The name of a village on a mountain in Dagestan. The high mountains of Dagestan have become a favorite place for tourism and mountaineering. Geographical and climatic features

⇐ Previous part | ⇒

The road to the high-mountain village was rocky and unimportant; we had to crawl at a snail's pace. I wanted to sleep, but only a professional could fall asleep on such potholes. The Niva roared and moved strainedly, mostly in first gear; second gear was no longer enough. Apparently the leftover 92nd gasoline, which we filled up in Akhty, was having an effect. Anton turned it down. He peered ahead with concentration and maneuvered between scattered stones and hummocks, every now and then shifting gears up and down, as if churning butter in a churn. It was drizzling. Sasha russos reported that the oil temperature in the box had increased in the Trailblazer. Now both cars switched to lower gears and crawled further along the winding Caucasian serpentine road.

We drove into the clouds and it quickly became dark. Visibility dropped to 10 meters, it became noticeably cooler, and the Trailblazer began to cool down. The only navigator who still understood where we were reported that there were only 20 kilometers left to the village. It's about an hour and a half walk. We didn’t meet a single oncoming car during the entire climb.

The village was already asleep when two dirty cars, making a loud noise with their engine cooling fans, like out of breath travelers, climbed up to the first houses of Kurush - at the same time the highest mountainous settlement in the Caucasus and all of Europe, as well as the southernmost settlement Russian Federation. The village is located on the border with Azerbaijan on the southeastern slope of Mount Shalbuzdag, in the valley of the Usukhchaina River at an altitude of about 2600 meters.

1. The village is more than 2000 years old, although no one knows exactly when exactly the first inhabitants appeared here. But it is known that the first road to the village appeared in the 60s. Until this time, the main means of transport were only one's own legs and horses. Today you can get “down” by minibus, which runs every two days in winter and every day in summer. A ticket to Derbent costs 300 rubles. Travel time is three hours.

2. The harsh climate does not allow farming, despite the fact that the land in these parts is fertile. The maximum that can be achieved is to collect a small harvest of potatoes during the warm summer, and then only for oneself, not for sale. Therefore, everyone lives only by livestock farming and completely provides for themselves. Everything goes into use: milk, meat, wool, even dung.

3. On almost every site, huge haystacks stand like frozen mammoths. Winters are long here...
Sometimes, in the cold winter, the water coming through pipes from Mount Shalbuzdag freezes and then you have to wait until spring. Run all winter with buckets to the spring.

4. Life in mountain villages is a paradise for asthmatics. The purest rarefied mountain air with light notes of burnt dung. What could be better?

5. You can wake up in the morning in the fog and see nothing, or vice versa, in sunny weather you can admire the kilometer-long wall of Mount Erydag. During the Soviet Union, Kurush was very popular among tourists and climbers. Now there are much fewer visitors.

6. Due to the fact that cattle are kept in the village, the streets are a bit dirty. It’s better not to go out without boots after the rain. In general, everything is like in an ordinary Ryazan village, only with four-thousanders in the background.

7. In the center of the frame is Mount Bazardyuzyu - the highest mountain in Dagestan and Azerbaijan (4466 meters). The state border runs along its ridge.

Translated from Turkic, Bazarduzu means “market square”, more precisely as a specific landmark - “turn to the market, bazaar”. The fact is that in ancient times and the Middle Ages, in the Shahnabad valley, located east of this peak, annual large fairs were held, where traders and buyers from many countries came. From a distance, on the way to the fairs, the main landmark caught the eye “ market square", "turn to the market" - Bazarduzu.

A dialogue from the Middle Ages was presented.
- Excuse me, but how to get to the market?
- Up to the mountain, and to the left.

There are a lot of relatives left on the other side of the pass. They are also Lezgins, but they live in Azerbaijan. To go visit - the journey takes the whole day. Nowadays it’s just that few people go. Only for a big holiday, wedding or funeral. To cross the border you need a passport. And at the border itself you can spend up to 8 hours standing in queues.

