Western Siberia. On the map of Russia, nature, population, which areas are part of Western Siberia

The West Siberian Plain (it will not be difficult to find it on the world map) is one of the largest in Eurasia. It stretches for 2500 km from the harsh shores of the Arctic Ocean to the semi-desert territories of Kazakhstan and for 1500 km - from Ural mountains and to the mighty Yenisei. This whole area consists of two flat cup-shaped depressions and many swampy areas. Sibirskie Uvaly stretches between these depressions, which rise 180-200 meters.

West- Siberian Plain- quite an interesting and fascinating moment that deserves detailed consideration. The natural object located almost at the same distance between the Atlantic and the center of the continentality of the mainland. About 2.5 million sq. km covers the area of ​​this huge plain. This distance is very impressive.

Climatic conditions

Geographical position The West Siberian Plain on the mainland determines interesting climatic conditions. Therefore, the weather in most of the plain has a temperate continental character. From the north, large arctic masses come to this territory, which bring with them severe cold in winter, and in summer the thermometer shows from + 5 ° С to + 20 ° С. In January on the south and north sides temperature regime can range from -15 ° C to -30 ° C. The lowest rate in winter was recorded in the north-east of Siberia - up to -45 ° С.

Humidity in the plain also spreads gradually from south to north. With the beginning of summer, most of it falls on the steppe zone. In the middle of summer, in July, the heat takes over the entire south of the plain, and the wet front moves to the north, thunderstorms and showers sweep over the taiga. At the end of August, the rains reach the tundra zone.

Water streams

Describing the geographical position of the West Siberian Plain, it is imperative to talk about the water system. A huge number of rivers flow through this territory, as well as numerous lakes and swamps. The largest and deepest river is the Ob with the Irtysh tributary. It is not only the largest in the region, but also one of the greatest in the world. In terms of its area and length, the Ob dominates among the rivers of Russia. The water streams Pur, Nadym, Tobol and Taz, which are suitable for navigation, also flow here.

The plain is the world record holder for the number of swamps. Such a vast territory cannot be found on the globe. Swamps occupy an area of ​​800 thousand square meters. km. There are several reasons for their formation: excessive moisture, flat surface of the plain, large amounts of peat, and low air temperature.

Minerals

This region is rich in minerals. This is largely influenced by the geographical position of the West Siberian Plain. Here, in huge numbers concentrated deposits of oil and gas. Its vast swampy areas have a large supply of peat - about 60% of the total amount in Russia. There are deposits iron ore... Siberia is also rich in its hot waters, which contain salts of carbonates, chlorides, bromine and iodine.

Animal and plant worlds

The climate of the plain is such that the flora here is rather poor in comparison with the neighboring regions. This is especially noticeable in the taiga and tundra zones. The reason for such a poverty of plants is perennial glaciation, which does not allow plants to spread.

The fauna of the plain is also not very rich, despite the vast extent of the territories. The geographical position of the West Siberian Plain is such that it is almost impossible to meet interesting individuals here. There are no unique animals living only in this area. All species that live here are common with other regions, both neighboring and the entire continent of Eurasia.

West Siberian Plain

West Siberian Lowland, one of the largest low-lying accumulative plains in the world. Located north of the lowland plain of Kazakhstan and the Altai Mountains, between the Urals in the west and the Central Siberian Plateau in the east. Stretching from north to south up to 2,500 km, from west to east from 1000 to 1900 km; area of ​​about 2.6 million km 2. The surface is flat, slightly dissected, with small height amplitudes. The heights of the lowlands of the northern and central regions do not exceed 50-150 m, low elevations (up to 220-300 m) are characteristic mainly of the western, southern and eastern edges of the plain. The strip of hills also forms the so-called. Siberian Uvaly, extending in the middle part of the west-northwest. R. from the Ob almost to the Yenisei. Everywhere wide flat spaces of interfluves with slight surface slopes prevail, strongly swampy and in places complicated by moraine hills and ridges (in the north) or low sandy ridges (mainly in the south). Large areas are occupied by flat ancient lake basins - woodlands. River valleys form a relatively thin network, and in the upper reaches most often they are shallow hollows with poorly expressed slopes. Only a few of the largest rivers flow in well-developed, deep (up to 50-80 m) valleys, with a steep right bank and a system of terraces on the left bank.

Z.-S. R. formed within the epigercynian West Siberian plate, the basement of which is composed of intensively dislocated Paleozoic deposits. Everywhere they are covered with a cover of loose marine and continental Meso-Cenozoic rocks (clays, sandstones, marls, etc.) with a total thickness of over 1000 m(in the depressions of the foundation up to 3000-4000 m). The youngest, anthropogenic, deposits in the south are alluvial and lacustrine, often covered by loesses and loesslike loams; in the north - glacial, marine, and glacial-marine (in places up to 200 m). In the cover of loose sediments Z.-S. R. horizons are enclosed groundwater- fresh and mineralized (including brines), there are also hot (up to 100-150 ° C) waters (see West Siberian artesian basin). In the depths of Z.-S. R. the richest industrial deposits of oil and natural gas were concluded (see. West Siberian oil and gas basin).

