Our Urals
There are 3170 lakes with total area of 2125sq km on the territory of Chelyabinsk region.
The majority of the lakes are located in the basin of the River Tobol, far fewer of them belong to the Ural River Basin and the Kama one.
Fresh lakes with crystal clean water are widespread in the mountain-forest zone and included in the resort area of federal significance.
The Urals are located in the north-west Russia. They lie between the East European and West Siberian plains. The length of the Ural Mountain range is more than 2000km, in width - from 40 to 150km. The highest point in the Urals is Mount Narodnaya (1895m, it is located in the Polar Urals), in the South
Urals - Mount Yamantau (1640m). The Ural mountains appeared about 600 million years ago.
The Ural mountains (the Uras) were first mentioned in the VII century B.C. in a poem «Arimaspea» written by Aristeas of Proconnesus. The poem was not saved, but Herodotus and other Greek scientists allude to the excerpt from it. Claudius Ptolemaus was the first to depict the Ural mountains on the map in the II century A.D., they were called Imaus Mountains at that time. But their detailed description appeared only in the XII century AD in the works of the Arab geographer al-Idrasi «Entertainment of the exhausted in wandering through the areas». In Russian historical chronicles the Ural Mountains were first mentioned at the end of XI century in «Tale of Bygone Years» (Russian Primary Chronicle).
The exact location of the southern part of the mountains was studied only in the second half of XVI century, after the conquest of the Khanate of Kazan in 1552. Precisely the name of «the Ural Mountains» appeared in the XVIII century - so they were named by the Russian geographer and historian Vasily Tatishchev. In translation from the Tatar language «Ural» means «stone belt». Prior to that the mountains were called Hyperborean and Riphean.
The highest mountain in Chelyabinsk region is of 1406m height and located on the territory of National Park «Zyuratkul».It is the top of Nurgush ridge.
At present the main problem of conservation of mountain ecosystems of the South Urals is depredation of forests, since most timber extraction is carried out exactly here. At the same time the mountainous part of the region is already the most to be protected, it is just the very area where National Parks Zyuratkul and Taganay, Ilmensky Zapovednik(Nature Reserve), Arshinsky, Ashinsky, Serpievsky and Nyazepetrovky reserves are situated.
At the Urals there are a lot of turbulent full-of-rapids rivers and streams originating from glaciers and lakes. In the mountainous area of the Urals there are 3327 lakes with total area of 98sq.km. On the plains near the mountains there are another 3227 lakes. Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye is the deepest lake in the Urals. Its depth is of up to 136m, its bath holds 0,78cubic km of water. The water in the rivers is very clear and transparent. Usually you can see the bottom at a depth of 5-6meters. However, after rain the water-level in the rivers rises greatly and the water grows turbid.
Oil, natural gas, shale oil, peat are extracted at the Urals. Coal is mined in the region, too.
The Urals is distinguished for abundant variety of non-ferrous metals resources. These are copper, zinc and nickel ores.
We hope you benefit from time spent with us!