8. When talking about life in the mountains, one cannot help but talk about food. It’s not for nothing that they say that the most dangerous thing that can happen in Dagestan is being fed to death. Oh, this trip was pure food terrorism! We've never eaten so much. Look at the delicious and always different (depending on the area) Khinkal!

Khinkal should not be confused with Georgian khinkali, which is a significantly different type of dish. Digastan khinkal is pieces of dough boiled in meat broth (actually “khinkalina”), served with broth, boiled meat and sauce.

9. And this is Chudu, a dish for a large ceremonial feast, also National dish peoples of Dagestan. This is a kind of thin pie, which is made from unleavened dough with a variety of fillings. The dough is rolled out as thin as possible. The main taste is created by the filling; it can be meat, potato, cheese and herbs, or just vegetable. After baking, the miracles must be greased with oil, so they become more aromatic and tender.

10. And this is the school “flatbread”. In one of the mountain villages we went to a local school, where children in the dining room prepare their own bread. You can't take him out of town every day.

13. In many mountain villages there is no concept of streets, lanes or driveways. Moreover, there are no avenues or highways there. Sometimes even houses do not have their own numbers. The postman and the local police officer know all the residents by first and last name.

14. “Our ancestors rose so high that no one would touch them. The Dagestan mountains are harsh. Not everyone will wear them. So they moved away from endless wars and devastation.” - says Bashirov Tagi Aslanovich, head of the village of Kurush.

18. Sometimes the neighboring village speaks its own language and communication with neighbors occurs only in Russian. How versatile English language in Europe, so is the Russian language in Dagestan.

21. Dung cakes on the wall of the house. This is both fuel and insulation at the same time.

27. Young girls are afraid of photographers like hell.

28. Guys, on the contrary, pose with pleasure.

29. Math class.

31. School director.
“Almost all the young people are leaving. Many go to Derbent and Makhachkala, some go to Russia. Many are sent to serve under a contract, it is profitable. Young people are just bored here.”

33. Series of photographs “Sasha is coming.”

36. It's almost like Tibet, but only Russia. And they speak Russian here.

Half of the entire area of ​​the Republic of Dagestan is occupied by mountains. Very different mountains: the highlands covered with alpine meadows, and the icy peaks of the south of the republic, and Inner Dagestan, with its gorges and sharp rocks. The average height of the mountains of Dagestan is 960 m, but on its territory there are about 30 peaks with a height of more than 4,000 m.

The south and west of Dagestan are occupied by the Greater Caucasus Watershed Range. It is these mountain ranges that shape the weather in the republic: they trap humid air flows from the south, so the climate in Dagestan is predominantly dry.

Mountains of Dagestan

Bazarduzu

Bazarduzu is the most big mountain Dagestan. Its height is 4,466 m. Bazarduzu is the top of the Watershed Range and is located on the very border of Russia and Azerbaijan. From this mountain the relief of the ridge in east direction decreases, therefore Bazarduzu is the highest point of Azerbaijan and the so-called “pole of cold” of this state.

The glaciers of the mountain represent the easternmost group of glaciers in the entire Main Caucasus. On the northern slope of Bazarduzu there are two glaciers - Tikhitsar and Murkar. Five small tongues descend from them. It's easier to get to Tikhitsar. Its length is just under a kilometer, width - 150–200 m. The peculiarity of Tikhitsar is its huge slope - the difference in heights is 250 m, so the glacier is moving down quickly - up to 9 cm per day.

The Murkar glacier extends to the northeast. It is significantly larger than its neighbor: the length of Murkar is about 1400 m, the width is 300–450 m. The glaciers of Mount Bazarduzu are rapidly shrinking. In 1897 their area was 13.8 square meters. km, now it is almost four times smaller - only about 3.8 square meters. km.