The climate is continental, rather harsh. In winter, the plain is dominated by masses of cold continental air of temperate latitudes, and in the warm season, an area of ​​low pressure forms, and humid masses of air from the North Atlantic often enter here. Average annual temperatures range from -10.5 ° C in the north to 1–2 ° C in the south, average temperatures in January are from -28 to -16 ° C, and in July from 4 to 22 ° C. The growing season in the extreme south reaches 175-180 days. The bulk of precipitation is brought in by air masses from the west, mainly in July and August. Annual precipitation from 200-250 mm in tundra and steppe zones up to 500-600 mm in the forest zone. Snow cover thickness from 20-30 cm in the steppe up to 70-100 cm in the taiga of the Yenisei regions.

The plain territory drains more than 2000 rivers, total length which exceeds 250 thousand km. The largest of them are Ob, Yenisei, Irtysh. The main sources of water for the rivers are melted snow waters and summer-autumn rains; up to 70-80% annual flow falls in the spring and summer. There are many lakes, the largest are Chany, Ubinskoye, and others. Some of the lakes in the southern regions are filled with salty and bitter-salty water. Large rivers are important navigable and floatable highways connecting the southern regions with the northern ones; Yenisei, Ob, Irtysh, Tom also possess large reserves of hydropower resources.

The flatness of the relief Z. - S. r. determines a distinct latitudinal geographic zoning. A specific feature of most zones of Western Siberia is excessive soil moisture and, as a result, widespread bog landscapes, which are replaced in the south by solonetzes and salt marshes. The north of the plain is a tundra zone, in which landscapes of the arctic, moss, lichen, and in the south - shrub tundra are formed on the tundra arctic and tundra gley soils. To the south, there is a narrow strip of forest-tundra, where complex complexes of landscapes of shrub tundra, spruce-larch woodlands, sphagnum and lowland bogs are developed on peaty-gley, gley-podzolic and bog soils. Most of the Z.-S. R. refers to the forest (forest-bog) zone, within which coniferous taiga predominates on podzolic soils, consisting of spruce, fir, cedar, pine, Siberian larch; only in the extreme south of the zone are taiga massifs replaced by a strip of small-leaved forests of birch and aspen. The total forest area exceeds 60 mln. ha, timber stocks 9 bln. m 3, and its annual growth is 100 million. m 3. Forest zone differs in the wide development of high ridge-hollow sphagnum bogs, which in some places account for more than 50% of the area. Among the animals of the forest zone are typical: brown bear, lynx, wolverine, marten, otter, Siberian weasel, sable, elk, Siberian roe deer, squirrel, chipmunk, muskrat and other representatives of the fauna of the European-Siberian subregion of the Palaearctic.

To the south of the subzone of small-leaved forests there is a forest-steppe zone, where, under not yet everywhere plowed forb meadows, birch-aspen groves ("pegs") and grassy bogs, leached and ordinary chernozems, meadow-chernozem, dark gray forest and marsh soils, salty soils are formed ... The extreme southern part of the West - S. r. It occupies a steppe zone, in the north of which, until recently, motley grass-grass steppes predominated, and in the south, feather-grass-fescue steppes. Now these steppes with their fertile chernozem and dark chestnut soils have been plowed up and only areas with saline soils have retained their virgin character in places.

Lit .: West Siberian Lowland. Essay on nature, M., 1963; Western Siberia, M., 1963.

N.I. Mikhashov.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M .: Soviet encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what the "West Siberian Plain" is in other dictionaries:

West Siberian Plain ... Wikipedia

Between the Urals in the west and the Central Siberian plateau in the east. OK. 3 million km & sup2. Length from north to south up to 2500 km, from west to east up to 1900 km. Height from 50 to 150 m in the northern and central parts to 300 m in the western, southern and ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

WESTERN SIBERIAN PLAIN, between the Urals in the west and the Central Siberian plateau in the east. OK. 3 million km2. Length from north to south up to 2500 km, from west to east up to 1900 km. Height from 50 to 150 m in the northern and central parts to 300 m in ... ... Russian history

One of the largest on Earth. Takes b. h. Zap. Siberia, stretching from the coast of the Kara Sea in the north to the Kazakh hummocks in the south, from the Urals in the west to the Central Siberian plateau in the eastern Pl. OK. 3 million km². Wide flat or ... Geographical encyclopedia

Between the Urals in the west and the Central Siberian plateau in the east About 3 million km2. Length from north to south up to 2500 km, from west to east up to 1900 km. Height from 50 to 150 m in the northern and central parts to 300 m in the western, southern and eastern parts. ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

West Siberian Plain- West Siberian Plain, West Siberian Lowland. One of the largest low-lying accumulative plains in the world. Occupies most Western Siberia, stretching from the coast of the Kara Sea in the north to the Kazakh Upland and ... Dictionary "Geography of Russia"

The plain has the shape of a trapezoid tapering to the north: the distance from its southern border to the northern reaches almost 2500 km, its width is from 800 to 1900 km, and the area is only 2.7 million km².

