Midwest USA: description, industry, resources and characteristics. Central Siberia geographical location

Long-term denudation turned Paleozoic formations into a peneplain system. Vertical movements of Alpine age formed tectonic faults and raised the ancient peneplain to varying heights. Strong influence of glaciations (especially Ris) - and landforms, fjords in the west. The west coast differs from the east; in the east there is a system of low, sometimes leveled ledges, gently sloping down to the sea.

At an altitude of 600-1500 m in the north and 800-1900 m in the south there are monodominant spruce forests. It ranks third in Europe in terms of wood reserves (after and).

Subalpine belt at 1300-2200 m of mountain pine, rhododendron, lingonberry, blueberry.

Unlike the Alps, they are poorly distributed and poorer in species composition. In the mountains there are bears, boar, wolf, lynx, wild goat. Lots of birds.

The Danube plains are the result of Neogene subsidence. The Middle Danube Plain on the site of the middle Pannonian massif. Lower Danube - Wallachian foothill trough.

The subsidence was accompanied by sea transgressions and the accumulation of sedimentary strata. In Quaternary time - deposits of loess, which in many places are covered by young alluvial sediments. Widespread sand deposits on the plains. The Middle Danube Plain (Alfeld) between the Danube in the west and the Carpathians in the east, crossed by the Tisza. Most of the plain is covered with loess-like loams with fertile chernozem soils. In the northwest is the Lesser Hungarian Lowland (Kishalfeld), confined to the Bratislava Basin. Drained by the Danube and its tributaries Raba and Vah. The highest part of the plain is Dunantul - between the Danube and Drava rivers; here is the Bakony massif (up to 704 m) of Mesozoic limestone, tuff and lava. Bakony is a forested island among the treeless Hungarian plains. Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe, is located in a tectonic basin in the south of Bakony, spring outlets. The Lower Danube Plain stretches from west to east for 560 km with a width of 40-120 km, is crossed by tributaries of the Danube and slopes to the south.

There is a more elevated, hilly western part - Oltenia and a lower eastern part - Muntenia. In the Danube-Balta delta there are large branches (arms): Kiliya, Sulinskoe, Georgievskoe. Every year it moves out to sea by 3 m; reed-reed vegetation, many birds, nature reserve. In the east, the plain passes into Dobruja - a low table rise (about 500 m). The climate of the plain is continental, in summer the average temperature is +20, 22°, in winter -2, -4°. Precipitation is 500-600 mm, maximum in summer, 3-4 weeks.

And its tributaries. Snow and rain-fed rivers, except for the Danube and Tisza, are not navigable.

Plains in the zone and steppes. Cultural landscapes. Previously, on the Middle Danube Plain there were areas of broad-leaved forests alternating with mixed-grass steppes. Small areas of forest remain in Dunantula. Hungarian (Pashto) soils with chernozem soils are plowed.

On the Lower Danube Plain there were feather grass steppes (kympiya), in the east they were replaced by grass-feather grass steppes on chestnut soils. Now there is soil depletion and salinization, work is being done to strengthen the sands.
Special features: the arched structure of the Carpathians and Stara Planina is a consequence of the influence of rigid structures - in the east of the European Platform, in the west of the Pannonian Middle Massif. In the Pliocene, the subsidence of the Pannonian massif, faults, lava outpourings, and the formation of a volcanic zone. As a result, the flysch and volcanic lithological zones are most developed in the Carpathians, while the limestone and crystalline zones are poorly developed. There is little development of alpine landforms, so rounded peaks (planinas) and gentle slopes predominate. There is no modern glaciation. Pronounced features of continentality. Well-preserved natural vegetation cover. In terms of forest reserves, Romania ranks third (after Finland and Sweden) in Foreign Europe. The Danube plains in the forest-steppe and steppe zone are completely plowed.

Geographical location of Central Siberia

To the east of Western Siberia stretches the expanses of Central Siberia, located between the Yenisei and Lena. In the north, Central Siberia begins from the shores of the Arctic Ocean, in the south it reaches the mountains of Southern Siberia - the Eastern Sayan, the Primorsky Range, the Baikal Range, the North Baikal Highlands, the Patom Highlands, the Aldan Highlands.

In the north of the territory, on the Taimyr Peninsula, is the northernmost point of Central Siberia, which is also the northernmost point of Russia - Cape Chelyuskin. The cape is located at the $77$ parallel. The southernmost point is located on the $52$ parallel, which runs in the vicinity of Irkutsk. Central Siberia occupies an area of ​​$4$ million sq km, which is larger than the area of ​​Western Europe. The length of the territory between the extreme points - northern and southern - is more than $2800$ km or $25$ degrees. This is the maximum length. At the latitude of Yakutsk, from west to east, the length is $2500 km or $45 degrees. The northern shores of Central Siberia are washed by the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea, which belong to the Arctic Ocean. Central Siberia includes the islands of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The boundaries of the physical-geographical zoning of Central Siberia in comparison with Western Siberia do not coincide.

Reasons for this:

1. Great internal contrast of nature;
2. Not very clear boundaries;
3. Different interpretation of factual data;
4. Insufficient physical and geographical knowledge of border areas.

The biggest disagreements concern the northern and eastern borders of this physical-geographical country - the position of the North Siberian Lowland, the Taimyr Peninsula, the Central Yakut Plain, and the Aldan Highlands.

