Often people are captivated by some words often used in communication and books (encyclopedias, student and school textbooks), not really thinking about their meaning.
For example, it would seem that the word "Ural" … It is so familiar and seems clear and understandable to everyone. But its meaning is most likely ambiguous. What is Ural? Let's try to find out in this article.
Ural as a mountainous country
Few people know what the Urals are. This is a mountain range with a length of more than 2000 meters. What is its geographical position? It stretches from north to south, dividing Europe and Asia and the two largest plains - the lowlands of the West Siberian and Russian steppes.
Description of mountains
The Ural Mountains are the oldest rocks that have been greatly destroyed by time. The stone belt of these mountains, together with the adjacent plains of the Cis-Urals, stretches from the north (from the shores of the Arctic Ocean) to the south to the semi-desert territories of Kazakhstan. So what is "Ural"? What does this word mean when translated fromTurkish language? It means "belt" (more on the meaning of the word below). Amazing nature, bewitching with its impregnable severe beauty - all this is the Urals. Where else can you see such splendor?
Many territories of the Urals are nature reserves, among which the most famous are the following: Zyuratkul, Taganay, Arkaim, Arakul, Denezhkin stone, Kungur cave, Kvarkush, Deer streams. What other meaning is hidden in the word "Ural"? What is it really and what appears to all of us when we encounter this term?
Ural as a region
Officially, the Urals is a geographical region. The main part of this Russian region is the Ural mountain system. Its southern zone includes part of the Ural River basin, which flows into the Caspian Sea. The region is located, as noted above, at the junction of Asia and Europe. It starts from the shores of the Kara Sea, and ends at Mugodzhar (the southern spur of the Ural Mountains in Kazakhstan).
The Trans-Urals and Cis-Urals are economically and historically closely connected with the Urals. These are the territories adjacent to it from the east and west. The following republics, regions and territories of Russia are located in all these areas in aggregate: Bashkortostan, Kurgan, Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk and Orenburg regions, Perm and Udmurtia, the eastern parts of the Arkhangelsk region and the Komi Republic, the western part of the Tyumen region. In Kazakhstan, the Urals include two regions: Kustanai and Aktobe.
Region value
Ural -what? What does it represent for Russia in terms of economics? Since ancient times, the Urals have amazed many researchers with an abundance of a wide variety of minerals, which is the main we alth of these regions.
The Ural Mountains store a huge variety of minerals in their bowels. They contain copper and iron ores, nickel and chromium, zinc and cob alt, oil and coal, gold and other precious stones. These places have long been the largest mining and metallurgical base in Russia. In addition, huge forest resources can be attributed to the we alth of these places. The Middle and Southern Urals have extensive opportunities for the development of agriculture. This natural region is the most important for all of Russia and its citizens.
A little about the toponym
There are a huge number of versions of the origin of the toponym (proper name of a geographical feature) "Ural". According to the results of studies of the languages of the peoples living in the region, there is a main version about the origin of the name of the area - this name is formed from the Bashkir language. And in fact, of all the peoples living in these places, this name has existed for a long time only among the Bashkirs and is supported by the legends and traditions of this people (for example, the epic "Ural-Batyr").
Multinational Ural. What is it for other nations? In addition to the Bashkirs, other indigenous peoples of these mountainous places (Komi, Khanty, Udmurts, Mansi) have other names for the Ural Mountains. It is also known that the Russians learned about such a name as Ur altau,precisely from the Bashkirs in the middle of the 16th century, translating it as Ar altova Gora. In this regard, it is generally accepted that the name of the mountains is associated with the Turkic word "aral" (translated as "island") or with "uralmak" (translated as "girdle" or "enclose").
One can talk endlessly about this amazing "country" called the Urals. The works of great writers and poets are dedicated to her, wonderful paintings are drawn by famous artists. A huge number of nature lovers travel along the Urals, and its peaks are conquered by brave and courageous climbers. All ethnic groups living in this region have their own unique history and culture that deserves attention and respect.