The West Siberian Plain is the most inhabited and developed (especially in the south) part of Siberia. Within its limits are the Tyumen, Kurgan, Omsk, Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions, the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous districts, the eastern regions of the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions, a significant part of the Altai Territory, the western regions of the Krasnoyarsk Territory (about 1/7 of the area of ​​Russia). In the Kazakh part, within its limits, there are regions of the North Kazakhstan, Akmola, Pavlodar, Kostanay and East Kazakhstan regions of Kazakhstan.

Relief and geological structure

The surface of the West Siberian Lowland is flat with a rather insignificant height difference. Nevertheless, the relief of the plain is quite varied. The lowest parts of the plain (50-100 m) are located mainly in the central (Kondinskaya and Sredneobskaya lowlands) and northern (Nizhneobskaya, Nadymskaya and Purskaya lowlands) parts of it. Low (up to 200-250 m) elevations stretch along the western, southern and eastern outskirts: Severo-Sosvinskaya and Turin, Ishim Plain, Priobskoe and Chulym-Yeniseiskaya plateau, Ketsko-Tymskaya, Verkhnetazovskaya and Lower Yeniseiskaya heights. In the inner part of the plain, the Siberian Uvaly (average height - 140-150 m), extending from the west from the Ob to the east to the Yenisei, and the Vasyugan plain parallel to them form a pronounced strip of uplands.

The relief of the plain is largely due to its geological structure... At the base of the West Siberian Plain lies the Epigercynian West Siberian Plate, the basement of which is composed of intensively dislocated Paleozoic deposits. The formation of the West Siberian plate began in the Upper Jurassic, when, as a result of breaking off, destruction and degeneration, the vast territory between the Urals and the Siberian platform sank, and a huge sedimentary basin arose. In the course of its development, the West Siberian Plate was more than once captured by sea transgressions. At the end of the Lower Oligocene, the sea left the West Siberian plate, and it turned into a huge lacustrine-alluvial plain. In the Middle and Late Oligocene and Neogene, the northern part of the plate experienced uplift, which was replaced by subsidence in the Quaternary. The general course of development of the plate with the sinking of colossal spaces resembles the process of oceanization that has not reached the end. This feature of the slab is emphasized by the phenomenal development of swampiness.

Separate geological structures, despite a thick layer of deposits, are reflected in the relief of the plain: for example, the Uplands of the Verkhnetazovskaya and Lyulimvor correspond to gentle anticlinal uplifts, and the Barabinskaya and Kondinskaya lowlands are confined to the syneclises of the basement of the plate. However, discordant (inversion) morphostructures are not uncommon in Western Siberia. These include, for example, the Vasyugan plain, formed on the site of a gentle syneclise, and the Chulym-Yenisei plateau, located in the basement deflection zone.

In the cuff of loose sediments, there are groundwater horizons - fresh and saline (including brine); there are also hot (up to 100-150 ° C) waters. There are industrial deposits of oil and natural gas (West Siberian oil and gas basin). In the area of ​​the Khanty-Mansiysk syneclise, Krasnoselsky, Salymsky and Surgutsky districts, in the layers of the Bazhenov formation at a depth of 2 km, there are the largest reserves of shale oil in Russia.

Climate

The West Siberian Plain is characterized by a severe, fairly continental climate. Its great length from north to south determines the clearly expressed zoning of the climate and significant differences in the climatic conditions of the northern and southern parts of Western Siberia. The continental climate of Western Siberia is also significantly influenced by the proximity of the Arctic Ocean. The flat relief contributes to the exchange of air masses between its northern and southern regions.

In the cold season, within the plain, the interaction of the region of relatively high atmospheric pressure, located above southern part plains, and areas of low pressure, which in the first half of winter stretches in the form of a hollow of the Icelandic baric minimum over the Kara Sea and the northern peninsulas. In winter, masses of continental air of temperate latitudes prevail, which come from Eastern Siberia or are formed on site as a result of air cooling over the territory of the plain.

Cyclones often pass in the border zone of areas of high and low pressure. Therefore, in winter, the weather in the coastal provinces is very unstable; on the coast of Yamal and the Gydan Peninsula happen strong winds, the speed of which reaches 35-40 m / s. The temperature here is even slightly higher than in the neighboring forest-tundra provinces, located between 66 and 69 ° C. sh. However, to the south, winter temperatures are gradually increasing again. In general, winter is characterized by stable low temperatures, and there are few thaws. Minimum temperatures throughout Western Siberia are almost the same. Even near the southern border of the country, in Barnaul, there are frosts down to -50 ... -52 °. The spring is short, dry and relatively cold; April, even in the forest-bog zone, is not yet quite a spring month.

