The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is located in the eastern part of the Karabakh Highlands (part of the Armenian Highlands [1] [2] ) and on the Karabakh Plain , which makes up most of the Kura-Araksin Lowland [3] . Most of the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is characterized by a strongly rugged mountainous terrain. Only the eastern parts of the Martakert and Martuni regions are relatively low-lying [3] . The average altitude is 1100 meters [3] .
| Geography of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Part of the world | Asia |
| Region | Karabakh Highlands (part of the Armenian Highlands ) |
| Square |
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| Borders | Azerbaijan , Armenia , Iran |
| Highest point | 3 724 m Gyamysh |
It should be noted that the republic within these borders, controlled by the NKR authorities, is not recognized by the international community, and according to the administrative-territorial division of Azerbaijan, the territory within these borders is the territory of this republic (see. Geography of Azerbaijan ).
Content
Physical Geographic Areas
Karabakh Range
The Karabakh ridge is located in an arc from north to southeast, it is a watershed of the basins of the right tributaries of the Kura - Terter in the northwest, Khachen and Karkar in the east and the left tributaries of the Araks - Aker in the west and Kendelan in the southeast. The Aker River separates the ridge from the Karabakh Highlands . The highest point is Mount Big Kirs (2725 m).
Murovdag Range
The Murovdag ridge is composed mainly of sedimentary-volcanogenic strata, the ridge is rocky, and the slopes are strongly dissected by gorges . Mountain-forest dominate, and in the near-ridge zone mountain-meadow and meadow-steppe landscapes dominate [4] . On the northeastern slope of the Murovdag Range there is a group of picturesque lakes of landslide-dam origin, among which one of the most beautiful in the Caucasus is Lake Goygol . Since the early 1990s, Murovdag has divided the territories controlled by Azerbaijan (north of the ridge) and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (south of the ridge). The highest point of the ridge - Mount Gyamysh (height - 3,724 meters) - is controlled by the NKR.
Geian Steppe
Between the Karabakh ridge and the Araks river, the Geyan steppe is located. The main cities are Varanda and Dzhrakan .
Geological structure
In the geological research aspect, the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has been studied relatively poorly [3] .
Climate
The climate of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is mild and temperate; a dry subtropical climate is observed over a large area. The average annual temperature is +10.5 ° C. The hottest months are July and August, when the average temperature is +21.7 ° C and +21.4 ° C. The warmest areas on the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are the lowlands of the Martuni and Martakert regions [3] .
In the cold period, the average temperature in January-February ranges from −0.2 ° C to −0.9 ° C [3]
Long cold and heat, as a rule, are not observed, the lowest temperature in the lowland zone drops to −16 ° C, in the foothills - to −19 ° C, high mountains - from −20 ° C to −23 ° C. The highest temperature in low and foothill areas reaches +40 ° C, mid-mountain and mountainous areas - from +32 ° C to +37 ° C [3] .
| Askeran District | Hadrut District | Martakert District | Martuni district , Mravsky ridge |
| Shaumyanovsky district | Shusha district | Kashatag district |
Water resources
The rivers belong to the basin of the Kura ( Terter , Khachen , Karkar ) and Araks (Kendelan, Ishkhanaget) [5] . Due to the slope, almost all the rivers of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic flow from the mountains from the west and southwest to the east and southeast to the Artsakh Valley [3] . Due to the fast-flowing mountain rivers, the relief is cut by deep gorges and valleys , the most extensive of which is the Terter Valley, located in the Martakert region [3] .
A large number of sources of mineral water are known [3] . The most famous of them are Turshsu and Shirlan [5] .
Sarsang Reservoir
Sarsang reservoir is the largest reservoir in Nagorno-Karabakh . Located on the Terter River in the center of the Martakert region in the north of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Wildlife
Flora
The plant world is diverse, about 2 thousand species of plants grow . Bare rocks are found only in high mountain regions, mountain ranges are covered with forests , shrubs and grass vegetation [3] .
Fauna
The fauna of the region is diverse. In the lowland zone you can find gazelles , wild goats and pigs . Brown bears , wolves , wild cats , lynxes , foxes , hares , squirrels , moles and wild boars live in the forests. Of the birds, wild geese , ducks , partridges , magpies , crows , sparrows , pigeons , kites , cuckoos , doves , woodpeckers , larks , owls and others are common. In the flat parts and rocky foothill zones, many species of snakes , turtles , and hedgehogs are common. Varieties of locusts , beetles and butterflies are also diverse. In relatively large rivers, fish are found [3] .
Minerals
The manifestations of coal, numerous types of metals, in particular zinc, lead, copper, gold, pyrites, iron, marble and marbled limestone, granite , basalt , tuff , as well as raw materials for the production of cement , graphite , lithographic stone, gypsum , sand, were found. and clay [3] .
Notes
- ↑ Britannica encyclopedia : “ Armenian Highland, Russian Armyanskoye Nagorye, also spelled Arm'anskoje Nagor'e, mountainous region of Transcaucasia. It lies mainly in Turkey, occupies all of Armenia, and includes southern Georgia, western Azerbaijan , and northwestern Iran. "
- ↑ Lev Berg , Natural regions of the USSR: “ The Armenian Plateau lies between the Trialetsk range on the north, the Agri-Dagh (more exactly, Lake Van, in Turkey) on the south, the Arsiansk on the west, and the Karabakh on the east. The Trialetsk range stretches from west to east, from Borzhom to Tiflis; it forms the eastern continuation of the Adzhar-Akhaltsykh range. On the watershed of the Black and the Caspian seas lies the Arsiansk range (elevation 3121 m.). The Armenian Plateau has an average elevation of 1500 m., But its eastern part, tho Karabakh Plateau, is much higher (2500 m. And more). "
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Geographical location, climate, minerals, flora and fauna of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Link not available) . Date of treatment July 26, 2009. Archived on August 18, 2009.
- ↑ Murovdag // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 vol.] / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
- ↑ 1 2 Encyclopedia of a tourist of Nagorno-Karabakh
See also
- Climate of Nagorno-Karabakh
- Minerals of Nagorno-Karabakh
- Tourism in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic