Relief

The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) occupies the central, highest mountainous part of the Greater Caucasus and the adjacent part of the Cis-Caucasian Plain, called the Kabardian Plain. In the east it borders with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, in the north with the Stavropol Territory, in the west with the Karachay-Cherkess Republic and in the south, in the highest mountainous part, the state border of the Russian Federation with Georgia runs along the Main Caucasus Range.

The exact geographical coordinates of the republic are: 42°54" - 44°01" northern latitude and 42°33" - 44°28" eastern longitude. From east to west its territory stretches for 160 km, and from north to south - 110 km.

On the way to the capital of the republic - the city of Nalchik - on a cloudless day, a picturesque chain of snowy mountains opens up, formed by the peaks of the Caucasus, each of which is much higher than the highest point in Western Europe - Mont Blanc (4810 m). There are seven five-thousanders in total in the Caucasus, i.e. peaks above 5000 m above sea level. Of these, six are located on the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria. This is a two-headed handsome man, the owner of the Caucasus - Elbrus (5642.7 m western and 5621 m eastern peaks), Dykhtau (5204 m), Koshtan-tau (5152 m), Shkhara (5068 m), Dzhangi-tau (5058 m) and Peak Pushkin (5033 m). And only Kazbek (5033 m) is located outside the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic on the border of Ossetia and Georgia.

Despite its limited territory, the republic is distinguished by the diversity and beauty of its nature. It is generously endowed with a wealth of colors and a variety of landscapes. The chains of the Greater Caucasus mountains with majestic peaks dressed in icy armor, bizarre landscapes of highly elevated volcanic highlands, mountain and hill slopes covered with the curly green garb of alpine pastures, deep wooded gorges with stormy, rapid mountain streams, flowering valleys and plains with grain fields and gardens and vineyards - all this, quickly changing, in a small area creates that exceptional face of Kabardino-Balkaria, which attracts huge masses of people who want to see something new, attractive for themselves. And coupled with traditional Caucasian hospitality, a unique culture based on the traditions of Adyghe khabze (Adyghe laws) and tau adet (mountain laws), Kabardino-Balkaria becomes doubly attractive.

The entire southern part of the republic is occupied by mountains, and their area exceeds 60% of the entire territory. Together with the foothills and the green Kabardian plain, the mountain ranges create an amazingly beautiful picture of nature. The plain and foothills are the breadbasket of the republic, occupied by crops of corn, wheat, sunflowers and other agricultural crops.

The mountains of the republic form five parallel ridges rising to the south: Lesisty (Cretaceous), Pastbishchny, Skalisty (Jurassic), Bokovoy (Advanced) and Main (Vodorasdelny). All these ridges, excluding the last, are cut through by seven gorges: Malkinsky, Baksansky, Chegemsky, Chereksky, Khulamo-Bezengiysky, Psygansu and Leskensky gorge, in the upper reaches called Khaznidon, along which the rivers Malka, Baksan, Chegem, Cherek, Psygansu and Khaznidon (Lesken) They are carried to the plain by the waters of the melting glaciers of the Main and Side ranges. The longest river of Kabardino-Balkaria, Malka (216 km), originates in the glaciers of the northern slope of Elbrus, into which all the above-mentioned rivers flow on the plain, except Lesken. Malka and Lesken flow into the Terek, which, making an 80-kilometer arc in the republic, carries its waters into the Caspian Sea. Full-flowing mountain rivers in summer provide water for irrigating fields and power hydroelectric power turbines.

The relief of the mountainous part of the republic is very complex and diverse, therefore the flora and fauna are diverse. In the mountains, where there is more precipitation than on the plain, and summers are cooler than below, vegetation develops especially lushly. The diversity of the flora is especially noticeable in summer, when each of the above ridges has a special color shade.

The wooded ridge, starting immediately behind the Kabardian Plain in the south, stretches as a dark green, almost black stripe and is covered mainly with beech and hornbeam forest. The Wooded Ridge, like the Pastbishchny Ridge, is composed of sandstones, limestones, and marls of the Cretaceous period, which is why its second name is Cretaceous. But he is also for dark green, almost black. the color of the forests is known as the Black Mountains. The highest point of the ridge is Mount Izdara (1327 m), otherwise called Saray Mountain (see chapter “Vicinities of Nalchik”).

The pasture ridge is lush green, covered with alpine grasses, where livestock traditionally grazes in the summer, because... Cattle breeding in Kabardino-Balkaria is mainly transhumance, i.e. In winter, cattle feed on the plain, in summer they are driven to rich alpine pastures in the mountains. Individual rocky peaks sometimes rise above the alpine meadows, their iron gray setting off the bright colors of the grass vegetation. The highest point of the ridge is Shaukhana-bashi (2120 m).

The rocky ridge, otherwise called Jurassic, due to the rocks from which it is composed, with dry-loving vegetation, is distinguished by a pinkish-yellow hue. It is the Rocky Ridge that forms picturesque gorges that sometimes engulf people in fear, in which rivers roar huge house-sized boulders. The ridge is composed of Upper Jurassic limestones, dolomites, marls, sandstones, shales and conglomerates. The highest peak of the Rocky Range is Kara-kaya (3606 m), translated from Balkar meaning Black Rock.

Side, sometimes called Front (highest), and Main, also called. Watershed, the ridges are a chain of silver-white peaks covered with eternal snow. They are composed of crystalline schists, gneisses and broken granite. The highest point of the side ridge is Dykh-tau (5204 m), and the Main ridge is Shkhara (5068 m).

Standing alone, not entering either the Main or the Side ridges, rises the double-headed peak of Elbrus, visible from almost everywhere in the republic (and not only in the republic), shimmering in the sun with the silver of its glaciers and blinding the eyes with the whiteness of its snow.

Starting from the Side and Main ridges, the mountainous part of the Greater Caucasus descends in terraces to the Kabardian Plain. Gradually descending to the north, the spurs of the mountains merge with the plain. Its height is about 500 m above sea level in the Nalchik region and 150-180 m above sea level in the area of ​​the Terek River, which divides the plain into two unequal parts: the left bank, called Big Kabarda, and the right bank, called Malaya Kabarda.

The Kabardian plain is covered by sediments of the Quaternary period that are younger in age, in comparison with the rocks.

The mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria are rich in various minerals. In the Tyrnyauz zone of the Baksan Gorge there are the largest deposits of molybdenum and tungsten, in the Malkin Gorge there are deposits of iron ore, in a number of gorges there are deposits of copper, tin, zinc, gold, and coal. Currently, industrial development of oil fields has begun in Malaya Kabarda. There is a lot of building material in the republic: tuff, ash, pumice, sand, clay, incl. blue, limestones from which lime, chalk, gypsum, building stone, sand and gravel mixtures for making crushed stone, screenings, etc. are produced.

Kabardino-Balkaria is rich in various mineral springs, located mainly in its mountain and foothill zones. More than 100 mineral water sources are concentrated within the republic. Based on the content of certain chemical elements in them, mineral waters are divided into five groups: carbon dioxide, sulfide, siliceous, radon, and waters without specific components. In Lake Tambukan (70 km from Nalchik) healing mud is extracted, which is used to treat the musculoskeletal system and gynecological diseases. This mud is used both by the hospitals of Nalchik and the hospitals of the cities of the Caucasian Mineral Waters: Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, Zheleznovodsk, Essentuki.

The presence of a large amount of mineral waters, a favorable climate, and the hospitality of the residents provide great opportunities for the further development of the existing resort, the creation of new resort areas and the industrial development of mineral springs for the purpose of trade.

• The republic occupies part of the Cis-Caucasian Plain. A significant part of the territory in the south of the republic is occupied by mountains (the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus) - this area is unsuitable for permanent residence and economic activity.

• The highest point is Mount Elbrus (5642 m).
• In the south, four ridges of the Greater Caucasus stretch parallel: Cretaceous, Skalisty, Bokovoy (height up to 5642 m, Elbrus) and Main (or Vodorazdelny)

There are 5 parallel ridges in the Central Caucasus

1) Main Caucasus Range - GKH (Watershed) (up to 5203, Shkhara),

2) Side ridge (up to 5642, Elbrus),

3) Rocky Ridge (up to 3646, Karakaya),

4) Pasture ridge (up to 1541 m);

5) Wooded ridge (up to 900 m).

• The Main Caucasus Range limits the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic from the south and southwest. It is composed of ancient Precambrian rocks: crystalline schists, gneisses, quartzites, intruded by granite intrusions. Their outcrops are found everywhere.

• The Main Caucasus Range is a continuous mountain range covered with eternal snow and glaciers. In distant geological epochs, repeated vertical and horizontal movements took place here.

• The ridge of the Main Caucasus Range has a rocky, jagged surface with sharp saber-shaped and peaked peaks. Its average heights are 4000-5000 m. The most famous peaks within the CBD: Shkhelda (4368 m), Tekhtingen (4617 m), Dzhangitau (5058 m), Shkhara (5068 m).

Tichtingen Cherek Gorge

• In the saddle, most low-lying parts between the mountain ranges there are passes through the Main Caucasus Range. They extend from northwest to southwest in the following sequence: Nakra (Donguz - Orunbashi 3202 m), Becho (3367 m), Mestia (3757 m), Tviber (3607 m), Kitlod (3629 m), Tsanner (3887 m), Shariavtsag (3434 m), Gzewcek (3462 m). The passes have varying degrees of passability, and their period of operation is determined by the warm season: from June to November in the west and from June to August in the east.

• Elbrus (5642 m)
• Dykhtau (5204 m)
• Koshtantau (5152 m)
• Dzhangitau (5058 m),
• Pushkin Peak (5100 m),
• Mizhirgi (5025 m),
• Shkhara (5068 m),
• Kazbek (5033 m),

Izdara-Saray mountain

• The plain, with barely noticeable elevations in the west and almost flat in the east, has a slight slope. Most of the plain's surface does not reach an altitude of 450 m; The 450-meter horizontal line runs from northwest to southeast, skirting the hilly foothills, through the villages of Kuba and Kuba-Taba, the city of Baksan, the village of Chegem II, the northeastern outskirts of Nalchik, the villages of Psygansu, Argudan, Stary Lesken, Urukh. From this line the plain gradually decreases to the northeast, reaching 170 - 180 m between the Malka and Terek rivers.

• The lowest place within the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is located in the valley of the Terek River (150 m above sea level), north of the village of Khamidie, when the river leaves the borders of our republic. The main rivers of the republic and their tributaries flow through the Kabardian Plain.

Adjacent to the Tersky ridge from the south is the Kabardinsky ridge, which is the northern spur of the Sunzhensky ridge. It rises 150 - 200 m above the surrounding plains in the area of ​​the villages of Upper Akbash and Lower Akbash. The ridge is strongly smoothed in the summit part in the space up to Upper Kurp, where another rise is observed - Mount Arik-Paptsa (510 m). Thus, the Kabardian ridge in two steps, each approximately 180 - 200 m high, descends in the west to the Terek River valley.

• The northeastern part of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is occupied by the Kabardian Plain. In terms of its geological structure, it is a platform structure with Hercynian fold formation. On top, the foundation is covered with a thick cover (1000 - 2000 m) of Quaternary pebbles, sandy-clayey deposits and loess-like loams.

• The Kabardian Plain is divided by the Terek River into two parts:
• Big Kabarda on the left bank of the Terek and Small Kabarda on the right

The northern slopes gradually descend towards the Malo-Kabardinsky irrigation canal, while the southern slopes have a pronounced slope (20 degrees or more). Here, on an almost flat surface, the peaks of Urusheva (430 m) and Khutoko (133 m) stand out.

• In the north there are foothills and the Kabardian Plain, crossed by river valleys. The main river is the Terek with its left tributaries:
• Malkoy,
• Baksan,
• Chegem,
• Cherek,
• Urukh.

• Malaya Kabarda is a plain turning into hills in the northeast. These are the advanced mountain ranges of Tersky and Kabardinsky. The Terek ridge with its western spur, the Arik ridge, has a latitudinal strike .

Kabardino-Balkaria is one of the most picturesque corners in the south of the European part of Russia, located on the northern slopes of the central part of the Greater Caucasus (Mount Elbrus, 5642 m). Territory of 12470 sq. km occupied by the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is 0.7% of the area of ​​the Russian Federation and 2.9% of the area of ​​the North Caucasus region.

In the north, the republic borders with the Stavropol Territory, in the east and southeast - with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, in the south - with the Republic of Georgia, in the west - with the Karachay-Cherkess Republic.

The Republic consists of 13 administrative-territorial districts: Baksansky (the administrative center is the city of Baksan), Zolsky (the village of Zalukokoazhe), Maysky (the city of Maysky), Prokhladnensky (the city of Prokhladny), Tersky (the city of Terek), Urvansky (the city of Nartkala), Chegemsky (Chegem), Chereksky (Kashkhatau village), Elbrussky (Tyrnyauz), Leskensky (Anzorey village); cities of republican subordination: Nalchik, Prokhladny and Baksan. The share of the urban population is 54.4%.

Population – 858.7 thousand people; density is 68.9 people per square kilometer, which is more than 7 times the Russian average.

The capital of the republic, the city of Nalchik, is a large cultural, scientific and industrial center; since 1964, it has been a resort city of federal significance with a population of about 265 thousand people. The city is covered by a horseshoe-shaped semi-ring of the northern foothills of the Caucasus Range, which gave the city the name “Nalchik”.

Resort Nalchik located in the resort area of ​​Dolinsk at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level, surrounded by forests and orchards. The resort is represented by 25 health resorts of various profiles and six infrastructure facilities.

The largest park in the North Caucasus, named “Atazhukinsky Garden” after its founder, is the main decoration of the city of Nalchik. It is home to 156 species of trees and shrubs. Plants brought from Northern and Southern Europe, America, and Asia are planted on an area of ​​over two hundred hectares. These are unique species of Japanese quince, hopshornbeam, Japanese needle oak, maple-leaved plane tree, Canadian bunduk, paulownia (Adam's tree), Manchurian walnut, Far Eastern Ruprecht's honeysuckle, Amur lilac. In the garden there is a rare specimen - a relict two-lobed gingko - a plant that appeared on earth six and a half billion years ago.

At the Nalchik resort, just like at the Caucasian Mineral Waters resorts, the healing mud of Lake Tambukan, located along the Nalchik-Pyatigorsk highway, is used at a distance of 75-80 km from the capital of the republic. The border with the Stavropol Territory runs through the middle of the lake, which is the most famous among continental deposits of sulfide-silt mud in Russia. The mud of this lake is highly mineralized (M=30–70 g/l), highly sulfide (FeS > 0.5%). The reserves amount to about 900 thousand m 3, providing the largest in Europe, and possibly in the world, unit of mud resorts - Nalchik and Caucasian Mineralnye Vody, the total number of treatment couches of which is 600.

The dirt from the deposit is transported to many other resort and non-resort institutions in the country.

The main sources and wells of the Nalchik mineral water deposit are located in the resort area of ​​Dolinsk. At the resort, nitrogen thermal waters are widely used for balneotherapy. This group includes mineral waters with a variety of chemical compositions, which are formed at great depths and are characterized by elevated temperatures; nitrogen thermal waters are hydrocarbonate-sodium in their chemical composition.

Nitrogen-thermal waters (wells No. 6-R and No. 7-R) ​​are used for balneotherapy in the hydrotherapy resort of Nalchik. The natural healing resources of the resort include completely clean mountain air. A cool temperate climate with plenty of sunny days in winter and summer complements the resort's comfort. Medical profile - balneotherapeutic and climatic resort. Indications: diseases of the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, digestive system, female reproductive system. Mineral water "Nalchik" is widely used at the resort for drinking treatment for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary tract, and urinary system.

KABARDINO-BALKARIA

Geographical overview.

Geographical address of the republic

The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic occupies the northern slopes of the central part of the Greater Caucasus. It borders in the north and North-East with the Stavropol Territory, in the west - with Karachay-Cherkessia, in the east and South-East - with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, in the South and South-West - with Georgia. Kabardino-Balkaria is located in Asia. In the natural-territorial complex it is part of the belt of mountains bordering the East European Plain from the South and South-West.

Geographical coordinates

Kabardino-Balkaria lies between 42053" - 44001" northern latitude and within 42024" - 44028" eastern longitude. It is interesting that the parallel 430 30" N intersects the meridian 430 30" E. dl. approximately in the middle of the republic. Geographic coordinates of Nalchik are 43030" N and 43037" E. Nalchinsk local time is ahead of Moscow by 24 minutes 28 seconds. The area of ​​Kabardino-Balkaria is 12,500 km2.

Population

The most numerous people of the republic are Kabardians. According to the latest census, there are 363.5 thousand people (1970 - 264.7 thousand people). They call themselves “Adygs”; abroad they are “Circassians”. Balkars, according to the same census, make up 70.8 thousand people (1970 - 51.4 thousand people). They call themselves "taulu" - mountaineers. The Russian population also stands out in terms of numbers - 240.8 thousand people (1970 - 218.6 thousand people). The remaining nationalities were: Ukrainians - 12.8 thousand people, Ossetians - 10.0, Germans - 8.6, Koreans -5.0, Turks - 4.2, Armenians - 3.5, Jews - 1.7, Tatars - 3.0, Gypsies - 2.4, Azerbaijanis - 2.3, Georgians - 2.1, Belarusians - 2.0, Tat - 1.9, peoples of Dagestan - 4.7 and other nationalities - 14.5 thousand . Human.

According to the 1921 census, the national composition of Kabardino-Balkaria was as follows: Kabardians - 116,057 people, Balkars - 27,482, Russians - 23,765, Ossetians - 2926, Kumyks 2558, other nationalities 5335 people.

