Types of natural resources of Western Siberia are mineral. Natural resources of Western Siberia. Siberian Federal District

Western Siberia is a geographical area of ​​the vast region of Siberia. What characterizes the nature and natural resources of Western Siberia? How is the regional economy developing?

Geography

Before learning about the natural resources of Western Siberia, let's talk about its geographical boundaries. The region is located on the territory between the Yenisei River in the east and the Ural Mountains in the west. From the north, the border is determined by the bays of the Kara Sea, and in the south - by the Altai Mountains and Kazakhstan.

With an area of ​​2.5 million square kilometers, Western Siberia makes up almost 15% of the total territory of the state. Kemerovo, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Tyumen regions, the Republic of Altai and the Altai Territory - all this is Western Siberia. The region's natural resources are an important part of the country's economy.

Most of the territory is located on the West Siberian Plain, within which there are two large depressions separated by Siberian ridges. In the southeastern part, foothill areas begin, going to the foot of the Altai Mountains.

Climatic conditions

The natural conditions and resources of Western Siberia are interconnected with each other. The nature of some influences the formation of others. The region is located in the depths of the mainland, so a continental climate has formed here. The proximity of the Arctic Ocean made it more rigid and harsh. The mountain ranges of the southeast prevent the penetration of warm and humid air masses from the Asian side.

Western Siberia is characterized by a cold winter period with a maximum temperature of up to -60 degrees. The soil here quickly freezes, contributing to the spread of permafrost. Summer is hot, especially in the south, the temperature can reach 30-35 degrees.

Steppe, forest-steppe, forest, forest-tundra and tundra zones were formed according to the features. The climatic natural resources of Western Siberia are quite suitable for agriculture. In the steppe regions, there are enough warm days and precipitation, most of which falls in summer, for growing grain and industrial crops.

Water resources

The hydrological natural resources of Western Siberia are represented by a variety of groundwater. The region is located in the area of ​​the artesian basin, in different areas the mineralization of water can differ significantly.

The main wealth is the rivers, there are about two thousand of them. The river network is not dense and fluctuates depending on the features of the relief and climate. The largest are the Ob, Yenisei, Irtysh. They are characterized by snow feeding in spring, rain feeding in autumn and summer. Due to the flat terrain and slight slopes, the speed of rivers is usually low.

Of course, rivers are not all that Western Siberia has. Natural resources also include lakes, of which there are more than a million in the region, and swamps. By origin, thermokarst and moraine-glacial lakes are distinguished. The Ural part of the region is characterized by the presence of fog lakes. Their main feature is a sharp decrease in the water level in summer, up to complete disappearance.

forest resources

Natural areas from north to south smoothly flow into one another. In accordance with this, the natural resources of Western Siberia are also changing. In the southern regions, due to the large amount of sand, pine trees predominate. Relic black taiga is widespread in Altai.

The forest-steppe is characterized by meadow, herbaceous and cereal vegetation, birch and aspen. The forest zone stretches for 1000 kilometers. It combines taiga and swampy vegetation. Dark coniferous trees grow here, such as Siberian spruce and pine, fir, as well as birch and aspen.

The forest-tundra zone is the boundary between the taiga and the tundra itself. Alternately, marshy areas, light forests and shrubs are found in it. Forest areas are located mainly in river valleys. They are predominantly represented by larches. The tundra is characterized by the presence of mosses and lichens, shrubs, and low grasses. Here you can find blueberries, princesses, cloudberries, dwarf species of willow and birch.

Soils

Chestnut soils and fertile chernozems are widespread in the steppe and foothill regions of Western Siberia, which make it possible to use this area for growing various crops. In the south there are solods and solonetzes.

Above the steppe regions there are areas with podzolic and sod-podzolic soils. The forest zone is characterized by poor drainage of soils, which leads to the formation of swamps and new forests. Semihydromorphic soils are formed in swampy areas, and alluvial soils are formed in river floodplains.

Tundra-gley and peaty areas are characteristic of the northern regions of Western Siberia. Soil fertility is strongly affected by permafrost. Unlike other, mostly wooded areas, gleying is not very pronounced.

Minerals

Minerals form the basis of the region's resource base. Oil and gas production is what Western Siberia is famous for. Natural resources and the economy based on them are an important part of the overall economy of the country. There are six oil and gas regions in the West Siberian territory. The largest oil fields are Priobskoye, Mamontovskoye, Samotlorskoye. Gas fields are located in the Yamal-Nenets region.

