers of the Jura superimpose diskotdant Permian and Triassic and show dome-shaped bulges. They consist in their lower parts of clays, ferruginous sandstones and limestones. Through a series of holes, the Cartesian jurassic layers and further north Strärungszonen ( Kharkov, Romny ) are open-minded. The deposits of the Upper Cretaceous forming a trough of the second order, which stretches between the Donets wrinkles and the Voronezh Massif. They consist mainly of chalk. The whole valley is covered with the exception of the Donets Basin of Lower Tertiary sands, sandstones and clays.

The Black Sea Valley occupies the entire space between the Podolisch - Assowschen massif and the Donets wrinkles on the one hand and the Crimea and the Caucasus on the other. In the northwest, it merges with the Carpathian border sink of the Dniester and San Basin. The layer sequences are almost horizontal in it. Both sinks are covered by Tertiary deposits, which consist west of the Strait of Kerch in the main of Miocene limestones, clays and mussel beds and mussel beds and Pliocene sands. East of the Strait of Kerch Neogene marine deposits are formed, which are composed of thick shales and include on the northern slopes of the Caucasus oil fields.

Climate

The largest part of Ukraine falls into the warm temperate climate zone, the Crimea has subtropical humid climate. The north and northeast of the country is often subject to the influence of the continental climate, with harsh winters and relatively warm summers. In the steppe region the summers can be hot and dry, in such periods occur dust storms, called Sutschowij on. The mountains of the Crimea and the Carpathians is because area with the highest rainfall.

The temperatures drop to -22 ° C in winter. In summer the temperature is between 17 and 25 ° C

Rainfall is highest in the north and west and take the east and southeast from. The average temperatures in the north of the country be in Kiev on the Dnieper River -7 ° C in January and 20 ° C in July. The precipitation amounts to an annual average of 685 mm, in the Carpathians, they can rise up to 1600 mm. The sometimes very cold winter are less extreme off at the Black Sea coast. The summer temperatures increase to the south and be in the Crimea 23 ° C in July.

The country can be divided into five climate zones. The mountain region around the Carpathians ( in the southwest ), the coast ( in the southwest and south), wetlands ( in the northwest), the temperate zones in the central west ( forest-steppe and steppe areas ) and the desert areas to the east. The Crimean Mountains in the south is different climatic, is not considered as a separate climate zone. The influence by the Black Sea only makes itself felt here, where almost subtropical Mediterranean climate occurs.

River Landscape

From north to south, with a large eastward far ausbuchtenden arc south of the capital, the Dnieper by dividing the country into two almost equal halves. It is the third longest European power ( after the Volga and the Danube ), with a length of 2285 km.

The stream has already served in the past as a waterway and long-distance trade route. In general, Ukrainian language the east of the river lying area are referred to as " left bank ", the western -lying areas as the " right bank ". As of 1932, the stream was straightened and the rapids were equalized. In addition, after the Second World War, some reservoirs created.

A dense tracery of watercourses form the tributaries of the Dnieper Basin. From the west, it is through the Pripyat, in the north Bjaresina fed in the north - east by Desna and Sosch, to the east by the Psel. Excessive heavy industrial use of so-called Dniprobogen is now dried up and muddy. In the south ends of the main stream of the Ukraine into the Black Sea.

The former rapids contributed to the naming of an area in the south. The area was given the name " Behind the thresholds " ( Ukr Zaporižžja, russ Zaporoze ). Today reminded the homonymous city Zaporizhia.

Coasts

Ukraine is situated on two seas, the Black Sea and its tributary the Sea, the Sea of ​​Azov. The coastal areas and climate differ. The length of the coastline is 2782 km. The Black Sea is located in southern Ukraine. It freezes for a short time only on the north shore. The Dnepr connects the sea to the north-western districts of the country. The west and north coast is not high, with the exception of the southern Crimean shore and at the mouths of rivers (Danube, Dniester, Dnieper ) very low

The coast has some special features. So smaller islands off the coast are rare, as there is little bays. The rivers form so-called Limane which resemble lagoon -like lakes. Limane are from the sea flooded Flußunterläufe, which are separated by sandy hooks. Many of these Limane how the Sywasch, have a high concentration of salts, and its mud is used for healing purposes.

In the upper layers of the Black Sea many animals hardly live in the lower layers of the water against it. On the cause of this phenomenon, the science is at odds. However, the salinity of the Azov Sea is the average of 11 ‰, in the southern parts often only 2-4 ‰. The water level of the sea varies little, in the medium at an annual rate of up to 30 cm. The temporary drop in the water level is explained by the occurrence of winds. In winter it freezes 2-4 months to a year.

The eastern Black Sea and the southern Crimean coast are characterized by a significant amount. All along the lowland coast of the Black Sea there is little good bays, so that here the ports are artificially created, the largest of which Odessa and Mykolaiv is the next. On the other hand high coasts are large bays of Sevastopol and Novorossiisk, and open bays are available at Yalta, Feodosiya and Batumi. The fauna of the sea is poor, because the water is contaminated from 200 m depth to hydrogen sulphide and has no organic life. There occur Skumbria ( mackerel), red mullet, gray mullet and plaice.

The shore of the Sea of ​​Azov is mostly flat, in the south but steep. In the shallow part of the sea, the Arabatska Strilka spits, the spits and the Fedotova Kosa Kosa Berdjanska spits are. The Sywasch, also called " Lazy Sea", and the Obytitschna Zatoka form two larger Limane. They are connected by narrow passages to the sea or are separated from sand islands ( spits ) from the Sea of ​​Azov. The Sea of ​​Azov is connected by the Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea. The shallow depth of the Azov Sea is unfavorable for the shipping, and the ships have to make the loading work far from the coast. In winter the sea freezes for 2 1 /2 to 3 months. The Sea of ​​Azov is rich in fish ( mainly with Crimean anchovies and herring ).

Human Geography

In the Ukraine, several small peoples and ethnic groups live. In the near Kuty the Hutsul life.

In Kosiv is a center of kusulischen craft. If you follow the Prut River and crosses the area of the Hutsul you get into the Bukovina. The Prut River flows through the county seat Kolomyja, the historic capital of Pokutien. Furthermore, the area stretches from advancing it along the Cheremosh River. The area Pokutien is divided by the River Prut into a northern and a southern half.

The northern half of Pokutien is characterized by a low mountain range, whose mountainous foothills be used as meadows and fields. The southern part is a high mountain landscape of the eastern Carpathians and is therefore referred to as " Huzulenland " because it is the main settlement area of ​​the Hutsul.

The highest peak of this richly wooded mountains is the Howerla ( 2,061 m). This dome-shaped mountain is sacred to the Hutsul. At the foot of this survey have many rivers have their source ( the Prut, the White Tisza, which flows to the Black Tisza Tisza together and as the largest tributary of the Danube forms ).

Georgraphisch meets this not very large terrain Podolic the plate with their steppes to the Karpartenvorland. Pokutien squeezes as sharp wedge into the mountains into whose edges are formed by the Prut and Cheremosh of.