Description of the presentation Natural zones and physical-geographical zoning of Foreign Asia on slides

Geographical zones and zones In foreign Asia, natural zones are represented: - Equatorial - Subequatorial - Tropical - Subtropical - Temperate zones. The latitudinal orientation of the zones is retained only in the continental sector of the temperate zone (in Central Asia). In the oceanic sectors and in the subequatorial belt, there are violations of latitudinal zonality associated with the peculiarities of atmospheric circulation and the structure of the relief, creating a distinctly pronounced "barrier relief": it is especially pronounced in Asia Minor, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in northeast China, on the Hindustan peninsulas and Indochina. LOOK AT THE MAP!!!:

The equatorial belt occupies almost the entire Malay Archipelago, the south of the Philippine Islands, the Malay Peninsula and the southwest of Sri Lanka. Constantly high temperatures, plentiful and uniform humidification (more than 3000 mm), constantly high humidity (80-85%). The radiation balance is lower than in the tropics - 60 -65 kcal / cm 2 per year, which is associated with large clouds. The zone of equatorial forests (giley) dominates. Floristically, these are the richest forests on the globe (over 45 thousand species). The species composition of tree species reaches 5 thousand (in Europe there are only 200 species). The forests are multi-tiered, lianas and epiphytes are abundantly represented. There are about 300 species of palms: palmyra, sugar palm, areca, sago, cariota, rattan palm-liana. There are numerous tree ferns, bamboos, and pandanuses. On the coast there are mangroves from avicenia, rhizophora, nipa palms. Zonal soils are leached and podzolized laterites. Mountains are characterized by vertical belts. A typical hylaea at altitudes of 1000-1200 m is replaced by a mountain hylaea, less high, but more humid and dense. Above - deciduous formations. On the summits, low-growing shrubs alternate with patches of meadow vegetation. The animal world is rich and varied. Preserved: an orangutan, as well as gibbon monkeys, macaques. Of the predators - the tiger, leopard, sun bear, wild elephant. There were tapirs, tupai, woolly wings, from reptiles - flying dragons, lizards, a giant Komodor lizard (3-4 m). Of the snakes - pythons (reticulated up to 8 -10 m), vipers, tree snakes. Gavial crocodile in the rivers. Hylaean forests have been preserved on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Hevea, spices, tea, mango, breadfruit are grown on the cleared lands.

The subequatorial belt covers the Hindustan Peninsula, Indo-China, and the north of the Philippine Islands. The radiation balance is from 65 to 80 kcal/cm2 per year. Differences in moisture have led to the formation of several natural zones here: subequatorial forests, seasonally humid monsoon forests, scrub woodlands and savannahs. The zone of subequatorial forests - along the western coasts of Hindustan, Indochina, the northern extremities of the Philippine archipelago and the lower reaches of the Ganges-Brahmaputra, where more than 2000 mm of precipitation falls. Forests are distinguished by a variety of species composition, they are multi-tiered, difficult to pass. Dipterocarpus, streculia, albicia, ficuses, palm trees, bamboos are typical for them. Most have soft woods. Trees provide valuable by-products: tannins, resin, rosin, rubber. Zonal soils are red-yellow ferralitic with low fertility. Plantations of tea, coffee tree, rubber, spices, bananas, mangoes, citrus fruits. The zone of seasonally wet monsoon forests is confined to the eastern outskirts of Hindustan and Indochina, where precipitation is not more than 1000 mm. Deciduous-evergreen forests are multi-tiered, shady in them there are many lianas and epiphytes. Valuable breeds grow: teak, sal, sandalwood, dalbergia. The monsoon forests have been severely damaged by deforestation. With a decrease in precipitation to 800-600 mm, monsoon forests give way to a zone of scrub woodlands and savannahs, the largest areas of which are confined to the Deccan Plateau and the inner parts of the Indochina Peninsula. Woody vegetation gives way to formations of tall grasses: bearded vulture, alang-alang, and wild sugarcane. Savannah turns green in summer and yellow in winter. Solitary palm trees, banyans and acacias diversify the landscape. The soils are dominated by red-colored varieties: red, red-brown, red-brown soils. They are poor in humus and subject to erosion, but are widely used in agriculture. Stable yields only with irrigation. Rice, cotton, and millet crops are cultivated. The animal world was rich, now it is heavily exterminated: rhinos, bulls (gayal), antelopes, deer, hyenas, red wolves, jackals, leopards. There are many monkeys and semi-monkeys (loris) in the forests. Peacocks, wild chickens, parrots, thrushes, pheasants, starlings.

The tropical zone occupies the southern part of Arabia, the south of the Iranian Highlands, the Thar Desert. The radiation balance is 70 -75 kcal/cm2 per year. During the year, trade wind circulation, high temperatures, large diurnal fluctuations. Precipitation less than 100 mm with an evaporability of 3,000 mm. Under such conditions, zones of deserts and semi-deserts are formed. Large spaces are occupied by loose sands and barren rocky deserts (hammads). Vegetation consists of ephemera, hard shrubs and grasses (wormwood, astragalus, aloe, spurge, ephedra). There is an edible lichen "manna from heaven" (edible linacora). The date palm grows in the oases. The soil cover is poorly developed; it is absent in large areas. In mountainous regions, dragon trees, gum acacias, frankincense trees (myrrh, boswellia) grow on windward slopes. juniper. The fauna is diverse: wolf, jackal, fennec fox, striped hyena, among ungulates - sand gazelle, mountain goat. Rodents - carcass kanchiki, gerbils. Birds - eagles, vultures, kites

The subtropical belt stretches from Asia Minor to the Japanese islands. The radiation balance is 55-70 kcal/cm2 per year. It is characterized by sector landscapes. In the largest continental sector, zones of deserts, semi-deserts and steppes are distinguished. In the west, in the Mediterranean climate, a zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests and shrubs is developed, in the Pacific sector - a zone of monsoon mixed forests. Natural zonality is complicated by vertical zonality. Continental sector Deserts, semi-deserts Steppes Mediterranean sector Evergreen forests and shrubs Pacific sector Monsoonal evergreen mixed forests

1. The zone of evergreen hardwood forests and shrubs on the territory of Asia extends in a narrow strip along the Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor and Arabia. The climate here is more continental than in Europe, the annual temperature ranges are greater, and there is less precipitation. The vegetation has pronounced xerophytic features. Almost no forests survived, they were replaced by shrub formations. Maquis predominates, which is depleted in terms of species in comparison with the European one. The dominant feature in it is the kermes shrub oak. In the Levant, it is mixed with carob, Palestinian pistachio, and in Asia Minor - red juniper, myrtle, heather, wild olive. On arid coastal slopes, maquis gives way to frigana and shibleak, as well as deciduous shrubs - derzhydereva, wild rose, euonymus, jasmine. Brown soils are replaced by chestnut soils. Altitudinal zonality: Shrub formations rise to the mountains up to 600-800 m, coniferous-deciduous forests (black pine, Cilician fir, cypress, oak, maple) grow higher. From 2000 m, xerophytic vegetation predominates, often having a cushion shape (spurge, Cretan barberry, sticky rose). 2. In the continental sector of the subtropical zone, which occupies the Near Asian highlands, the zone of deserts and semi-deserts prevails. The hollow structure of the uplands is the reason that natural zones have the shape of concentric circles. Deserts are located in the central part of the uplands. They are framed by semi-deserts, then by mountain steppes and shrubby sparse forests. The largest areas of deserts and semi-deserts are in the Iranian Highlands. More than 30% of its territory is covered by solonchaks devoid of vegetation; a significant place is occupied by rocky and sandy deserts. Zonal soils are desert serozems and burozems. The animal world is quite diverse. From ungulates - white-browed goat, mouflon, wild ass onager (kulan), from predators - caracal, striped hyena. Rodents - ground squirrels, jerboas, marmots.

The steppe zone is confined to the foothill areas, in which sagebrush and feather grass formations alternate. In spring, ephemera and some grasses develop, burning out by summer. On the slopes of the mountains, the steppes give way to shrub sparse forests. The Asiatic highlands are home to the phryganoid formation of upland xerophytes—thorny, cushion-shaped semi-shrubs less than 1 m high. The most typical species are acantolimon, astragalus, and juniper. The Tibetan Plateau, due to its enormous relative heights (more than 4000 m), is characterized by the vegetation of alpine steppes, semi-deserts and deserts. 3. The zone of monsoon evergreen mixed forests is typical of the Pacific sector of the subtropical belt. It covers the southern regions of East China and the Japanese Islands. Natural vegetation has given way to plantations of tea, citrus, cotton, and rice. Forests receded into gorges, steep cliffs, mountains. The forest stand is dominated by laurels, myrtle, camellia, podocarpus, cunningamia. The best preserved forest areas in Japan. Dominated by evergreen species of oak, camphor laurel, Japanese pine, cypress, cryptomeria, arborvitae. Bamboo, gardenias, magnolias, azaleas in the rich undergrowth. Krasnozems and zheltozems predominate (from 5 to 10% of humus). But fertility is low, because the soils are poor in calcium, magnesium, and nitrogen. The animal world is preserved only in the mountains. Among rare animals are lemurs (fat loris), a small predator Asian civet, and among ungulates - tapir. The avifauna is rich: pheasants, one species of parrots, geese, ducks, cranes, herons, pelicans.