Many rivers are born on Mount Bazarduzu. The tributaries of the Samur River originate here. The slopes of the mountain are covered with picturesque alpine and subalpine meadows. Vegetable and animal world diverse and amazing: aurochs, chamois and roe deer are found in sufficient numbers. Mountain turkeys and snowcocks live high near glaciers and on inaccessible cliffs.

Diklosmta

A mountain range lying on the border of Dagestan, Chechnya and Georgia, in the eastern part of the Greater Caucasus, Diklosmta is included in the crest of the Snowy Range and contains several high peaks, covered with eternal snow:

– Central Diklosmta (4,285 m) – the highest mountain of the massif;

– Eastern Diklosmta (4275 m);

– Western Diklosmta.

The array is visible from afar. There are several large glaciers on Diklosmt. The total area of ​​the nine permanent and most significant of them is more than 5 square meters. km. These glaciers give life to the rivers Khulandoy, Chero, and Gakko.

Shalbuzdag

One of the peaks of the southeastern part of the Main Caucasus Range - Shalbuzdag - is located so that it seems as if it is the highest mountain in the south of Dagestan, its height is 4,142 m. In fact, the peaks surrounding Shalbuzdag are much higher. The uniqueness of the mountain is explained by the many legends associated with it.

Shalbuzdag is a sacred mountain for Muslims. Every day in summer months Hundreds of pilgrims climb to its top. There is a belief that many centuries ago a saint, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, Sheikh al-Burzi, lived on Shalbuzdag. He reconciled warring peoples. It is believed that the sheikh lived on the mountain, died and was buried there.

But there is another grave at the top of Shalbuzdag; it is located in the sanctuary “Pir of Suleiman”. There is a legend that a very devout and pious man Suleiman lived at the foot of the mountain. When he felt that it was time for him to leave this world, he said goodbye to his fellow villagers, lay down on a stretcher and died. A flock of pigeons descended from the mountains, picked up the stretcher and carried them to Shalbuzdag. Suleiman was buried there. Now a small crypt has been built on the site of his grave; the grave itself is enclosed in marble. Everything in the crypt is equipped for prayer.

There are also two mosques in the vicinity of Shalbuzdag. By the way, on one of the slopes of the mountain there is the highest mountain village in Europe - the village of Kurush, it rises above sea level by 2560 m.

Pushkin-tau

In the vicinity of the town of Izberbash there is a small but very famous mountain. It is called Izberg-tau, but is popularly known as Pushkin Mountain. The fact is that at a height of 150 m the outlines of the rocks overlap each other in such a way that at a certain viewing angle the poet’s profile appears looking upward. It is best to view from the Rostov-Derbent highway. Pushkin-tau is loved local residents, tourists, as well as paragliders.

The Caucasus Mountains occupy half of the entire area of ​​Dagestan. There are about 30 peaks on the territory of the republic, the height of which is more than 4000 meters.

The highest mountains of Dagestan are Addala-Shukhgelmeer (4151 meters), Dyultydag (4127 meters), mountain range Diklosmta (4285 meters). In the south of the republic stands Shalbuz-dag (3925 meters). Nearby stands the large table peak Yaru-Dag (4116 meters), its vertical walls have repeatedly become the site of competitions for climbers from all over Russia.

The largest mountain in Dagestan is Bazardyuzyu. It is located in the very south of the republic. The state border of the Russian Federation and neighboring Azerbaijan runs along the top of the mountain.

The Greater Caucasus Watershed Range stretches in the south and west of the republic. It traps moist air masses from the south, which is why the climate in Dagestan is dry.

Despite the high altitude of the mountains, the local glaciers are not as grandiose as their counterparts in the Central and Western Caucasus. The largest of them are located in the Bogos mountain range. The largest glacier in Dagestan is Belengi, 3.2 kilometers long, its ice thickness reaches 170 meters. Recently, glaciers have lost significant size, and many have disappeared completely.

The highlands of Dagestan are the kingdom of alpine meadows. Close to their lower edge there is a forest that rises to a height of 2000 - 2200 meters. It is home to many different animals: Dagestan aurochs live here, from time to time the shadow of a mountain goat flashes among the rocks or a herd of fleet-footed chamois leaps past. Brown bears and Caucasian deer, hares and martens live in the forest thickets. Here you can find flocks of rock partridges and mountain turkeys. Eagles soar high in the sky above the mountain peaks.

Inner Dagestan is an endless labyrinth mountain ranges, peaks, rocks and gorges. Many rivers are born in the mountains, which carry their waters to the Caspian Sea. Their path lies in deep valleys and gorges.

The northern regions of the republic, where the Terek-Kuma lowland lies, greet the traveler with completely different landscapes. In ancient times, the waves of the ancient sea splashed on these plains. The salt marshes and shells of sea mollusks found in the sands still remind us of this. Today it is very dry, and the surrounding landscapes are more desert-like. The main local inhabitants are saigas, hares, foxes and, of course, a huge number of rodents.

A few rivers cross the salt plain, but not all of them manage to reach the sea. Only high-water Terek, Samur, Sulak, Uluchai and Rubas, extortion sand dunes, flow into the Caspian Sea. Just before the sea, the rivers form large deltas, which change their shape every year. Here, on the coast, among the reeds, there is a real oasis of life. Waders, herons, geese and cranes nest in the water. Flocks of partridges live in the coastal thickets and the loud meowing of a jungle cat can be heard. Despite the fact that the local forests are not so large, they are home to wild boars, jackals and red deer.

On the Sulak River there is the deepest canyon in Russia. Its length is more than 50 kilometers, and average depth 1200 meters. The canyon is divided into three sections - Main, Chirkey and Miatlinsky. The most fascinating of them is the Main One. Where the walls of the canyon meet especially closely, its depth reaches a maximum of 1920 meters (for comparison, at the Colorado Canyon this figure is only 1600 meters). The bottom of the abyss is immersed in twilight. The roar of the raging water below echoes throughout the surrounding area, and clouds of water dust constantly hang in the air.

Inner Dagestan is an endless labyrinth of mountain ranges, rock peaks and gorges.

Ahulgo is Mountain peak, located in the Russian Federation, in Dagestan. The peak is surrounded by a ring of other mountains. In its northern part, above Sulak, there is Mount Salatau, in the eastern part - the Gimry Range, in the western part - the Andean Range, in the southwestern part - the Betlin Mountains.

The name “Akhulgo” translated from the Avar language means “Mountain of Call”.

The northern base of Akhulgo is surrounded on 3 sides by the Andean Koisu River, thus forming a peninsula, divided by the Ashilta River into two parts.

The mountain once served as the fortified residence of Shamil. In 1817-1864, during the Caucasian War, the highlanders under the command of Shamil withstood the siege of Russian troops led by General Grabbe. This siege lasted from 13.07. to 08/22/1839. On August 22, the Russians still took Akhulgo, despite the fact that isolated battles continued for another 7 days.

Mount Dzhalgan

Dzhalgan is a mountain peak of the Sabanovo-Dzhalgan ridge system. It is located in Russia, in Dagestan and has a height of 708.2 meters.

It is located at the junction of the Primorskaya Lowland and Piedmont Dagestan, near the foot of the peak is the city of Derbent.

This is the eroded wing of the Jalgan-Kemakh anticlinal fold. The mountain is composed of shales, clays and marls.

Along the slope one can trace a sharp transition from the landscapes of semi-desert Primorsky Dagestan to low-growing forest and shiblyak thickets. This is due to the fact that the amount of precipitation increases sharply from the foot to the top.

Maple, oak, hornbeam, ash, hawthorn, dogwood, quince and other vegetation grow in this territory.