The largest coal deposit in the region is located in the southern part. There are deposits of magnetite ores in the Altai Territory, the Kemerovo Region and Gornaya Shoria. Manganese ores, nepheline, and alumina are mined in Western Siberia.

The Altai Territory is rich in reserves of polymetallic, tungsten, molybdenum, iron, zirconium ores, gold, mercury, marble; steppe lakes contain salt and soda. In the Kemerovo region there are deposits of dolomites, limestones, refractory clays. The Omsk region has reserves of titanium ores.

Natural resources of Western Siberia (table)

The natural wealth of the region has long served as the basis for the development of various sectors of the economy (see table).

Natural resources and ecological safety of Western Siberia

The provision of the region with various resources is quite high. The length from north to south contributed to the formation of several natural zones, which differ from each other in vegetation and soil cover, river regimes and the density of the river network, and climatic conditions.

Western Siberia has a huge industrial and agricultural potential. The fertile southern soils are excellent for growing crops. Meadows rich in herbs serve as pastures, thanks to which animal husbandry develops. In industry, the most developed areas are the extraction of oil, coal and gas, as well as woodworking. More than 70% of all Russian oil is produced in the region.

The development of the oil and gas and woodworking sectors contributes to economic growth, but at the same time is the main factor in environmental pollution. The consequence of active industrial activity is water pollution, which in turn leads to a lack of water resources.

The use of pesticides also has a negative effect. This is directly reflected in the air and soil. The land is gradually becoming less suitable for agriculture. In addition, it is important to remember that excessive and incorrect extraction of natural resources can irreversibly reduce their reserves.

Western Siberia has a variety of natural resources. The idea of ​​its natural resources and their importance in the country's economy was gradually changing. In the 16th century, the attention of Russian industrialists and merchants was attracted, first of all, by furs. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. the main value was represented by land and fodder resources of the forest-steppe and steppe zones. At the end of the last century, the cheapest butter in the country was produced on numerous vast borrowings of the Baraba lowland. At the beginning of this century, the forest was considered the main wealth. Since the mid-1950s, Western Siberia has become increasingly important as the main oil and gas region.

Mineral resources are the basis of the modern development of the West Siberian territorial production complex. Back in the early 1930s, I. M. Gubkin suggested that oil prospecting in Western Siberia was promising, but the boreholes laid in the pre-war years mainly in the southern regions of the plain did not give positive results. In the postwar years, a systematic study of mineral resources began. In 1953, the first gas field was discovered - Berezovskoye, then Igrimskoye, in 1960 - Shaimskoye oil field, containing the best sulfurless oil in Siberia. Currently, more than 150 oil and gas fields are known in Western Siberia.

The main oil-bearing areas of the plain are located in the Middle Ob. Three districts are distinguished here: Surgut (Ust-Balykskoye, Zapadno-Surgutskoye, Fedorovskoye and other deposits), Nizhnevartovsk (Samotlor, Megion, Sovetskoye, etc.) and Yuzhno-Balyksky (Mamontovskoye, Pravdinskoye, etc.). Oil reserves here are concentrated in Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits and confined to local domes (vaults). The fields contain up to 30 oil-bearing formations. The average depth of oil occurrence is 1700-2000 m, i.e., less than in the whole country. Oil of high quality, contains little sulfur (about 1%) and paraffin (3--5%).

A very large gas-bearing province has been discovered in the northern part of Western Siberia. The largest deposits are Yamburgskoye, Urengoyskoye, Medvezhye, Zapolyarnoye, Tazovskoye, Gubkinskoye. The main gas-bearing strata are confined to Upper Cretaceous deposits. Gas fields have also been discovered in the southwestern part of the Tomsk region (Myldzhinskoye and Severo-Vasyuganskoye). Forecast gas reserves in Western Siberia are estimated at 40-50 trillion. m3. Of the other minerals in Western Siberia, iron ore deposits are known, the predicted reserves of which are estimated at 300–350 billion tons. This is the Sokolovo-Sarbayskoye deposit, associated with the intrusion of red-hot magma into carbonate rocks, the development of which is carried out by an open method. In addition, in the southwestern part of the plain there are Ayatskoye, and in the southeastern part - Kolpashevskoye and Bokcharskoye deposits. They are confined to the coastal-marine deposits of the Cretaceous and Paleogene and are characterized by a relatively low iron content in the ore (36--45%). In the marginal parts of the plain there are brown coal basins: the North Sosvinsky, Chulym-Yenisei, Ob-Irtysh. The peat resources of the plain make up 60% of the all-Union resources.