The temperate zone is limited in area, partly occupies Central Asia, East and Northeast China, and the island of Hokkaido. The radiation balance is 30-55 kcal/cm2 per year. The climatic conditions in the continental and oceanic sectors are different. Contrasts in moistening are especially great: more than 1000 mm of precipitation falls on the coast, while inland their amount is reduced to 100 mm. Accordingly, landscape features are diverse. Taiga zones, mixed and broad-leaved forests are characteristic of the oceanic sector; inland is occupied by zones of deserts, semi-deserts, steppes and forest-steppes. Inland sector Deserts, semi-deserts Steppes, forest-steppes Oceanic sector Taiga Mixed and deciduous forests

OCEANIC SECTOR 1. The taiga zone is found in Northeast China, where Dahurian larch and Scotch pine dominate. The massifs of coniferous forests are more extensive on the island of Hokkaido. Hokkaido spruce and Sakhalin fir dominate here, Ayan spruce, Japanese pine, Far Eastern yew, bamboos and grasses in the undergrowth. The soils are podzolic, peat-bog in the lowlands. 2. Zone of mixed forests, mainly in Northeast China. There was no glaciation here in the Quaternary, so representatives of the Arcto-Tertiary flora found refuge here. Mixed forests abound with endemics and relics. This is the so-called Manchurian flora, very rich in terms of species. The forests include Korean cedar, white fir, Olginskaya larch, Ayan spruce, Mongolian oak, Manchurian walnut, green and bearded maple. In the undergrowth, Amur lilac, Ussuri buckthorn, Manchurian currant, black chokeberry, aralia, rhododendrons. From vines: Amur grapes, whether monnik, hops. The soils are dominated by dark colored to varying degrees podzolized forest burozems and gray soils. The zone of deciduous forests adjoins mixed forests from the south. The forests are mostly cut down, the remaining massifs consist of maple, linden, elm, ash, and walnut. The best preserved forests in Japan are dominated by beech and oak, maple (up to 20 species), Manchurian ash, a local type of walnut, as well as chestnuts, lindens, cherries, birches, and magnolias are widely represented. The zonal soil type is forest burozems.

Inland sector 1. The prairie zone stands out on the plains of Northeast China. Unlike North American prairies, Asian prairies receive less rainfall (500 -600 mm). However, the presence of permafrost spots that thaw in summer additionally moisten the soil. Formations of tall grass prairie develop, often interspersed with oak woodlands. Currently, the natural vegetation is completely destroyed. Fertile meadow chernozem-like soils (up to 9% humus) are plowed up and sown under crops of millet (kaoliang), legumes, corn, rice, vegetables, and watermelons. 2. In the continental sector of the temperate zone, features of aridity are pronounced: the interior parts of Central Asia are especially arid, where desert and semi-desert zones dominate. Large areas are devoid of life and represent an ideal desert. Where there is vegetation, it is sparse and is represented by psammophytes (sand-loving) and halophytes (salt-loving). These are various types of saltwort, wormwood, shrubs of tamarix, juzgun, ephedra, saxaul. Serozems are developed in deserts, and burozems (less than 1% of humus) are developed in semi-deserts. Ungulates and rodents. Among the ungulates there are two-humped camels, wild asses, antelopes (gazelle, goitered gazelle, Przhevalsky), in the mountains - goats and rams. Of the rodents - ground squirrels, jerboas, voles. 3. The steppe zone occupies the basins of the western Dzungaria, the northern parts of Mongolia (up to 41 -42 ° N) and the foothills of the Greater Khingan. Precipitation up to 250 mm. Short-grass dry steppes predominate, in which there is no continuous vegetation cover - low-growing feather grasses, vostrets, slender-legged, caragans, sagebrush. The soils are chestnut; subdivided into dark and light chestnut. With artificial irrigation, dark chestnut trees give high yields of wheat, beans, corn, and kaoliang. Light chestnut forests are not used for agriculture, they are developed for pasture cattle breeding.

Physical-geographical zoning Physical-geographical regions of Foreign Asia Regions: 1. SW Asia 2. Western Asian highlands 3. South Asia 4. SE Asia 5. Central Asia 6. East Asia

Regions or physical-geographical countries: South-West Asia Western Asian Highlands South Asia SE Asia Central Asia East Asia Asia Minor Highlands, Armenian Highlands, Iranian Highlands. Asian Mediterranean (Levant), Mesopotamia, Arabian Peninsula, Northeast China and the Korean Peninsula, Central China, South China, Japanese Islands. The Himalayas, the Indo-Gangetic lowland, the Hindustan Peninsula, the island of Ceylon, Indochina, the Malay Archipelago, the Philippine Islands of Northern Mongolia, the plains and plateaus of Southern Mongolia and Northern China, the mountains and basins of Northwestern China, the Hindu Kush and Karakoram, the Kunlun-Altyntaga-Nanshan systems, Tibetan Plateau

D/W: Prepare a presentation on the plan Central Asia: Central Kazakhstan, the Turan lowland and the Balkhash region, the mountains of the southeast and east of Central Asia

The physiographic countries basically correspond to the main morphostructural regions. They have territorial integrity, isolation, have an independent history of the development of the relief, hydro-network, organic world, and are characterized by a specific landscape structure. 1. Central Asia - high plains, highest mountains and highlands on heterogeneous structures dominated by dry steppe, semi-desert and desert landscapes; 2. East Asia - with a strongly dissected relief, alternation of medium-high and low mountains, vast alluvial lowlands, with dissected sea coasts and chains of islands along them, monsoon climate (from temperate to tropical), forest landscapes; 3. SW Asia - arid plains and plateaus with tropical rocky and sandy deserts, dry trade wind climate, sparse vegetation;

4. The Asiatic highlands are closed dry highlands, vast empty basins and solonchaks, drainless depressions, with a continental subtropical climate, dry steppes, light forests and shrubs. 5. South Asia 6. SE Asia The regions closest in terms of landscape, with a warm seasonally humid climate of the equatorial monsoons and the dominance of various tropical forest landscapes. Fenced by the Himalayas from the north, it is characterized by higher temperatures, greater contrasts in moisture and therefore a richer range of landscapes - from evergreen rainforests to tropical deserts. Predominantly mountainous relief, higher and more uniform moisture, especially on the islands, absolute dominance of forest landscapes - from giles to dry deciduous monsoon forests and light forests.

Central Asia - a sharp continental climate and the uniformity of landscapes, associated with an extreme degree of aridity; The region is remote from the oceans, isolated by powerful mountain systems, elevated (from 1000-1200 m in Central Asia itself to 4000-5000 m in Tibet). After the collapse of the USSR, the territory of the Central Asian republics and Kazakhstan is considered as part of the Central Asian subcontinent. Thus, Central Asia includes the following physical and geographical countries: Central Kazakhstan, the plains of the Turan Plate and the Balkhash region, the mountains and basins of Northwestern China and Central Asia, the plains and plateaus of Southern Mongolia and Northern China, Northern Mongolia, Pamir - Hindu Kush - Karakoram , Kunlun - Altyntag - Nanshan, Tibetan Plateau. In the north, the subcontinent borders on Western Siberia and the mountains of Southern Siberia, in the east on Eastern, in the south - on South Asia, in the west - on the Southern Urals and Mugodzhary, the Caspian Sea, then in the southwest - on the Iranian Highlands. A region is a system of basins bounded by more or less high mountains and hills.

The main natural features of Central Asia: - "Lattic-honeycomb" structure of the surface. Almost the entire region is a system of basins bounded by more or less high mountains and uplands. The central parts of the basins are hard boulders of different geological age, mountain uplifts are formed by neotectonic movements within mobile belts of different ages. On this basis, all the physical and geographical countries of the subcontinent are similar, except for Central Kazakhstan. - Large amplitudes of heights. They are associated with the activity of neotectonic movements (the Turfan depression lies at an altitude of 154 m below sea level, the Chogori mountain in the Karakorum has an absolute height of 8611 m). There is evidence that over the past 10 thousand years, the Kunlun, Nanshan and other mountains have risen by 1300-1500 m. - Aridity of the climate, due to the inland position and the hollow relief. Many features of different components of nature are connected with this. — Erosive dismemberment of mountain slopes occurred only in pluvial epochs; glaciation did not develop because there was not enough water; ancient leveling surfaces have been preserved; modern denudation is slow, mainly due to the processes of weathering, scree and the work of temporary streams; clastic material is not carried away far from the slopes where it was formed (“mountains are drowning in their own debris”); groundwater is usually deep, often mineralized; the rivers are shallow, sometimes they do not flow anywhere; lakes are mostly salty, often with unstable outlines, and in some cases “wander” from one shallow basin to another; deserts, semi-deserts and dry steppes dominate on brown, gray-brown and in places chestnut soils; solonchaks and solonetzes are widespread; plants and animals have adaptations to live in arid conditions. - Disorganized runoff (according to V. M. Sinitsyn): areas of internal runoff and endorheic ones predominate. This is due to both the aridity of the climate and the hollow structure of the territory. - The highest degree of continental climate: annual temperature amplitudes can reach 90 ° C, low winter temperatures are especially characteristic. The features of continentality are most clearly manifested in numerous large and small basins, so characteristic of the relief of the region. — Central Asia has long been a little-studied region. Mountain barriers, harsh climatic conditions, remoteness from European countries prevented the penetration of scientific expeditions into the Central Asian territory. The political isolation of many parts of the region also played a role. Only in the 19th century the first expeditions took place, overcoming natural obstacles and the resistance of the Mongolian, Tibetan and Chinese authorities, scientists from many countries explored and mapped this territory. The pluvial period is a stage of intensive climate humidification due to an increase in the amount of liquid precipitation.