On the slopes there are settlements: Mitagi-Kazmalyar, Dzhalgan and Mitagi. The attractions of the mountain include: the sanctuary with the grave of the first Catholicos, the “Petrovskaya Grove”, the stalactite cave of the “Holy Breasts” and the holy spring “Urus-bulakh”, from which Peter I drank.

Mount Achigsyrt

Achigsyrt is a mountain peak belonging to the advanced Sabanovo-Dzhalgansky ridge of the Greater Caucasus. It is located in the Russian Federation, in the Republic of Dagestan. Its height is 585 meters above sea level.

The mountain has extremely steep slopes. The name “Achigsyrt” is translated from the Azerbaijani language as “not overgrown, open ridge.”

It is located at the junction of the Primorskaya Lowland and Piedmont Dagestan, south of the village of Sabnovy and west of the city of Derbent. To the south of the peak is Mount Dzhalgan, in the southern part of the slope, above Derbent, is the Naryn-Kala citadel.

Dagestan is perhaps the richest region in Russia in terms of landscape diversity. From the coast of the Caspian Sea you can reach snowy peaks Greater Caucasus, and see almost all the diversity natural complexes temperate latitudes: sands and semi-deserts, floodplains, flat and mountain meadows, steppes, unique landscapes badlands and arid basins, deciduous and coniferous forests, snowfields and glaciers.

Accordingly, the diversity of animals and plants inhabiting these landscapes is also great. This is about 4 thousand species of plants, several tens of thousands of invertebrates, almost 100 species of mammals, more than 350 species of birds, up to fifty species of reptiles and amphibians, and about 80 forms of freshwater and sea ​​fish. More than a dozen species of terrestrial vertebrates, such as the Syrian spadefoot, catsnake, viper, thick-billed plover, red-headed shrike, tugai nightingale, Megeli horseshoe bat, etc. are found in Russia only in Dagestan. Not to mention incomparably more plants and invertebrate animals, the habitats of which in our country do not extend beyond the borders of Dagestan.

Therefore, our republic has attracted special attention from nature researchers - geographers, botanists, zoologists, ecologists. It will take many more years to understand and appreciate all the diversity wildlife Dagestan. But until that time, all this wealth must be preserved.

For this purpose, reserves are created and National parks, reserves, biosphere sites, natural parks, natural monuments, dendrological parks, botanical gardens, health resorts and resorts. specially protected natural areas. Unique, standard areas of land and water surface that are of key importance for the conservation of the biological and landscape diversity of a particular region, country or the entire Earth are selected for specially protected natural areas. In the latter case, such territories are given the status of internationally significant.

In addition to their special environmental and scientific significance, these territories should be of great value from the point of view of recreational and health use, as well as for environmental, cultural and aesthetic education. Specially protected natural areas are completely or partially withdrawn from economic use, and a special protection regime is established on them. Specially protected natural areas can be federal and regional. There is also a category of local specially protected natural areas, but the mechanism for their allocation and approval has not been fully developed.

Today in Dagestan there are officially 46 specially protected natural areas, including 6 federal and 38 regional (republican). There are also specially protected natural areas local significance And a large number of officially unapproved natural monuments that were described at one time Geographical Society Dagestan.

Federal specially protected natural areas are state nature reserve“Dagestansky”, three reserves under its jurisdiction - “Agrakhansky”, “Samursky” and “Tlyaratinsky”, as well as Gorny Botanical Garden DSC RAS, located on the Gunib plateau, the botanical garden of the State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education DSU.