For many years, the main factor in the republic's population growth was immigration. But since 1992, in connection with ongoing events in the political and economic life of the country and especially the North Caucasus, a migration decline began to be observed: the number of emigrants (departed) exceeded the number of immigrants (arrived) by 2.1 thousand people. In 1993 this figure almost doubled and amounted to 4.1 thousand people. In recent years, the excess of emigrants from the republic over immigrants has been stable. So, in 1991 10.2 thousand people left Kabardino-Balkaria; 1992 - 10.2; 1993 - 11.6; 1994 - 9.1 thousand people. At the same time, the number of arrivals decreased annually: respectively - 10.6; -8.1; -7.5; -6.3 thousand people. But in two districts - Prokhladnensky and Maysky - the number of arrivals exceeded the number of departures.

During 1991-1994. the largest migration flows were observed between the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and the Stavropol, Krasnodar territories, Rostov region, North Ossetia, the Chechen Republic, the Ingush Republic, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. In addition, there has been a trend toward a decrease in migration flows from rural to urban areas: 1991. -5.7 thousand, 1992 - 4 and 1993 - 3.8 thousand people. Moreover, the number of people migrating from cities to rural areas is growing.

For the first time, the population from Kabardino-Balkaria began to emigrate for permanent residence to foreign countries. At the same time, immigrants from far abroad also appeared in the republic. Over the course of 3 years (1991-1993), 6.1 thousand people went abroad; 53.3% of them are Germans, 19.3% are Russians and 17.4% are Jews. At the same time, 236 Circassians and 12 Balkars came to the republic from foreign countries.

Rivers

The territory of the CBD has a fairly developed river network. However, its density is not the same everywhere: more in mountainous areas, less in the foothills and on the plains. The total area of ​​the river basins is 18,740 square kilometers.

The relief of the Greater Caucasus and Ciscaucasia influences the direction and nature of the flow and the structure of river valleys. All the main rivers of the republic are characterized by the following features: - general direction from southwest to northeast (with the exception of the Terek); - in the upper reaches, located in the highlands, rivers flow in narrow, canyon-shaped valleys, have significant slopes, and high flow speeds; - runoff is formed in the highlands; - entering the plains, rivers expand their valleys, breaking into branches and channels; - almost all rivers have pronounced features of the mountain type; - all the main rivers with their numerous tributaries, with the exception of the Zolka River, belong to the Terek River basin.

The main sources of nutrition for the rivers of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic are snow, glacial, rain and ground (underground). Based on their food sources, two types of rivers are distinguished: - mixed with glacial waste: Terek, Malka, Cherek and their tributaries; - mixed with a predominance of groundwater: Nalchik, Shalushka, Kurkuzhin, Lesken, Argudan, Kurp, Deyka and other small rivers.

According to the water regime, rivers are distinguished with spring-summer and summer floods associated with intense melting of snow and glaciers in the highlands (all the main rivers of the republic) and flood regimes (Nalchik, Urvan, Shalushka, etc.). During short-term torrential or long-term (up to several days) rains, the water level rises sharply.

The maximum flow is observed in June - August during the period of the most intense melting of glaciers and precipitation. Annual flow minimums occur in December - March, the period when rivers cease to be fed by surface waters.

Lakes

Despite the fact that there are more than 100 lakes in Kabardino-Balkaria, it cannot be called a lake region. A significant part of them in terms of water surface area belongs to small lakes. There are no large lakes at all. Most of the lakes are located in the highlands (their formation is associated with glaciers and karst processes), and lowland lakes are residual reservoirs - oxbow lakes in the lower reaches of rivers. In the mountainous part, the Elbrus region and the watershed areas of the Malka and Baksan rivers are considered the most lake-rich. There are 55 lakes here, they are very small, with an area of ​​no more than 0.01 square kilometers. Among them, moraine-dammed lakes predominate, formed as a result of the damming of rivers by moraine deposits.

The most significant in area is the oblong flowing lake Donguz-Orunkel, which is located on the northern slope of the Main Caucasus Range, near the Northern Donguz-Orun glacier. To the south, at the Donguz-Orun pass, there is another lake, connected to Donguz-Orunkel by a small channel. A short 5-kilometer river Donguz - Orunbaksan flows out of the lake and merges with Baksan. Lake Syltrankel, located at an altitude of 2950 m in the intermountain depression between the mountains Mukol (3899 m), Sarykol (2931 m) and Syltran (3539 m) in a rock-talus basin, is of glacial-tectonic origin. The area of ​​the water surface is about 30 hectares, the lake is flowing, the Syltransu River, the right tributary of the Kyrtyk, flows from it. Another glacial lake with an area of ​​10 hectares is located near the Bashkara glacier, in the upper reaches of the Adylsu River.

To the southeast of the Elbrus region the number of lakes is decreasing. Thus, in the Chegem basin there are 19 small moraine-dammed lakes, in the Cherek basin - 23, including the karst Blue Lakes of the northern slope of the rocky ridge: Tserikkel (Lower Blue Lake), etc.

Vegetation

The plant world of CBD is very rich. About half of the plant species growing throughout the Caucasus grow here. This wealth is due to many reasons. The territory of the republic has a vertically dissected relief and a variety of climatic and soil conditions. Plants of European forests, West Asian semi-deserts, and Western Asian mountain deserts penetrate here. In addition, due to the peculiarities of the relief and local climates, over a long period of time, a center of formation (endemics) has formed - species confined to a strictly defined territory, for example, bract poppy, single-color decorative primrose Leskensky, Nogmova cornflowers, Kabardian snowdrop, comfrey and sedum Kabardian and others. Of the relicts (species preserved from past geological eras) - yew, a beautiful coniferous tree. Rare, relict and endemic plants. And what is typical for our republic is that the law of high zonality applies here. The change of zones of the CBD varies vertically - from the plains to the peaks of the Watershed Range: steppe zone, forest-steppe subzone, forest zone with subzones of broad-leaved and coniferous forests, zones of subalpine and alpine meadows, subnival and nival zones.

Steppe zone.

The steppe zone of the CBD can be divided into two parts: dry steppe and meadow-steppe. The herbaceous vegetation of the dry steppe part is represented by dried flowers, wormwood, farrier, wheatgrass, tartar, sage, sweet clover, kuray, ustel-field. On the spurs of the Tersky ridge you can find bract poppy, Caucasian yasinets, kuzmichev grass, sage, thyme and others.

In the meadow-steppe part, where there is more precipitation, succulent grasses grow: various types of clovers, meadow fescue, bluegrass, meadow rank, yellow alfalfa, mouse peas, timothy, cocksfoot and others. In wetlands located in river floodplains, cattails, sedges, reeds, reeds, and willows grow. Numerous shrubs grow in the floodplains of rivers and in adjacent areas: blackthorn, sea buckthorn, viburnum, rose hips.

Forest-steppe

The steppe zone gradually turns into forest-steppe at an altitude of about 500 m above sea level. It stretches as a narrow strip from northwest to southeast at an altitude of 500-1000 m above sea level, corresponding to a strip of foothills. The forests are dominated by wild fruit trees and shrubs: oriental apple, Caucasian pear, hazel, cherry plum, medlar, hawthorn, sloe, dogwood, euonymus, viburnum, rose hip. In some places there are thickets of raspberries, blackberries, hops, and wild grapes. Other trees include oak, linden, ash, aspen, and alder. From shrubs: black elderberry, zoster, buckthorn, privet, honeysuckle, etc.

Broadleaf forest subzone

Broad-leaved forests cover both slopes of the Lesisty ridge, the northern slopes of the Pastbishchny and Skalisty ridges, and most of the space between these ridges. The total area occupied by broad-leaved forests within Kabardino-Balkaria is about 80 thousand hectares. Beech, hornbeam, linden, maple, ash, elm, hop hornbeam, alder, honeysuckle, Caucasian rowan, birch and other trees grow in them.

Hawthorn, dogwood, euonymus, rose hips, currants, Caucasian blueberries, azalea and others grow in the undergrowth of deciduous forests. In the herbaceous cover there are ferns, woodruff, oxalis, bluegrass, blue gentian, umbrella hawkweed, tall valerian and others.

Coniferous forest subzone

Above the broad-leaved forests, at an altitude of 1600 to 2400 m above sea level, small-leaved and coniferous forests rise. The subzone of coniferous forests in Kabardino-Balkaria does not represent a continuous belt, but is scattered in separate tracts. In mixed forests, coniferous and small-leaved trees grow in a wide variety of proportions. In the undergrowth there are barberries, wild gooseberries, currants, blueberries, wolf's bast, blue honeysuckle and others. In more humid and shady places various ferns, buttercups, wild garlic and many other plants grow.