The relief of Central Asia is distinguished by high altitudes, and 2 main tiers of relief are clearly distinguished. The lower tier is formed by the Gobi, Alashan, Ordos, Dzhungar and Tarim plains, the prevailing heights of which are 500-1500 m. The upper tier is the Tibetan Plateau, within which the average heights increase to 4-4.5 thousand m. other linearly elongated mountain systems of the Eastern Tien Shan, Kunlun, Nanshan, Mongolian Altai, Karakoram, Gandishishan, etc., which have a predominantly latitudinal and sublatitudinal strike. The highest peaks of the Tien Shan, Karakorum, Kunlun reach 6-7 thousand meters; The highest point of Central Asia is Chogori, in the Karakoram (8611 m). Chogori, Karakorum

Climate Modern climatic conditions are characterized by large temperature amplitudes. Summers are hot (at average monthly temperatures of 22-24°C, the air can warm up to 45°C, and the soil - up to 70°C). Winters with frosts, little snow. The daily temperature fluctuations are great, especially in transitional seasons, when they can reach 2-3 tens of degrees. In winter, the Asian anticyclone is located over Central Asia, and in summer - an area of ​​low atmospheric pressure with a predominance of air masses of oceanic origin depleted in moisture. The climate is sharply continental, dry, with significant seasonal and daily temperature fluctuations. Average temperatures in January on the plains are from -10 to -25 °C, in July from 20 to 25 °C (on the Tibetan Plateau about 10 °C). The annual amount of precipitation on the plains usually does not exceed 200 mm, and such areas as the Takla Makan, Gashun Gobi, Tsaidam, and Changtang plateaus receive less than 50 mm, which is ten times less evaporation. The greatest amount of precipitation falls in summer. In the mountain ranges, precipitation is 300-500 mm, and in the south-east. , where the influence of the summer monsoon is felt, up to 1000 mm per year. Central Asia is characterized by strong winds and an abundance of sunny days (240-270 per year). A reflection of the dryness of the climate is the significant height of the snow line, reaching 5-5.5 thousand meters in Kunlun and Nanshan, and 6-7 thousand meters in the Tibetan Plateau, in Changtang (its highest position on the globe). Therefore, despite the enormous height of the mountains, there is little snow in them, and intermountain valleys and plains are usually snowless in winter. The scale of modern glaciation is insignificant (the area of ​​glaciation in Central Asia is estimated at 50-60 thousand km 2). The main centers of glaciation are located in the highest mountain junctions of the Karakoram, Kunlun, as well as the Eastern Tien Shan and the Mongolian Altai. Cirque, hanging and small valley glaciers predominate.

Surface water Due to the dryness of the climate, Central Asia is characterized by low watering. Most of the territory belongs to the area of ​​internal runoff, forming a number of closed basins (Tarim, Dzhungar, Tsaidam, the Great Lakes Basin, etc.). The main rivers - Tarim, Khotan, Aksu, Konchedarya, Urungu, Manas, Kobdo, Dzabkhan - originate in high peripheral mountain ranges, and upon reaching the plains, a significant part of their flow seeps into loose deposits of foothill plumes, evaporates and is spent on irrigating fields; therefore, downstream, the water content of rivers usually decreases, many of them dry up or carry water only during the summer flood, mainly due to the melting of snow and ice in the mountains of Central Asia deserts of Takla-Makan) are practically devoid of surface streams. Their surface is covered with dry channels, in which water appears only after episodic downpours. Only the outskirts of Central Asia have flow into the oceans, in the mountains of which the large rivers of Asia originate: the Huang He, the Yangtze, the Mekong, the Salween, the Brahmaputra, the Indus, the Irtysh, the Selenga, and the Amur. There are many lakes in Central Asia, the largest of them is Lake Kukunor, and the deepest is Khubsugul. The largest number of lakes is in the Tibetan Plateau and in the north of the Mongolian People's Republic. Many of them are the final floods of rivers (for example, Lop Nor), due to which their outlines and sizes often change depending on fluctuations in the flow of rivers. Salt lakes predominate; of the fresh waters, the largest are Khara-Us-Nur, Bagrashköl, Khubsugul. Many lakes on the plains are in the process of shrinking.

The Tarim River The place of the mouth of the river is also not determined: in different years it flows in different directions. Most of the rivers flowing down from the mountains into the basins are lost in the sands, dismantled for irrigation, or sometimes fill salt lakes with water. Tarim wanders around the basin, breaks up into arms, changes direction, leaving oases with settlements without water, which have to be abandoned because of this.

Soils. The predominant types of soils in the north are chestnut, in the deserts of Northwestern China - gray-brown, desert, in the Tibetan Plateau - frozen soils of cold high-mountainous deserts. In depressions of the relief there are solonchaks and takyrs. In the upper belt of mountains there are mountain-meadow and (in the north) mountain-forest soils. The soils of the plains of Central Asia are usually thin, almost devoid of humus, and often contain large amounts of carbonates and gypsum; significant areas of sandy and rocky deserts are generally devoid of soil cover. In the mountains - gravel and coarse skeletal soils.

Some areas of sandy and gravelly deserts are completely devoid of vegetation, in other places they are typical desert communities with wormwood, saltwort, ephedra, camel thorn, tamarisk, sometimes with saxaul on the sands. Only in the marginal mountains at altitudes of 1800-3000 m do forests of pine, Tien Shan spruce, elm, and aspen appear. Poplar, desert elm, and willows grow along dry riverbeds. There are meadows in mountain valleys and on the slopes of high mountains. Takla Makan - a sandbox in a bowl between mountains

East Asia The most extensive region of overseas Asia, located between the Amur Valley and the coast of South China, including the adjacent islands of the Pacific Ocean. The position in the eastern oceanic sector of Asia, with its characteristic monsoonal circulation and abundant moisture in the summer season, determined the dominance of forest landscapes (from the southern taiga to constantly humid tropical forests). In the leeward position, in the north, where the monsoon circulation weakens somewhat, forest-steppes and meadow steppes appear. In contrast to the monsoonal climate of South and Southeast Asia, cyclonic activity at the polar front plays a significant role here, so the intra-annual humidification in East Asia is more uniform. The fauna and flora of the region that has not experienced glaciation are characterized by high species diversity and endemism. A characteristic feature of nature is the indistinct zonality of landscapes associated with the predominance of mountainous relief with its inherent vertical zonality.

The Asia Minor Highlands form a continuous belt from the Mediterranean coast to Tibet and include the Asia Minor, Armenian and Iranian highlands. They are characterized by a combination of marginal folded structures of the Cenozoic age with more ancient median massifs, a large role of neotectonic movements in the formation of the modern relief. Typical Mediterranean landscapes are similar to European ones, and as you move to the east, the influence of purely Asian features increases - continental climate, lack of drainage, landscapes acquire dry steppe and desert features.

Infrared satellite image of the Great Salt Desert (Dashte-Kevir), Iran. Deshte-Kevir (Great Salt Desert), Iran.

Central Asia is a vast region without access to the ocean. All sources include countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Many include here Mongolia, part of China, Punjab, Kashmir and the north. A specific feature of the Central Asian region is its inland position with mountains along the outskirts protecting it along the perimeter.

Central Asia includes desert and semi-desert plains, highlands and plateaus. Limited:

• in the East, the southern part of the Greater Khingan and the Taihanshan ridge,
• in the South - a longitudinal tectonic depression of the upper Indus and Brahmaputra (Tsangpo),
• in the West and North, the border of Central Asia corresponds to the mountain ranges of East Kazakhstan, Altai, Western and Eastern Sayan.

The area of ​​Central Asia, according to various estimates, is from 5 to 6 million square kilometers. The population of Central Asia is made up of Mongolian peoples, Chinese, Uighurs, Tibetans, and others. The relief of Central Asia is distinguished by significant elevations, and there are two main tiers. On the lower tier (500-1500 m above sea level ) Gobi desert, Alashan, Ordos, Dzungarian and Tarim plains are located . The upper tier is the Tibetan Plateau, the average heights on which increase to 4-4.5 thousand meters . And the highest points of the Tien Shan, Karakorum, Kunlun mountains reach 6-7 thousand meters.

Central Asia is populated unevenly. Mainly river valleys and intermountain gorges, where there is water, are mastered by people. In the north, regions with a favorable climate have a large area, and there the area of ​​inhabited land is larger (Kazakh virgin lands). But in general, within the region, large areas do not have a permanent population at all. The reason for this is the lack of water.

Scientists believe that the Scythians created the first nomadic state in this region. Although who these Scythians were is still arguing. According to scientists, the Scythian tribes lived in a state of fragmentation. They created a state called the Xiongnu (209 BC - 93 AD), which was the first empire of the nomadic peoples of the world.