Republican specially protected natural areas - 12 state natural reserves (“Nogaisky”, “Tarumovsky”, “Yangiyurtovsky”, “Khamamatyurtsky”, “Kayakentsky”, “Deshlagarsky”, “Kasumkentsky”, “Andreyaulsky”, “Melishtinsky”, “Kosobsko- Kelebsky”, “Bezhtinsky” and “Charodinsky”), 1 natural Park(Upper Gunib), 25 natural monuments (Almak canyon, Assatinskaya cave, Chvakhilo waterfall, Gvadarinsky waterfall, Rychal-Su valley, Kazanishchensky forest, Karadakh gorge, Kug aeolian city, Kuzhniksky (Turaginsky) natural bridge, Lake “Akh-Kol”, Lake “Kazenoy-Am”, Lake “Mochokh”, Lake “Shaitan-Kazak”, Cave “Durk”, plane trees near the Juma Mosque in Derbent, Salta Gorge, Salta Gorge, “Cavalier” rock battery", rock "Pushkin Profile", tract "Sosnovka", Talginskaya valley, Tashkapur gorge, gorge "Echo", Khanaga waterfall, Khunzakh waterfalls, Tsanak plane tree).

The total area of ​​officially approved specially protected natural territories of Dagestan is more than 600 thousand hectares, and together with the territories proposed for protection, but not approved, about 700 thousand hectares.

Geographical position

The Republic of Dagestan occupies the area of ​​the Eastern Ciscaucasia, located on the northeastern slope of the Greater Caucasus and the southwest of the Caspian Lowland. The area of ​​Dagestan is 50.3 thousand square meters. km and is the largest of all the republics of the North Caucasus.

From the east, Dagestan is washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea. Coastline it is weakly dissected and has a length of 530 km from the mouth of the Kuma River in the north to the mouth of the Samur River in the south. The length of the territory of Dagestan from north to south is 420 km and from west to east 216 km. The average height above sea level is 1 thousand m, the highest point is Mount Bazarduzu (4466 m). The lowest place (28 m) is located within the Terek-Kuma lowland.

In the north, Dagestan borders on the Republic of Kalmykia - the border runs along the dry bed of the Kuma River for 110 km, and in the north-west with the Stavropol Territory, and the conditional border runs along the Nogai steppe of the Terek-Kuma Lowland, 186 km long. In the west it borders with the Chechen Republic for 420 km along the Tersko-Kuma and Tersko-Sulak lowlands, and then to the south along the watershed ridges of the Snowy and Andean ridges. In the southwest, Dagestan borders on the Republic of Georgia. The border stretches for 150 km along the ridge of the Main Caucasus Range to Mount Tinav-Rosso. Further in the southeast it borders with the Republic of Azerbaijan for 315 km. The border runs along the crest of the Main Caucasus Range to Mount Bazardyuzyu, and along the bed of the Samur River to its mouth. The total length of Dagestan's land borders reaches 1181 km.

Rivers

The territory of Dagestan is very favorable for the formation of a dense network of surface waters, which, however, are very unevenly distributed. The rivers of the republic represent one of the significant wealth: they are a source of hydropower, water supply, irrigation and fishing, since all sectors of the republic's economy are associated with the use of water and often the lack of water negatively affects the degree of intensification of its individual sectors.

Within Dagestan, 4 large river basins can be distinguished: Sulak, Terek, Samur and the rivers of Piedmont Dagestan.

Through central part The republic is crossed by the Terek and Sulak rivers. There are 6,255 rivers flowing in Dagestan (including 100 main rivers, with a length of more than 25 km and a drainage area of ​​more than 100 km, 185 small and more than 5,900 smallest ones), the largest of which are Terek, Sulak, Samur with tributaries. All rivers belong to the Caspian Sea basin, but only 20 of them flow into the sea.

Due to the dry climate, the north of Dagestan is poor in rivers. The existing rivers are used for irrigation in summer and do not reach the sea.

Most abundant in water mountain rivers, which, thanks to their fast flow, do not freeze even in winter, they are characterized by comparative high water content and significant slopes.

Sulak is formed at the confluence of the Avar Koysu and Andean Koysu rivers, which originate in the Greater Caucasus Mountains. The area of ​​its basin is 15.2 thousand km². Sulak accounts for half of all hydropower resources in Dagestan; the Chiryurt and Chirkey hydroelectric power stations are located here.