Subalpine meadow zone

Subalpine meadows are located at an altitude of 1600 to 2600 m above sea level. They begin as a broken line, covering the slopes of the Skalisty, Bokovoy, Main ridges and most of the Northern and Central depression. Of the forage grasses, the most valuable are cereals: clover, exportet, barley, fescue, ryegrass, bluegrass, bromegrass, sweet grass, reed grass, meadow timothy and others. Scabiosa, anemones, primroses, cornflowers, aconites, lilies, and bluebells grow in subalpine meadows.

Alpine meadow zone

Above the subalpine meadows, at an altitude of 2600 to 3200 m above sea level, there are alpine meadows. Here you can find hazel grouse, sleep grass, gentillers, primroses, bluebells, forget-me-nots, mountain violets, mountain buttercups, partridge grass, quarry grass, sedum, rhododendrons, currants, individual barberry bushes and patches of juniper.

Subnival and nival zone

The subnival zone begins at the 3200 m line. Here you can find various lichens, mosses, cuckoo flax, snowy cetraria, and serpentine tamnolia. Above the subnival zone is the nival zone (glaciers), it is covered with snow, glaciers and devoid of vegetation.

Animal world

The fauna of the CBD is rich and diverse. There are 62 species of mammals, represented by 6 species of artiodactyls, 22 species of rodents, 9 species of insectivores, 10 species of chiropterans, and 10 species of predators. There are 15 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians, 10 species of fish. There are 316 species and subspecies of birds, of which 157 nest, 38 species come to us for the winter, 121 species are found on migration. Invertebrates are poorly studied in the republic.

Climate-forming factors

The climate of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is formed under the influence of the following main climate-forming factors: geographic latitude, terrain, direction of prevailing winds, underlying surface.

Like the entire North Caucasus, the KBR is located in the southern part of the temperate climate zone. Based on the combination of heat and moisture, it is located in two climatic regions: in the Ciscaucasia and the High Caucasus. Located in relatively low southern latitudes (between 42051" and 44001" northern latitude), the territory of the republic receives significant amounts of solar radiation, which determines the abundance of sunlight and heat. The relief and features of atmospheric circulation cause different areas to receive. The maximum amounts of radiation are received in May-July at the highest sun heights and day lengths.

Located on the border of temperate and subtropical climate zones, the Caucasus Mountains are an important climatic divide. The territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, fenced off from the south and southwest by the Greater Caucasus Mountains, is open from the north and northwest to the free invasion of cold air masses from the Arctic. Relief also has a great influence on the distribution of precipitation, increasing its fall when moist air masses enter the territory of the republic.

The mountainous terrain causes altitudinal climate zonation, especially pronounced in the highland region of the Central Caucasus. The general change in air temperature and humidity with altitude is superimposed on the change in air circulation in high layers of the atmosphere. In the mountains, starting from an altitude of approximately 2000m, the leading role belongs to westerly air transport.

Vegetation cover greatly delays solar radiation reaching the soil surface. The amount of radiation retained by the cover depends on the nature of the vegetation, the height of the plants, the density of the cover, etc. The location near the CBD of the Black and Caspian seas cannot have a significant impact on its climate. Their sizes are insufficient to adapt to its climate. Still, the influence of the Black Sea is more noticeable than the Caspian.

On the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, according to the conditions of heat supply and moisture conditions, the following types of climates can be distinguished:

Continental (steppe zone, northeastern part);

Moderate continental (foothills);

Alpine (mountainous part).

Geography of the most important intersectoral complexes.

The industrial sector complex of the national economy specializes in the production of non-metal-intensive but labor-intensive products: telemechanical, high-voltage, low-voltage, X-ray equipment, electrical appliances, etc. Specific industrial production is being developed, such as the production of artificial diamonds and abrasive products made from them, and cable products (mainly for agricultural needs). The republic is distinguished by the production of artificial leather, footwear, raincoats, clothing and technical fabrics, woodworking equipment, and confectionery products. The mining and metallurgical complex is especially important for the extraction, enrichment and production of tungsten-molybdenum products.

As the main branch of material production, the industrial complex consists of groups “A” and “B”. Group "A" (production of means of production) accounts for 58.7% of gross output. The production of capital goods is concentrated in heavy industry enterprises, consisting of the following industries: energy, mining and hydrometallurgical, mechanical engineering and metalworking, chemical, building materials, forestry and confectionery.

The territorial structure of industry in Kabardino-Balkaria is unique. In a single national economic complex, differences are noticeable in the industrial production of the plain-foothill and mountain parts. The industry received its most powerful development in the flat-foothill zone, located near the North Caucasus railway. The city of Nalchik alone, located in the geographic center of Kabardino-Balkaria and Prokhladny, located at the intersection of the railway and main transport arteries, accounts for about 82% of the republic's gross output and about 76% of the number of industrial workers.

The main industrial centers are industrial hubs. These are mainly the cities of Nalchik, Prokhladny, Nartkala, Baksan, Maisky, Terek. In the mountainous part, there is only one highly specialized industrial hub, the city of Tyrnyauz. It is a mining center with labor-intensive industries.

Agriculture

Agriculture of the republic is an integral part of the national economy, which involves growing plants (crop farming) and breeding animals (livestock husbandry). The natural and climatic conditions of the republic are favorable for the cultivation of grain, industrial, fodder, vegetable and other crops.

The presence of huge pasture lands and integrated feed production, a large amount of waste from food enterprises create favorable conditions for the successful development of productive livestock farming in all three areas (meat, dairy and meat and dairy). The development of agriculture is closely related to solving the problems of irrigation and water supply of dry lands. In the agro-industrial complex of the republic, land reclamation and water management play a large role. In addition to Kabbalkvodstroy, which is engaged in the construction and reconstruction of large facilities, the republic operates water management systems - mobile mechanical columns.

Each region of the country has its own set of types of agricultural products, which determine its agricultural specialization. Grain farming in the CBD is the main branch of agricultural production, which is represented by the production of wheat, corn, other grains and legumes. Soil and climatic conditions make it possible to cultivate sunflower, hemp, fodder beet, and coriander among industrial crops in the republic. Of the oilseed crops, sunflower is the most common. In the republic, vegetable growing is of great consumer and industrial importance.

The most widespread forage crops, in addition to natural ones, are corn, alfalfa, Sudan grass, rapeseed, soybeans, fodder peas and others. The abundance of heat and moisture creates favorable conditions for growing apple trees, pears, apricots, plums, cherries, and peaches.

History of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria

The roots of Russian-Adyghe relations can be traced back to 965, when the Kiev prince Svyatoslav “went against the Khazars” and defeated them, and with them the Yases (Alans) and Kosogs (Adygs). The Tmutarakan principality arose on the Taman Peninsula, which was lost at the beginning of the 12th century in battles with the Turkic-speaking Cumans. The mid-16th century was marked by an active attack on the North Caucasus by Turkey and the Crimean Khanate. To protect themselves from it, the first Adyghe ambassadors in Moscow, back in 1552, declared their desire to enter into an alliance with Russia.

A mutually beneficial military-political alliance between the Russian state and Kabarda was concluded in the summer of 1557. These relations became closer as a result of the marriage of Ivan the Terrible and the daughter of the Kabardian prince Temryuk Idarov Goshaney (after baptism - Maria), concluded in 1561. The descendants of her brothers, who went into the service of the tsar, founded the family of princes of Cherkassy, ​​which gave our fatherland a galaxy of commanders and political figures. The roots of other famous Russian families also extend to the Adyghe nobility. Among their representatives is the great naval commander Admiral Ushakov.

The borders of Kabarda at that time were very different from today. The Kabardians lived on the banks of the Sunzha, and Prince Temryuk also laid claim to the lands in the lower reaches of the Terek all the way to the Caspian Sea. At the same time, the formation of a stable political community of eastern Circassians and Balkars began, and there was a tendency towards the formation of a single state under a common name. At the same time, the peoples preserved their ethnosocial traditions, ethnocultural identity and extraterritorial stability. In the second half of the 16th century, the resettlement of fugitive Cossacks, peasants, disgraced archers, and religious sects also began to free lands along the Terek.

The final integration of the region into the Russian Empire began with the signing of the Bucharest Peace Treaty with Turkey (1812), and the Treaty of Gulistan with Iran (1813). The Treaty of Andrianople was also concluded (1829). The transfer to Russia of the territory of the North Caucasus and Georgia was the political result of the struggle between Russia, Turkey and Iran for influence in the Caucasus in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. However, until the first quarter of the 19th century, Kabarda remained a full-fledged entity. Its independence was recognized by the Russian and Ottoman empires, France and Austria.

Russians and Ukrainians began to settle in the current territory of Kabardino-Balkaria in the second half of the 18th century. In 1762, the Kabardian prince Kurgoko Kanchokin and his subjects moved to the Mozdok tract, where the construction of a Russian fortress soon began. After the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774, Russian power over Kabarda was recognized by the Crimean Khanate and Turkey. The construction of the Fortified Line (as the border Cossack settlements were called) continued from Mozdok to the west, all the way to Azov. On the territory of present-day Kabardino-Balkaria, at the confluence of Malka and Terek, in September 1777, the first fortress was founded “in the name of St. Catherine” (now the village of Yekaterinogradskaya). At the same time, all 7 Cossack villages were founded on the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.

