Many do not know about this amazingly beautiful place, which is a wonderful object of nature and a source of inspiration for poets and artists.
This is a territory of beautiful sunsets and sunrises, a place where rare specimens of birds and animals live. Here are quiet autumn nights and a mysterious, mysterious life with its splashes, rustles and quiet rustles.
This is a wonderful lake Hanka. Where is it located? Who lives in these amazingly beautiful places? For more information about this natural reservoir and its surroundings, see the article.
About the status of the area
The world of animals and vegetation of Lake Khanka and its environs is amazingly diverse. In accordance with the Ramsar Convention, in 1971 this unique wetland area was granted the status of land of international importance.
In 1990, the Khankai State Nature Reserve was organized in the basin of Lake Khankai. April 1996 was marked by the signing between the Governments of the PRC and the Russian Federation of an agreement on the establishment of two international reserves (the Russian Khankai and Chinese Sinkai-Hu) of the international Russian-Chinese conservation zone Lake Khanka.
Water bodies of the Khankaisk district, significance
The rivers of this region are included in the Ussuri basin, since where there is Lake Khanka, where all river water bodies flow into, two rivers join: the Sungach (flows from the lake) and the Ussuri. Basically, they all have rain nutrition, since the snow cover in these places is small. And in winter, when there is a strong freezing of soil and snow a little, the surface and underground nutrition of the rivers completely ceases. During summer floods, water levels rise in water bodies, as a result of which the valleys and floodplains are flooded.
The largest rivers of the region are Melgunovka (31 km long), Bolshoi Usachi (46 km long) and Komissarovka (78 km). All of them do not have any transport significance due to their shallow water. Their main use is irrigation of agricultural land. They are also recreation areas of the population.
The main water body is Lake Khanka, which is the largest not only in the region, but throughout the Primorsky Territory.
Lake location
The location of Lake Khanka is the Primorsky Territory of Russia and the Heilongjiang Province of China. This is the largest Far Eastern freshwater reservoir.
The lake (the southern part) is located on the territory of the Primorsky Territory in the very center of the Khanka lowland, and it is divided by the border with the Chinese province of Heilongjiang, which owns the northern part of the lake.
Terrain
The territory of the entire Khankai region extends on the Khankai plain, where low-mountain ridges with soft contours and relatively gentle slopes predominate. For example, the Sergeevsky massif (southwest of the village of Kamen-Rybolov) has absolute heights within 300-700 meters. Most of the territory is represented by bumps, gradually turning into a valley. Wide river valley. Komissarovka, together with its tributaries, is located in the central part of the region, where floodplain terraces prevail along narrow river beds. These places are swampy, covered with bumps. The territory of the district is represented by an extensive network of beams and ravines.
On the outskirts of the plain, the absolute heights are equal to 150-200 meters. Closer to the central part, the plain gradually decreases to 30 meters above sea level. The western shore of the lake is represented by terraces located close to each other and cliffing steeply in some places to a narrow strip of the beach area.
The western territory of the region is more mountainous. On this site are the Sinyukha mountains (at the sea level - 726 meters), Skalistaya (495 m), Bashlyk (484 m) and Mayak (427 m).
Description of Lake Khanka, parameters
The shape of the lake is similar to a pear (expansion in the northern part). The relict pond is located at an altitude of 59 meters above sea level. seas. More than 20 small and large rivers (Gryaznukha, Usachi, Komissarovka, Melgunovka, etc.) flow into it, the only river Sungach flows, along which the border with China passes.
Fresh water in the lake is unclear, light yellow in color. This is due to its shallow depth (average depth - 4.5 meters, the prevailing depths - 1-3 meters), with frequent winds and the fact that its bottom is composed of clays and silt. The maximum depth of the lake is 10.6 meters.
The area of Lake Khanka is variable, and it changes depending on climate change. It reaches a maximum of 5010 square meters. km, and the minimum - 3940 square meters. km The length is approximately 95 km, the width is the largest - 67 km. In total, about 24 rivers flow into the lake. As noted above, the Sungach River flows from a reservoir. She connects with p. Ussuri, which, in turn, merges with Cupid.
The flora and fauna of Hanki and the entire Khankai region is a museum of relics of living creatures.
Flora
There are many aquatic plants in Lake Hanka, among which the rarest are Brazilia scraper and the frightening Euryale. Lotus also grows here - the sacred flower of the East, which belongs to the number of protected objects, since in Russia it has been preserved mainly in Primorye - on the island of Putyatin, near the resort of Shmakova and near Khanka. You can also meet here a snow-white water lily (grass-grass).