Karakoysu is the right tributary of the Avar Koysu River, flowing 37 km above the mouth.

The Terek River is a transit river for Dagestan. By occupied area (12,665 sq. km).

Samur is the second largest river in Dagestan. The area of ​​its basin is 7.3 thousand km². When it flows into the Caspian Sea, the Samur splits into branches and forms a delta. It is planned to build three hydroelectric power stations on the river and its main tributaries. The waters of Samur are also used for irrigation purposes: irrigation canals have been drawn from the river to irrigate Southern Dagestan and neighboring Azerbaijan.

The main source of nutrition for the rivers in the foothill (outer mountain) zone of the republic is spring and autumn rainfall. Summer precipitation, with the exception of rainstorms that cause floods on rivers, is mainly spent on evaporation.

Until the end of the last century (80-90s), it was believed that Dagestan was poor in lakes. By that time, there were about 100 lakes, occupying a relatively large area (more than 150 sq. km). But over the past 15-20 years, many new lakes have been discovered and described, mostly mountain lakes, located in hard-to-reach areas. As a result, the number of mountain lakes alone increased by about 155.

Lakes are unevenly distributed throughout the republic. Most of the lakes are located in the lowlands, fewer of them are in the foothills, especially in the mountainous part.

In the lowland area there are lakes of lagoon-marine origin, floodplain, estuary, located in the deltas and floodplains of the Terek, Sulak, and Samur rivers; suffosion lakes (basins) are confined to the arid regions of the Terek-Kuma lowland. In mountainous areas, landslide-dammed, glacial, moraine lakes, as well as lakes of cirques and mountain plateaus, are more common. In Lowland Dagestan the lakes are mostly drainless, while in Mountainous Dagestan they are flowing.

In the Foothill and Lowland regions, the lakes are usually shallow. But they occupy a large area and become very shallow by autumn.

In Dagestan, 3 reservoirs were built on the Sulak River: Chiryurtovskoye, Chirkeyskoye and Miatlinskoye, and one on the Kara-Koysu River - Gergebilskoye. The largest of them is Chirkeyskoye, its area is 42 square meters. km. The construction of the Irganay reservoir is being completed.

Relief

Dagestan is geographically divided into foothill, mountain and high-mountain physical-geographical zones, in each of them there are different kinds vegetation.

The orography of Dagestan is unique: a 245-kilometer strip of foothills abuts transverse ridges that border Inner Dagestan in a huge arc. Two main rivers emerge from the mountains - Sulak in the north and Samur in the south. The natural boundaries of mountainous Dagestan are: the Snow and Andean ridges - up to the giant Sulak canyon, Gimrinsky, Les, Kokma, Dzhufudag and Yarudag - between Sulak and the Samur basin, the Main Caucasus ridge - in the southwest of both basins.

Inner Dagestan, in turn, is divided into a mid-mountain, plateau-like region and an alpine, high-mountain region.

The mountains cover an area of ​​25.5 thousand km², and the average height of the entire territory of Dagestan is 960 m. Highest point- Bazarduzu (4466 m). The rocks that make up the mountains of Dagestan are sharply demarcated. The main ones are black and clayey shales, strong dolomitized and weak alkaline limestones, as well as sandstones. The slate ridges include Snegovoy with the Diklosmta massif (4285 m), Bogos with the Addala-Shukhgelmeer peak (4151 m), Shalib with the Dyultydag peak (4127 m).

Climate

The climate of Dagestan, despite its diversity, can generally be classified as moderately warm; in the mountains it is moderately cold with more or less pronounced continentality, which manifests itself in significant annual temperature amplitudes in the lowlands, in the highlands - in sharp daily fluctuations, as well as insufficient moisture . In general, the climate of Dagestan is characterized as dry and semi-dry, moderate continental.

