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Wild Russia - Russische Natur, Nationalparks, Landschaften und Tiere |
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BETWEEN EUROPE AND ASIA: THE CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS.
The Caucasus are the highest mountains of Russia with five peaks above
5000 m above the level of the sea. The most famous among them are the
old volcanoes Elbrus (5642 м) and Kazbek (5033 м), and
also high wall “Bezengi” (4900-5200 м) in the
Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. Carved by glaciers rocky monuments,
with stone teeth, circuses and ridges are most characteristic landscape
of the Caucasian highlands. Ice, water and wind worked hard to carve
stone and create gothic panorama of rocky amphitheaters. The rocky
circuses are the place of complete silence, purest icy water and the
bright fields of alpine flowers. This is a country of stony goats or
Caucasian turs, the snowcocks and alpine choughs. In comparison with
the Alps, the highlands of the Caucasus look far more wild and uninhabited,
and no one car road cross the main wall of the mountains in north-south
direction. The western Caucasus, including Teberdinskii State Nature
Reserve, National Park ‘Prielbrusie’ and Kabardino-Balkarskii
State Nature Reserve are included in the list of World Heritage Sites. |
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THE DEEPEST LAKE OF THE WORLD: BAIKAL
The Baikal is a puzzle, given by a nature to a humanity. “The most ancient”, the deepest”, “the clearest” lake in the world, - whatever epithets people gave this unique reservoir, which appeared in the slit of the earth core at depth more then 1600 m and stretched from the south to north more then about 600 kilometers. The Baikal beatsmany records in the book of nature. 2630 species of animals and plants inhabit this lake and more then a half of them are endemics and do not meet nowhere more on the Earth. Among them is the only fresh-water seal, a Baikal Seal. In the Russian folk songs the Baikal is always named “the Sea” and the origin of this beautiful lake up to now is a subject of controversies and hot arguing among scientists. |
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THE GOLDEN MOUNTAINS: ALTAI RANGE
Shrouded in myths and legends, the Altai Mountains stand thoughtfully
on the border of Central Asia and the great belt of the European steppe,
for thousands of years observing the movements of people – the Huns,
the Turkic tribes, the Mongolian horde, the Russian settlers. "Grey-Haired
Altai," "Bogatyr-Altai," "Khan-Altai," are all
names that people have given these mountains. The word "Altai" comes
from the Mongolian "altan," which means "golden." They
are truly golden mountains, not only because of their mineral wealth,
precious stones and uncut gems, gold and ores, but even more for their
wealth of nature and the beauty of their primordial landscape. It is
not without reason that two regions of the Altai Mountains, Teletskoe
Lake and the Katunskiy Mountain Range are included in the list of World
Heritage Sites. Both regions are connected to two mountain reserves,
theKatunskiy and the Altaiskiy State Nature Reserves (zapovedniks). To
visit these refuges of wild life is the dream of any naturalist. Texte und Fotos: Dr. K. Mikhailov |
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