Central Asia. Climate

In winter, anticyclones prevail in Central Asia, and in summer, low atmospheric pressure with a predominance of dry air masses that came from the ocean, but lost moisture along such a long path. The climate is sharply continental, dry, temperature fluctuations are significant both during the season and during the day. The average January temperatures on the plains are -10 to -25 °С, in July from 20 to 25 °С). The annual amount of precipitation on the plains in some places is sometimes less than evaporation. The greatest amount of precipitation falls in summer. There is more precipitation in the mountain ranges than in the plains. Central Asia is characterized by strong winds and sunny days (240-270 per year).

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Vegetation

Most of the plains of Central Asia have a sparse vegetation cover, desert and semi-desert vegetation, its species composition is poor. Shrubs predominate. Significant areas of takyrs, solonchaks, loose sands are completely or almost devoid of vegetation.

In the Tibetan Highlands, vegetation is often represented by creeping teresken shrubs, and in hollows that are sheltered from cold winds - by sedges, cobresia, reamuria, bluegrass, and fescue.

In the North, semi-deserts and deserts turn into steppes. On the northern slopes of the mountains there are areas of coniferous forests of spruce, fir, larch. Along the valleys of many transit rivers (Tarim, Khotan, Aksu, Konchedarya), in deserts and in foothill oases, there are strips of tugai forests with a predominance of various-leaved poplar, sucker and sea buckthorn. Along the banks of the reservoirs there are reed and reed thickets.

Animal world. The most common of the large animals of Central Asia are ungulates, i.e. horses, camels, rams, etc. There are also many rodents. In the deserts of Northwestern China and Mongolia, there are onager, Przewalski's horse, gazelles, hare, marmots, jerboas, pikas, gerbils, mole voles, etc. In the Tibetan Highlands - wild yak, onager, orongo and hell antelopes, mountain goats and rams, pikas , marmots, voles, etc. Of the predators, the wolf, fox, corsac, etc. are ubiquitous.

The large size of the mainland, varied climate, complex orography determine the richness of natural areas. On its territory there are natural zones of 5 geographical zones: temperate, subtropical, tropical, subequatorial and equatorial.

The temperate zone is limited in area, partly occupies Central Asia, East and Northeast China, the island of Hokkaido. The radiation balance is 30-55 kcal/cm2 per year. Climatic conditions in the continental and oceanic sectors are different. The contrasts in moistening are especially great: more than 1000 mm of precipitation falls on the coast, while inland their amount is reduced to 100 mm. Accordingly, landscape features are diverse. Taiga zones, mixed and broad-leaved forests are characteristic of the oceanic sector; inland is occupied by zones of deserts, semi-deserts, steppes and forest-steppes.

The taiga zone is found in Northeast China, where Dahurian larch and Scots pine dominate. Larger areas of coniferous forests on the island of Hokkaido. Here, Hokkaido and Sakhalin fir are predominant, they are mixed with Ayan spruce, Japanese pine, Far Eastern yew, in the undergrowth of bamboo, grass. The soils are podzolic, peat-bog in the lowlands.

The zone of mixed forests is mainly in the territory of Northeast China. There was no glaciation in the Quaternary period, so representatives of the arcto-tertiary flora found refuge here. Mixed forests abound with endemics and relics. This is the so-called Manchurian flora, very rich in terms of species. The forests include Korean cedar, white fir, Olginskaya larch, Ayan spruce, Mongolian oak, Manchurian walnut, green and bearded maple. In the undergrowth, Amur lilac, Ussuri buckthorn, Manchurian currant, black chokeberry, aralia, rhododendrons. From vines: Amur grapes, lemongrass, hops. The soils are dominated by dark-colored, to varying degrees, podzolized forest burozems and gray soils.

The zone of deciduous forests adjoins mixed forests from the south. The forests are mostly cut down, the remaining arrays consist of maple, linden, elm, ash, walnut. The best preserved forests in Japan are dominated by beech and oak, maple (up to 20 species), Manchurian ash, a local type of walnut, as well as chestnuts, lindens, cherries, birches, and magnolias are widely represented. The zonal soil type is forest burozems.

The prairie zone stands out on the plains of Northeast China. Unlike North American prairies, Asian prairies receive less rainfall (500-600 mm). However, the presence of permafrost spots that thaw in summer additionally moisten the soil. Formations of tall grass prairie develop, often interspersed with oak woodlands. Currently, the natural vegetation is completely destroyed. Fertile meadow chernozem-like soils (up to 9% of humus) are plowed up and occupied by crops of millet (kaoliang), legumes, corn, rice, vegetables, and watermelons.

In the continental sector of the temperate zone, features of aridity are pronounced: the interior parts of Central Asia are especially arid, dominated by desert and semi-desert zones. Large areas are devoid of life and represent an ideal desert. Where there is vegetation, it is sparse and is represented by psammophytes (sand-loving) and halophytes (salt-loving). These are various types of saltwort, wormwood, shrubs of tamarix, juzgun, ephedra, saxaul. Serozems are developed in deserts, and burozems (less than 1% of humus) are developed in semi-deserts.

Ungulates and rodents. Among the ungulates - Bactrian camel, kulan, antelope (gazelle, goitered, Przhevalsky), in the mountains - goats and rams. From rodents - ground squirrels, jerboas, voles.

The steppe zone occupies the basins of the western Dzungaria, the northern parts of Mongolia (up to 41-42°N) and the foothills of the Greater Khingan. Precipitation up to 250 mm. Short-grass dry steppes predominate, in which there is no continuous vegetation cover - undersized feather grasses, vostrets, thin-legged, caragans, wormwood. The soils are chestnut; subdivided into dark and light chestnut. With artificial irrigation, dark chestnut trees give high yields of wheat, beans, corn, and kaoliang. Light chestnut forests are not used for agriculture, they are developed for pasture cattle breeding.

The subtropical belt stretches from Asia Minor to the Japanese islands. The radiation balance is 55-70 kcal/cm2 per year. It is characterized by sector landscapes. In the largest continental sector, zones of deserts, semi-deserts and steppes are distinguished. In the west, in the Mediterranean climate, a zone of evergreen hardwood forests and shrubs is developed, in the Pacific sector - a zone of monsoon mixed forests. Natural zonality is complicated by vertical zonality.

The zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests and shrubs in Asia extends in a narrow strip along the Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor and Arabia. The climate here is more continental than in Europe, the annual temperature ranges are greater, and there is less precipitation. The vegetation has pronounced xerophytic features. Almost no forests survived, they were replaced by shrub formations. Maquis predominates, which is depleted in terms of species in comparison with the European one. The dominant feature in it is the kermes shrub oak. In the Levant, it is mixed with carob, Palestinian pistachio, and in Asia Minor - red juniper, myrtle, heather, wild olive. On arid coastal slopes, maquis gives way to frigana and shibleak, as well as deciduous shrubs - derzhidereva, wild rose, euonymus, jasmine. Brown soils are replaced by chestnut ones.

Shrub formations rise to the mountains up to 600-800 m, coniferous-deciduous forests grow higher (black pine, Cilician fir, cypress, oak, maple). From 2000 m, xerophytic vegetation predominates, often having a pillow-like shape (spurge, Cretan barberry, sticky rose).

In the continental sector of the subtropical zone, which occupies the Near Asian highlands, the zone of deserts and semi-deserts prevails. The hollow structure of the uplands is the reason that natural zones have the shape of concentric circles. Deserts are located in the central part of the uplands. They are framed by semi-deserts, then by mountain steppes and shrubby sparse forests.

The largest areas of deserts and semi-deserts are in the Iranian Highlands. More than 30% of its territory is covered by solonchaks, devoid of vegetation, a significant place is occupied by rocky and sandy deserts. Zonal soils are desert serozems and burozems.

The animal world is quite diverse. From ungulates - bezoar goat, mouflon, wild ass onager, from predators - caracal, striped hyena. Rodents - ground squirrels, jerboas, marmots.

The steppe zone is confined to the foothill areas, in which wormwood and feather grass formations alternate. In spring, ephemera and some grasses develop, burning out by summer. On the slopes of the mountains, the steppes are replaced by shrubby woodlands. The Near Asian highlands are the birthplace of the phryganoid formation of upland xerophytes - prickly cushion-shaped semi-shrubs less than 1 m high. The most typical species are acantolimon, astragalus, and juniper.

The Tibetan Plateau, due to the huge relative heights (more than 4000 m), is characterized by the vegetation of alpine steppes, semi-deserts and deserts.

The zone of monsoon evergreen mixed forests is typical of the Pacific sector of the subtropical belt. It covers the southern regions of East China and the Japanese islands. Natural vegetation has given way to plantations of tea, citrus, cotton, and rice. Forests receded into gorges, steep cliffs, mountains. The forest stand is dominated by laurels, myrtle, camellia, podocarpus, cunningamia. The best preserved forest areas in Japan. Dominated by evergreen species of oak, camphor laurel, Japanese pine, cypress, cryptomeria, arborvitae. Bamboo, gardenias, magnolias, azaleas in the rich undergrowth.

Krasnozems and zheltozems predominate (from 5 to 10% of humus). But fertility is low, because the soils are poor in calcium, magnesium, and nitrogen.

The animal world is preserved only in the mountains. Among the rare animals are lemurs (fat loris), a small predator Asian civet, among ungulates - tapir. The avifauna is rich: pheasants, one species of parrots, geese, ducks, cranes, herons, pelicans.