The climate in the north and central part of Dagestan is temperate continental and arid, in the south along the Caspian Sea and in the Caspian lowland there is a subtropical semi-dry climate.

The main factor in shaping the climate of the entire Dagestan is its location in the southern part of the temperate thermal zone, the receipt of a significant amount of solar heat.

The climate of Dagestan shows sharp contrasts in different regions. In the mountains at an altitude of 3 thousand m, the absolute maximum temperatures are 21-23 ° C, and in the north of the lowland the air temperature can be more than 40 ° C. Precipitation in the lowlands does not exceed 400 mm, and in the mountains at an altitude of 3 thousand m it falls more than 1 thousand mm.

Dagestan is divided into three soil and climatic zones:

mountainous - above 850 (1000) m (area 2.12 million hectares or 39.9% of the territory)

foothill - from 150 (200) to 850 (1000) m (area 0.84 million hectares or 15.8% of the territory)

flat - from 28 to 150 (200) m (2.35 million hectares or 43.3% of the territory).

The growing season is 200-240 days.

Vegetation

The geography of land varies in the three main zones of the republic: flat, foothill and mountainous. The main part of the land is in the plain (more than 58%), foothill (11%) and mountain (31%) zones of Dagestan.

In the mountains and foothills, arable land is located on slopes and is represented by small-contour areas (from 0.1 ha) in the form of terraces. The flat zone accounts for 79% of arable land. The most arable areas are located on the territory of the Tersko-Sulak and Primorskaya lowlands. Here, plowing exceeds environmentally acceptable limits, which leads to increased soil degradation. The flat zone accounts for 63% of perennial plantings. Thus, the flat zone is the main agricultural belt of the republic.

In the foothill zone, chestnut, mountain chestnut, and brown forest soils are widespread. 16% of arable land, 27% of perennial plantings and 25% of hayfields and pastures are concentrated here. This is the main area of ​​rain-fed agriculture, with highly productive hayfields.

The mountain zone accounts for only about 1% of arable land and 0.2% of perennial plantings; hayfields and pastures account for more than 30% total area land in Dagestan. Its main value is summer distant pastures, the productivity of which is higher here than in low-lying areas.

Steppe and semi-desert territories of Plain Dagestan (this includes Northern Dagestan within the Nogai, Tarumov and Kizlyar regions), as well as the adjacent territories of Kalmykia, Chechnya and Stavropol Territory are valuable feeding grounds for keeping sheep in winter time. The productivity of these lands has greatly decreased and continues to decline due to the cessation of the movement of livestock by many farms to summer pastures. Along with an increase in the load on pastures by 3-4 times in terms of the number of sheep, the environmental situation is aggravated by the rise in the level of the Caspian Sea, which leads to flooding of the western areas - 200 thousand hectares of forage lands.

The total area of ​​forest resources of the republic is 424 thousand hectares (8.4% of the total area of ​​the territory), including 355 thousand hectares covered by forest. The total timber reserve is estimated at 39.4 million cubic meters. m. The annual size of final felling reaches 40 thousand cubic meters. m. Planting and sowing of forest crops in the state forest fund was carried out on an area of ​​more than 1 thousand hectares.

In the recent past, the forests of Dagestan occupied larger areas, both in the lowlands and in the mountains. As a result of centuries-old human activity, the area under arable land and gardens, vineyards and industrial crops has expanded at the expense of forests. Many forests, due to their long-term use for livestock grazing, have lost their reforestation capacity. Currently, forests have been preserved in small tracts and islands in the lowlands, in Foothill, Intramountain and High Mountain Dagestan.

About 4,500 species of higher plants grow in Dagestan, of which 1,100 are endemic. In the foothill zone (starting from an altitude of 600 m) meadows and forests are common. Subalpine and alpine meadows are dominated by fescue, clover, astragalus, blue scabiosa, blue gentians, etc. At an altitude of 3200-3600 m, mosses, lichens and other cold-resistant plants predominate.