In the valleys of the rivers Kuma, Yegorlyk and Kalaus, in the central part of Ciscaucasia, on the Stavropol Upland, the Stavropol Territory is located, which is famous for its resort area of the Caucasian Mineral Waters.
Geography of the Stavropol Territory
The area of Stavropol Territory is 66.16 km², it includes 26 administrative districts with a population of 2.8 million people, of which 58.36% of the urban population (data as of 01.01.2017).
The climate of the region is temperate continental. The terrain is complex. The central part is occupied by the Stavropol Upland, which in the south connects with the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, in the east it flows smoothly into the Tersko-Kuma lowland and in the Azov-Kuban lowland in the west, and in the north it connects to the Kumo-Manych depression.
In the foothill part, one can distinguish Pyatigorye - a volcanic region with numerous peaks. The maximum height is observed in the Kislovodsk region and reaches 1603 meters above sea level. The smallest peak is located in the lower reaches of the Kuma River. Its height is only 6 meters.
The rivers, lakes and mountains of the Stavropol Territory are original and picturesque. There are 130 mineral water sources in the Stavropol Territory. The water resources of the region are not only rivers and lakes created by nature, but also man-made reservoirs, ponds and canals that are used to moisten the arid steppe lands.
Rivers of Stavropol
The rivers of the Stavropol Territory belong to the basins of the Caspian and Azov Seas. Due to the arid climate, the density of the river network is insignificant and unevenly distributed over most of the lands of the region. Most densely rivers are located in the foothills, and to the east and north their number is significantly reduced. What rivers are in the Stavropol Territory?
In the Stavropol Territory, there are just over 200 rivers and rivulets. Most of them are small rivers. The length of such rivers is from 101 to 200 km with a catchment area from 1000 to 2000 km². The rivers flowing in the eastern part of the region contain a large number of mineral elements, which is associated with the salinity of local soils.
The list of rivers of the Stavropol Territory can be divided into two parts: rivers belonging to the Azov-Black Sea basin, and belonging to the Caspian sea basin.
The main rivers of the Azov-Black Sea basin
These are Western Manych, Egorlyk, Kalaus and Kuban. The few rivers of the Stavropol Territory mainly feed on rains and snowmelt. The watershed between the basins of the Azov and Caspian seas, passing from the village of Divnoe through the city of Stavropol, then through Elbrus and the Beshtau mountains, is a component of the main watershed. The names of the rivers of the Stavropol Territory often have Turkic roots.
Western Manych
The left tributary of the Don is the Western Manych. Translated from Turkic, "Manych" means "bitter." Its source is located at the site of the former branching of the river into Western and Eastern Manych, the Kalaus River.
The length of Western Manych is 219 km. The course of this river runs along the Manych valley. It eats mainly due to melting snow cover. The main tributaries are Kalaus and Yegorlyk. Western Manych is most often used for fishing.
Kalaus
This is the second large influx of Western Manych (left). “Kalaus” in translation from Turkic - “fortress”. The river begins on the slopes of Mount Bryk and flows along the Stavropol Upland. Its length is 436 km. The river is fed from springs, thawed snow and rains. The banks are steep and steep, sometimes reaching a height of 15 m. Kalaus has 81 tributaries. In the immediate vicinity of the source, Maykop clay is located, due to which the river’s water is muddy, salty and not suitable for drinking.
Egorlyk
The Yegorlyk River of the Stavropol Territory is the left tributary of the Western Manych. Its source is on Mount Strizhament.
Yegorlyk flows into the
Proletarian reservoir . Its length is 458 km. It flows in the Stavropol Territory, the Rostov Region and the Republic of Kalmykia. The food of the river in the upper reaches is snow and underground, and in the lower reaches there is snow and rain. It has two large tributaries: Bolshaya Kugulta and Kalala.
Kuban
The Kuban River is the largest river in the Stavropol Territory. Its source is the western slope of Mount Elbrus, where the rivers Uchkulan and Ullukam merge. The length of the Kuban River is about 870 km. The route of its course passes through Karachay-Cherkessia to the Stavropol Territory, then - to the border of the Krasnodar Territory with Adygea, it flows into the Sea of Azov. River waters are used for drinking and irrigation.