The tropical zone occupies the southern part of Arabia, the south of the Iranian Highlands, the Thar Desert. The radiation balance is 70-75 kcal/cm2 per year. Trade wind circulation, high temperatures, large diurnal fluctuations throughout the year. Precipitation less than 100 mm with volatility 3000 mm. Under such conditions, zones of deserts and semi-deserts are formed. Large spaces are occupied by loose sands and barren rocky deserts (hammads). Vegetation consists of ephemera, hard shrubs and grasses (wormwood, astragalus, aloe, euphorbia, ephedra). There is an edible lichen "manna from heaven" (edible linacora). The date palm grows in the oases. The soil cover is poorly developed, it is absent in large areas.

In mountainous regions, dragon trees, gum acacias, frankincense trees (myrrh, boswellia) grow on windward slopes. juniper.

The fauna is diverse: wolf, jackal, fennec fox, striped hyena, among ungulates - sand gazelle, mountain goat. Rodents - jerboas, gerbils. Birds - eagles, vultures, kites.

The subequatorial belt covers the Hindustan Peninsula, Indochina, and the north of the Philippine Islands. The radiation balance is from 65 to 80 kcal/cm2 per year. Differences in moisture have led to the formation of several natural zones here: subequatorial forests, seasonally humid monsoon forests, scrub woodlands and savannahs.

The zone of subequatorial forests - along the western coasts of Hindustan, Indochina, the northern extremities of the Philippine archipelago and the lower reaches of the Ganges-Brahmaputra, where more than 2000 mm of precipitation falls. Forests are distinguished by a variety of species composition, multi-tiered, difficult to pass. Dipterocarpus, streculia, albicia, ficuses, palm trees, bamboos are typical for them. Most are softwood. Trees provide valuable by-products: tannins, resin, rosin, rubber.

Zonal soils are red-yellow ferralitic with low fertility. Plantations of tea, coffee tree, rubber, spices, bananas, mangoes, citrus fruits.

The zone of seasonally wet monsoon forests is confined to the eastern outskirts of Hindustan and Indochina, where precipitation is not more than 1000 mm. Deciduous-evergreen forests are multi-tiered, shady in them there are many lianas and epiphytes. Valuable breeds grow: teak, sal, sandalwood, dalbergia. The monsoon forests have been severely damaged by deforestation.

With a decrease in precipitation to 800-600 mm, monsoon forests are replaced by a zone of shrubby woodlands and savannahs, the largest areas of which are confined to the Deccan Plateau and the inner parts of the Indochina Peninsula. Woody vegetation gives way to formations of tall grasses: bearded man, alang-alang, wild sugarcane. In the summer the savannah turns green, in the winter it turns yellow. Solitary palm trees, banyans and acacias diversify the landscape.

The soils are dominated by red-colored varieties: red, red-brown, red-brown soils. They are poor in humus, subject to erosion, but are widely used in agriculture. Stable yields only with irrigation. Rice, cotton, and millet crops are cultivated.

The animal world was rich, now it is heavily exterminated: rhinos, bulls (gayal), antelopes, deer, hyenas, red wolves, jackals, leopards. There are many monkeys and semi-monkeys (loris) in the forests. Peacocks, wild chickens, parrots, thrushes, pheasants, starlings.

The equatorial belt occupies almost the entire Malay Archipelago, the south of the Philippine Islands, the Malay Peninsula and the southwest of Sri Lanka. Constantly high temperatures, abundant and uniform moisture (more than 3000 mm), constantly high humidity (80-85%). The radiation balance is lower than in the tropics - 60-65 kcal/cm2 per year, which is associated with high cloudiness.

The zone of equatorial forests (giley) dominates. Floristically, these are the richest forests on the globe (over 45 thousand species). The species composition of tree species reaches 5 thousand (in Europe there are only 200 species). The forests are multi-tiered, lianas and epiphytes are abundantly represented. There are about 300 species of palms: palmyra, sugar palm, areca, sago, cariota, rattan palm-liana. There are numerous tree ferns, bamboos, and pandanuses. On the coast there are mangroves from avicenia, rhizophora, nipa palms. Zonal soils are leached and podzolized laterites. Mountains are characterized by vertical belts. A typical hylaea at altitudes of 1000-1200 m is replaced by a mountain hylaea, less high, but more humid and dense. Above - deciduous formations. On the tops, low-growing shrubs alternate with patches of meadow vegetation.

The animal world is rich and varied. Preserved: an orangutan, as well as gibbon monkeys, macaques. From predators - a tiger, a leopard, a solar bear, a wild elephant. There were tapirs, tupai, woolly wings, from reptiles - flying dragons, lizards, a giant Komodo monitor lizard (3-4 m). Of the snakes - pythons (reticulated up to 8-10 m), vipers, tree snakes. Gavial crocodile in the rivers.

Hylaean forests have been preserved on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Hevea, spices, tea, mango, breadfruit are grown on the cleared lands.

Coniferous forests.

Distributed in the territory of Northern Mongolia: in Khangai, in the northern part of the Mongolian Altai, in the Amur region, Japan. There is no solid zone here. Spruce and fir are common. In the eastern part of the zone, cryptomeria and thuja are added to these species. In the Amur region - Dahurian larch. In Hokkaido - Hokkaido spruce, Ayan spruce, Sakhalin fir, Japanese pine, Far Eastern yew. Evergreen grasses and shrubs, including bamboo, are often found in the undergrowth here.

Article: Russian taiga.

Mixed forests.

Distributed in the Amur region, Manchuria. The Manchurian flora includes a lot of relict species of arco-tertiary flora. Here, in the intermountain basins, to which the glacier did not reach, specific shelters for plants were formed. The Manchurian flora is more thermophilic than modern. Now more cold-resistant species are mixed in with it, the undergrowth is mostly relict. In the first tier of these forests, representatives of modern Japanese and Chinese flora: Korean cedar, blond fir, whole-leaved, Algin larch, Ayan spruce, Mongolian oak, Manchurian walnut, Amur linden, Manchurian, green-skinned maples, bearded, ash-tree. In the undergrowth - Amur lilac, Ussuri buckthorn, Manchurian currant, chokeberry, rhododendron, Amur aralia, grapes, hops, lemongrass.

Article: Mixed forests of the Russian Plain.

Broad-leaved forests.

They are found in northeastern China (almost destroyed), Japan (here they are better preserved). Oaks and beeches, a lot of maple (about 20 species), Manchurian ash, walnut, chestnuts, lindens, cherries, birches, and magnolias are common in these forests. Before the onset of active anthropogenic impact, the local Chinese flora numbered 260 genera of trees, since this is a very ancient land area.

Steppes and forest-steppes.

To date, this plant formation has almost not been preserved. In Mongolia and China, the steppes are plowed up. Of the plants, feather grasses, serpentines, vostrets, thin-legged, karagan semi-shrub (a relative of acacia), and wormwood are characteristic. Currently, wheat, corn, kaoliang, beans, sesame are cultivated here. In China, under conditions of irrigated agriculture, rice, vegetables, watermelons, and melons are grown.

Semi-deserts and deserts.

Mongolia, China. The species composition is poor. There are saxaul, tamarisk, ostrogal, ephedra, caragana, dzhusgun.

Article: Deserts of the temperate zone.

Article: Semi-deserts.

Subtropics. Evergreen monsoon forests.

They are found in eastern China south of the Yangtze, on the southern islands of Japan. There are: oaks, evergreen camellia (the ancestor of tea), camphor tree, myrtle, cryptomeria (coniferous), podocarpus shrub. In the undergrowth are evergreens: bamboo, azalea, pride, magnolia.

Hyrcanian forests.

The Hyrcanian region is located between the northern slopes of Elburz and the Caspian Sea. Lush subtropical forests are common here, consisting mainly of broad-leaved deciduous species. In the undergrowth there is an admixture of evergreens. In appearance, these forests resemble those of Colchis. At present, a significant part of the territory is covered with gardens of pomegranates, walnuts, pistachios.

Evergreen hard-leaved forests and shrubs.

Distributed on the coast of Asia Minor, in the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Israel). It is found only on the windward slopes of mountains. There is a maquis, which is poorer than the European one. Kermes and shrub oak, Palestinian pistachio, and carob dominate. In addition, there are juniper, myrtle, heather, wild olive. In more arid regions - frigana and shilyak. Dominated by dwarf tree, wild rose, buckthorn, euonymus, jasmine.

Altitudinal zonation.

Mediterranean vegetation up to 600-800 m. Coniferous-broad-leaved forests in the lower part with chestnut, maple, cypress, deciduous oak, in the upper part with Killikian fir and black pine up to 2000 m. Above - a belt of xerophytic vegetation, often cushion-shaped: sticky rose, euphorbia , Cretan barberry.

Subtropical steppes.

They are found in central Turkey (Anatolian plateau). Wormwood, feather grass predominate among plants, ephimers bloom in spring - bulbous and tuberous. From herbs - alpine bluegrass.

Phryganoid formations of upland xerophytes.

Their homeland is the Near Asian highlands. Basically, they contain thorny subshrubs of a cushion shape and a height of not more than 1 m: acantolimon, ostrogal, juniper.

Semi-deserts and deserts.

They occupy the inner basins of the Iranian Highlands - Deshte Lut, Deshte Kevir. Their main feature is the dominance of saltworts (halophytes). Almost every basin in the soil contains its own set of salts and, as a result, specific plant species grow.

