I would like to talk about such a beautiful natural water flow, like the river Kuban. Description, photos and detailed characteristics - this is exactly the information that you will find in the article.
The beauty of this region is known far beyondRussia. Here in Soviet times, a huge number of world-famous films were shot. This is due to the picturesque landscapes that are located along the entire coastline. Being in these places, people experience peace of mind and are charged with positive energy.
Geographical position
In the south of Russia one spreads in turbulent flowsof the largest water streams of the country - the Kuban River. On the map you can easily find it. Geographically, it is located in the northern part of the Caucasus Mountains. Starting its movement from the Karachay-Cherkess region, the river flows through the territory of three regions: Stavropol, Adygea and Krasnodar.
The total area of the watercourse basin is almost 58,000.km². When the Kuban River (described below) reaches the banks of the Azov, it creates the largest Russian delta. Its area is more than four thousand square meters.
Kuban takes its origin at the foot of Mount Elbrus. Then it flows down over the mountains and plains. And after 870 km it flows into the waters of the Sea of Azov.
Kuban River: delta description
The Kuban delta is wide, often with marshyin places. But meanwhile, it is unique in its kind. The fact is that in the south the delta goes not only to the Azov, but also to the Black Sea. Numerous estuaries and lakes, islets, swamps, channels with overgrown reeds, reeds are located on the territory of the delta. Locals know that, where the river Kuban, you can always meet unique representatives of flora and fauna, which amaze with their diversity.
Where the modern delta is now locateda few thousand years ago there was the largest bay of Azov. However, as a result of the activities of the waters of Azov and Kuban, a burial was gradually formed at this place. The bay, as such, dried out, forming a shallow lagoon. And the Kuban River (clearly visible on the map of the time) previously flowed into the water flow, which was called the Old Kuban. It was he who carried the water to the Black Sea basin. However, as a result of landslides (to protect nearby areas from flooding), the flow was blocked. And now most of the water falls only in the Azov Sea.
The source of the river Kuban: features
Kuban begins its "life" in the place wheretwo mountain streams converge together - Uchkulan and Ullukai. The latter is often considered a continuation of the Kuban. The glaciers located on the top of Elbrus feed the stream with their melt waters. In this place it is characterized by a strong and turbulent flow. The source of the Kuban River is located at an altitude of almost 1,400 m above sea level.
It is worth paying attention to one feature.Many believe that it was from her that the name of the stream went. Modern sound is rooted in Karachai language and literally means "raging stream."
Hydronym
The name Kuban is not the only one by the river.There are about 300 of them! Other local names of the river are Koban, Guban, Kobkhan and others. In ancient Greek chronicles the name was listed as Gipanis.
Water flow features
Very interesting in terms of zoning Kuban River.The description of her nature of the flow is quite diverse. For its length, the river is considered navigable, therefore it is advantageously used for agricultural purposes. The high fall of the stream, by more than 1,000 m, allows it to be divided into 4 zones: alpine, mountainous, foothill and flatland. Reaching the Krasnodar Territory, near the city of Ust-Labinsk, Kuban has a shipping route. The main channel of the river, Verbenskoe Girlo, flows into Temryuk Bay. One more thing - the Cossack Erik has access to the Akhtanizovsky Liman of the Azov Sea. From this we can conclude that the river Kuban belongs to the basin of the Atlantic Ocean.
In high mountain areas the stream has a deep bottom.and steep, steep slopes. The latter are represented by sandstones, shale, and limestone accumulations. Descending to the lower reaches, the coast becomes low and more gentle. Sometimes there are low hills. The channel is increasingly wriggling, closer to the delta, forming a kind of "horseshoe" - old women.
Tributaries
The Kuban is rather affluent, the total number of tributaries (small and large) reaches 14 thousand. The largest rivers flow into it mainly from the left bank.
The largest of them are:
- mountain p. Urup
- R. Laba - the most affluent inflow.
- R. White - watercourse with the most powerful stream, has several waterfalls on its way.
- R. Pshish and Psekups - are fast flowing.
- Kaverze and Afips.
To the right banks of the Kuban adjacent rivers: Mara, Bitter, Dzheguta. The total length of the Kuban with its tributaries is 9,500 km.
Water consumption and type of food
The average annual flow of water Kuban in the Azov Sea -14 cu. km In addition, the stream carries more than 4 million tons of salt into the sea. Nutrition in the Kuban is mixed - most of it, about 65%, is snow and rain, about 20% is accounted for by glaciers and 15% is groundwater.
Stock flow is uneven. Affects seasonality.At different times throughout the year, runoff rates may vary widely. Kuban also has a certain “anomaly”. At different time intervals, the river can carry water 1.5 times more than annual average rates.
In the cold season, the Kuban freezes, but the ice cover of the river is unstable. Hold it from December to March, after which the icebreaker begins.
Kuban reservoir
The largest reservoir of the North Caucasuslocated on the river Kuban and is called, respectively, Kuban. Tshikskoye existed not far from it, but it was flooded several years ago. Now the pond is remarkable only as a place for fishing.
The Kuban stream is also used to generateelectricity. 4 hydroelectric power plants were built - Kurshavskaya, Barsuchkovskaya, Sengileevskaya and Zelenchukskaya. Together they form the so-called “Kuban cascade”. The plans were to build the Adygei Hydroelectric Power Plant, but in recent years the work was suspended.
Flora and fauna
The flora and fauna of the river is quite diverse.More than a hundred species of fish live in the waters. They are pike perch, silver carp, ram, carp, bream, catfish, goby, perch, rudd and others. Sea fish swim to the lowlands of the river. Some of the species are characteristic only for these areas. Plankton is represented by clams, worms, crustaceans and other species.
On the waters of the stream are many waterfowl suchlike wild geese and ducks, pelicans, herons, swans, as well as small birds. Rare predatory animals of the Kuban River live in the coastal zone. Their bright representative is the gray peregrine falcon. Foxes, wild cats, wild boars, muskrats live in the swamps.
The river delta is now a little drained by man forneeds of agriculture. It also provides an opportunity to engage in fish breeding. In one of such sleeves, a farm for breeding mullet is developing quite successfully.
For tourism, the river is almost never used. Is that in mountainous areas often carry out rafting on ships or rifts. But fishing is common on both banks in almost all areas.
The plants of the Kuban River are represented by the followingspecies: reed, thistle, sedge, etc. They are distributed mainly in the area of the coastline. The surface of the water flow in some places covered with water lilies, at the bottom you can find different types of algae. Such thickets grew by 40-50 thousand hectares.
