Geography
Soils and Natural Zones
Natural zones differ in the mutual correspondence of climate, soil, vegetation and animal life.
Natural Zones
From north to south: Arctic deserts, tundra, taiga, mixed and broadleaf forests, steppe, semi-desert and desert, savanna, wet equatorial forests.
- Tundra: mosses, permafrost.
- Taiga: coniferous forests (pine, spruce). Taiga is the largest forest zone (Russia, Canada).
- Savanna is widespread in Africa: baobab, acacia, lion, elephant.
Soils
| Zona | Tuproq |
|---|---|
| Tundra | tundra gley |
| Taiga | podzol |
| Steppe | chernozem (black soil) |
| Desert | gray-brown soil |
| Foothills (Uzbekistan) | serozem (gray soil) |
| Wet tropics | red-yellow ferralitic soil |
- Chernozem is the soil richest in humus and the most fertile. It is found in the steppe zone.
- There are also solonchaks (salt flats) in the desert zone.
Altitudinal Belts
In the mountains, temperature falls as altitude increases: about 6 °C for every 1 km. For this reason, natural belts change from bottom to top.
Example: if it is +24 °C at the foot of a mountain, at an altitude of 3 km it will be about 24 - 18 = +6 °C.
- Serozem is found in the foothills, not in the desert. In the desert it is gray-brown soil.
- Tundra gley is typical of the tundra, podzol of the taiga.