Central Siberia differs from other regions of Russia in its characteristic natural features:

1. Dismemberment and elevation of the territory;
2. A large area is occupied by plateaus, plateaus, and low mountains;
3. Presence of trap plateaus;
4. Sharp continental climate;
5. Widespread permafrost;
6. The presence of the largest rivers in the country in terms of water content;
7. Faint manifestation of zoning;
8. Dominance of larch taiga;
9. Presence of altitudinal zones;
10. Uncertainty of the northern and eastern borders.

Exploring Central Siberia

Reliable information about Siberia began to accumulate after the campaign of Ermak Timofeevich. Central Siberia was already included in Russia in the middle of the 16th century. The Russians managed to gain a foothold on the Yenisei at the beginning of the century. Further east they penetrated by sea and reached the western part of Taimyr. On the Yenisei in the $30s, New Mangazeya, present-day Turukhansk, was built, and later detachments moved to the Lena, opening two routes - to the upper reaches of the river and to the middle reaches. Going downstream of the Lena, the Cossacks opened the mouth of the Olenyok River and could go out to sea. “Service people” climbed up the Aldan and its left tributary, the Amga. In $10$ years, explorers managed to trace the entire course of the river from the headwaters to the mouth and discover most of its basin.

It was possible to penetrate into the extreme southern regions of Central Siberia in the second half of the 17th century. The founding date of Irkutsk is $1661. The government gave instructions to the “primary people” to carefully collect information about communication routes, fur riches, and mineral deposits. Information was collected about the possibility of organizing arable farming, the number and occupations of the local population. The leaders of the detachments who built fortified points on the ground had to draw up drawings of this area and drawings of the built forts. The northern regions of Central Siberia and the sea coast were studied by the troops of the Great Northern Expedition ($1734-$1742).

The main task of the detachments was to collect materials and draw up a map of the coast. Members of the second detachment worked on the coast of the Kara Sea, studying the western coast of Taimyr. Members of the third detachment - V. Pronchishchev, S. Chelyuskin, the Laptev brothers, were studying the coast located west of the mouth of the Lena. Information about new lands was obtained by interviewing local residents, so interpreters—experts in local languages—took part in the campaigns. Submissions and petitions from hike participants were supplemented by their personal observations. “Initial people” and local governors also conducted such surveys, recording the answers. Thus, “questioning speeches” and “skasks” of explorers appeared. The most important documents were sent to Moscow with unsubscribes. Thus, the accumulation of geographical, ethnographic, economic, and historical material about Central Siberia gradually occurred.

All the discoveries of Russian explorers were reflected in geographical drawings, of which hundreds were created in the 17th century. Unfortunately, all the drawings made at that time have not survived. The randomly remaining drawings indicate a heavy load of information. So, for example, in addition to hydrography, relief and populated areas, “arable lands”, “fishing grounds”, “black forests”, portages, etc. were depicted. The compilers of the drawings were often original masters of this matter. For example, the discoverer of Lake Baikal, Kurbat Ivanov, the successor of S. Dezhnev in the Anadyr fort, drew up the first drawings of the lake and the upper reaches of the Lena.

Note 1

The study and exploration of Central Siberia was carried out during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Interesting materials were collected by the expeditions of R.K. Maak, F. Schmidt, A.L. Chekanovsky, I.D. Chersky, V.A. Obruchev. Full-scale and comprehensive studies of this territory began after the October Revolution by specialists from various fields. In general, to date the natural resources of Central Siberia have been studied well. Many studies have changed previous ideas about the relief, climate, permafrost, flora and fauna of Central Siberia.

Physico-geographical zoning of Central Siberia

From north to south, the territory of Central Siberia is divided into three natural zones - tundra, forest-tundra, taiga. The taiga zone occupies $70$% of the area and is more fully represented. The northernmost part of Central Siberia and all of Russia is the Taimyr Peninsula. Tundra occupies the northern half of the peninsula. On the territory of this physical-geographical region are located arctic deserts and tundra. Frosty weather types predominate, with a cold period lasting $290$ days. January temperatures reach -$30$, -$35$ degrees. Short and cold summers with July temperatures of +$1$ degrees at Cape Chelyuskin and precipitation of $200$-$300$ mm throughout the year. To the east of Lake Taimyr, modern glaciation has developed, the area of ​​which is $50$ sq km.

In the Byrranga Mountains it is expressed altitudinal zone.

Within the tundra there is permafrost. The Central Siberian Plateau, which occupies the largest part, is represented by a narrow strip forest-tundra, stretching for $50$-$70$ km and taiga. Climatologist B.P. Alisov classified the climate of this zone as subarctic. In winter, continental air of temperate latitudes predominates here, which transforms into arctic air in summer. The winter period lasts here for $8 months, and snow cover lasts $250$-$260$ days. July temperatures rise to +$12$, +$13$ degrees. In addition to herbaceous and shrub vegetation, trees also grow. Daurian larch dominates.

It stretches for $2000$ km from north to south taiga zone, which starts from the northern edge of the Central Siberian Plateau. The taiga of Central Siberia is distinguished by a sharply continental climate, the presence of permafrost, slight swampiness, frozen-taiga soils, and the presence of larch. The western slopes of the Central Siberian Plateau receive the greatest amount of precipitation, so the snow cover that forms here reaches a thickness of $70$-$80$ cm. Precipitation is distributed unevenly within the zone, which is facilitated by the peculiarities of atmospheric circulation and the terrain. The central part of the taiga is characterized by the closeness of the tree layer and the height of the trees. The undergrowth is represented by shrubs, birch trees, and you can find bird cherry, elderberry, juniper, rowan, and honeysuckle. As the taiga moves south, the diversity of coniferous species increases. Forests are located depending on the severity of winter and the thickness of the snow cover from west to east. The Yenisei taiga, therefore, is represented by dark coniferous spruce-cedar forests, which to the east are replaced by dark coniferous-larch and pine-larch forests.

Territory— 9.4 million km

Population— 263.2 million people (1995)

Capital— Washington

Geographical location, general overview

USA- the most economically developed state in the West. The United States is larger in area than all of Europe, but inferior to Russia. The country consists of 50 states and the District of Columbia. 48 states are located in the southern half of the North American continent and are washed by the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The state of Alaska occupies the northwestern part of the continent and borders Canada in the east. The Hawaiian Islands are a separate state on one of the Pacific Ocean archipelagos.

The United States' access to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans promotes, on the one hand, transport and economic ties with many countries, and on the other, isolates the country from hotbeds of war and tension in Europe and Asia.

The development of the US territory began in the 16th century, when the first English, Dutch, and Swedish colonies were founded here (on the Atlantic coast) and Spanish colonies on the Pacific coast. Initially, the United States included 13 British colonies. IN

In 1776 their independence was proclaimed and their separation from England took place. The United States took on its modern shape in 1959, when the states of Alaska and Hawaii, which had previously been colonies, officially became part of it.

Currently, the USA is a federal republic.

The head of state is the president. Legislative power belongs to Congress. The country has a constitution adopted in 1787.

Natural conditions and resources of the USA

A significant part of the country's territory has favorable natural conditions for life and economic activity. The United States is distinguished by its diversity and wealth of natural resources. The country's territory is divided into a mountainous and predominantly arid western part and a flat, fairly humid eastern part.

The United States stands out for its rich and diverse mineral resources. Fuel and energy resources are especially large. There are also large reserves of ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores and mining and chemical raw materials.

Coal-bearing areas occupy 1/10 of the country's territory. Coal reserves - 1.6 trillion. t. The USA is rich in oil and natural gas. The United States ranks second in the world in terms of their production. The largest oil and gas reserves are located in Alaska, in the south of the country and on the Pacific coast.

Major iron ore resources are located in the Lake Superior region; There are significant resources of molybdenum, tungsten, and precious metals in the deposits of the mountainous states. In terms of lead reserves, the United States is among the world leaders. Lead-zinc ores are concentrated in the states of Idaho, Utah, Montana, and Missouri.

Despite the presence of a rich mineral resource base, the United States is still forced to import nickel, manganese, cobalt, bauxite, tin, and potassium salts.

The climatic conditions of the United States are varied. Most of the territory lies in the temperate and subtropical climate zone, only the south of Florida is in the tropical climate. Alaska is located in the subarctic and temperate zones, and Hawaii is located in the marine tropical zone. The continental climate increases in the central and western regions. In general, climatic conditions allow the cultivation of a diverse mix of crops in both temperate and subtropical zones in the United States and contribute to the spread of pastoralism.

Abundant and diverse water resources are distributed very unevenly geographically: 60% of the flow occurs in the east of the country. It is home to the world's largest lake system, the Great Lakes.

The main river system of the country is the Mississippi and its tributaries. Its left tributaries have significant water resources, while the right ones are used for irrigation.

US Population

By population USA occupies 3rd place in the world. The country's inhabitants number up to 270 million people.

Immigration played a huge role in shaping the US population. Until the end of the last century, these were mainly immigrants from Western European countries, and later from the agricultural countries of Eastern Europe. In recent years, immigrants have been dominated by people from America and Asia.

Average annual - 16%, - 9%. Life expectancy is 73 years for men and 80 years for women.

In the modern US population (more than 100 ethnic groups in total), there are three main ethnic groups - US Americans, immigrant groups and native groups. In general, in the United States, Americans of European descent make up 80% of the population, blacks - 12%.

Different ethnic groups do not have specific areas of residence, but certain parts of the country have a higher proportion of representatives of certain groups, for example, Mexicans in the southwestern states, etc.

In terms of average population density, the United States lags behind many economically developed countries (28 people per 1 km). But the distribution of the population by territory

very unevenly: almost 70% of the inhabitants live in an area occupying 12% of the area. The differences between coastal (lake) and mountain states are especially great: from 350 to 2 - 3 people per 1 km 2. Most Populous States - California

(31.2 million people, 1993), New York (18.2 million), Texas (18.0 million), Florida

(13.7 million). The leading of the three main economic regions of the United States is the Industrial North (almost 1/2 of the population).

The USA is one of the most urbanized countries in the world (75% are city dwellers). There are about 10 thousand cities in the USA, 8 of them are millionaire cities. As in all economically developed countries, the process of suburbanization is widespread in the United States.

The rural population of the United States lives mainly on isolated farms, but living conditions there are almost no different from urban ones.

US economy

The United States has powerful economic, scientific, technical and military potential. In many ways, the country determines the politics of the modern world.