In the warm season, a reduced pressure is established over Western Siberia, and an area of ​​more high pressure... In this regard, weak northerly or northeasterly winds prevail in summer and the role of westerly air transport is noticeably enhanced. In May there is a rapid rise in temperatures, but often, during the invasions of the Arctic air masses, there are returns of cold weather and frost. The warmest month is July, the average temperature of which is from 3.6 ° on the White Island to 21-22 ° in the Pavlodar region. The absolute maximum temperature is from 21 ° in the north (Bely Island) to 44 ° in the extreme southern regions (Rubtsovsk). High summer temperatures in the southern half of Western Siberia are explained by the flow of heated continental air here from the south - from Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Autumn comes late.

The duration of the snow cover in the northern regions reaches 240-270 days, and in the south - 160-170 days. The thickness of the snow cover in the tundra and steppe zones in February is 20-40 cm, in the forest-swamp zone - from 50-60 cm in the west to 70-100 cm in the eastern Yenisei regions.

The harsh climate of the northern regions of Western Siberia contributes to the freezing of soils and widespread permafrost. On the Yamal, Tazovsky and Gydansky peninsulas, permafrost is found everywhere. In these areas of its continuous (continuous) distribution, the thickness of the frozen layer is very significant (up to 300-600 m), and its temperatures are low (in watersheds - 4, −9 °, in the valleys - 2, −8 °). To the south, within the northern taiga up to latitude of about 64 °, permafrost occurs already in the form of isolated islands, interspersed with taliks. Its thickness decreases, temperatures rise to 0.5-1 °, and the depth of summer thawing also increases, especially in areas composed of mineral rocks.

Hydrography

The territory of the plain is located within the large West Siberian artesian basin, in which hydrogeologists distinguish several basins of the second order: Tobolsk, Irtysh, Kulundinsko-Barnaul, Chulymsky, Obsky, etc. , sandstones) and water-resistant rocks, artesian basins are characterized by a significant number of aquifers associated with formations of various ages - Jurassic, Cretaceous, Paleogene and Quaternary. The groundwater quality of these horizons is very different. In most cases, artesian waters of deep horizons are more mineralized than those occurring closer to the surface.

More than 2000 rivers flow on the territory of the West Siberian Plain, the total length of which exceeds 250 thousand km. These rivers carry about 1200 km³ of water into the Kara Sea every year - 5 times more than the Volga. The density of the river network is not very large and varies in different places depending on the relief and climatic features: in the Tavda basin it reaches 350 km, and in the Baraba forest-steppe - only 29 km per 1000 km². Some southern regions of the country with a total area of ​​more than 445 thousand km² belong to the territories of closed flow and are distinguished by an abundance of closed lakes.

The main sources of food for most rivers are melted snow waters and summer-autumn rains. In accordance with the nature of power sources, the runoff is uneven by seasons: approximately 70-80% of its annual amount occurs in spring and summer. Especially a lot of water flows down during the spring flood, when the level of large rivers rises by 7-12 m (in the lower reaches of the Yenisei even up to 15-18 m). For a long time (in the south - five, and in the north - eight months), West Siberian rivers are frozen in ice. Therefore, the winter months account for no more than 10% of the annual runoff.

The rivers of Western Siberia, including the largest ones - the Ob, Irtysh and Yenisei, are characterized by slight slopes and low flow rates. So, for example, the drop of the Ob channel in the section from Novosibirsk to the mouth over 3000 km is equal to only 90 m, and the speed of its current does not exceed 0.5 m / s.

The West Siberian Plain contains about one million lakes, the total area of ​​which is more than 100 thousand km². According to the origin of the basins, they are divided into several groups: occupying the primary irregularities of the flat relief; thermokarst; moraine-glacial; lakes of river valleys, which in turn are divided into floodplain and river valleys. Peculiar lakes - "fogs" - are found in the Urals part of the plain. They are located in wide valleys, overflow in spring, sharply reducing their size in summer, and by autumn, many of them disappear altogether. In the southern regions, lakes are often filled with salt water. The West Siberian Lowland holds the world record for the number of wetlands per unit area (the area of ​​the wetland is about 800 thousand square kilometers). The reasons for this phenomenon are the following factors: excessive moisture, flat terrain, permafrost and the ability of peat, which is present in large quantities, to retain a significant mass of water.

Natural areas

The great length from north to south contributes to a pronounced latitudinal zoning in the distribution of soils and vegetation cover. Within the country are located gradually replacing one another

West Siberian lowland the third largest plain on our planet after the Amazon and Russian. Its area is about 2.6 million square kilometers. The length of the West Siberian Lowland from north to south (from the coast to the mountains of southern Siberia and) is about 2.5 thousand kilometers, and from west to east (from to) - 1.9 thousand kilometers. The West Siberian Lowland is quite clearly bounded in the north by the coastline of the sea, in the south by the hills of Kazakhstan and mountains, in the west by the eastern foothills of the Urals, and in the east by the valley of the Yenisei River.

The surface of the West Siberian Lowland is flat with a rather insignificant height difference. Small hills are typical mainly for the western, southern and eastern outskirts. There, their height can reach about 250-300 meters. The northern and central regions are characterized by lowlands with a height of 50-150 meters above sea level.

