Often people find themselves captive to certain words that are often used in communication and books (encyclopedias, student and school textbooks), without really thinking about their meaning.
For example, it would seem that the word "Ural" ... It is so familiar and it seems clear to everyone. But the meaning of it is most likely ambiguous. What is the Urals? Let's try to find out in this article.
Ural as a mountain country
Little is known what the Urals are. This is a mountain range with a length of more than 2000 meters. What is its geographical location? It extends from north to south, dividing Europe and Asia and the two largest plains - the lowlands of the West Siberian and Russian steppes.
Mountains description
The Ural Mountains are the oldest rocks, greatly destroyed by time. The stone belt of these mountains, together with the adjoining plains of the Urals, stretches from the north (from the shores of the Arctic Ocean) to the south to the semi-desert territories of Kazakhstan. So what is “Ural”? What does this word mean if you translate it from the Turkic language? It means “belt” (in more detail about the meaning of the word a little lower). Amazing nature, mesmerizing with its impregnable harsh beauty - all this is the Urals. Where else can you see such magnificence?
Many territories of the Urals are nature reserves, among which the most famous are the following: Zyuratkul, Taganay, Arkaim, Arakul, Denezhkin stone, Kungur cave, Kvarkush, Deer streams. What other meaning is hidden in the word “Ural”? What is it really and what seems to all of us when we meet this term?
Ural as a region
Officially, the Urals is a geographic region. The main part of this Russian region is the Ural mountain system. Its southern zone includes a part of the Ural river basin, which flows into the Caspian Sea. The region is located, as noted above, at the junction of Asia and Europe. It starts from the shores of the Kara Sea, and ends at Mugodzhar (the southern spur of the Ural Mountains in Kazakhstan).
The Trans-Urals and the Urals are closely connected economically and historically with the Urals. These are territories adjacent to it from the east and west. In all these areas, the following republics, regions and territories of Russia are located in aggregate: Bashkortostan, Kurgan, Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk and Orenburg regions, Perm Territory and Udmurtia, the eastern parts of the Arkhangelsk region and the Komi Republic, the western part of the Tyumen region. In Kazakhstan, the Urals belong to two regions: Kustanai and Aktobe.
The value of the region
Ural - what is it? What does it represent for Russia in terms of economic? Since the earliest times, the Urals has been striking many researchers with an abundance of a wide variety of minerals, which is the main wealth of these parts.
A huge number of minerals are stored in the bowels of the Ural Mountains. They contain copper and iron ores, nickel and chromium, zinc and cobalt, oil and coal, gold and other precious stones. These places have long been the largest mining and metallurgical base in Russia. In addition, the treasures of these places include huge forest resources. The Middle and Southern Urals have extensive opportunities for the development of agriculture. This natural region is the most important for the whole of Russia and its citizens.
A little about the toponym
There are many versions of the origin of the toponym (proper name of a geographical object) “Ural”. According to the results of studies of the languages ​​of nationalities living in the region, there is a basic version about the origin of the name of the locality - such a name is formed from the Bashkir language. And in fact, of all the nationalities living in these places, this name has long existed only among the Bashkirs and is supported by the legends and traditions of this people (for example, the epic "Ural-Batyr").
Multinational Ural. What is he like for other nations? In addition to the Bashkirs, the other indigenous peoples of these mountainous places (Komi, Khanty, Udmurts, Mansi) have other names for the Ural Mountains. It is also known that the Russians learned about such a name as Uraltau, namely from the Bashkirs in the middle of the 16th century, translating it as the Aralt Mountain. In this regard, it is generally accepted that the name of the mountains is associated with the Turkic word “Aral” (translated as “island”) or with “Uralmak” (translated as “encircle” or “enclose”).
About this amazing "country", called the Urals, you can talk endlessly. She is dedicated to the works of great writers and poets, famous artists painted wonderful paintings. A huge number of nature lovers travel across the Urals , and courageous and courageous climbers conquer its peaks. All nationalities living in this region have their own unique history and culture that deserves attention and respect.