In numerous salt lakes south of 55 ° N. sh. contains stocks of table salt, magnesium chloride, sodium sulfate and soda. In the lake Kuchuk (Kulunda) has mirabilite (Glauber's salt). There are huge reserves of raw materials for the production of building materials (sand, clay, marls). The forest resources of the plain are of great value for the development of the country's forest industry. The total forested area in Western Siberia exceeds 80 million hectares, the timber stock is about 10 billion m3, and the annual growth is over 110 million m3. Timber resources account for 12% of the total reserves of the USSR. About 70% of the reserves are accounted for by the most valuable conifers. However, over 20% of the area of ​​industrial forests is waterlogged. This reduces the quantity and quality of wood.

At present, a little more than 20 million m3 of wood is harvested in Western Siberia, i.e., about 20% of the annual increase is cut down. Especially extensive logging is carried out along the valleys of the Ob and Irtysh and some of their navigable or rafting tributaries. At the same time, many forests located between the Urals and the Ob are still very poorly developed. In the middle and northern taiga of the plain there are reserves for increasing the volume of harvesting by 3-5 times. The results of studying the forests of Western Siberia indicate that the importance of forests, the average stock of timber per 1 ha, its quality, and annual growth change very significantly within the territory.

This determines the main direction of forest management and makes it possible to single out 4 zonal forestry systems on the territory of the plain:

• 1) northern protective management (forest-tundra);
• 2) timber industry (taiga);
• 3) protective and operational (small-leaved forests);
• 4) agroforest reclamation (forest-steppe).

In addition to wood, significant resources of wild-growing fruit and berry plants are concentrated in the forests of Western Siberia: lingonberries, blueberries, cranberries, blueberries, cloudberries, red and black currants, strawberries and strawberries, bird cherry and wild rose. In cedar forests, up to 2 tons of nuts per hectare are harvested in good years. The share of cedar forests in the southern taiga accounts for 21% of the area of ​​plantations, and in the middle taiga about 9%. All these resources are used in the food industry and medicine. But the volume of their preparations is small and does not correspond to either resources or value. Land resources of Western Siberia. Chernozem and meadow-chernozem soils of the forest-steppe and steppe zones are of particular value. They were one of the priorities in the development of virgin and fallow lands. Over the past decades, more than 15 million hectares of new land have been developed here, and the production of grain and industrial crops has increased significantly. However, in the structure of the soil cover of the southern part of the plain, a significant place is occupied by solonetzes and solonetsous soils, which require gypsum. The rise of virgin lands further increased the importance of agriculture in the economy of Western Siberia.

The lands located in the subzones of small-leaved forests and the southern taiga have not yet been developed enough. The southern half of the forest zone does not know droughts, which makes it possible to obtain sustainable harvests of rye, barley, potatoes and vegetables. More than 50 million hectares can be developed here, but large expenditures of labor and funds are required for draining the land, clearing it of shrubs, uprooting and creating a cultivated arable horizon, for which it is possible to use the reserves of lime-enriched peat in the southern taiga.

Food resources are represented by water meadows of the floodplains of the Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei and their tributaries with an average yield of 20-25 kg / ha and pastures of the forest-steppe, steppe and forest-bog zones, where hundreds of thousands of cattle can be pastured. Yagel pastures of the tundra and forest tundra are the basis for the development of reindeer herding. It is advisable to use them in winter, when green food (grass and leaves of shrubs) are not available, and lichens are not so much broken by hoof strikes. Western Siberia is one of the main suppliers of furs. The skins of sable and arctic fox are of the greatest value, but in terms of the number of harvested skins they are inferior to the water rat, squirrel, muskrat, chipmunk, white hare and ermine. The fish resources of the plain are large and varied. Of great commercial importance are 18 species of fish living in the waters of Western Siberia: sturgeon, sterlet, nelma, whitefish, cheese, vendace, whitefish, etc. The Ob-Irtysh basin gives fish 8-10 times more than the Yenisei and Lena basins. The richness of the fish resources of the Ob-Irtysh basin is determined by the abundance and high quality of the food supply. In terms of the amount of organic matter, the Ob is not inferior to the Volga delta. Here, 33-35% of the total catch in the country's freshwater basins is harvested annually. And yet, large stocks of fish in tundra and taiga lakes are almost never used.