The tragic result of the Caucasian War, which lasted for decades until 1864, was the criminal deportation of the Circassians (Circassians, Shapsugs, Khatukais, Abkhazians, Kabardians and other representatives of 12 ethnically related peoples who inhabited the Black Sea coast and the north-west of the Caucasus). Hundreds of thousands of families on fragile boats were transported to Turkey as a result of the secret Anglo-Russian-Turkish treaty. The surge in resettlement sentiment in Kabarda occurred at the end of 1866 - beginning of 1867. At the end of the war, out of 1 million Circassians, no more than 100 thousand people remained in their homeland. It should be noted that Christians evicted from Turkey followed a counter course to the Caucasus. In particular, tens of thousands of Greeks arrived here.

“The Russian Tsar gave 5 rubles to each family that left their dear homeland, abandoned their land, livestock, home and went to the death that awaited them in the bosom of a single Islamic religion. The English king freely provided leaky ships written off for firewood, along with which tens of thousands of people drowned. The Turkish Sultan allowed everyone who left the Sochi, Pyatigorsk, Kuban lands “desecrated by the infidels” to die freely in sandy, waterless deserts, where even lizards could not survive. Thus, out of 600 thousand people who moved to Turkey, at least 80 died in a few years percent," historians write.

The Kabardian Autonomous Region was formed on September 1, 1921. On January 16, 1928, it was transformed into the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Region. Since December 5, 1936, the republic was called the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. From 1944 to 1957, during the deportation of Balkars, the republic was transformed into the Kabardian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. After the rehabilitation of the Balkar people in 1957, the previous name was restored. In January 1991, the Supreme Council of Kabardino-Balkaria adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty and proclaimed the republic the Kabardino-Balkarian Soviet Socialist Republic. In August 1991, the post of president was introduced.

KABARDINO-BALKARIA

The Caucasus Mountains, of all those lying in the direction of the summer sunrise, are the most remarkable both for their vastness and height.