The country's current GNP is unparalleled. The USA is the world's largest producer of industrial and agricultural products. The country is one of the top three world leaders in the production of oil, natural gas, coal and steel production, and in the production of electricity, the level of development of the chemical industry, the smelting of non-ferrous metals, the production of cars and aircraft, and the level of development of electronics, electrical engineering and the aerospace industry.

The branches of international specialization of the USA are electrical and electronics, aerospace, military, nuclear industry, etc.

The share of the mining industry, ferrous metallurgy, textile and clothing industries in the country's economy has decreased significantly. The share of the chemical industry, mechanical engineering and metalworking has increased.

In general, under the influence of scientific and technological progress in the sectoral structure of GNP, there is a reduction in the share of material production and an increase in the non-production sphere.

Energy

The basis of the US energy sector is its good supply of energy resources - coal, oil, natural gas. In addition, oil and gas are partially imported. In terms of total power plant capacity and electricity production (3215 billion kWh, 1990), the United States ranks first in the world. The structure of electricity generation is dominated by its production at thermal power plants operating on coal, gas, fuel oil - 70%, the rest is produced by hydroelectric power plants and nuclear power plants.

Ferrous metallurgy

As in other economically developed countries, the share of this basic industry is declining, both in terms of employment and output.

They are trying to restore the competitiveness of the industry in the United States by intensifying production and reducing its energy and material consumption. In connection with the reorientation of the industry towards imported high-quality iron ore, along with the old centers and areas of metallurgy (for example, in the Great Lakes region), the Atlantic metallurgical region (Baltimore, Mauriceville) arose and is developing.

The industry is developing along the path of creating new consumer-oriented mini-factories.

Non-ferrous metallurgy

Non-ferrous metallurgy is based on a powerful energy base, both domestic and imported, of raw materials. The main areas where enterprises are located are the Mountain States, where most of the deposits are located, the Pacific Northwest, and the Atlantic region.

Mechanical engineering and metalworking

Mechanical engineering and metalworking is the largest branch of American industry. It employs 40% of the population and produces 40% of the manufacturing industry. The US mechanical engineering industry is highly monopolized.

The most important industry is the automotive industry, with 75% of the country's automobile needs provided by General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler corporations. The automobile industry is widespread in 20 states, but the main region is the Lake District, especially Michigan.

The aviation industry is often referred to as the aerospace industry. The largest monopolies are Boeing, United Technologies, and McDonell Douglas. There are centers in many states, but the Pacific states and, above all, Los Angeles and Seattle stand out.

US shipbuilding is much inferior in importance to other branches of mechanical engineering and cannot withstand competition with other countries of the world. The main enterprises are concentrated in the northeast.

The electrical engineering and electronics industry produces products for both industrial and household purposes. In the consumer products industry, the United States faces strong competition from foreign (especially Japanese) firms.

In mechanical engineering, the process of cooperation between industry and science was very clearly manifested; scientific-industrial territorial complexes emerged, for example, “Silicon Valley” in California.

Chemical industry

The USA is one of the world leaders in terms of chemical production. Despite the fact that the industry is represented in many dozens of centers, its increased concentration in certain areas is also very typical. The main areas of the chemical industry are the states of the North, where chemistry is associated with metallurgy, automotive industry, textile industry, and agriculture (New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan).

The main petrochemical region of the United States has developed within the oil and gas basin of the Gulf of Mexico.

Textile industry

Recently, there has been a “migration” of this industry from the North Atlantic states to the South Atlantic states, closer to areas of cheaper labor, cotton and synthetic fiber production areas, and sales markets.

Food industry

The US food industry is on a par with large industries and surpasses textiles, clothing, and footwear. It relies on developed agriculture. The main food industry enterprises are located in the north (meat canning plants), west (milk processing), California and Florida (production of canned fruits and vegetables).

In the United States, several important areas of concentration of manufacturing industry have developed: the “Industrial Belt” in the north (specializing in metallurgy, mechanical engineering, chemical and other industries), the Gulf Coast region (petrochemicals, oil refining, mechanical engineering, food, clothing industries and etc.), in the river valley. Tennessee (energy-intensive industries of chemistry, metallurgy, and military industry have developed), in the Mountain States (mainly non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises), in the Pacific States (aircraft and radio-electronic enterprises, petrochemicals, etc. are located)

Agriculture

Despite the fact that this sector employs only 3% of the population and its share in the country's GDP is about 2%, agriculture is a very important industry for the United States. In terms of agricultural production, the United States is significantly larger than any other country in the world. The US was the first to embrace agribusiness. Labor productivity in the agricultural sector is growing even faster than in industry. Diversified agriculture not only meets the country's needs, but also produces significant products for export.

The basis for highly developed agriculture was large land and climatic resources. Cultivated lands, meadows, and pastures occupy almost 1/2 of the main territory of the United States.

The profile of crop production in the United States is primarily determined by grain crops (2/3 of all areas). The main food crop is wheat, but much more fodder crops are harvested. Oilseeds, fiber, sugar crops, fruits and vegetables play an important role.

The US livestock industry is primarily determined by the breeding of dairy and beef cattle, as well as poultry farming.

In the United States, a kind of specialized agricultural regions have developed - wheat, corn-soybean, dairy, and cotton. However, on the site of the former “cotton” region, new livestock and crop growing areas have emerged, where cotton growing is developed along with grain farming and livestock farming, vegetable growing and fruit growing.