Over the entire surface of the plain, there are flat areas of interfluves, as a result of which they are significantly swampy. In the northern part there are sometimes small hills and sandy manes. Quite impressive areas on the territory of the West Siberian Lowland are occupied by ancient hollows, the so-called woodlands. here they are mainly expressed by rather shallow troughs. Only some of the largest rivers flow in deep (up to 80 meters) valleys.

Yenisei river

The glacier also influenced the relief of Western Siberia. It mainly affected the northern part of the plain. At the same time, water accumulated in the center of the lowland, as a result of which a fairly flat plain was formed. In the southern part, there are slightly elevated sloping plains with many shallow basins.

More than 2000 rivers flow on the territory of the West Siberian Lowland. Their total length is about 250 thousand kilometers. The largest are. They are not only navigable, but also used to generate energy. They feed mainly on melt water and rains (in the summer-autumn period). There are also a large number of lakes here. In the southern regions, they are filled with salt water. The West Siberian Lowland holds the world record for the number of wetlands per unit area (the area of ​​the wetland is about 800 thousand square kilometers). The reasons for this phenomenon are the following factors: excessive moisture, flat terrain, and the ability of peat, which is present in large quantities, to retain a significant mass of water.

Due to the large extent of the West Siberian Lowland from north to south and the monotony of the relief, there are many natural areas... In all zones, large areas are occupied by lakes and swamps. they are absent here, and the zone is rather insignificant.

A large area is occupied by the zone, which is explained by the northern position of the West Siberian Plain. To the south is the forest-tundra zone. As mentioned above, the forests in this area are mostly coniferous. The forest bog zone occupies about 60% of the territory of the West Siberian lowland. A strip of coniferous forests is followed by a narrow zone of small-leaved (mainly birch) forests. The forest-steppe zone is formed in conditions of a flat-level relief. Lying here at a shallow depth groundwater are the reason a large number swamps. It is located in the extreme southern part of the West Siberian Lowland, which is mostly plowed up.

In the flat southern regions of Western Siberia, a variety of manes are introduced - sandy ridges 3-10 meters in height (sometimes up to 30 meters), covered with a pine forest, and groves - birch and aspen groves, which are scattered among the steppes.

Western Siberia is part of the Eastern macro region along with such regions as the East Siberian and Far Eastern regions. For centuries indigenous population The eastern macro region was engaged in reindeer husbandry (in the north), hunting and fishing in the taiga, sheep breeding and horse breeding in the steppe regions of the south. After joining Russia, the development of this territory begins. In less than 100 years, vast territories from the Urals to the shores of the Pacific Ocean have been entrenched in the Russian state.

After the abolition of serfdom, and especially the field of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the population increased greatly in these areas. Western Siberia became large grain and livestock regions.

The discovery of oil and gas played an important role in the development of the region. As a result, the West Siberian region began to stand out with a powerful economy. In the Soviet years, Western Siberia provided 70% of oil and natural gas production, about 30% coal about 20% of timber harvested in the country. The district accounted for about 20% of the country's grain, the main livestock of deer. Despite the fact that this district is the smallest in terms of area in the eastern macro-region, it has a larger population than the other two districts.

At the moment, our state is experiencing great economic difficulties and a more or less stable position in the world market is provided by the export of oil and gas produced in Western Siberia. Thanks to this, Western Siberia became the country's sponsor of foreign exchange earnings from the sale of oil and gas to other countries. After getting acquainted with the development of the territory, with the natural base and the peculiarities of the development of the region, I decided to find out what is the current state of the economy, economy and industry of this region, to determine the main problems and prospects for the development of the region

The composition of the territories. Economic and geographical position and physical and geographical position

The West Siberian region ranks third in terms of area in the country among other regions after the East Siberian region and the Far Eastern region, its area is about 3 million square kilometers. The West Siberian region includes: two autonomous regions(Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi), five regions (Omsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Tyumen), Altai Republic, Altai Territory ..

The West Siberian region is located between the Ural region and the East Siberian region from the west and east and from the Kara Sea to the border with Kazakhstan. The peculiarity of the economic and geographical position (hereinafter referred to as EGP) of the West Siberian region in the vicinity of the Urals and Kazakhstan. West Siberian region is located in the northern and temperate latitudes... The southern part is located in close proximity to the center of the origin of the Siberian anticyclone.

Photo active tours

EGP within the region is sharply differentiated to the south. Climatic conditions almost everywhere, except for the high mountains, they are favorable for the cultivation of agricultural crops in the northern and middle zone. In winter, most of the territory has little wind and dry weather. Western Siberia as a whole receives sufficient Agriculture the amount of atmospheric moisture (900-600mm per year - in the taiga), but in the south it is usually not enough (300mm per year) The intensity of solar radiation in the southern regions is 20-25% more than in Moscow, so the soils warm up quickly in spring, which also promotes crop growth. Western Siberia has an extensive hydrographic network (mainly the Ob-Irtysh system). In spring, the rivers overflow and have a long flood, which favors navigation and timber rafting. But in the northern regions, navigation is hampered by a relatively short navigation period. In the mountains, the rivers are very rapids, which complicates navigation and timber rafting, but favors the construction of hydroelectric power plants. Fertile soils of Western Siberia are represented by chernozems and (in the extreme south) dark chestnut soils.