ELBRUS
BAKSAN GORGE
TERSKOL
Kabardino-Balkaria thanks to its natural conditions and geographical situation, in our country it is deservedly considered one of the largest mountain tourism bases, the largest mountaineering base, and the Nalchik resort has the status of an All-Russian health resort.
The most diverse and exciting excursions and hiking trips in the Caucasus are held within Kabardino-Balkaria - in the most high-mountainous part of the Central Caucasus, starting from Elbrus and further to the east. This part of the Caucasus is very popular among tourists and excursionists.
The unforgettable beauty of the picturesque mountain landscapes of the Greater Caucasus, its snowy peaks, deep gorges, grandiose wild gorges, turbulent rivers and waterfalls awakens in a person a love for nature and for knowledge of his native land. Tourism helps to broaden one's horizons, replenishes knowledge of geography, geology, botany, zoology, archeology, history, and ethnography. Tourism fosters courage, resourcefulness, endurance, observation, the habit of camping life and strengthens the body.
While engaging in mountain tourism, some move on to a more complex sport - mountaineering - a higher level of knowledge of themselves and the world around them. And those involved in ski tourism are moving on to ski tours and more extreme sports - delta paragliding, freestyle, helly-skiing. The surrounding nature and climate have a beneficial effect on the human nervous system, to physiological processes occurring in the body. It has long been proven that properly organized tourism and excursions provide a good healing effect.
The Elbrus area is a favorite vacation spot not only for tourists, climbers, skiers and extreme sports enthusiasts, but many vacationers from all over Russia come here. And the mountains (Elbrus is the highest point in Europe) attract tourists and climbers from abroad, the influx of which increases every year.
The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) occupies the central, highest part of the Greater Caucasus and the adjacent part of the Cis-Caucasian Plain, called the Kabardian Plain. In the east it borders with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, in the north - with Stavropol edge, in the west - from Karachay-Cherkessia The Republic and in the south, in the highest mountainous part, the state border of the Russian Federation with Georgia runs along the Main Caucasus Range. And about the origin the words “Kabarda” and “Balkaria” are still in dispute.
On the way to the capital of the republic - the city of Nalchik - on a cloudless day, a picturesque chain of snowy mountains opens up, formed by the peaks of the Caucasus, each of which is much higher than the peak of Mont Blanc (4810 m).
In total, there are seven five-thousanders in the Caucasus, that is, peaks above 5000 meters above sea level. Of these, six are located on the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria. This is a two-headed handsome man, the master of the Caucasus - Elbrus (5642 m western and 5621 m eastern peak), Dykh-tau (5204 m), Koshtan-tau (5152 m), Shkhara (5068 m), Dzhangi-tau (5058 m) and Pushkin Peak (5033 m). And only Kazbek (5033 m) is located outside the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic on the border of Ossetia and Georgia.
The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is generously endowed with a wealth of colors and a variety of landscapes. The chains of the Greater Caucasus mountains with majestic peaks dressed in icy armor, bizarre landscapes of highly elevated volcanic plateaus, mountain and hill slopes covered with green alpine pastures, deep wooded gorges with stormy, rapid mountain streams, flowering valleys and plains with grain fields and gardens and vineyards- all this, quickly changing, in a small area creates that exceptional face of Kabardino-Balkaria, which attracts huge masses of people who want to see something new, attractive for themselves. And coupled with traditional Caucasian hospitality, a unique culture based on the traditions of Adyghe khabze (Adyghe laws) and tau adet (mountain laws), Kabardino-Balkaria becomes doubly attractive.
The entire southern part of the republic is occupied by mountains, and their area exceeds 60% of the entire territory. Together with the foothills and the green Kabardian plain, the mountain ranges create an amazingly beautiful picture of nature. The plain and foothills are the breadbasket of the republic, occupied by crops of corn, wheat, sunflowers and other agricultural crops.
The mountains of the republic form five parallel ridges rising to the south: Lesisty (Cretaceous), Pastbishchny, Skalisty (Jurassic), Bokovoy (Advanced) and Main (Vodorasdelny). All these ridges, excluding the last, are cut through by seven gorges: Malkinsky, Baksansky, Chegemsky, Cherek-Balkarsky, Bezengisky, Psygansu and Leskensky gorge, in the upper reaches called Khaznidon, along which the rivers Malka, Baksan, Chegem, Cherek, Psygansu and Khaznidon (Lesken) They are carried to the plain by the waters of the melting glaciers of the Main and Side ranges. The longest river of Kabardino-Balkaria, Malka (216 km), originates in the glaciers of the northern slopes of Elbrus, into which all the above-mentioned rivers flow on the plain, except Lesken. Malka and Lesken flow into the Terek, which, making an 80-kilometer arc in the republic, carries its waters into the Caspian Sea. Full-flowing mountain rivers in summer provide water for irrigating fields and power hydroelectric power turbines.
The relief of the mountainous part of the republic is very complex and diverse, therefore the flora and fauna are diverse. In the mountains, where there is more precipitation than on the plain, and summers are cooler than below, vegetation develops especially lushly. The diversity of flora is especially noticeable in summer, when every from the above ridges have a special color shade.
The wooded ridge, starting immediately behind the Kabardian Plain in the south, stretches as a dark green, almost black stripe and is covered mainly with beech and hornbeam forest. The Wooded Ridge, like the Pastbishchny, is composed of sandstones, limestones, and marls of the Cretaceous period, which is why its second name is Cretaceous. But he also for dark green, almost black, the color of the forests is known as the Black Mountains. The highest point of the ridge is Mount Izdara (1327 m), otherwise called Saray Mountain.
The pasture ridge is lush green, covered with alpine grasses, where livestock traditionally grazes in the summer, because... cattle breeding in Kabardino-Balkaria mainly distillate, i.e. In winter, livestock feed on the plain; in summer, they are driven to alpine pastures in the mountains. Individual rocky peaks sometimes rise above the alpine meadows, their iron gray setting off the bright colors of the grass vegetation. The highest point of the ridge is Shaukhana-bashi (2120 m).
The rocky ridge, otherwise called Jurassic, due to the rocks from which it is composed, with dry-loving vegetation, is distinguished by a pinkish-yellow hue. It is the Rocky Ridge that forms picturesque gorges that sometimes engulf people in fear, in which rivers roar huge house-sized boulders. The ridge is composed of Upper Jurassic limestones, dolomites, marls, sandstones, and shales and conglomerates. The highest peak of the Rocky Range is Kara-kaya (3606 m), translated from Balkar meaning Black Rock.
The Side, sometimes called the Advanced (the highest), and the Main, also called the Vodorazdelny, ridges are a chain of silver-white peaks covered with eternal snow. They're stacked from crystalline schists, gneisses and fractured granite. The highest point of the Side Range is Dykh-Tau (5204 m), and the Main Range is Shkhara (5068 m).
Standing alone, not entering either the Main or the Side ridges, rises the double-headed peak of Elbrus, visible from almost everywhere in the republic (and not only in the republic), shimmering in the sun with the silver of its glaciers and blinding the eyes with the whiteness of its snow.
Starting from the Side and Main ridges, the mountainous part of the Greater Caucasus behind the terraces descends to the Kabardian Plain. Gradually descending to the north, the spurs of the mountains merge with the plain. Its height is about 500 meters above sea level in the Nalchik area and 150–180 m above sea level in the area of ​​the Terek River, which divides the plain into two unequal parts: the left bank, called Big Kabarda, and right bank, called Malaya Kabarda.
The Kabardian plain is covered by sediments of the Quaternary period that are younger in age, in comparison with the rocks.
The mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria are rich in various minerals. In the Tyrnyauz zone of the Baksan Gorge there are the largest deposits of molybdenum and tungsten, in the Malkin Gorge there are deposits of iron ore, in a number of gorges there are deposits of copper, tin, zinc, gold, and coal. Currently, industrial development of oil fields has begun in Malaya Kabarda. There is a lot of building material in the republic: tuff, ash, pumice, sand, clay, incl. blue, limestones from which lime, chalk, gypsum, building stone, sand and gravel mixtures for the production of crushed stone and screenings are produced.
Kabardino-Balkaria is rich in various mineral springs, located mainly in its mountain and foothill zones. More than 100 mineral water sources are concentrated within the republic. Based on the content of certain chemical elements in them, mineral waters are divided into five groups: carbon dioxide, sulfide, siliceous, radon, and waters without specific components. In Lake Tambukan (70 km from Nalchik) healing mud is extracted, which is used to treat the musculoskeletal system and gynecological diseases.
This mud is used both by hospitals in Nalchik and by hospitals in the cities of the Caucasian Mineral Waters: Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, Zheleznovodsk, Essentuki. The presence of a large amount of mineral waters, a favorable climate, and the hospitality of the residents provide great opportunities for the further development of the existing resort, the creation of new resort areas and the industrial development of mineral springs for the purpose of trade.
The climate of the republic is not the same everywhere and depends on the altitude above sea level. It's cold high in the mountains. There is eternal snow and ice. Below the snow line it is moderately cold; in the foothills the climate is temperate continental; in the steppes it’s warm, and in the northeast parts of the republic (the area of ​​the city of Prokhladny) can be very hot. The average annual temperature in the steppe part is +9.7 degrees, in the foothills (Nalchik) it is +9.6 degrees, and in the mountains +4 degrees. The amplitude of absolute temperatures ranges from 50 degrees (in the mountains) to 77 degrees on the plain. The average annual precipitation in the mountain zone is 600–700 mm and can reach 1000 mm, on the Kabardian Plain 300–400 mm.
The numerous rapid rivers of the republic during floods often flood the plains and cause serious damage to the national economy. The most significant of them are: Terek, Malka, Baksan, Chegem, Cherek, Urukh, Lesken. These are rivers of glacial origin, as they are fed by the glaciers of the Side and Main ridges. These are rivers of glacial origin, as they are fed by snow and glaciers of the Side and Main ranges. The rivers Nalchik, Kurkuzhin, Shalushka and others are fed by spring waters. All rivers of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, eventually merging with the Terek, carry their waters into the Caspian Sea. They irrigate the arid part of the Kabardian Plain, which has a dense irrigation network, and provide electricity for the needs of the republic. The largest hydroelectric power stations are: Baksanskaya, Cherekskikh cascade, Malkinskaya.
Most of the lakes in the republic are of glacial origin, and they are located at altitudes above 2000 m above sea level between moraine deposits, which sometimes causes mudflows in hot weather with warm rains. In the mountains there are lakes of karst origin, the most popular of which are Golubye, 55 km from Nalchik.
The soils of the republic, consisting from Ciscaucasia chernozems, meadow, mountain meadow and mountain forest soils are very fertile.
The vegetation of Kabardino-Balkaria, especially in the mountain and foothill zones, is very rich, which is facilitated by the extremely complex and varied terrain. Of the 6 thousand species of flowering plants growing in the Caucasus, half are found in the small territory of the republic. It is characterized by all the main groups of plant formations, except subtropical and tropical.
The area of ​​natural feeding grounds is about 1/5 of the entire territory of the republic. The most valuable are tall grass meadows in the alpine zone (1800–2300 m above sea level) and short grass meadows in the subalpine zone (less than 2300 m), as well as meadows in forest belts.
On the plain, cultivated plants have become widely developed: grains, legumes, vegetables and melons, fodder, fruit and fruit, grapes and industrial plants, since the fertile soils of Kabardino-Balkaria produce rich harvests of these crops.
Forests occupy mainly mountain and foothill zones and make up 18% of the total territory. The forests are mostly deciduous. There are few coniferous forests, and they grow mainly in the Elbrus region in the upper reaches of the Chegem, and partly, the Malkin gorges. Floodplain foothill and mountain forests are of great economic and soil protection importance. Foothill forests are characterized by valuable wild fruit trees and shrubs: Caucasian pear, oriental apple tree, wild cherry, cherry plum, medlar, dogwood, sloe, and from nuts - hazel The main species of mid-mountain forests is beech, the wood of which is very valuable for carpentry and cooperage. Some specimens of beech reach an age of 400 years, a height of 45 m and 1.5 m in diameter at the base. Other forest species in this belt include Caucasian hornbeam, three types of alder, two types of oak, Caucasian linden, common ash, field maple, elm species, and hop hornbeam, which is distinguished by its exceptionally hard turned wood. Higher in the mountains, Norway maples, alpine maples, three types of birch, mountain ash, bird cherry, and Sosnovsky pine are common. Occasionally you come across yew - a beautiful coniferous tree of very ancient origin. Of the high-mountain local flora, evergreen shrubs are of great interest to tourists: Caucasian rhododendron and wolf capitate, as well as elegant plants of alpine and subalpine meadows - gentians, different types of bells, alpine aster, carnations, alpine anemones, primroses and many others. High in the mountains, tourists can encounter entire thickets of typical representatives of the northern Arctic zone that were once transported here by glaciers: blueberries, drupes, blueberries, bearberries, saxifrage and others.
At the same time, in the mountains there are many plants, so-called endemics, characteristic only of the Caucasus or only Kabardino-Balkaria and not yet known anywhere in the wild. These include the Caucasian blueberry, preserved from the Tertiary period, reaching three meters in height (Leskensky district) and a perennial bract beacon with bright purple flowers up to 20 cm in diameter (spurs of the Tersky Range in Malaya Kabarda). Only in Kabardino-Balkaria known rose hips Kosa, one-color decorative primrose Leskensky, snowdrops - Kabardian, Bortkevich and angustifolia, cornflowers - Nogmova, milky, Khabaz and Kabardian and such melliferous herbs as comfrey and Kabardian sedum. Medicinal and vitamin plants are of great practical interest. Many of them are used in local folk medicine.
The species composition of the fauna is as rich as the flora. In Kabardino-Balkaria There are 61 species of mammals. Among them are the Caucasian tur (mountain goat), wild boar, fox, pine and stone martens, brown hare, brown bear, and badger. There are very valuable animals: Caucasian deer, roe deer, otter, mink and chamois. There are predators (wolf, forest cat, lynx, you can rarely see the Caucasian leopard) and rodents (voles, field and forest mice, hamsters, water rats, gophers). Shrews, moles, hedgehogs, and bats are common.
There are over 250 species of birds in the republic, of which about 150 nest. Of the birds, the most interesting are those living on the lowlands, the Caucasian pheasant, gray partridge and quail, and in the high mountain areas such endemic representatives of the Caucasian fauna as the stone partridge (chukar), Caucasian grouse and Caucasian mountain turkey (sular). The following nests are built on inaccessible rocks: bearded vulture or otherwise vulture (eagle), griffon vulture, golden eagle, vulture, black vulture. Other predators are often encountered: spotted eagle, harrier, eagle owl, short-eared owl, tawny owl and brown owl.
The rivers of Kabardino-Balkaria are home to Caspian salmon and trout, as well as Terek barbel, grass carp and silver carp. The world of amphibians, reptiles and insects is rich.
A fabulous land of the highest mountains in Europe, where the blue glow of icy peaks overshadows the flowering of alpine meadows, cut by white-foam rivers and waterfalls, cascading in canyons, glittering with the edges of rocks - this is the Elbrus region.