Transport

US transportation ranks first in the world by most indicators. The transport network accounts for about 1/3 of the global network. The USA accounts for about 40% of the transport capacity and about 30% of the transport capacity of the capitalist world.

The great importance of transport in the United States is determined by the vastness of the country’s territory, the characteristics of settlement and the process of suburbanization, as well as the relative location of the main areas of production and consumption, etc.

All major modes of transport in the United States currently have almost the same importance in terms of freight turnover (railway - 27%, road - 24%, waterway - 27%, pipeline - 21%). Moreover, the share of road, pipeline, and air transport is growing.

The framework of the US transport network is formed by transcontinental highways stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and from the Canadian to the Mexican border. A network of inland waterways seems to be superimposed on it. Large transport hubs have formed at the intersections of land and waterways and air lines.

US foreign economic relations

The US plays a very prominent role in world trade. But, although the country surpasses all other economically developed countries in terms of foreign trade turnover, the dependence of the US economy on foreign trade is less than in Europe.

The share of exports in the US GDP is about 10%, and in European countries - 20 - 30%. The USA has a huge domestic market. The export capacity of the economy in the coastal and border states of the United States is high. In US foreign trade, the role of its neighbors is great: Canada, Mexico, and Japan (they account for 40% of foreign trade turnover).

On average, about 15% of US industrial output is exported. Export plays a much larger role in agricultural production.

Internal differences

At the macro level since the 1980s. American statistics began to distinguish four macro-regions, differing in historical and cultural characteristics and in the nature of modern socio-economic development.

1. Northeast. This is the smallest of the macroregions, but its favorable economic and geographical position, wealth in coal, and the peculiarities of colonization turned it into a “workshop of the nation,” although its significance in the second half of the 20th century. decreases somewhat.
2. Midwest. This is an area of ​​large industry and agriculture, rich in coal, iron ore and having exceptionally favorable agro-climatic conditions. It provides about 1/2 of agricultural production.
3. South. For a long time it developed slowly, which was facilitated by the slave-owning plantation economy and the agricultural and raw materials profile of the economy. But now the region has taken first place in the country in the production of coal, oil, natural gas, phosphorites, and in the production of textiles. But the level of development of individual states of the South is not the same.
4. The West is the youngest and most dynamic macro-region of the United States, the largest. The contrasts within its boundaries are particularly pronounced. The West includes Alaska, the main resource area of ​​new development, and Hawaii, the island of pineapples and tourism. The Far West is the prairie of the Great Plains, the land of ranches and cowboys. The Mountain West is the region of the Rocky Mountains and deserts, the Pacific West, which includes the “golden state” of California.

LLC Training Center

"PROFESSIONAL"

Abstract on the discipline:

“Economic and social geography of foreign countries. Methods of teaching a course in secondary school"

On topic:

"Types of geographical location"

Executor:

Sartakova Nadezhda Vladimirovna

Moscow 2016

Introduction

1. Physico-geographical location

   Economic and geographical location

   Ecological – geographical location

   Mathematico-geographical location

   Military geographical position

Conclusion

References

Introduction

Geographical locationis a characteristicgeographical feature and is a description of itposition on the Earth's surface And in relation to other geographical objects, with whom he, one way or another, interacts. Any geographical object has its geographical location. That is, the geographical location can be described for a country, region, natural complex, continent, park, etc.

Every country has borders with other countries. The number of neighboring countries, the length of borders with them, the type of border (land, sea, river) are an important component of the description of the geographical location of the country. In addition, not only directly bordering neighboring countries are considered, but also countries located across one or more states. Therefore, neighbors of the 1st order, 2nd order, and 3rd order are distinguished.

For example, Russia directly borders on 16 states. Our longest border is with Kazakhstan. Next come China, Mongolia, Ukraine, Finland, Belarus and others. Russia has only maritime borders with Japan and the United States.

The more neighbors a country has, the better for its development, since this allows for the establishment of various socio-economic ties.

Over time, geographic location may change. The assessment of geographical location is considered by scientists as an assessment of the most important factor in the development of the region's economy, and sometimes it is considered as an independent resource. K.P. Kosmachev considered it possible to consider geographic location as one of the types of resources and even spoke about the reserves of resources of a geographical location: “Their reserves, other things being equal, are inversely proportional to the economic distance of the developed territory in relation to the developed one and directly proportional to the size of the economic potential of the latter.”

Geographical location is a fairly capacious characteristic. Therefore, there are differenttypes of geographical location . Each type emphasizes a specific feature. .

Target: Disassemble and describe the types of geographical location.

Physiographic location.

Physiographic locationdescribes the position of the country relative to natural objects (continents, oceans, mountains, etc.). For example, Russia is located on the territory of Eurasia and has access to the oceans. This is a characteristic of the location of the object in question in a number of natural objects, for example, in relation to continents and oceans, to landforms, to islands and peninsulas, to rivers and lakes, etc.

Accordingly, the physical-geographical position is determined by geographic coordinates (latitude, longitude), absolute height relative to sea level, proximity (or remoteness) to the sea, rivers, lakes, mountains, etc., position in the composition (location) of natural (climatic) , soil-plant, zoogeographical) zones.

