Climate and Relief of Eurasia: description, features, photo

As part of the school curriculum, students study the continents. The most interesting is Eurasia. Why is that? First of all, it is the largest continent on Earth. If we take into account its size, then it is not surprising that in this territory there are sites with different terrain and climate. It is also worth paying attention to the geological structure of the area.

In this article, the features of the Eurasian relief will be considered. So, let's get started.

Mainland Eurasia: a brief description

Eurasia, as already mentioned, is the largest continent on the planet. Its area is measured by huge scales, which make up almost 40% of the entire land. If you express this in figures, then the size of this territory was almost 55 million square meters. Km. There are about 100 states on this continent. Its position on the map can be found from the following coordinates: between 1 ° 16 's. W and 77 ° 43 's. W .; 9 ° 31 'W Etc. and 169 ° 42'W. E.

It should be noted that the continent is unique not only in its size. Eurasia is the only continent on the planet that is washed by all the four oceans of the globe. Also interesting is the fact that two parts of the world - Europe and Asia - are united on its territory. And since they lie in different geographical belts, the relief and climate of Eurasia on the entire extent is very different.

The main moments of formation

I would like to highlight the fact that Eurasia differs considerably in geological structure from the rest of the continents. It is based on several plates and platforms. The time interval of formation falls on the Cenozoic and Mesozoic eras. Geologically, the continent is considered the youngest.

Structure of Eurasia:

• North: Siberian, East European platform and West Siberian plate.
• East: South China, Sino-Korean platform and slabs of Alpine folding.
• West: slabs of Paleozoic platforms and Hercynian folding.
• South: Arabian, Indian platforms and Iranian plates.

Also on the territory of the mainland there are large cracks and faults, which predominate in the Siberian region (for example, Tibet, Lake Baikal). Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes can occur in folded belts, as evidenced by the features of the Eurasian landform. In these territories, because of the unusual structure of the earth's crust, there are the richest mineral deposits, such as tin, tungsten, natural gas, oil, various ores and others.

Variety of mountain relief

The features of the mountainous relief are that, unlike other continents, where the hills are mostly located on the outskirts, here they are in the very depths, separated by two folded belts: the Pacific and the Alibe-Himalayan. The first of them stretches almost throughout the eastern part. An intensified movement of the earth's crust has been noticed up to now .

When describing the relief of Eurasia, it should be noted that the average heights vary within 830 m. It is here that the highest point of the planet is Everest (8 848 m). No less significant are other mountain formations:

• The Himalayas are a mountain system located on the border of South and Central Asia. It is considered to be the highest massif. Occupies an area of about 1.1 million square meters. Km. It has a length of more than 2.3 thousand km, and in width reaches almost 1.4 thousand km.
• The Hindu Kush is a mountain system of Central Asia. Occupies an area of about 155 thousand square meters. Km. The width and length of the massif almost reach 600 km.
• Tien Shan is a mountain system located on the territory of five states of Central Asia. It consists of numerous ridges. The highest peak is Pobeda Peak (7 439 m).
• The Altai Mountains are one of the most complex systems that represent the relief of Eurasia. Are located in the territory of four states, the total area is about 740 thousand square meters. Km. The length of the mountain range is more than 1.8 thousand km, and in width - slightly more than 1.2 thousand km.
• Alps - a mountain range that does not go beyond Europe, a total area of 190 thousand square meters. Km. The highest peak is Mont Blanc (4,810 m).
• The Caucasian mountains consist of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. Are territorially located between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
• The Ural mountains are an array that passes between two plains: the West Siberian and the East European. Its length was 2 thousand km, and the width varies from 40 to 150 km.
• The Deccan plateau is located in South Asia (Hindustan Peninsula). It occupies a rather large area - about 1 million square meters. Km.
• The Central Siberian plateau is located in Eastern Siberia. The maximum height is 1701 m (the top of the Stone). Almost the whole territory is dominated by sharply continental climate.

Plain terrain of Eurasia

In addition to the mountain peaks, there are also plains on the mainland. Let's look at them.

• The East European Plain is located in the eastern part of Europe. There are 10 states on its territory. Most of it belongs to Russia. Borders are the coasts of the Baltic, White, Caspian, Black, Azov and Barents Seas, as well as the Ural Mountains. The area of the plain is more than 4 million square kilometers. Km. The average height is 170 m.
• The West Siberian Plain is in the north of Asia. It extends from the Central Siberian plateau to the Ural Mountains. It is on this territory that the major rivers of Russia flow: the Ob, the Irtysh, the Yenisei. The area of this area is 2.6 million square meters. Km. The climatic conditions here are quite severe.
• The Turanian plain occupies the territory of Central Asia. In the north it borders on the Turgai plate, in the south - on the foothills of the Paropamiz. The climate in this region is sharply continental, and in the south - subtropical.
• The Great Plain of China is located in East Asia. In this region is considered one of the largest. Its area is more than 320 thousand square meters. Km. The climate in this area is temperate monsoon, in the south it is subtropical.

Features of climate

The relief of Eurasia directly affects climate formation. Given that the size of the continent is quite large, the climate diversity is clearly expressed here. Almost all climatic zones pass through the territory of Eurasia.

In the north singles out polar and subpolar. Towards the south, they are replaced by a temperate belt, which, in turn, turns into a subtropical belt. The tropical belt extends from the Mediterranean and Red Seas up to India. Subequatorial dominates the territory of India and Indochina, capturing the southern part of China. And the last climatic zone is equatorial. It covers the territory of the islands of southeast Asia.

In the center of the continent, there is a sharp change in the climate at different times of the year. In winter it is cold, and in summer it is warm. The difference between the upper and lower limits of temperature is 50-70 ° C.

Studying the climate, it is important to take into account the relief of Eurasia. Mountain formations are clear boundaries of weather conditions. For example, in the direction from north to south the territory is entirely occupied by a huge Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. In winter, the ridges do not pass cold winds, and in the summer - warm. In the north of the Himalayas, the minimum amount of precipitation is up to 100 mm per year, but at the foot of the east this figure reaches a record 1,000 mm. Near the city of Cherapunji is the most damp spot on the planet. The amount of precipitation here is about 12,000 mm per year.

Winter in the territories that are limited to mountain ranges is warm. The temperature here rarely drops below -5 ° C. But the flat terrain from November to March-April is under the influence of cold cyclones. This season is characterized by precipitation in the form of snow, accompanied by low temperatures, sometimes reaching minus 45-50 ° C.