The territory stretching at the junction of Europe and Asia is called the Urals. This region is known for the Ural Mountains. But the lakes of the Urals deserve no less attention than the mountain peaks. The region is rich in beautiful and even healing reservoirs where you can relax, fish and improve your he alth.
Geography of the Urals
The area along the Ural Mountains on the border between Europe and Asia has long been inhabited by people. The origin of the name Ural is still controversial among scientists. The version about its connection with the word from the ancient Turkic language, meaning "elevation" looks the most realistic.
The region stretches from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the Arctic Ocean, covering the hills adjacent to the mountain peaks. The Ural mountain range is low, its peaks lie in the range from 600 to 1500 meters above sea level. The Ural Range is the main element that organizes the landscape and climate of the region. The Ural Mountains create a kind of barrier that divides the region into two climatic zones: the milder and more humid Western and the more severe, continentalZauralskaya. The climate of the region is typical mountainous, in the Cis-Urals with a large amount of precipitation, in the Trans-Urals the climate is drier. The region is rich in diverse flora and fauna. Beautiful and unique lakes of the Urals lie in numerous depressions and depressions of the mountains.
Water resources of the Urals
The Ural Territory is rich in various reservoirs and rivers. Streams descend from the mountains, the famous lakes of the Urals are formed. In total, there are 11 fairly large rivers in the region, among which the most famous are: Kama, Pechora, Chusovaya, Belaya. They feed three reservoirs with water: the Arctic Ocean, the Ob and Ural rivers. But the main we alth of the Ural Territory is the lakes, there are more than 30 thousand of them here!
Lake District
Ural can rightly be called the edge of the water. The lakes of the Urals are diverse in origin, each has a unique landscape. Many of the reservoirs are real natural attractions. Each lake has its own legend, its own unique appearance, its own history. In addition to incomparable beauty, many reservoirs have healing power. The region has a number of s alt lakes, whose healing power is no less than that of the famous Dead Sea. The most famous s alt lakes are: Moltaevo, Gorkoye, Muldakkul, Medvezhye and Podbornoe. On their banks there are rest houses and sanatoriums. There is also an amazing Sweet Lake in the Urals, the alkaline water of which has a sweetish taste, it has a huge list of medicinal properties.
Another unusual endorheic lake is Shantropai. Its water has a very high mineralization index,and mud from the bottom has truly miraculous properties. In addition to treatment and recreation, the lakes of the Ural Territory are famous for their fish stocks - here is a great place for fishing. And, of course, lakes are a magnificent natural landscape, each object has its own, with unique features. It is not in vain that many reservoirs are objects of protection as natural monuments. The lakes of the Urals are still little studied, their depth is not fully known, the underwater landscape, flora and fauna are also studied episodically. Let's talk about the six most remarkable Ural lakes.
Alpine Zyuratkul
The highest lake in the Southern Urals - Zyuratkul (Chelyabinsk region) is located at an altitude of over 700 m above sea level. It is fed by a large number of streams that originate in nearby swamps. In this regard, the water in the lake is tea-brown in color. Despite the shade, it is very clean, drinkable. Today the area of the lake is 12 square kilometers, but historically its area was half that. It increased due to the construction of the dam. Due to the increase in volume, the depth of the lake has also grown, today it is about 12 meters, the historical form has changed. The reservoir is located in a picturesque place, it is surrounded by dense coniferous forests, the mountain ranges of Nurgush are reliably sheltered from the winds.
Lake Zyuratkul (Chelyabinsk region) has attracted people since ancient times. Archaeologists find here traces of sites of 8-5 millennium BC. The history of the appearance of the reservoir is described by the legends of local residents,which poeticize the lake, attach special importance to its shape resembling a heart. Today, the reservoir and the surrounding area are part of the Zyuratkul National Park.