ELBRUS

Elbrus region is the tourist name for the part of the Greater Caucasus from the western approaches to Elbrus to the Chegem River basin in the east. Its southern border runs along the Main Caucasus Ridge. This is an earthly paradise for climbers and skiers, tourists and vacationers. Ski slopes are tens of kilometers long with elevation differences of more than two kilometers across enchantingly beautiful landscapes. Summer routes, tried and tested, to glaciers and waterfalls, to natural narzans and to the most picturesque gorges, accompanied by experienced instructors. Routes accessible to anyone, even children.
The region, famous for its hospitality, political and social stability, the region visited by many famous people of our country and abroad, is waiting for you.
The Elbrus region is famous for its picturesque gorges located at an altitude of 2000 m above sea level or more. The largest of them is Baksan.

BAKSAN GORGE

The path to this region begins with the turn of the Rostov-Baku highway into the Baksan Gorge towards the village of Kyzburun (distance from Pyatigorsk - 70 km, from Nalchik -22 km).
For most tourists, the path to the Baksan Gorge begins from the capital of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic - Nalchik, but many vacationers also travel from the cities of the Caucasian Mineral Waters.
The gorge owes its name to the Baksan River, the second longest (169 km), after Malka, the river of the republic. Baksan originates from the confluence of three rivers: Donguz-Orun-Su, flowing from the glaciers of the Main Caucasus Range, Azau and Terskol, starting on the glaciers of Elbrus. Cutting through the Bokovoy, Skalisty, Pastbishchny and Cretaceous ridges, Baksan carries its waters further along the Kabardian Plain, flowing into Malka.
Opposite the large Kabardian village of Islamey, located on the left bank of Baksan, the Kyzburun mountain range rises directly above the road (from Turkic - “Red Nose” based on the color of the rocks, although it is also translated as “Maiden’s Cape.”). According to legend, unfaithful wives were thrown into Baksan from one of the rocks. Near Islamey, in the southwestern part of Mount Kyzburun, there is a massif called Mahogaps (from Kabardian“mahue” - “day” and “geps” - to configure”, i.e. the weather for the day was determined by the clouds or their absence over the mountain). On this mountain, according to legend, the ancestor of the Kabardians (the one who allegedly brought the Circassians to this territory and gave them his name) Kabarda Tambiev is buried.
Further, the road goes along the foothills in a wide valley along the right bank of Baksan to the village of Kyzburun. On right on a hill you can see the Baksan hydroelectric station - one of the first power plants built in 1936 by young Soviet Russia, at one time the largest in the Caucasus.
(Its feature is the presence of an upper reservoir, which, like a water accumulator, makes it possible to increase power during peak electricity consumption by discharging accumulated water).
Here the road passes to the left bank and after 2 km reaches the longest village of the republic (12 km) - Zayukovo (from Kabardian– Dogwood beam). In this place, in fact, the gorge truly begins. On the right slope one can see groves of bushes, including dogwood. On the left massif, called Khara-Khora in Russian transcription, there is a tuff quarry at the top (the ridge is formed by igneous rocks - tuffs, which are a product of the volcanic activity of Elbrus), and on the slope there is a lime plant. Khara-Hora translated from Kabardian means “Dog and Pig” and the mountain is named so due to visible on the mountain of natural stone sculptures, very reminiscent of a wild boar chasing a dog. The title reflects the legend of a disobedient daughter and her harassing boyfriend, who were turned into a pig and a dog by their angry father. Zayukovo, formerly called Atazhukino, was the ancestral village of the Kabardian princes Atazhukins, famous in the Caucasus, owners of the entire Baksan Gorge.
Leaving Zayukovo, the 15-meter-tall monument “The Mourning Highlander” by the sculptor is visible from afar K.B. Krymshamkhalova. The figure of a highlander in a burka symbolizes the grief of the people for the death of their sons during the civil war, the Great Patriotic War, as well as during their forced eviction to Central Asia. Near the monument, the road turns off from the highway to the right, to the Balkar village of Kendelen, visible one kilometer away.
(from Balkar - across), named after the river that flows into Baksan on the left almost at a right angle. You can drive along the Kendelen gorge to the beautiful Tyzyl gorge, now somewhat abandoned by tourists.
But our road goes further south and after 5 km reaches the village of Zhankhoteko (from Kabardian- “Balka Zhankhot”), named after the first settler of these places. The population here is mixed - Kabardians and Balkars, and on the right bank of the Baksan is the Balkar village of Lashkuta. The population of the villages is mainly engaged in cattle breeding (sheep breeding).
Three kilometers later, beyond the village of Zhankhoteko, the flat part of Baksan ends and the conventional junction of the Pastbishchny and Skalisty ridges passes along the Bezymyanny Stream. The Pasture Ridge remains behind, Skalisty is ahead. Like the Pastbishchny, the Rocky Ridge is composed of sedimentary rocks - dolomites, limestones, marls. They formed in the ocean depths made of limestone shells of marine animals, but have different hardness. In the distant geological past, the territory of the Caucasus was covered by the waters of the Tethys Sea (according to one version). Gradually the sea retreated, the mountains rose, and at a certain stage the process of mountain building was accompanied by the volcanic activity of Elbrus. That is why, on steep slopes, dense layers of these sediments clearly appear on top of tectonic rocks, and closer to Elbrus, volcanic rocks are also visible.
Further, seven kilometers from Zhankhoteko, lies the village of Bedyk. Beyond the village of Zhankhoteko, the Baksan gorge narrows slightly and soon forms a gorge called Shash-Bovat, since Baksan cuts through the Rocky Ridge in this place. In one of the expansions of this gorge is located the small village of Bedyk, founded here in the 30s for breeding pedigree cattle. Now a modern production facility for firing and packaging high-quality gypsum has been built here.
In the vicinity of the village there is a cave-grotto, named after the hero of the epic of the peoples of the North Caucasus, the leader of the legendary tribe of heroic Narts - Sosruko. In 1954, archaeological excavations were carried out there and objects of material culture from the Stone Age were discovered. The depth of the cave is 50 m, the diameter is 3.5 m. When leaving the village, to the left of the road there is a recently built white mosque, and a little further, on the right on the rocks, you can see the profile of A.S. Pushkin, whimsically created by nature.
The length of the Shash-Bovat gorge is about 5 km, and the width at its narrowest point is 30 meters.
The Baksan Gorge protects from penetration from the north of cold and humid air masses, the Sary-Tyuz basin (from Balkar - Yellow Glade). The climate in the basin is very dry and here there is the highest number of sunny days in the republic. In a basin - a wide valley with subalpine grasses - the village of Bylym (from Turkic - Skot), which was previously called the village of Ugolny, is located. Here, on the river, outcrops of Jurassic coal were discovered. Another attraction is that the most delicious cabbage in the republic is grown in Bylym.
From here, through the Ak-toprak pass (2466 m) you can get to the Chegem Gorge (link). Currently, a new road has been built here, which runs along the previously existing one. In 1942, when the Germans occupied Baksan and cut off the path to Nalchik from the Baksan Gorge, military units paved a road through this pass, along which the supply of Soviet soldiers defending in the Baksan Gorge was organized.
Opposite the village of Bylym, on the left bank of the Baksan River, on a mountain, a large crypt burial ground of the 4th–8th centuries has been preserved. The underground crypts, made of stone, are open and can be examined. At the beginning of the 20th century. they were examined by archaeologists, many were plundered by treasure hunters.
On the steep cliffs located right next to the road at the exit from the village, an episode of the film “The Twelve Chairs” was filmed with the theft of sausage and bread by Father Fyodor from the heroes of the novel by I. Ilf and E. Petrov. The rocky ridge remains behind, in front is the Side, which consists of large mountain ranges separated by river valleys, and is the highest of the ridges of the Caucasus Mountains. Beyond the Baksan River, on the right, there is a vast artificial embankment - this is the tailings dump of the Tyrnyauz mining and processing plant, and in the distance a picturesque mountain reminiscent of an ancient castle attracts attention.
After 13 km, the road leads to the city of Tyrnyauz (21,092 people) - the regional center of the Elbrus region. Built as a city of miners extracting tungsten and molybdenum. Located at an altitude of 1300 meters above sea level, 90 km southwest of the city of Nalchik. The local deposit of tungsten and molybdenum is one of the largest in the country. The deposit was discovered in 1934 by Vera Flerova, a student at the Novocherkassk Polytechnic Institute, who was doing an internship in geology here. When in 1938, as a result of geological exploration work, it became clear that tungsten and molybdenum ores were suitable for industrial development, a decision was made to build a tungsten-molybdenum plant. Near the small villages of Girkhozhan, Totur, Kamuk, construction began on the village of Nizhny Baksan, transformed in 1955 into the city of Tyrnyauz.
“Tyrnyauz” is translated as “entrance to the gorge.” Beyond Tyrnyauz there really is a gorge, and the city itself is not located in a wide valley. The second translation of the city’s name is “gorge of the winds.”
During Soviet times, the plant operated, providing life to the entire city, i.e. was a city-forming enterprise. Currently, attempts to revive the plant, unfortunately, are leading nowhere, since the tungsten and molybdenum mined here are very expensive. In addition to the tungsten-molybdenum plant, the city has low-voltage equipment factories and reinforced concrete products.