Natural resources and natural conditions

Western Siberia is one of the richest regions of the country with natural resources. A unique oil and gas province has been discovered here. Huge reserves of coal and brown coal, iron ores and non-ferrous metal ores are concentrated on the territory of the region. There are large reserves of peat in the region, large reserves of wood are also concentrated, mainly conifers... In terms of fish stocks, Western Siberia is one of the richest regions of the country. Western Siberia possesses significant reserves of furs. The forest and forest-steppe zones have large tracts of fertile land, which creates favorable conditions for the development of agriculture. The largest oil and gas provinces include Samotlorskoye, Fedorovskoye, Varyganskoye, Vatinskoye, Pokurovskoye, Ust-Bulykskoye, Salymskoye, Sovetsko-Sosnytskoye - oil, Urengoyskoye, Zapolyarnoye, Medvezhye, Yamburgskoye - gas fields. Oil and gas are of high quality here. Oil is light, has a low sulfur content and has a large yield of light fractions; it contains associated gas, which is a valuable chemical raw material. The gas contains 97% methane, rare gases and at the same time there is no sulfur, little nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Oil and gas deposits at depths of up to 3 thousand meters in soft, but stable, easily drilled rocks are distinguished by a significant concentration of reserves. More than 60 gas fields have been discovered on the territory of the complex. One of the most efficient is Urengoyskoye, which provides 280 billion of gas annually. cubic meters... The cost of extracting 1 ton of natural gas equivalent fuel is the lowest in comparison with all other types of fuel. Oil production is concentrated mainly in the Middle Ob region. In the future, the importance of northern deposits will increase. Currently, 68% of Russian oil is produced on the territory of Western Siberia. Natural gas mined mainly in the northern regions. The most significant deposits are located here - Yamburgskoye and the Yamal Peninsula. Plants for the processing of oil and gas raw materials are located in the Omsk, Tobolsk and Tomsk industrial centers. The Omsk petrochemical complex includes an oil refinery, synthetic rubber, carbon black, tire, industrial rubber goods, plastics, as well as a cord factory and others. Large oil and gas processing complexes are being built in Tobolsk and Tomsk. The fuel resources of the complex are represented by the Ob - Irtysh and Severo-Sosva brown coal basins. Ob - Irtysh coal basin is located in the southern and middle parts of the West Siberian Plain. It belongs to the closed category, since its coal-bearing seams, reaching 85 meters, are covered by a thick cover of younger sediments. Coal basin is poorly studied and its estimated reserves are estimated at 1600 billion tons, the depth ranges from 5 to 4000 m. In the future, these coals can be of industrial importance only with their underground gasification. The Severo-Sosva basin is located in the north of the Tyumen region, its reserves amount to 15 billion tons. The explored deposits include Otorinskoe, Tolinskoe, Lozhinskoe and Ust-Manyinskoe.

The West Siberian TPK has significant water resources. The total river flow is estimated at 404 cubic km. At the same time, the rivers have a hydropower potential of 79 billion kWh. However, the flat nature of the surface makes the use of the hydropower resources of the Ob, Irtysh and their large tributaries ineffective. The construction of dams on these rivers will lead to the creation of large reservoirs, and the damage from the flooding of vast forests, and possibly oil and gas deposits, will block the energy effect from the hydroelectric power station. Underground thermal waters are of significant interest. They can be used for heating greenhouses and hotbeds, heating of agricultural facilities, cities and workers' settlements, as well as for medicinal purposes.

Population

The total number of residents of the West Siberian region is 15141.3 thousand people, the increase is positive and amounts to 2.7 people per 100 inhabitants, the role of the migration inflow of the population is great. The share of the urban population is over 70%. In general, the area lacks labor resources... If we assume the development of transport in the future, then the population density of Western Siberia will increase significantly.

There are two millionaire cities on the territory of the district - Omsk (1,160,000 inhabitants), Novosibirsk (1,368,000 inhabitants) and three large cities: Tyumen (493,000 inhabitants), Tomsk (500,000 inhabitants), Kemerovo (517,000 inhabitants). Western Siberia is a multinational region. About ten main nationalities live on its territory: (Russians, Selkups, Khanty, Mansi, Altai, Kazakhs, Shors, Germans, Komi, Tatars and Ukrainians).

Omsk region 2175 thousand people 6 cities 24 urban-type settlements.

Altai region 2654 thousand people 11 cities 30 urban-type settlements.

Altai Republic 201.6 thousand people urban population 27% 1 city (Gorno-Altaysk) 2 urban-type settlements.

Novosibirsk region 2803 thousand people urban population 74% 14 cities 19 urban-type settlements.

Tomsk region 1008 thousand people urban population 69% 5 cities 6 urban-type settlements.