An exceptionally important role in the economic activity of the population of Western Siberia is played by its waters. The rivers of the plain are navigable for 25,000 km. However, being cheap transport routes, they are still used for these purposes by no more than a third. Another 25 thousand km of rivers are suitable for rafting. Hydropower resources could provide 200 billion kWh of electricity per year. However, the small slopes of the rivers would have caused flooding of vast territories during the creation of hydroelectric power stations in the lower and middle reaches of the Ob and Irtysh. This is not feasible from an economic and environmental point of view. More promising is the creation of hydroelectric power stations in the upper reaches of the rivers flowing to the West Siberian Plain. The development of the hydropower resources of the Ob began with the construction of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 400 thousand kW, which was put into operation in 1959. The creation of hydroelectric power stations on the Yenisei and Tom is planned. It is possible to use river waters for irrigation of the steppe and forest-steppe lands of the plain. The problem of transferring part of the flow of Siberian rivers to Central Asia and Kazakhstan, about which much has been written over the past decade and a half, requires further in-depth scientific study.

natural resources of the plains very varied. The oil and gas reserves of such fields as Urengoy, Yamburg, Medvezhye, Surgut, Nizhnevartovsk make Western Siberia one of the world leaders. 60% of Russia's total peat reserves are also concentrated on its territory.

The richest salt deposits are located in the south of the plain. The great wealth of Western Siberia is its water resources. In addition to surface waters - rivers and lakes - huge reservoirs of groundwater have been found. The economic importance of the biological resources of the tundra and forest-tundra is great - this zone, it would seem, is not rich in life. A significant amount of furs and game is mined in it, there are a lot of fish in its rivers and lakes. In addition, the tundra is the main reindeer breeding area. The taiga of Western Siberia has long been famous for the extraction of furs and timber.

At the base of the West Siberian Plain lies a young platform formed in the Paleozoic, that is, 570-240 million years ago, from ancient deposits. The folded structures of this platform are diverse: numerous uplifts (anticlinoria) alternate with deep depressions (synclinoria). However, in the modern relief they are hardly traceable, since they are largely smoothed out by sedimentary rocks covering them from above: clays, loams, pebbles, sands.

Deposits of brown coal are associated with ancient sedimentary rocks of the Triassic and Jurassic age, the total thickness of which is more than 800-1000 m. On the territory of the Tyumen region, its reserves are estimated at 8 billion tons.

However, the main wealth of Western Siberia is oil and gas deposits. It has been established that this plain is a uniquely rich oil and gas province of the Earth.

Industrial deposits of oil and gas are distributed here almost throughout the 2000-meter section of Mesozoic deposits. The average depth of oil and gas bearing formations in it ranges from 1500 m to 2500-3000 m.

Over a decade and a half (from 1953 to 1967) more than 90 deposits of oil, gas and gas condensate (light oil) were explored.

Searches in the bowels of Western Siberia for "black gold" and "blue fuel" made it possible to discover large reserves of iron ore in the north of the Novosibirsk region.

Rice. 116. Tyumen

The minerals of the Mesozoic deposits also include hot waters with a temperature of 40 to 120 ° C and containing dissolved salts of chlorides and carbonates, as well as iodine and bromine. They form a huge artesian basin at a depth of 1000 to 3000 m on the territory of the Tyumen, Tomsk, Omsk and Novosibirsk regions.

The West Siberian artesian basin covers almost the entire vast territory of the plain. Waters have been found here in Quaternary, Neogene, Paleogene, as well as Mesozoic deposits and in the basement of the plain.

What hinders the development of the natural resources of the West Siberian Plain? Its vast diverse riches are not so easy to master.

Nature “protected” the oil and gas fields of the region from humans both with thick swamps and frozen soils. It is extremely difficult to build in conditions of such soils. In winter, severe frosts, high humidity, and strong wind interfere with a person. In summer, numerous blood-sucking midges, midges and mosquitoes torment people and animals. But despite the difficulties, the natural landscapes of the West Siberian Plain are increasingly giving way to anthropogenic ones. Where the Taz River crosses the Arctic Circle, in the XVI-XVII centuries. there were wooden huts of Mangazvi - a trading outpost of Russian explorers. Now, in the most dense places of the West Siberian taiga, in the most seemingly impenetrable swamps, cities and towns of oil workers, railways, large airports, gas pipelines transporting natural gas from Urengoy to the European part of Russia and to Western Europe have been built.