Big Fishing - Big Elanchik
90 km from Chelyabinsk, not far from Chebarkul, there is a small but very popular body of water - Lake Elanchik. From the Bashkir language, the name of the lake is translated as “snake”, “serpent lake”. Big Elanchik, this is the official name of the reservoir, has a small size - about 6 square kilometers, the depth is 6-8 meters. It is located at an altitude of 363 meters above sea level. The shores of the lake are covered with pine and deciduous forests, the western shore is quite swampy. Today, Bolshoi Elanchik is becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination, there are three large recreation centers, several cottage settlements, the presence of a person negatively affects the ecology of the lake. But it is still one of the five cleanest lakes in the Urals, the transparency of the water here is 4 meters. The main reason for the popularity of the lake is a large number of fish. Perch, ruff, roach, tench, pike are found here.
Uvilda's beauty
A natural monument of local importance - Lake Uvildy - is located 100 km from Chelyabinsk, at the foot of the Ural Mountains. The nature of the origin of Lake Uvildy is tectonic. Many millions of years ago, a fault formed here, which subsequently filled with water. The area of the lake is almost 70 sq. km, the deepest place is 35 meters, the average depth isabout 14 meters. Due to its size, the lake does not warm up well and this leads to the fact that there is no vibrant underwater life in it. True, today inhabited breams, chebaks, pikes, whitefishes, burbots live there. The oligotrophic type of the lake, quite rare for the Urals, makes Uvildy an interesting object for scientific research. The reservoir is famous for its purest water, one of the five purest lakes in Russia. However, a strong recreational load threatens the ecology of the lake, which is heavily polluted. The following islands give the lake a special charm: Elm, Spruce, Alder, Beech, in total there are 52 islands of various sizes in the reservoir. Lake Uvildy has long attracted people, they composed romantic legends and stories about the reservoir.
Deep Lake
300 km from Yekaterinburg is the cleanest lake in the Urals Terenkul lake. Translated from the Bashkir name of the reservoir means "deep lake". The maximum depth of Terenkul is 19 meters, the transparency is about a meter. Some researchers suggest that in places there is a “double bottom” effect near the reservoir, where the depth reaches 30 m, but there is no real evidence for this. Lake Terenkul occurred as a result of a tectonic fault, it is fed by precipitation and groundwater. From all sides it is surrounded by dense forests, the water surface in places is heavily overgrown with reeds and water lilies. Despite the fact that there are few specially equipped places for recreation, they mainly belong to guest houses and boarding houses, the flow of tourists here is only growing every year. Tourists are attracted by the silence anduntouched nature, as well as fishing.
Alpine Lake
On the main peak of the Northern Urals, Mount Telpozis, in a crevice, there is a unique alpine lake Telpos. It is famous for its crystal-clear emerald-colored water, the transparency of the water is about 10 meters. The area of the lake is only a quarter of a square kilometer, and the depth is about 50 meters. The origin of the lake is karovoe, that is, it retains water from a recently (several thousand years) melted glacier. The lake has been studied very little, it is not even known if there are any inhabitants in it. The water in the lake does not warm up, and it is impossible to swim in it. Even the ancient inhabitants of the Urals revered Telpos as a shrine, they even wrapped the oars in rags in order to pass silently across the water surface. And today there are very few people around the reservoir, and it retains its original beauty.
Pure Turgoyak
The real star that the entire Urals is proud of is Lake Turgoyak. It is called the “younger brother of Baikal”, there is even a corresponding legend about this. The reservoir is the second cleanest in Russia. The area of the Turgoyak water surface is almost half a thousand square kilometers, the maximum depth is 36 m. Turgoyak extends at the foot of the Ilmensky Ridge, at an altitude of more than 300 meters above sea level. The lake has a tectonic origin, it is fed by groundwater, precipitation and several small rivers. The lake is quite cold and therefore there are almost no inhabitants in it. Today, the reservoir is experiencing the strongest anthropogenic influence, whichnegatively affects its environment. There are many facilities for tourist accommodation on the shore of the lake.