Tyumen region 3120 thousand people urban population 91% 26 cities 46 urban-type settlements.

Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region 1301 thousand people urban population 92% 15 cities 25 urban-type settlements.

Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug 465 thousand people urban population 83% 6 cities 9 urban-type settlements.

Kemerovo region 3177 thousand people 87% urban population 19 cities 47 urban-type settlements.

Historical and economic conditions

The hypothesis about the oil and gas potential of the West Siberian Plain was first put forward in 1932 by Academician I.M. Gubkin. For many years, the supporters of this idea had many reputable opponents.

In 1953, the first was discovered - the Berezovskoye gas field. In 1960, the first oil field in Siberia was discovered near the Shaim settlement.

At first, exploration work was carried out only in the southern regions of the West Siberian Plain, but then the exploration spread to the entire territory, to the subzone of the middle and southern taiga.

In 1961 the group was opened oil fields in the middle Ob region and gas fields in the Berezovsky gas-bearing region. In 1965, the Samotlor oil field was discovered. These discoveries marked the beginning of the development of the world's largest oil and gas province. After the construction of the Siberian Railway (1891-1916), widespread agricultural settlement of the region began. During the years of the development of capitalism in Russia, the region turned into the largest supplier of wheat and animal oil to the European part and for export. There were in Western Siberia and centers of mining, coal and Food Industry, but their size was very small. In 1924, the first Kuznetsk coke went to the Ural factories. ZS Krai was formed as a result of the division of Siberia in 1930, the Tyumen region was included in the structure. During the war years, 210 enterprises were evacuated here, which subsequently gave a significant impetus to the development of the economy of the entire region.

Industry

For many years the development of Western Siberia was determined by the needs of the state. Through large-scale development natural resources funded by the state, the region has become the main energy and raw material base and the basis for the country's financial stability. During the reform years, the West Siberian region continued to play the role of the country's financial "sponsor". Moreover, its role has increased: due to export mineral resources and the products of their processing provide more than two-thirds of the country's foreign exchange earnings. The raw material orientation of the region led to a significantly lower loss of industrial potential in the reform years compared to the European regions. Almost 35% of the West Siberian Plain is occupied by swamps. More than 22% of the entire territory of the plain is peat bogs. Currently, there are 3,900 peat deposits in the Tomsk and Tyumen regions with total peat reserves of 75 billion tons. The Tyumenskaya CHPP operates on the basis of the Tarmanskoye field.

The fuel and energy complex is represented not only by enterprises for the production of energy fuel, but also by a fairly large system of thermal power plants in the middle Ob and individual energy nodes in the areas of oil and gas production. The power system has been significantly strengthened by new GRES - Surgutskaya, Nizhnevartovskaya, Urengoyskaya.

At present, the Tomsk and Tyumen regions generate a little more than 2% of the total Russian electricity volume. The energy sector is represented by a significant number of small, non-economical power plants. The average installed capacity of one power plant is less than 500 kW. Further development of the electric power industry on the territory of the complex is inextricably linked with cheap associated gas, which, after topping at gas processing plants, will be used for energy purposes. Electricity from the Surgutskaya GRES is supplied to the oil fields, construction sites of the Shirotny Ob region and the Ural power system. On the territory of the complex, two largest CHPPs are being built in the system of petrochemical complexes and two TPPs using associated gases in Nizhnevartovsk and Novy Urengoy. The problem of supplying electricity to the northern gas-bearing regions of the Tyumen region, where small, scattered power plants operate, is especially acute.

The wood-chemical complex is represented mainly by logging and woodworking industries. A significant part of the timber is exported unprocessed (round timber, ore rack, firewood). The stages of deep wood processing (hydrolysis, pulp and paper, etc.) are insufficiently developed. In the future, a significant increase in timber harvesting is planned in the Tyumen and Tomsk regions. The presence of huge reserves of wood, cheap fuel and water will make it possible to form large enterprises for the chemical and mechanical processing of wood raw materials and waste on the territory of the region. On the territory of the West Siberian complex, it is planned to create several timber industry complexes and sawmills and woodworking plants. They are supposed to be built in the cities of Asino, Tobolsk, Surgut, Kolpashevo, in the villages of Kamenny and Bely Yar.

The machine-building complex was formed mainly in Omsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, Ishim and Zladoukovsk. Machine-building enterprises produce equipment and machines for the oil and gas and forestry industries, transport, construction, and agriculture. Many enterprises are still not sufficiently focused on meeting the needs of the sub-district. In the near future, it is necessary to strengthen the role of Omsk, Tyumen, Tomsk as support bases for the development of oil and gas regions of Western Siberia and to deepen the specialization of the machine building of these centers in the production of various equipment in the "northern design". Formation machine-building complex on the territory of the Tomsk and Tyumen regions should be subordinated, first of all, to the tasks of providing the necessary, especially low-portability and special equipment for enterprises and construction sites of leading industries National economy eastern zone the country and, above all, its northern regions.