Massifs of virgin and fallow lands in the southwest of the plain were successfully developed in the 1950s. Fertile chernozem and chestnut soils can produce high yields, but this is often hindered by lack of moisture and dust storms in early summer.

The nature of the West Siberian Plain does not favor the development of its natural resources by man. But attempts to improve the nature of the region were sometimes ill-conceived. Thus, the work on draining large land masses, in order to make it easier to develop peatlands and develop subsoil, led to non-drying - fires broke out, the regime of surface water supply that had developed over the centuries was violated.

Ecological situation in Western Siberia (on the example of the Tyumen region)

Improving natural conditions is a very delicate task. It can be solved only on the basis of deep knowledge of the specifics of the nature of the given territory, a comprehensive study of the consequences of the influence of the planned activities on the entire natural complex and each component of nature, as well as taking into account folk traditions. An example of the harmonious relationship between man and nature can be the traditions of the Selkups, who live in the middle reaches of the Taz River, around the district center - the village of Krasnoselkup. Before the revolution, the Selkups, like the Khanty, were engaged in hunting and fishing, and some of their families wandered with deer. Hunters and fishermen lived in low huts with earthen roofs in winter. Instead of glass, an ice floe was inserted into the window. In the summer, tents and huts were set up at the fishing grounds.

Commercial hunters - the Selkups - are skilled trackers. The Selkup compound bow was famous as one of the best and was highly valued by its neighbors - Khanty, Nenets, Evenks. Arrows were feathered with eagle or swan feathers. They hunted squirrel and waterfowl with a bow. The Selkups ate mainly salted fish and yukola - dried on special hangers from poles, and dried flour was made from porsa. From the heads, bones, entrails, that is, the waste from the preparation of porsa and yukola, fat was rendered in large cauldrons and stored for food. From the gallbladders of fish, bile was rendered, which was used to process suede. Sturgeon bubbles were used to make glue, which was used in the manufacture of bows and skis. Waterproof bags for food storage were sewn from fish skins, and in earlier times - clothes and shoes. Such management can be called, using modern terms, waste-free.

Questions and tasks

1. Give an assessment of the natural resources of the West Siberian Equal.
2. Based on the reference materials of the textbook, prepare reports on the development of the territory of the rabbis.
3. On the map, mark the largest mineral deposits of the territory.
4. What difficulties does a person encounter in the development of the natural resources of the West Siberian Plain?
5. How has the assessment of its natural resources changed since the conquest of Siberia by Yermak's detachments and up to the present day?

Siberia is a huge geographic region that is located in Eurasia and is part of the Russian Federation. The territory of this area is heterogeneous, and is a complex of various ecosystems, therefore it is divided into such objects:

• Western Siberia;
• Eastern;
• South;
• middle;
• Northeast Siberia;
• Baikal region;
• Transbaikalia

Now the territory of Siberia covers approximately 9.8 million square meters. kilometers, where more than 24 million people live.

biological resources

The main natural resources of Siberia are the flora and fauna, as a unique nature has formed here, which is characterized by a variety of fauna and a variety of flora. Among the rare species of animals in Siberia, one can meet the Dahurian hedgehog and the Far Eastern leopard, the slender-billed curlew and the imperial eagle, the pointed-eared bat and the Amur tiger, peregrine falcon and black crane, snow leopard and river beaver, griffon vulture and bustard. In the "Red Book" of the Russian Federation there are some types of plants growing in Siberia. This is a large-flowered slipper, small megadenia and Baikal anemone. The territory of the region is covered with spruce, fir, larch and pine forests.

Water resources

Siberia has a fairly large number of water bodies. High-water rivers flow here, which is facilitated by the features of the relief and climate. The main reservoirs of Siberia:

• rivers - Yenisei and Amur, Irtysh and Angara, Ob and Lena;
• lakes - Ubsu-Nur, Taimyr and Baikal.

All Siberian reservoirs have a huge hydro potential, which depends on the speed of the rivers and the contrasts of the relief. This contributes to the fact that river valleys are suitable for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. In addition, significant reserves of groundwater have been discovered here.

Minerals

Siberia is rich in various minerals. A huge number of all-Russian reserves are concentrated here:

• fuel resources - oil and peat, hard and brown coal, natural gas;
• mineral - iron, copper-nickel ores, gold, tin, silver, lead, platinum;
• non-metallic - asbestos, graphite and table salt.