Tibetan flora.

By genesis, it is closer to the Himalayan and Chinese floras. Basically, I grow cushion-shaped semi-shrubs here - for example, kargan, from herbs - hard Tibetan sedge.

Equatorial-tropical belt. Moist equatorial forests.

The moisture coefficient here is more than 2. The dry season is no more than 2 months. Distributed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Western Ghats, southern Vietnam, at the mouth of the Mekong, Thailand. Moist equatorial (tropical) forests are the oldest plant formation on land.

Their main features:

• 1. Multi-tiered (at least 5 tiers). Trees of the first tier reach a height of 50-60 m. In the Malay Archipelago, for example, there are about 2000 species of such trees, incl. in Java - 500.
• 2. A huge variety of species. A polydominant forest structure is typical. Up to 40 trees of the 1st tier are found on 1 ha of tropical forest.
• 3. Trees have straight trunks, usually more than 2 m in diameter, the crowns are small. They increase when the plant reaches its tier. Tall trees have disc-shaped roots-supports (buttresses). The leaf blades of the trees are mostly large, the color is dark green. This vegetation is evergreen.
• 4. A large number of vines and epiphytes. Creepers are both herbs and trees. For example, a rattan palm reaches a length of 300 m.

II tier - palm, there are about 300 species: sago, sugar, areca, palmyra, caryota, etc.

III tier tree-like ferns, their height is usually up to 5 m or more, wild bananas, pandanuses, bamboos.

In the lower tiers, the insectivorous plant Rafflesia is found.

Deciduous tropical forests (monsoon or mixed).

Along with evergreens, there are deciduous plants (mainly in the upper tier). Plants: enga, teak tree, sal tree (family diptocarp), satin tree, red and white sandalwood, etc. This is a part of Hindustan and Indochina with a seven-humid type of climate.

Shrub woodlands and savannahs.

Deccan Plateau, small areas in the south of Indochina. This is a tropical savannah. The herbaceous cover is dominated by tall grasses, mainly from cereals, with a height of 1.5 m or more. Cereals: bearded man, alang-alang, wild sugarcane. Trees: banyan or Indian fig tree or forest tree, palm trees (palmyra), umbrella acacia.

This is the territory of Arabia and Tara. Business card - date palm, found in oases (Arabs have this tree of life). Outside the oases grow ephedra, ostrogal, camel thorn. On saline soils saltwort, edible lichen manna from heaven. In the river valleys there are thickets of tamarisk, Euphrates poplar.

• (according to E.M. Zubashchenko)
• 2. Mineral resources of foreign Asia

The main pools of coal, iron and manganese ores, and non-metallic minerals are concentrated within the Chinese and Hindustan platforms. Within the Alpine-Himalayan and Pacific fold belts, ores predominate, including a copper belt along the Pacific coast. But the main wealth of the region, which also determines its role in the international geographical division of labor, is oil and gas. Oil and gas reserves have been explored in most countries of Southwest Asia (Mesopotamian trough of the earth's crust). The main deposits are located in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, large oil and gas fields have been explored in the countries of the Malay Archipelago. Indonesia and Malaysia stand out especially in terms of reserves. The countries of Central Asia are also rich in oil and gas (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan).

The largest salt reserves are in the Dead Sea. There are large reserves of sulfur and non-ferrous metals in the Iranian Highlands. In general, Asia is one of the main regions of the world in terms of mineral reserves.

Animal world

The fauna of Foreign Asia is exceptionally diverse. The most ancient and richest faunal region, the Indomalayan region, is entirely located on the territory. To the north of it are the Central Himalayan and Himalayan-Chinese subregions of the Palearctic region. In the south of the Arabian Peninsula, the Ethiopian fauna penetrates into Foreign Asia, and on the islands of the Sunda Archipelago, the Indomalayan fauna is gradually replaced by the Australian one.

Thus, in general, the Indomalayan fauna is typical for the territory under consideration, the most characteristic representatives of which are: among mammals - black-backed tapir, Indian elephant, three species of rhinos, bull Guyal, tiger, tupai, woolly wings, loris, tarsier, gibbon and orangutan; among the birds - peacocks, various pheasants, hornbeaks; reptiles - king cobra, reticulated python, gharial, flying dragon (a small lizard gliding between trees with the help of lateral skin folds).

In the Indomalayan (South and Southeast Asia), Ethiopian (southern Arabia) and Australian (Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands) zoogeographic regions, many species that have existed since the Tertiary time have been preserved. In Southwestern and Central Asia, belonging to the Palearctic region, the fauna is depleted due to Quaternary glaciations and recent vertical uplifts.

The flora and fauna of the seas, bays and coves of Asia is very rich. Schooling fish are numerous here: sardines, mackerels, bonito, various herrings; mollusks, echinoderms, crustaceans are abundant; variety of edible algae. Especially rich in fish is the coastal strip of the Gulf of Thailand from the mouth of the Mekong to Singapore, as well as the Mekran coast of the Arabian Sea, where the migration routes of many fish species pass.

The Sea of ​​Japan occupies a special place in terms of the richness of biological resources. Here, in the area where cold and warm currents meet, intense mixing and aeration of water takes place, and plankton, the basis of fish wealth, develops in large numbers. Up to 15 tons of fish per 1 sq. km are caught here annually. km. The Sea of ​​Japan is also famous for its lush "underwater meadows" - thickets of macrophyte algae, of which there are over 250 species. Algae, especially brown algae, are of great importance as livestock feed. The "productivity" of underwater meadows is more than 16 Uga, while in the best water meadows of Japan it does not exceed 4 t/ha. In addition, algae flour is an excellent fertilizer.

In the coastal waters of the warm seas, the extraction of pearls and mother-of-pearl is widespread. But recently, a very serious obstacle to the development of fisheries, especially in Japan and Turkey, has been the pollution of coastal areas of the seas with sewage.

Vegetation

Contrast is also characteristic of the wildlife components of Foreign Asia, which is natural for a territory with a very complex relief and a peculiar zonal structure. In contrast to the plains of the west and north of Eurasia with well-defined latitudinal zones stretching without significant disturbance from west to east almost across the entire continent, in the territory of Asia Abroad, the latitudinal zones are strongly disturbed by the manifestation of altitudinal zonality and due to the peculiarities of atmospheric circulation. This, in particular, affected the area of ​​Tibet and the Himalayan mountains, where the latitudinal zones are strongly narrowed and interrupted in places. In the east, under the influence of the winter monsoon, the zones are shifted to the south. If in the west of Eurasia the northern boundary of the subtropical belt runs along 40 ° N. sh., then in the east it is located almost 10 ° south.

On the other hand, in contrast to the radiation conditions, which change from south to north, atmospheric humidification in Foreign Asia changes in the direction from southeast to northwest. This circumstance is associated with the large differences observed here from place to place in the nature of the vegetation cover and the entire landscape complex of the territory.

The zonal structure of the landscapes of Foreign Asia is extraordinarily complicated by the mountainous relief. Mountains not only violate the general picture of latitudinal zoning, but also cause a greater fragmentation of the zonal structure, since each large mountain structure, depending on its position, height and structure, forms its own special system of altitudinal belts, often completely different even on the slopes of the same mountains.

Foreign Asia is located within two floristic kingdoms: Holarctic and Paleotropical. Of the nine regions of the vast Holarctic kingdom in Foreign Asia, the East Asian, Iranian-Turanian and eastern parts of the Sahara-Arabian region are located. The Paleotropical kingdom is represented in the south of Foreign Asia by four regions: eastern edge.

The vast territory of Foreign Asia is occupied by the most diverse variants of both tropical and extratropical vegetation, and both latitudinal zonality and altitudinal zonality are clearly manifested in the distribution of vegetation. Thus, when moving from north to south in Foreign Asia, a whole range of zones can be traced: broad-leaved forests, subtropical evergreen forests and shrubs, meadow, typical and desert steppes, temperate, subtropical and tropical deserts, tropical dry forests, woodlands and savannahs, variable-humid deciduous and evergreen tropical forests. In mountainous areas, climbing the slopes, one can find mountain coniferous-broad-leaved and broad-leaved forests, mountain steppes, cold alpine deserts, alpine and subalpine meadows and shrubs.

There is a very great difference between the types of landscapes in the eastern wet and western dry parts of Asia. In the east, both within the tropics and to the north, outside them, forest landscapes dominate. The East Asian flora is exceptionally rich and diverse, comprising at least 20,000 species. Flora is quite original. It has many endemics, represented not only by many species and genera, but also by a number of endemic families.

It is difficult to enumerate all the plant communities in this area, but it is possible to name the most typical types of forests for specific natural zones. In the north of Manchuria, where the southern tip of the taiga is wedged, coniferous forests with a predominance of Daurian larch, as well as mixed forests, which, along with Korean cedar, fir, and spruce, contain many deciduous species, grow on sod-podzolic soils.

A broader zone is formed by broad-leaved forests of the Manchurian and North Chinese formations, occupying the space between the Amur and Yangtze valleys. In these forests, among many tree species, oaks are especially richly represented, and to the south - pines. There are also subtropical elements, especially frequent in the undergrowth.

The landscapes of the valley of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze are of a pronounced transitional character, preserving both broad-leaved deciduous (mainly oak species) and evergreen deciduous species of the lower tier and undergrowth growing under the protection of tall trees in the composition of forests.