In the future, ferrous metallurgy may develop on the territory of the complex. On the basis of Bakchar ores in the south of the Tomsk Region, it is possible to build a metallurgical plant. The Bakcharskoye deposit can become the main raw material base for the development of ferrous metallurgy in the eastern zone of the country.

The industrial and construction complex is focused on ensuring the reconstruction and new construction of petrochemical and timber industry enterprises. A number of building materials are supplied by the Kuznetsk-Altai subdistrict. There is a certain deficit in the building base for the creation of civil structures.

The main construction organizations are concentrated in large industrial centers, mainly in the south of the subdistrict. During the period of the development of oil and gas resources, the method of complete-block, prefabricated construction became widespread here, which can significantly reduce the cost of human labor, and accelerate the construction of facilities. Wherein base enterprises building materials are created in Tomsk, Tyumen. Currently, in the territory of the Tomsk and Tyumen regions, there are 17 centers of concentrated construction: Tomsk, Tyumensky, Nzhnevartovsky, Surgutsky, Ust-Balyksky, Strezhevsky, Megionsky, Neftyugansky, Nadym, Tobolsky, Asinovsky, Berezovsky, Urengoysky, Yamburgsky, Kharasaveysky other.

Contacts of enterprises with outside world are not limited to the export and import of goods. More than 100 joint ventures are registered in the West Siberian region. The export of these enterprises in 1995 amounted to $ 240 million. In the first half of 1996, these enterprises produced 4 million tons of oil. Among the largest investors in joint ventures are countries such as the United States, Canada, and Germany. And the most significant in terms of scale of activity are joint ventures: Yuganskfrakmaster, Yugraneft. The priority task in the field of contacts with foreign capital is to attract large-scale creditors to the region's fuel industry. Among the projects financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development are the restoration of oil and gas fields in Western Siberia, the supply of equipment to Samotlor. In 1995 the World Bank provided a targeted loan of $ 610 million to the P / O Kogalymneftegaz.

Talking about economic development The West Siberian region in 1999 and the first half of 2000, the data of the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation on the main economic indicators were used.

According to these data, Western Siberia is currently one of the ten leading regions that give 63.6% of taxes to the general state treasury, of which the Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets districts accounted for in 1999. - 9.3%, and in the first half of 2000 - 11.9%.

Random nature photos

Transport

The increase in interregional freight turnover and intraregional transportations contributed to the expansion of the transport network. Oil pipelines Shaim-Tyumen, Ust-Balyk-Omsk, Aleksandrovskoe-Anzhero-Sudzhensk-Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk, Samotlor-Tyumen-Almetyevsk, Ust-Balyk-Kurgan-Samara, Omsk-Pavlodar and gas pipelines at the Medvezhye-Nadym- Ural (two stages), Nadym-Punga-Center, Urengoy-Nadym-Ukhta-Torzhok, Vengapur-Surgut-Tobolsk-Tyumen, Yamburg-Center, Nizhnevartovsk-Myldzhino-Tomsk-Novokuznetsk, Yamburg-Western border of Russia. This powerful pipeline transport delivers nearly 400 million tons of oil and 450 billion cubic meters of gas to consumers. At present, pipelines with a length of over 10 thousand kilometers have been built for the release of Tyumen oil. Gas pipelines stretch for more than 12 thousand kilometers. For the first time, pipes with a diameter of 1420 mm were used here. A special role in the industrial development of new regions is played by railway transport... The Tobolsk-Surgutsk-Nizhnevartovsk railway line has been laid from Tyumen through the Shirotnoye Priobye. There are different options continuation of this highway. It can connect through Tomsk with the Trans-Siberian Railway or go to Abalakovo, along the Keta River. Timber roads Ivdel-Ob, Tavda-Sotnik, Asino-Bely Yar were built on the territory of the complex. Great importance for solving local problems, it has road transport. At present, an external and internal road ring with a hard surface has been built around Samotlor, and access roads to the Tyumen-Tobolsk-Surgut railway are being created. but transport network not yet sufficiently developed. Per one square kilometer of the territory, the length of the railways here is almost 3 times and the paved roads are 2 times less than in the country as a whole. River transport is of great importance, the importance of which will increase significantly in connection with the construction of river ports in Tomsk, Tobolsk, Surgut, Nizhnevartovsk and Kolpashevo, and the improvement of navigation on the rivers Tom, Keti, Tura and Tobol.

Agriculture

The agro-industrial complex of the complex as a whole specializes in growing and processing grain. In small sizes, in places where industrial crops are grown - flax, hemp, sunflower - there is a primary processing of flax - curly and hemp, oil production. The livestock branch of the agro-industrial complex includes butter-milk, dairy-canning factories and production for processing meat, leather, wool, and sheepskin.

Carpet weaving is an old trade in the region (mechanized carpet factories in Ishim and Tobolsk). Enterprises of the textile, leather and footwear industries operate on local and imported raw materials. The main centers for the processing of agricultural raw materials are Omsk, Tyumen, Tomsk, Yalutorovsk, Tatarsk, Ishim.