All this contributes to the fact that in Siberia there are a huge number of deposits where minerals are mined, and then raw materials are delivered to various Russian enterprises and abroad. As a result, the natural resources of the region are not only national wealth, but also strategic reserves of the planet of global importance.

Tasks:to form knowledge about the natural resources of Western Siberia and measures for their protection and restoration; to reveal the problems of interaction between nature and man; promote active understanding of the problem of rational use of natural resources as an irreplaceable national wealth.

movelesson

I.Testing knowledge and skills on the topic “West Siberian Plain. Geographical position. features of nature.

Possible verification options:

1.Digital dictation.

Definitions can be read in the following order:

1)The lower section of the river valley, descending below sea level.

2)Forest areas in the forest-steppes and steppes of Western Siberia.

3)Elongated undulating ridges from 10 to 60 m high with gentle slopes.

4)The phenomena of mass death of fish in winter due to lack of oxygen in the water.

5)Sodium salt of sulfuric acid, easily soluble in water.

6)A region of the troposphere with low pressure in the center.

7)Part of a river valley that is flooded during floods and floods.

8)Elongated hills with gentle slopes, without a pronounced sole.

9)Plant communities in the interfluves of small groups of stunted and crooked trees.

10)young platform.

Answers:

I option -4, 7, 6, 9, 8, 3, 10, 1, 5, 2.

II option -7, 4, 5, 2, 3, 8, 1, 10, 6, 9.

2.Written work on cards - assignments in the content of the previous lesson.

3.Frontal conversation about the peculiarities of the geographical position and nature of Western Siberia.

II.Introductory conversation and preparation for the perception of new knowledge.

Teacher.In 1828, Senator Kornilov wrote about the riches of Western Siberia as follows: “The Ob not only saturates the inhabitants of its shores with its fish, but also supplies four neighboring provinces with it in abundance; its shores are adorned with huge timber forests, ... which can supply almost all of Europe with mast trees. There are rich crafts along its banks: animal, bird and cedar, ... although it has not yet been precisely determined and it has not been explored what treasures in the kingdom of fossils fit in that region ... "

These sketches were made over 180 years ago. And the author then convincingly described the natural wealth of Western Siberia. It is rich: forest, bird, fish, beast. Kornilov prophetically managed to look into the bowels of Western Siberia and was right: here nature has preserved oil and gas - the most valuable wealth of the 20th century.

What is now rich in Western Siberia?

III.Getting new knowledge.

The study of the natural resources of the West Siberian Plain is carried out in the form of practical work with atlas maps and the text of the textbook. Students fill out a table in a notebook and complete tasks on a contour map in a notebook on a printed basis (p. 53).

As the table is filled in, the teacher gives brief explanations: oil and gas are the main wealth of Western Siberia. In impenetrable swamps, taiga, explorers and oilmen work, searching for and extracting oil and gas. At the end of 1959, on the banks of the river. Kovdy, near the village of Shaim, the first industrial oil was produced, and in March 1961, an oil gusher was clogged near Megion. The richest oil fields were discovered and developed in Samotlor, gas - in Urengoy, on Yamal. From Western Siberia, oil and gas pipelines are laid to the European part and further west to neighboring countries. Hundreds of millions of tons of oil and gas are produced annually.

But it was these riches that destroyed the nature of Western Siberia.

Thousands of rivers and lakes are flooded with oil and turned into lifeless cesspools, and where fish is still caught, it often smells of oil products.

The "sor" and "upland" game are knocked out. The beast has survived even in the most remote corners of the West Siberian lowland. Khanty and Mansi feed on imported ocean fish and cape livestock.

Forests were thinned out by aimless felling. The remains of the forests are burning just as they did almost 180 years ago.

Huge capitals are accumulated on oil and gas, but not in favor of local residents. Western Siberia remains a remote province of Russia.

But oil and gas reserves are running out. Geologists are already saying that subsoil reserves have been greatly depleted. Capital will go elsewhere, looking for easier profits, and Western Siberia will remain torn and devastated. Oil and gas fields will freeze, roads will collapse, oil pipeline pipes will rot; the taiga will begin to absorb numerous clearings and man-made bald patches. But how long will it take for the forest to heal its wounds inflicted by the pitiless hand of man!

Practical work on the contour map is performed for evaluation.

IV.Summing up the lesson.

Homework:§ 36, finish the practical work.