The real subtropics lie south of the Yangtze, occupy the southeast of China. Like temperate forests, the East Asian subtropics are very different from the subtropics of the western parts of the continent. In conditions of dry winters, the vegetation of the East Asian subtropics does not vegetate all year round. Green tones, although characteristic of the winter landscapes of most of these forests, are not as bright and juicy as in typical humid subtropics located to the south. Plots of evergreen subtropical forests and wheat fields that turn green in winter alternate with brown tones of dried grasses on the hillsides and bare groves of summer green rocks. In evergreen forests, consisting of species of castanopsis, laurel, camphor, subtropical deciduous species are often found.

Within the Yunnan Highlands, where the terrain becomes much higher and more rugged, the altitudinal zonality of subtropical landscapes is clearly expressed. In the lower mountain belts with sufficient moisture, evergreen broad-leaved and coniferous-deciduous forests of a complex floristic composition dominate. The higher and dry slopes are covered with coniferous forests, which at the tops of individual mountain ranges, constantly shrouded in clouds, are replaced by landscapes of evergreen "mossy" forests, and even higher, on the tops of the highest mountains, by subalpine meadows. Here, the vertical change of the soil cover is also pronounced. The lower belts of the mountains are occupied by red soils, higher, under pine and deciduous forests, mountain yellow soils are widespread, which at an altitude of about 2600 m are replaced by brown forest soils. Even higher, under fir forests, mountain soddy-podzolic soils are developed, and in the belt of alpine meadows - mountain meadow soils.

The tropical zone, which in eastern Asia begins at about 22 ° N. sh., is distinguished by even greater diversity and richness of vegetation.

The monsoon tropics are characterized by landscapes of deciduous forests with the participation of lard, teak, ironwood, distributed mainly on the Hindustan Peninsula, in Burma, or even more dry deciduous forests with the participation of sandalwood, acacias, typical of the Deccan Plateau, the lowlands of the Ganges, plains in the lower flow of the Mekong. In places with relatively little moisture for tropical conditions and the longest dry period, xerophilic evergreen forests and thorny shrubs dominate, as well as savannahs, partly secondary, that arose on the site of reduced forests.

In Tropical Asia, the landscapes of humid-tropical evergreen forests, occupying the islands of the Malay Archipelago, the Malay Peninsula, and some abundantly humid territories of Indochina and Hindustan, stand out in particular.

These forests amaze with their power and diversity of species composition. The tallest trees in them are rasamals, forming a magnificent spherical crown. In places there are evergreen trees of the endemic dipterocarp family, preserved in Southeast Asia from the Tertiary period. A remarkable feature of these forests is their polydominance, when it is difficult to single out one or more dominant species, as can be done in oak or beech forests. In the humid tropical forest of Southeast Asia, trees of different species are mixed quite evenly, so that it is difficult to find two identical trees on one hectare of forest.

In general, Foreign Asia is not rich in forest resources. In terms of forest area per capita (0.3 ha per person), it is far behind the world average (1.2 ha per person). The provision of forests is especially low in India (0.2), Pakistan, Lebanon, Singapore (0.002 ha per person).

Forests of industrial importance are concentrated mainly in the humid tropics and in the mountains of India, Burma, Indochina, Northeast China and Northern Mongolia, in the DPRK, on ​​the Japanese and Philippine Islands. At the same time, the reserves of soft sawn and pulpwood of coniferous species are less than 1/5 of the total reserves and are concentrated in the northern regions.

Humid tropical forests have large reserves of soft wood of broad-leaved species. However, logging in them is carried out on a small scale. The reason for this is the poor knowledge of the properties of wood from humid tropical forests, as well as the difficulty in exploiting and transporting the forest, which makes the cost of wood prohibitively expensive. Therefore, humid tropical forests, where wood reserves reach the maximum values ​​for the globe - 100 - 150 cubic meters. m/ha, should be considered as an important reserve of wood raw materials.

There are significantly more hardwood reserves, which are concentrated mainly in the deciduous forests of the temperate zone and monsoon forests of the tropics and subtropics.

In Foreign Asia, the southeast has the largest forest resources, which occupies a leading position in the world export of hardwood. Here, large areas of forest land are combined with their accessibility. However, this fact threatens the very existence of monsoon forests, the area of ​​​​which is declining at a catastrophic rate. Great damage to forests is also caused by the fact that in the tropics of Asia a lot of wood is used as fuel. In a number of countries, up to 90% of the total procurement volume is used for this purpose.

In addition to wood, the forests of Foreign Asia provide such valuable products as tannins, resin, rosin, rubber, gutta-percha, medicinal plants, yellow wax, shellac, alcohol, and many trees produce edible fruits. Of great importance are bamboos and palms, the scope of which is truly endless. Bamboo is an extremely important raw material for the pulp and paper industry.

Random logging, grazing in the forest, clearing forest land for arable land have greatly depleted the forest resources of Foreign Asia, and for their restoration it is necessary to develop and implement long-term forestry and forestry programs.

In contrast to East, Central and Southwest Asia is a kingdom of dry steppes, semi-deserts and deserts with a rather uniform vegetation cover. In this vast area, forest landscapes can be found only on better moistened mountain slopes and along river banks. On the plains, herbaceous and shrubby communities dominate.

For the Central Asian deserts, communities of xerophytes are typical - various types of saltwort, wormwood, ephedra. A special group here is formed by vegetation on sandy substrates, represented by tamariks, dzhuzgun, kharmyk, and saxaul.

The landscapes of the Near Asian dry uplands are diverse. The steppe landscapes of the outlying mountains on the plains turn into semi-deserts with subtropical plant communities characteristic of Western Asia. The most arid foothills of the ridges of the Iranian Highlands are covered with thickets of prickly astragalus, and some parts of them are completely devoid of vegetation. The lower parts of the intermountain depressions are occupied by takyrs, solonchaks and perennial salt marshes, along the edges of which various saltworts grow.

Saltwort and wormwood communities also predominate in the hot deserts of Mesopotamia and Northern Arabia; in places on the gray soils of the Mesopotamian El Jazeera they are replaced by communities with a large participation of ephemers, and on the sands of Central Arabia - saxaul forests. In the south of Arabia, large areas are occupied by rocky and sandy deserts with extremely sparse vegetation.

Figure 1 - Natural areas of Foreign Asia

The large size of the mainland, varied climate, complex orography determine the richness of natural areas. On its territory there are natural zones of 5 geographical zones: temperate, subtropical, tropical, subequatorial and equatorial.

The temperate zone is limited in area, partly occupies Central Asia, East and Northeast China, the island of Hokkaido. The radiation balance is 30-55 kcal/cm2 per year. Climatic conditions in the continental and oceanic sectors are different. The contrasts in moistening are especially great: more than 1000 mm of precipitation falls on the coast, while inland their amount is reduced to 100 mm. Accordingly, landscape features are diverse. Taiga zones, mixed and broad-leaved forests are characteristic of the oceanic sector; inland is occupied by zones of deserts, semi-deserts, steppes and forest-steppes.

The taiga zone is found in Northeast China, dominated by Dahurian larch and common pine. Larger areas of coniferous forests on the island of Hokkaido. Here prevail Hokkaido spruce and Sakhalin fir, they are mixed Ayan spruce, Japanese pine, Far Eastern yew, in the undergrowth of bamboo, grass. The soils are podzolic, peat-bog in the lowlands.

The zone of mixed forests is mainly in the territory of Northeast China. There was no glaciation in the Quaternary period, so representatives of the arcto-tertiary flora found refuge here. Mixed forests abound with endemics and relics. This is the so-called Manchurian flora, very rich in terms of species. Within the forests Korean cedar, white fir, Olginskaya larch, Ayan spruce, Mongolian oak, Manchurian walnut, green maple and bearded. in the undergrowth Amur lilac, Ussuri buckthorn, Manchurian currant, chokeberry, aralia, rhododendrons. From vines: a Mursky grapes, lemongrass, hop. The soils are dominated by dark-colored, to varying degrees, podzolized forest burozems and gray soils.

The zone of deciduous forests adjoins mixed forests from the south. The forests are mostly cut down, the remaining arrays consist of maple, linden, elm, ash, walnut. The best preserved forests in Japan are dominated by beech and oak, maple (up to 20 species), Manchurian ash, a local type of walnut, as well as chestnuts, lindens, cherries, birches, and magnolias are widely represented. The zonal soil type is forest burozems.

The prairie zone stands out on the plains of Northeast China. Unlike North American prairies, Asian prairies receive less rainfall (500-600 mm). However, the presence of permafrost spots that thaw in summer additionally moisten the soil. Formations of tall grass prairie develop, often interspersed with oak woodlands. Currently, the natural vegetation is completely destroyed. Fertile meadow chernozem-like soils (up to 9% of humus) are plowed up and occupied by crops of millet (kaoliang), legumes, corn, rice, vegetables, and watermelons.

In the continental sector of the temperate zone, features of aridity are pronounced: the interior parts of Central Asia are especially arid, dominated by desert and semi-desert zones. Large areas are devoid of life and represent an ideal desert. Where there is vegetation, it is sparse and is represented by psammophytes (sand-loving) and halophytes (salt-loving). These are various types of saltwort, wormwood, shrubs tamarix, juzgun, ephedra, saxaul. Serozems are developed in deserts, and burozems (less than 1% of humus) are developed in semi-deserts.

