This large and unique lowland is located in the very center of the East European Plain. It covers the northern part of Ryazan, the eastern part of Moscow and the southern part of Vladimir regions. And they divide it, respectively, into Ryazan, Moscow Region and Vladimir Meshchera. And the latter has another name - the Meshchersky side.
Where is the Meshchera lowland located? Characteristic
The lowland in its appearance from above is a triangle bounded by the rivers: Oka (in the south), Klyazma (in the north), Sudogda and Kolpju (in the west). Moreover, its western border reaches the city of Moscow (the remnants of the Meshchera forests - Sokolniki Park and Elk Island).
In the northern part of the area, its height is 120-130 meters above sea level, it decreases to the southern part to 80-100 m. A small hill stretches in the central part of the lowland from Yegoryevsk to Kasimov - the Meshchersky ridge (its average height is about 140 m, maximum - 214 m). It serves as a kind of watershed between the basins of the Klyazma and Oka rivers. And around are impassable swamps.
Meshchersky lowland: the meaning of the word. Lowland definition
The lowland, or lowland plain, is an extended stretch of land located above sea level no higher than 200 m, with a flat and slightly hilly surface.
Initially, the cave is the name of the tribe (Finno-Ugric), which lived, according to ancient chronicles, between Mordovia and Murom. There is a Meshcheryak in the documents of the XV century, designated as Mochearin. Such a name, according to the sound itself, corresponds to the above. Thus, it is assumed that the ancestors of all these groups (Magyars, Meschers, Mishars and Mozhars) once represented an
ethnic community.
The habitat of this ancient tribe ("Great Hungary", according to L.N. Gumilyov) was in the Middle Volga region (modern Bashkiria). Then the Hungarian ancestors went to Pannonia and founded their own state there, which exists today (Hungary). And the Meshcheryaks ended up on the territory of the Middle Oka.
There are other versions. In any case, the meaning of the term "Meshcherskaya lowland" can come from any of these versions. All of them have almost the same right to exist.
Climate
The Meshchera lowland has a temperate continental climate, with relatively cold winters and warm or hot summers. The average annual air temperature is +4.3 Λ. Winter is snowy, with moderate frosts. Most ordinary winters have temperatures from minus 25 to minus 30 Λ.
Snow cover falls to 80 centimeters. July is the hottest month in which the air temperature reaches + 40 Β° C. Summer is usually warm, with heavy showers and heavy thunderstorms.
The winds prevail here are west and southwest.
Meshchersky lowland has the natural feature of these unique places. This is a plentiful spring flood, which has a significant impact on the life of birds and a wide variety of animals.
Meshchera Geology
How was the lowland formed? This is due to glaciers. Their activity turned the surface of these places into a completely smooth plain. After the glacier melted, the mixture of gravel, sand and clay lay evenly on dense waterproof clay (Jurassic period). All hollows and depressions were filled with thawed water from glaciers, thereby forming numerous swamps and lakes.
There are deposits of quartz sand, peat and clay.
Soil and water resources
The soil is mostly podzolic, composed of loams (integumentary and loesslike) and fairly fertile gray forest soils.
Meshchera lowland - the land of numerous lakes and swamps.
There are few rivers in the lowland, and they are located mainly along its border. They enter the river basin. Okie. The largest rivers here are Tsna, Polya, Pra, Polya, Buzha and Goose.
The Meshchersky lowland has another feature: the rivers on it have a small number of tributaries and a relatively slow flow. Basically, they flow from numerous swamps and lakes, the source of which is water from melting snow and rain.
There are a huge number of lakes in the hollow - large and small. Slowly overgrown with greenery, they turn into swamps. There are floodplain lakes - the remains of riverbeds. They are also swamped. Almost all the lakes in Meshchera are shallow. Their average depth is only 2 m.
But there are also large lakes that have a depth of up to 50 and more meters. Such reservoirs are of thermokarst origin. The water in them is clear. One of these lakes is Beloye in the Ryazan Region (Spas-Klepiki).
Famous swamps
The Meshchera lowland is also rich in swamps. They stretch here with an almost unbroken wide strip. Locals call them Msharas or Omshars.
Marshes have already absorbed about 600 thousand hectares of lowland land.
Most of the marshes are swamps covered with moss and forest. They do not have clearly defined boundaries. And in the spring they are filled with water and become absolutely impassable. Therefore, the following unpleasant phenomena for humans are characteristic of Meshchera: swamp fumes, a huge number of midges, horseflies and mosquitoes.
Animals and vegetation
The Meshchera was once part of a single vast forest that stretched from the forests of Murom to the forests of Poland. Subsequently, as a result of the gradual destruction of the forest, an increase in arable land and numerous fires, the area and number of forests decreased significantly.
There are pine forests, oak forests, aspen and birch, on the watershed - spruce. There are mountain ash and alder. A variety of berries and mushrooms grow in forests and meadows. There are also a lot of hazel. In the meadows an abundance of forbs. Animals live in the forests: bears, lynxes, wolves, ermines, etc. On the floodplain lakes, muskrats and beavers live. A lot of different game. The local lakes and rivers are rich in fish (30 species).
Here is the famous
Oka Reserve (225 species of various birds, 10 species of amphibians, 39 species of fish, 6 species of reptiles and 49 - mammals). In this amazing reserve, bison and cranes are still bred.
What attracts this lowland? Perhaps due to the fact that there are many swamps and a large number of small and large Meshchera lakes? Or does the Meshchera lowland have slowly flowing rivers? Many amazing natural attractions here. Nevertheless, the Oksky Reserve is the rarest and most amazing attraction of these places.