The city's population is international, although in recent years, due to the partial shutdown of the plant and the migration of the Russian-speaking population and Kabardians, the number of Balkars has been growing, since the Elbrus region can conditionally be called Balkar. Part of the city is periodically exposed to the destructive effects of mudflows (a mudflow is a stream of water, mud and stones, rushing like an avalanche from a great height and at high speed, and destroying everything in its path) along the bed of the Girkhozhan River (the right tributary of Baksan). The construction of reinforced concrete chutes, which should direct the mudflow into a safe channel, has not yet brought tangible results.
Outside the city of Tyrnyauz there is the second gorge of the Baksan gorge - El-Jurt, where rock-climbing competitions are often held, since the sheer cliffs that rise here to a height of 800–1000 meters greatly attract climbing athletes. At the exit from the gorge to the left of the road you can see the beautiful snowy peak of Tyutyu-Bashi, and in front of the gorge the peaks of Donguz-Orun and Nakra-Tau open up.
Beyond El-Jurt, the Baksan valley expands. The slopes on the lower left are covered with birch trees, and above with pine trees. On the right is grass and here and there juniper. One of the most beautiful gorges, Tyutyu-Su, goes to the left.
20 km from Tyrnyauz, at the confluence of the right tributary Adyr-Su (from Turkic - “ridge + water”) and the left tributary Kyrtyk (from Balkar - “bad”) into Baksan, the village of Upper Baksan is located, the former Urusbievo - the patrimony of the mountain princes Balkars Urusbievs, the center of the Urusbiev society and a transit point for most climbers in the last -19th century who intended to climb the Elbrus peak.
On the initiative of Izmail Myrzakulovich Urusbiev, a kunatskaya was built in the village for the recreation of numerous guests from Russia and abroad (Italy, Germany, England, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland and other countries), including famous climbers, scientists, composers; artists, writers and poets. In this kunatskaya, which was the prototype of modern tourist centers, a special book of reviews was kept, in which many outstanding people of that time left entries: Grove, Dechi, Abikh, Dinnik, Davidovich and others. This book was seen back in 1923 by the author of many works on the Caucasus
S. Anisimov. Unfortunately, it is currently considered lost.
A mudflow bed passes through the center of the village, which descended in August 1967 along the Kyrtyk-Su River.
Along the gorge of the Kyrtyk River through the Kyrtyk-Aush pass you can go to the Malkinskoye Gorge, to the warm spring of Djily-Su, to the Upland pastures, to the tourist center “Valley of Narzanov” and further to the city of Kislovodsk. From here you can climb to the Adyr-Su gorge.
The Adyr-Su River, originating at the Mestia Pass, flows into Baksan from the left. At the entrance to the gorge, a funicular-lift for cars and a staircase consisting of 300 steps were built.
Beyond Upper Baksan the road goes along a wide valley. Two kilometers later, the sculptural group marks the entrance to the Elbrus National Park, which occupies the territory of the upper reaches of the Baksan and Malkin gorges and the Elbrus peak itself.
In the sculptural group: on the right is a monument to the first climber to Elbrus Killar Khashirov (sculptor Tkhakumashev), on the left to the first climber to the Western peak of Elbrus Akhiya Sottaev (sculptor Krymshamkhalov), and a little further - a high relief to the first Russian climber, a military topographer who climbed both peaks of Elbrus, captain tsarist army to Andrei Vasilyevich Pastukhov.
A majestic panorama of the upper reaches of the Baksan Gorge opens right behind the bas-relief. On the left there is a small gorge of the Chelmas River with a waterfall. Noteworthy are the large stones carried out of the gorge by the river. These are traces of a mudflow.
After 6–7 km the road leads to the village of Neutrino. In 1977, thanks to the energy and talent of the great Italian scientist, academician who worked in the Soviet Union, Bruno Pontecorvo, the first stage of the Neutrino Observatory of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research was launched. A 4 km long tunnel has been drilled into the thickness of Mount Yndyrchi and detectors have been installed that measure the neutrino flux coming from the sun (a unique neutrino telescope is located). If we can capture this flow and control it (100 billion neutrinos per 1 second, every 1 cm square), then this is an inexhaustible source of energy. The entrance to the tunnel is marked with the letter “M” to the left of the road, which reminds of its builders – metro builders.
Currently, the Neutrino Observatory is a unique scientific center, the world's largest specialized complex of underground laboratories for experimental research in nuclear physics and astrophysics.
There are only three such observatories in the world: Europe (Alps - France and Italy), the USA (Cordillera) and here. On the plateau opposite the tunnel, a village was built where scientists and service personnel live, which is called Neutrino.
5 km from Neutrino, the village of Elbrus begins, located on both banks of Baksan. From one of the points in the village you can see the top of Elbrus, which was not visible throughout the entire journey, starting from the city of Baksan, since the slopes of the gorge do not provide such an opportunity. To the right of the village there is a side gorge Irik-Chat, through which you can go to the glaciers of Elbrus or go to the Djily-Su spring.
Here, popular among tourists, the Narzan springs and sandy rocks can be seen even from the road. The gorge is crowned by the Irik glacier, one of the 23 glaciers of Elbrus.
In the village itself there is a hospital for asthmatics and allergy sufferers, since the air of the high-mountain pine forest has healing properties for this category of patients. At the entrance, on the slope to the left, there is a children's summer camp site “Yndyrchi” (from Turkic - “thresher”, thundering), named after the massif of the mountain towering above the village (there, at the top, rockfalls rumble all the time, that’s why the “thresher”) . The office and scientific laboratories of the Elbrus National Park are located almost in the center of the village.
Immediately behind the village on the road on the right, the KBSU base looks cozy, where there is also a recreation center for students and teachers. Behind the KBSU base, in a deepening pine forest, there is the Yunost recreation center, owned by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. From the bridge over Baksan, which you enter shortly after the KBSU base, the Sokol hotel, owned by JSC "Kabbalkintourist" Immediately after the bridge, an asphalt road leaves the main road to the left, leading to the Adyl-Su gorge (link), and the main road along the right bank of Baksan, after two kilometers reaches the first tourist center of the Elbrus region, built in 1936 - “Elbrus” for 320 places.B In winter, there is a rope tow in the vicinity of the base.
The wooden cottages of the Yusengi summer camp site are also located here. In Soviet times, the very popular planned all-Union route No. 46 began from the Elbrus camp site, leading along the Yusengi gorge (a side gorge of Baksan), through the Becho pass (from the Georgian “Guy”) at a height of 3375 meters to the Black Sea. In 1942, during the German occupation of the city of Tyrnyauz, 6 mountaineering instructors led by Yuri Odnoblyudov evacuated 1,500 people, including infants, along this difficult route in Transcaucasia. Some from those evacuating, They carried with them tungsten and molybdenum pieces of concentrate so that this valuable metal would not fall into the hands of the enemy.
The abundance of tourist and recreation centers in this place and higher up the gorge is due to a number of factors. There are favorable climatic conditions here: there is enough moisture, but at the same time a large number of sunny days. There are no severe frosts in winter, and there is no heat in summer. The air is well ventilated, and the presence of a pine forest gives it a special purity. In addition, the area is rich in healing mineral springs.
At the exit from the village, near the Saklya cafe, the road forks. The Adyl-Su gorge, densely populated by alps, goes to the left.
1 km from the village of Elbrus on the left bank of the Baksan River, nestles the small village of Tegenekli, the birthplace of the first Balkar academician, Mikhail Zalikhanov. His older brother Hussein created the Vysotsky Museum of Mountaineering and Hunting in his house, which will be interesting for any tourist to see. The museum widely presents exhibits and materials about the history of the Elbrus region and the people inhabiting it. To the right of the road, the cascade of a waterfall, falling above the village of Baidaevka, attracts attention. The village is also interesting because it is the last of the surviving family settlements to this day.
At the beginning of the Yusengi gorge, the road goes to the left bank of Baksan and to the end of the gorge to the right bank doesn't move. Not far from the bridge, the Tegenekli boarding house of the Avtozapchast plant was built, and in the pine forest on the right bank of Baksan, the oldest mountaineering camp (1932) was nestled, first called “Rot-Front”, and then renamed “Baksan”. Now it is a holiday home OJSC "Kabbalknefteprodukt" concern "Rosneft". In the same place, but on the left bank, there is a holiday resort “Yusengi” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Up the road on the right bank there are narzan springs. There are many of them, and they form high-water streams.
This place is called Narzan Glade. Polyana is a favorite vacation spot for guests of the Elbrus region who come here for fresh Narzan. Here several mineral springs come to the surface, scattered in different places. They flow from deep cracks in the granites that make up the bed of Baksan and both adjacent slopes of the valley. Water of low mineralization, saturated with carbon dioxide and valuable in balneological respect. The most powerful source is located in the vicinity of the clearing. It amazes the imagination