Ungulates and rodents. Among ungulates - Bactrian camel, kulan, antelope ( gazelle, gazelle, Przhevalsky), in the mountains - goats and rams. From rodents - ground squirrels, jerboas, voles.

The steppe zone occupies the basins of the western Dzungaria, the northern parts of Mongolia (up to 41-42°N) and the foothills of the Greater Khingan. Precipitation up to 250 mm. Short-grass dry steppes predominate, in which there is no continuous vegetation cover - undersized feather grasses, vostrets, thin-legged, caragans, wormwood. The soils are chestnut; subdivided into dark and light chestnut. With artificial irrigation, dark chestnut trees give high yields of wheat, beans, corn, and kaoliang. Light chestnut forests are not used for agriculture, they are developed for pasture cattle breeding.

The subtropical belt stretches from Asia Minor to the Japanese islands. The radiation balance is 55-70 kcal/cm2 per year. It is characterized by sector landscapes. In the largest continental sector, zones of deserts, semi-deserts and steppes are distinguished. In the west, in the Mediterranean climate, a zone of evergreen hardwood forests and shrubs is developed, in the Pacific sector - a zone of monsoon mixed forests. Natural zonality is complicated by vertical zonality.

The zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests and shrubs in Asia extends in a narrow strip along the Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor and Arabia. The climate here is more continental than in Europe, the annual temperature ranges are greater, and there is less precipitation. The vegetation has pronounced xerophytic features. Almost no forests survived, they were replaced by shrub formations. Maquis predominates, which is depleted in terms of species in comparison with the European one. Its dominant is shrub oak kermes. In the Levant, carob is mixed with it, Palestinian pistachio, and in Asia Minor - juniper red, myrtle, heather, wild olive. On arid coastal slopes, maquis gives way to frigana and shibleak, as well as deciduous shrubs - derzhidereva, wild rose, euonymus, jasmine. Brown soils are replaced by chestnut ones.

Shrub formations rise to the mountains up to 600-800 m, coniferous-deciduous forests grow higher ( black pine, Cilician fir. cypress, oak, maple). From 2000 m, xerophytic vegetation prevails, often having a pillow-like shape (spurge, barberry cretan, sticky rose).

In the continental sector of the subtropical zone, which occupies the Near Asian highlands, the zone of deserts and semi-deserts prevails. The hollow structure of the uplands is the reason that natural zones have the shape of concentric circles. Deserts are located in the central part of the uplands. They are framed by semi-deserts, then by mountain steppes and shrubby sparse forests.

The largest areas of deserts and semi-deserts are in the Iranian Highlands. More than 30% of its territory is covered by solonchaks, devoid of vegetation, a significant place is occupied by rocky and sandy deserts. Zonal soils are desert serozems and burozems.

The animal world is quite diverse. From ungulates - bezoar goat, mouflon, onager wild ass, from predators - caracal, striped hyena. Rodents - ground squirrels, jerboas, marmots.

The steppe zone is confined to the foothill areas, in which wormwood and feather grass formations alternate. In spring, ephemera and some grasses develop, burning out by summer. On the slopes of the mountains, the steppes are replaced by shrubby woodlands. The Near Asian highlands are the birthplace of the phryganoid formation of upland xerophytes - prickly cushion-shaped semi-shrubs less than 1 m high. The most typical species are acantolimon, astragalus, and juniper.

The Tibetan Plateau, due to the huge relative heights (more than 4000 m), is characterized by the vegetation of alpine steppes, semi-deserts and deserts.

The zone of monsoon evergreen mixed forests is typical of the Pacific sector of the subtropical belt. It covers the southern regions of East China and the Japanese islands. Natural vegetation has given way to plantations of tea, citrus, cotton, and rice. Forests receded into gorges, steep cliffs, mountains. The forest stand is dominated by laurels, myrtles, camellias, podocarpus, cunningamia. The best preserved forest areas in Japan. Dominated by evergreen species of oak, camphor laurel, Japanese pine, cypress, cryptomeria, arborvitae. Bamboo, gardenias, magnolias, azaleas in the rich undergrowth.

Krasnozems and zheltozems predominate (from 5 to 10% of humus). But fertility is low, because the soils are poor in calcium, magnesium, and nitrogen.

The animal world is preserved only in the mountains. Among rare animals - lemurs (fat loris), a small predator asian civet, from ungulates - tapir. The avifauna is rich: pheasants, one species of parrots, geese, ducks, cranes, herons, pelicans.

The tropical zone occupies the southern part of Arabia, the south of the Iranian Highlands, the Thar Desert. The radiation balance is 70-75 kcal/cm2 per year. Trade wind circulation, high temperatures, large diurnal fluctuations throughout the year. Precipitation less than 100 mm with volatility 3000 mm. Under such conditions, zones of deserts and semi-deserts are formed. Large spaces are occupied by loose sands and barren rocky deserts (hammads). Vegetation consists of ephemera, hard shrubs and grasses (wormwood, astragalus, aloe, euphorbia, ephedra). Meets edible lichen "manna from heaven""(edible linacora). Date palm grows in oases. The soil cover is poorly developed, it is absent in large areas.

In mountainous areas on windward slopes grow dragon trees, gum acacias, palm trees ( myrrh, boswellia). juniper.

The fauna is diverse: wolf, jackal, fennec fox, striped hyena, from ungulates - sand gazelle, Mountain goat. Rodents - jerboas, gerbils. Birds - eagles, vultures, kites.

The subequatorial belt covers the Hindustan Peninsula, Indochina, and the north of the Philippine Islands. The radiation balance is from 65 to 80 kcal/cm2 per year. Differences in moisture have led to the formation of several natural zones here: subequatorial forests, seasonally humid monsoon forests, scrub woodlands and savannahs.

The zone of subequatorial forests - along the western coasts of Hindustan, Indochina, the northern extremities of the Philippine archipelago and the lower reaches of the Ganges-Brahmaputra, where more than 2000 mm of precipitation falls. Forests are distinguished by a variety of species composition, multi-tiered, difficult to pass. They are typical dipterocarpus, streculia, albizia, ficus, palm trees, bamboos. Most are softwood. Trees provide valuable by-products: tannins, resin, rosin, rubber.

Zonal soils are red-yellow ferralitic with low fertility. Plantations of tea, coffee tree, rubber, spices, bananas, mangoes, citrus fruits.

The zone of seasonally wet monsoon forests is confined to the eastern outskirts of Hindustan and Indochina, where precipitation is not more than 1000 mm. Deciduous-evergreen forests are multi-tiered, shady in them there are many lianas and epiphytes. Valuable breeds are growing: teak, sal, sandalwood, dalbergia. The monsoon forests have been severely damaged by deforestation.

With a decrease in precipitation to 800-600 mm, monsoon forests are replaced by a zone of shrubby woodlands and savannahs, the largest areas of which are confined to the Deccan Plateau and the inner parts of the Indochina Peninsula. Woody vegetation gives way to formations of tall grasses: alang-alangu, wild sugar cane. In the summer the savannah turns green, in the winter it turns yellow. single palm trees, banyans and acacias diversify the landscape.

The soils are dominated by red-colored varieties: red, red-brown, red-brown soils. They are poor in humus, subject to erosion, but are widely used in agriculture. Stable yields only with irrigation. Rice, cotton, and millet crops are cultivated.

The animal world was rich, now it is severely exterminated: rhinos, bulls (gayal), antelopes, deer, hyenas, red wolves, jackals, leopards. There are many monkeys and semi-monkeys (loris) in the forests. Peacocks, wild chickens, parrots, thrushes, pheasants, starlings.

The equatorial belt occupies almost the entire Malay Archipelago, the south of the Philippine Islands, the Malay Peninsula and the southwest of Sri Lanka. Constantly high temperatures, abundant and uniform moisture (more than 3000 mm), constantly high humidity (80-85%). The radiation balance is lower than in the tropics - 60-65 kcal / cm 2 per year, which is associated with high cloudiness.

The zone of equatorial forests (giley) dominates. Floristically, these are the richest forests on the globe (over 45 thousand species). The species composition of tree species reaches 5 thousand (in Europe there are only 200 species). The forests are multi-tiered, lianas and epiphytes are abundantly represented. Palms about 300 species: palmyra, sugar palm, areca, sago, caryota, rattan palm liana. There are numerous tree ferns, bamboos, and pandanuses. On the coast of the mangrove avicenia, rhizophora, nipa palms. Zonal soils are leached and podzolized laterites. Mountains are characterized by vertical belts. A typical hylaea at altitudes of 1000-1200 m is replaced by a mountain hylaea, less high, but more humid and dense. Above - deciduous formations. On the tops, low-growing shrubs alternate with patches of meadow vegetation.

The animal world is rich and varied. Preserved: an orangutan, as well as gibbon monkeys, macaques. From predators - a tiger, a leopard, sun bear, wild elephant. The tapirs are left tupai, woolly wings, from reptiles - flying dragons, lizards, giant komodo dragon(3-4 m). Of the snakes - pythons (reticulated up to 8-10 m), vipers, tree snakes. Crocodile in the rivers gavial.

Hylaean forests have been preserved on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Hevea, spices, tea, mango, breadfruit are grown on the cleared lands.