From the point of view of economic geography, the physical-geographical position of an area (as well as its individual components) must be considered as a condition (prerequisite) for the possible implementation of any type of economic activity, i.e., as a prerequisite for the location of productive forces.

Any of the elements of the physical-geographical position (position in relation to the prime meridian, equator, sea, altitude above sea level, position in the composition of climatic, soil-vegetative and other zones, etc.) remains almost forever unchanged, and therefore their role in a possible change in the physical-geographical position of any area is absolutely passive .

Economic-geographical location

The economic-geographical position describes economic relations with other countries, assesses their level and development prospects. It also determines the position of the object among various anthropogenic objects that perform certain economic functions. For example, industrial and agricultural enterprises, mining sites and industrial areas, as well as in relation to economic groupings of countries (OPEC, ASEAN, NAFTA).

The economic and geographical position of any area is purely individual (unique). This is not only the place that each territorial entity occupies (the location of the country, region, settlement, enterprise, etc.), but also the spatial location of the area (country, region, settlement or any other economic entity) in relation to other localities (countries, regions, settlements, mineral deposits, etc.) with which a given locality or object is connected either as sources of supply (raw materials, fuel, energy, etc.), replenishment of labor, or as with sales areas, etc. It is on the basis of the principle of spatial proximity (remoteness) that the so-called “neighboring position” or the immediate surroundings of an object, central position, micro- (small), meso- (average), macro- ( large) position.

Distance (space) is covered with the help of transport and affects the location of productive forces through a certain level of transport costs. Consequently, an assessment of the economic and geographical position of any area, as one of the most important factors in the location of productive forces (favorable, unfavorable, profitable, unprofitable, convenient, inconvenient, etc.), should also be carried out from the point of view of possible savings in transport costs.

The economic-geographical location is also a socio-historical and economic concept, since the content and nature of its manifestation (convenient or not, etc.) completely depends on the conditions of social and economic development of a particular territory.

All elements of the economic-geographical position (position in relation to communication routes, distribution points, sources of supply, etc.) are among those that change significantly in time (as well as in space), since they depend on the method of production, level the development and nature of the economy, science, technology, technology of different places, and therefore affect the economic and geographical position of these places.

The most rapidly changing factor of the economic and geographical position is the transport and geographical position, which describes the characteristics of transport connections with other countries, as well as within the country. It assesses the provision of an object with transport and communication capabilities of economic connections (roads and railways, sea and river routes, air routes, oil and gas pipelines, fiber-optic communication lines and power lines, airports, sea and river ports, etc.).

Features of the position of economic-geographical objects are determined

the nature of the territorial coverage (there are macro-position, meso-position and micro-position). Measured by topological and functional

mi indicators, accessibility. Determined by proximity or distance from the most important neighboring transport hubs and highways.

The transport-geographical position of seaports, for example, is favorable

if they are located near the largest centers of consumption and production of goods entering or leaving the port. Main types

transport-geographical location: central, peripheral,

internal, main, transit, profitable and unprofitable, rear (far from transport routes), dead-end, coastal (seaside), foothill.

How the improvement of technology (means of communication) affects the economic and geographical position of the area can be especially clearly seen in the example of Australia, which until the 70s. XIX century Economically and geographically, it was one of the most isolated countries in the world. The emergence of new, high-speed, technically advanced, special vehicles (refrigerated ships, refrigerated ships for transporting perishable types of agricultural products, tankers for transporting liquefied oil and natural gas, ore carriers and other special ships for transporting dry cargo - wheat, coal and etc.) affected the transport-geographical (respectively, economic-geographical) position of this country in such a way that it actually brought it closer (in terms of speed and cost of cargo transportation) to the centers of world trade and the most important communication routes, making the consumption of products from the impossible real its industry and agriculture in almost every country and region of the world. Currently, Australia is one of the largest producers and exporters of a wide variety of agricultural products (butter, cheeses, condensed milk, beef, lamb, sheep wool, grain, cotton, cane sugar, etc.), mining products (iron and manganese ore, tin, copper, lead-zinc concentrates, coal, oil, etc.). It is obvious that the change in the economic and geographical position of Australia and its role in the international division of labor was due to the progress of technology (transport) and the general high level of the economy of this country.

Changes in the economic and geographical position may be due to other reasons. For example, the weakening of the role or loss of economic importance of one or another factor of location (raw materials, fuel, energy, labor, consumer, including transport) and, accordingly, their automatic withdrawal from the composition that determines the connections of a given area with other areas (as with sources of raw materials , fuel, energy, labor, or as with product sales areas) or, conversely, by strengthening the role of any of the factors and, accordingly, increasing its influence on this process.

For example, the economic-geographical position of the Urals as a condition for the possible development of ferrous metallurgy here changed repeatedly and at different periods of time it could be assessed as very convenient at that stage of development when local charcoal could be used as fuel, and its own as raw materials. iron and manganese ore; how convenient, when forced, it was to use imported fuel (coke from the Kuznetsk basin of Russia, Donetsk Ukraine or Karaganda Kazakhstan), since the Urals do not have their own coking coal; finally, it was not very convenient when they had worked out iron and manganese ores at most of their deposits and were forced to import not only coking coal, but also iron and manganese ores from other places (Central Black Earth region of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, etc.). The matter was further aggravated by the fact that this had to be done mainly through rail transportation, since there was no opportunity in the Urals to import raw materials and fuel by cheap sea route (as in Baltimore, Philadelphia or Toronto).

Thus, in the course of historical development, the economic and geographical position of any area of ​​the country or region, settlement, or economic facility can radically change. The reason for this is progress in the development of science, technology, technology, economics, and organization of production, both within a given area and in its surroundings, that is, within the territory of other places associated with it.

Ecological-geographical locationcountries determines environmental danger and its level from neighboring countries. For example, harmful emissions from production in some countries can enter the territory of other countries. Ecological-geographical characterizes the background of environmental safety of the location of an object to places that have environmental problems (for example, to points of release of pollutants, to areas of radioactive contamination (Chernobyl), as well as to potentially dangerous objects that create an environmental threat).

Features of nature, population and economy of individual territories of Russia.

The large extent of Russia from west to east and from north to south, the relief features determine the diversity of natural landscapes (arctic deserts, tundra, forest-tundra, taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forests, forest-steppes and steppes, semi-deserts and deserts).

Tundra. Severe, cold climatic conditions (low average annual air temperatures), long winter - snow cover lasts 7-9 months, short summer period (2 months) and a correspondingly short growing season. The presence of permafrost, excessive moisture - high swampiness of the territory, infertile tundra-gley soils. Large open spaces with strong winds. The existing natural and climatic conditions are unfavorable for humans. As a result, the areas are characterized by low population density and a relative predominance of urban populations. A special type of economy has emerged, the main specialization of which is the exploitation of the natural resources of the Far North (gas, copper, nickel, etc.) and reindeer husbandry.

The steppe is the main agricultural region of Russia due to natural and climatic conditions favorable for agriculture (fertile soil - chernozems, long growing season). This is the zone of the most developed livestock farming (cattle, pig farming, sheep farming, poultry farming). The food industry is developed. The rural population predominates. Significantly high population density.

4. Mathematical-geographical location allows you to estimate the position of an object in the system of coordinates and reference points of the planet, i.e. in relation to the elements of the degree grid (to the equator and the Greenwich meridian), to the poles of the Earth, to the extreme geographical points.

5. The military-geographical position establishes the degree of relation to objects of military-strategic importance (military bases, troop groups, nuclear facilities, ballistic missile silos, enterprises producing nuclear weapons), to military-industrial complex enterprises, as well as in relation to military-political groupings of countries (NATO).

Conclusion

Geographical location can be considered as the main resource of the region, which has a great influence on the formation of the economy, both in time and in space. Assessing the geographical location is important for correctly determining both the possible potential and the increasingly complex conditions for the formation of the region’s economy.

When describing a certain type of geographical location, another one may also be partially described, since they can influence each other. For example, the physical-geographical location directly affects the economic-geographical one. Therefore, when describing the economic-geographical position, the physical-geographical position is also partially described.

The assessment of a number of types of geographical location of countries is not constant. Countries change and develop. Consequently, their geographical location changes.

LITERATURE

Geography, 9th grade. Features of the geographical location of Russia

Geographical encyclopedia

The position of any point on the globe can be determined using geographic coordinates - this is what they were created for. But even the coordinates themselves are different: latitude, although very approximately, speaks of the temperature regime of a place (we can say with confidence that 10-15° latitude is warmer than 75-80° latitude); but even at the same latitude, natural conditions can be very different. Longitude itself does not carry any information if we do not know what is located around the place we are considering, especially since in order to measure longitude, in principle, any meridian can be taken as the initial one. Therefore, the concept of geographic location goes far beyond the characterization of the position of an object by coordinates.

Geographical location- is the position of any geographical object on earth

surface in relation to other objects with which it is in interaction. Geographical location is an important characteristic of an object, as it largely gives an idea of ​​its natural and socio-economic features.

To determine the geographical location of any geographical object, you must first of all solve the question - why is this being done?

We characterize the geographical location of Moscow in order to determine what determines the city's climate. In this case, it is important, first of all, at what latitude Moscow is located. 56° latitude is a moderate illumination zone; almost the entire globe also has moderate thermal and climatic zones. At these latitudes, westerly winds predominate. The city is located in the middle of a vast plain at a fairly large (1000-1500 km) distance from the seas, but the plain is open to winds of all directions - prevailing westerly, humid, from the relatively warm Atlantic Ocean, cold northern, from the Arctic Ocean, less frequent, dry from Central Asia. Moscow's position among a large landmass makes the climate continental, but free access of air from the Atlantic softens this continentality.

To characterize the geographical position of Moscow as the capital of Russia, a large industrial and cultural center, one must also pay attention to its position in the center of the plain, but here the hydrographic network comes first - navigable rivers and places where in the old days it was possible to drag across from one river pool to another. In the old days, the situation in the forest zone was also favorable, less accessible to nomads from the south than, for example, near Kyiv. Moscow became the center around which the Russian state was formed at the end of the Horde rule and after its overthrow. Roads connected Moscow with many cities, Moscow became a major transport hub. Subsequently, the road network itself became an important factor in the geographical location that contributed to the development of the city. It is especially important because there are no significant raw materials and energy natural resources near the city; many things have to be delivered from distant places.

In the first case, we examined the physical-geographical position of the city (with a narrow goal - only to explain its climate), in the second - the economic-geographical one.