The largest tributary of the Kuban is the Big Zelenchuk. The highest rise in water level can be observed in the second half of summer. The filling of the Kuban river bed occurs due to rains, meltwater, including from mountain glaciers, and underground currents. In the Stavropol Territory, the river is mainly fed by rainwater. The main rivers of the Caspian Sea basin are the Terek, Kuma, Gorkaya Balka, and East Manych.
Terek
The source of this river in the Stavropol Territory lies in the Trusovsky Gorge, located on the Main Caucasian Range. The length of the Terek channel is 623 km. The river flows from Georgia to North Ossetia, then through the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria and the Stavropol Territory, through Chechnya and Dagestan to the Agrakhansky Gulf of the Caspian Sea. Its main tributary is Malka.
The food of the river mainly comes from the melting of mountain glaciers and snow, so the flood occurs at the height of summer. Terek is used for irrigation of adjacent fields and gardens.
East Manych
The source and supply sources are the same as in Western Manych. The length is 141 km. After human intervention, the Kalaus River no longer replenishes the East Manych, but only the West. It flows through the territory of Kalmykia and Stavropol. To the Caspian Sea, the river flows through the Sosta lakes. The quality of the water is low; it cannot be used for drinking.
Kuma
The source of Kuma lies on the northern slope of the Rocky Range in Karachay-Cherkessia. Its length is 809 km. The food for the river is mostly rainfall and groundwater. Sometimes, due to lack of precipitation, Kuma does not reach the Caspian Sea. The river feeds its waters Kumskoy valley. Its tributaries are Wet and Dry Karamyk, Zolka, Podkumok, Tomuzlovka, Wet Buffalo.
Bitter beam
The sources of this river are the springs of the Georgievsky district. Its length is 183 km. A tributary of the Gorkaya Balka River is Sukhaya Gorkaya.
Lakes of the Stavropol Territory
The Stavropol Territory cannot boast of a large number of lakes. There are only 38 of them, but among them you can find the most diverse in characteristics, unusual, rich in fish and therapeutic mud lake.
One of such unusual lakes in the Stavropol region is considered to be the karst lake Proval of pure blue color, which invariably attracts a large number of tourists.
This lake is located at the bottom of a cone-shaped cave, similar to a funnel. The height of the cave is 41 meters. The depth of the lake is 11 m, diameter - 15 m. Water temperature - from +26 to +42 ° C. He has a blue color from the presence of hydrogen sulfide and special bacteria.
The Stavropol Territory is famous for its salt lakes, which in quality of therapeutic mud can well compete with the Dead Sea. In Lake Lushnikovsky near Svetlograd, for example, once commander Budyonny healed his soldiers from wounds.
One of the most popular lakes in the Stavropol Territory is the healing lake Tambukan, which is located on the border of Stavropol and Kabardino-Balkaria. The name of the lake immortalized the name of the great Kabardian prince, who was the ancestor of the old Tambiev family.
Many researchers consider this lake the remnant of a vanished sea. Healing mud from the bottom of the Tambukan is used in all health resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters.
But most of all, the lakes of Stavropol are famous for their fishing. Dovsun Lake and the Chograisk reservoir located in the Arzgir district are extremely popular among fishermen from all over Russia and are famous for their variety of fish species.
Sengileevskoe Lake is also a reservoir that supplies the regional center with fresh water. It was once called Fish and was not too deep. But then, in 1958, after the construction of the dam, the water level in it rose so much that its depth became almost like in the Sea of Azov.
Another lake popular with fishermen is Lake Velikoye, which is located on the border with Kalmykia. Such lakes of the Stavropol Territory as Beloye, Manych-Gudilo, Bald estuary, Small Manych, Manych, are also known as fish.
It attracts lovers of fishing relict lake Kravtsovo, which is considered a natural mystery of the Stavropol Territory. This lake can overgrow and self-clean. The reasons for this phenomenon have not yet been discovered by scientists. Lake Kravtsovo is also very rich in peat.
You can read the description of the Stavropol Territory, its rivers, lakes, endless steppes and magnificent mountain landscapes for a long time, but nothing can replace a personal presence. Better to see everything with your own eyes. Rivers and lakes of the Stavropol Territory are something that are definitely worth a look.