If you look at the physical map of the world, you will notice that mountains and plains are the main types of terrestrial relief, and the plains surpass the mountain ranges in area. Most of the world's population lives on the plains, which are distinguished by fertile soils and a climate favorable for agriculture.
Interestingly, not all continents are equally flat. Most of the plains are located in Africa (about 84%), in Asia, on the contrary - 57% of the continent's territory is occupied by the largest mountain systems in the world: Tibet, Altai, Himalayas, Pamir, etc.
What are plains and how did they come about
Before we learn the history of the appearance of the plains and classify them according to existing types, let us define the term itself. In principle, the word itself contains the answer to the question of what plains are. These are flat areas at the bottom of the oceans or on the surface of the Earth, often occupying vast areas. The largest plain on our planet is the Amazonian Lowland in South America.
Plains differ from each other in geological structure, relief and height. In short, geologists explain their appearance on land: once in prehistoric times, mountains rose in the place where the plains are now, then for a long period these mountains were destroyed as a result of earthquakes until they almost completely leveled out.
At first glance, it may seem that the plains are practically flat spaces. In fact, their relief is complex and diverse. So, in some areas of the Earth, the plains are really almost flat, for example, in the semi-deserts north of the Caspian, in other places their surface is crossed by ridges, hills and ridges - hills with gentle slopes. Such a hilly plain is, for example, the East European.
Plains classification by absolute height
It is not difficult to describe the plain, because, as we have already found out, this term refers to the vast expanse of land with a flat or hilly relief. All plains, depending on the height at which they are located relative to sea level, are divided into several types.
- The first is the lowlands. They can be located either below sea level, like the Caspian, or their height does not exceed 200 meters above sea level, as, for example, in the West Siberian. Where the earth's crust bends, there are coastal plains. One of these places is the Padan Lowland, on which the city of Venice is located.
- Uplands are the next type of plains. Their height above sea level ranges from 200 to 500 meters. Uplands are a mixture of rolling and flat terrain, such as the Central Plains of North America.
- The highest plains on Earth are flat or hilly plateaus located at an altitude of 500 m to 1 km and higher. An example of a plateau is the Anatolian plateau in Turkey or the Altiplano plateau in South America.
the East European Plain
The second largest plain in the world is the East European, which is also called Russian. It stretches from the White Sea coast in the north to the Caspian coast in the south. The Russian Plain belongs to the type of uplands, since its average height above sea level reaches 170 m.
In most of it, the climate is temperate continental, only in the far north it is subarctic. Despite urbanization, almost half of the territory of the East European Plain is covered with forests, and in some of its regions there are reserves Askania Nova, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Vodlozersky National Park, etc.
West Siberian Plain
Between the Central Siberian Plateau and the Ural Mountains is the West Siberian Plain - the third in area after the Amazon and Russian. Its main feature is a very flat relief. The climate throughout its territory is continental with a sharp temperature drop and unstable weather.
The Siberian Plain is rich in minerals. In addition to gas and oil, iron ore, peat, and brown coal are mined here. On the territory of the plain there are about a million lakes of various sizes and several vegetation zones: tundra, forest-tundra, forest-steppe, forest bog and steppe.
Strong swampiness of large areas is another distinctive feature of the Siberian Plain. This is due to several reasons: permafrost, low temperatures, flat relief, excessive moisture.
In conclusion, we note that the relief of the plains is the most convenient for economic activity and life, therefore, their territories have been largely changed by mankind.