Economic-geographical location (EGP)- these are all spatial relations of an enterprise, locality, region, country, group of countries to external objects that have economic significance for them. The EGP of any object can be assessed as favorable, promoting the economic development of the object, and unfavorable, hindering it. EGP is a historical concept; in the course of changes in the economic object itself and the objects associated with it, it may become more favorable than it was before, or less favorable.

The EGP of a city can improve if a road is built to it; it may worsen if a road is built to bypass this city, and the roads that formerly passed through it now go sideways.

The EGP will improve if a mineral deposit has been discovered near the city; it will worsen if the entire deposit has been worked out and there are no other significant industries in the city.

A country's EGP may worsen if its border, through which there was previously free passage, is closed for some political reason.

Let us consider, as examples, the economic and geographical position of several states and cities.

United Kingdom, an island state in Western Europe. The country is located on the island of Great Britain and also occupies the north of the island of Ireland, so the full name of the state is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The island of Great Britain is separated from continental Europe by the English Channel, which at its narrowest part (the Pas de Calais Strait) is 32 km wide. The proximity to the continent was first the reason why the Roman conquests (1st century BC) and then the Norman conquests (1066) spread here. But then, with the strengthening of the state, the island position became advantageous: from the 11th century. Not a single attempt at foreign invasion of British territory has been successful. At the same time, possessing many good natural harbors, Great Britain became a seafaring power, has a powerful fleet, and conducted and continues to conduct maritime trade with the whole world. The British Navy has long been considered the best in the world. Its island position helps the country maintain a certain identity even in the context of globalization, while at the same time the short distance separating it from continental Europe allows it to maintain very close ties with it; Now a tunnel has been created under the Pas-de-Calais Strait between Great Britain and France, and land transport passes through it.

Panama, a state in Central America, in the narrowest part of the isthmus connecting North America with South America. It would seem that the position is very advantageous: control over the isthmus, which controls the connection between the continents. But the mountainous terrain of Central America and dense tropical vegetation prevented the development of land transport here, and no control over it was possible. More important for Panama turned out to be not what geographical objects are connected by the Isthmus of Panama, on which it is located, but what objects it separates - the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In 1914, the Panama Canal, slightly more than 80 km long, was built and officially opened in 1920, connecting the Caribbean Sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. Thus, Panama began to control not the barely noticeable cargo flow by land between continents, but the very powerful one between the oceans, since the canal route is much shorter than the route bypassing South America from the south, and Panama’s EGP immediately improved significantly.

Singapore, a city-state in Southeast Asia, near the southernmost point of the Eurasian continent. Singapore is located on the island of the same name near the southern end of the Malay Peninsula. Most ships on the way from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific pass through the Strait of Malacca (between Sumatra Island and the Malacca Peninsula) and go around Malacca from the south, so it is very difficult to pass Singapore. Therefore, the EGP of the island and the city should be considered extremely beneficial. Almost all trade between Europe, India, the Gulf countries, some African countries, on the one hand, and China, Japan, South Korea, and the Russian Far East, on the other, passes through this route. Therefore, over the past decades, Singapore has come out on top among ports around the world in terms of cargo turnover. Singapore is separated from the mainland by a narrow strait crossed by bridges, so good land connections are possible with mainland Malaysia and Thailand, but Singapore's land connections with other mainland countries are limited, as the road network in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia is poor.

Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Magadan- In what ways are their economic and geographical positions similar and different? All three cities are in the Russian Far East. All three cities are centers of constituent entities of the Russian Federation (Vladivostok and Khabarovsk are regional centers, Magadan is a regional center). Vladivostok and Magadan are seaports: Vladivostok on the Sea of ​​Japan, Magadan on the Okhotsk Sea.

Vladivostok is significantly (17° latitude) further south, so it can be used all year round. The advantage of Vladivostok is that it is approached by a railway - it is the terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The settlements surrounding Vladivostok are well provided with land transport, and are also located within an area with natural conditions favorable for agriculture, and therefore do not require a seaport to serve them. In this regard, Vladivostok is focused on foreign trade - export and import.

The Magadan region has transport connections with the rest of Russia almost only through its regional center and is in great need of such connections, because it cannot provide itself with food and many other resources. There are no railways in the region, but from Magadan there is a highway (Kolyma Highway), on which or near which most of the region’s settlements are located. Therefore, the Magadan port mainly serves its region, providing it with everything imported from other regions of Russia. True, there is a road from the Kolyma Highway to Yakutsk, but the railway does not reach Yakutsk itself, so there is no reason to transport anything to the Magadan region through Yakutsk.

Khabarovsk, unlike Vladivostok and Magadan, is not located on the sea coast and, therefore, is not a seaport. It is located at the intersection of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the large Amur River near the confluence of the Ussuri. Khabarovsk is an important river port, and in fact a railway junction: not in the city itself, but just 50 kilometers from it, the line to Komsomolsk-on-Amur - Vanino - Sovetskaya Gavan departs from the Trans-Siberian Railway. All this makes the transport position of Khabarovsk very advantageous, since Komsomolsk is the terminus of the Baikal-Amur Railway, and Vanino and Sovetskaya Gavan are seaports.

Militarily, Vladivostok and Khabarovsk are more vulnerable, since they are located near the state border, while Magadan is on the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the shores of which are completely controlled by Russia.