The wetlands of the area are a unique natural complex. The shores of the lake are a rather wetland, which is characterized by the so-called floodplains. These are communities that are formed by different types of cereals and sedges, forming a strong turf. She covered a huge area of the water mirror of the lake.
Also, these places are represented by meadows and meadow-forest, forest-steppe, steppe plant communities. There are woodlands (grave pine) and oak forests.
Fauna
The territory of this region has not been covered by the sea since the Mesozoic times, and during the Quaternary, it was surrounded by glaciation. In this regard, many species of northern animals perfectly survived in these places the period of glaciers advancing in the northern part of the Far East.
Typical representatives of the animal world: wild forest cat, Nepalese marten (harza), raccoon dog. Hoofed animals also live here: wild boar, roe deer and musk deer (a small 20-kilogram hornless deer).
As a reserve of wetland birds, Lake Khanka is the only reservoir of international importance in the Far East and eastern Siberia. 225 bird species out of 287 included in the list of rare birds that are in danger of complete extinction are recorded on the Prikhankaiskaya lowland, including the following: Spoonbill, Japanese crane, Reed sutra and many others. others. A huge number of ducks lap in the lake (among them there are mandarin ducks), three species of herons nest.
Luxurious butterflies of various colors fly here.
Fish and other aquatic creatures
The waters of the lake are home to many fish and other aquatic invertebrates, including endemic ones.
In total, more than 60 species of fish live here: silver carp, common carp, catfish, pike, bream, grass carp, spruce, killer whale, snakeheads, etc. There is no similar variety of fish anywhere in Russia. The largest fish is kaluga (fish of the sturgeon family, genus Beluga), whose representative, caught in 1964, had a weight of 1136 kg.
The most valuable fish of Lake Khanka is carp, the commercial fish is silver carp, the original relic fish is snakeheads. The latter at an air temperature of not more than 15 degrees can live in wet grass for up to 4 days, and it is also able to move on land from one reservoir to another.
A soft-bodied freshwater turtle lives in the lake - the trionics (or Maaka), which is no longer anywhere in Russia. She is listed in the Red Book.
Climatic conditions
Lake Khanka is located within the temperate zone. The climate here has a monsoon character, the peculiarity of which is a change in wind directions. Winter (snowless, sunny and cold) is characterized by damp and cold continental air of north-western and western directions.
In summer, winds blow from the southeast and east. They bring humid air, with frequent heavy rains. The average annual rainfall in the warm season is 480-490 mm, and in the cold - up to 40 mm.
How did the lake originate?
The origin of Lake Khanka is unique. This is the remnant of an ancient reservoir, the dimensions of which many millions of years ago were much larger (almost 3 times).
Many scientists suggest that it happened as a result of tectonic processes. In ancient times (the early Pleistocene), there was a large river network in this area, which gradually formed into a lake. Studies show that the size of this reservoir is constantly changing, which is still observed. This is evidenced by multiple alluvial deposits on its bottom and surface.
And from a historical point of view, Hanka originated in antiquity. During the Middle Ages, fish from this reservoir was delivered to the table of many emperors of the Middle Kingdom. It is known that in 1706 the lake was marked on the map of Delil (French cartographer and astronomer), but under the name Khimgon. The Russian map of the 18th century has a lake designation called Ginka.
In 1868, a detailed description of the fauna and flora of the lake and the surrounding area was made by N. M. Przhevalsky, and in 1902 these territories were investigated by V. K. Arsenyev (Russian traveler).
Rest on the lake
Due to the fact that the hollow of Lake Khanka is shallow, the water in it warms up very quickly. In muddy, but warm water, as noted above, many animals and fish live.
On its shores this shallow lake attracts many outdoor enthusiasts, fans of water sports and fishing. Water warms up here much faster than in the Sea of Japan, part of its adjacent to Primorye. The western hilly coast, covered with hills, cliffs, sandy and pebble beaches, is very similar to the coast of the sea. In summer, the water temperature reaches up to 30 degrees Celsius.
Interesting Facts
Hanka Lake is featured in Steel Anxiety (anime series).
Japanese film director Akir Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala feature film was shot at Hanka.
The lake is included in the list of the main attractions of Primorye and is one of the symbols of Russia among natural reservoirs.