The source of the river is located at an altitude of about 5300 m in the southwest of the Tibetan Plateau, on the northern slope of Mount Garing-boche, about 40 km north of Lake Manasarovar. Under the name Sindhu, it flows to the confluence with the Ghar-Dzangbo River near the village of Largmar, where it receives the name Indus. Near Hyderabad, located 150 km from the sea, the Indus Delta begins, which has an area of 30 thousand km? (seventh largest in the world) and the length of the sea coast is 250 km. The river is divided into 11 main branches, but the total number of channels in the Indus delta cannot be accurately determined, because each flood changes the entire pattern. In the mountainous section, the Indus is fed mainly by melting snow and glaciers, where the flow is about 220 km?/year, with an average water flow of about 7000 m?/s. In the lower part of the basin, the river is replenished with water from monsoon rains, which leads to spring and summer floods. During dry periods, the lower Indus may dry up and not reach the Arabian Sea. The area of the Indus basin is 970 thousand square kilometers, which makes it the twelfth in the world in terms of this indicator.
Ganges
One of the deepest (3rd place in the world in terms of water content after the Amazon and Congo) and longest (2700 km) rivers in South Asia. It originates in the Western Himalayas from the Gangotri glacier in the state of Uttarakhand, flows southeast, crossing the Indo-Gangetic Plain in northern India, and flows into the Bay of Bengal, forming, together with the Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers, the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta (mainly in Bangladesh ), part of which is covered by Sundarban forests. The area of the river basin is 1,060,000 km?. The Ganges basin is the largest in area in South Asia. Although the Ganges is smaller in length than the Indus and Brahmaputra, it surpasses them in the size of its basin, which occupies an area of 1,060,000 km2, and together with the Brahmaputra basin, with which the Ganges forms a common delta, 1,643,000 km2. Part of the river's nutrition is from rain, due to the moisture brought by the southwestern monsoons and tropical cyclones (in the lower reaches) from July to October, and part is from snow, due to the Himalayan snows that melt from April to June. In December-January, very little precipitation falls in the river basin.
Tiger
River in Turkey and Iraq. The length is about 1850 km, the basin area is 375 thousand km 2. It begins on the Armenian Highlands in the Eastern Taurus in eastern Turkey, crosses the Jezire Plateau and a significant part of Mesopotamia. Merging with the Euphrates River near the city of Al-Qurna (Iraq), it forms the Shatt al-Arab River, which flows into the Persian Gulf. The main tributaries - the Greater and Lesser Zab, Diyala, Kerhe (reaches the Tigris during floods) - flow in from the left. It is fed by snow and rain, with spring floods (the highest flow is in April). When floods coincide on the Tigris and its tributaries, catastrophic floods occur in the Mesopotamian lowland. The average water flow near Baghdad is about 1240 m 3 /s; below, a significant part of the water is used for irrigation and lost in riverine swamps. In the middle and lower reaches there is an oasis along the river.
Reading time: 3 minutes. Views 373 Published 11/01/2012
Square Indian Ocean exceeds 76 million square kilometers - it is the third largest water area in the world.
Africa is nestled in the western part of the Indian Ocean, the Sunda Islands and Australia are in the east, Antarctica sparkles in the south and captivating Asia is in the north. The Hindustan Peninsula divides the northern part of the Indian Ocean into two parts - the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
Borders
The meridian of Cape Agulhas coincides with the border between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and the line that connects the Malaaka Peninsula with the islands of Java, Sumatra and runs along the meridian of the Southeast Cape south of Tasmania is the border between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Geographical position on the mapIndian Ocean Islands
Here are such famous islands as the Maldives, Seychelles, Madagascar, Cocos Islands, Laccadive, Nicobar, the Chagos Archipelago and Christmas Island.
It is impossible not to mention the group of Mascarene Islands, which are located east of Madagascar: Mauritius, Reunion, Rodrigues. And on the southern side of the island there are Kroe, Prince Edward, Kerguelen s.
Brethren
The Maoacc Strait connects the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea; between the Indian Ocean and the Java Sea, the Sunda Strait and the Lombok Strait act as connective tissue.
From the Gulf of Oman, which is located in the northwest Arabian Sea, you can reach the Persian Gulf by sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The road to the Red Sea is opened by the Gulf of Aden, which is located a little to the south. Madagascar is separated from the African continent by the Mozambique Channel.
Basin and list of flowing rivers
The Indian Ocean basin includes such large rivers of Asia as:
- The Indus, which flows into the Arabian Sea,
- Irrawaddy,
- Salween,
- Ganges and Brahmaputra, going to the Bay of Bengal,
- The Euphrates and Tigris, which merge slightly above their confluence with the Persian Gulf,
- The Limpopo and Zambezi, Africa's largest rivers, also flow into it.
It is washed by many riversThe most great depth(maximum - almost 8 kilometers) of the Indian Ocean was measured in the Java (or Sunda) deep-sea trench. The average depth of the ocean is almost 4 kilometers.
Under the influence of seasonal changes in monsoon winds, surface currents in the north of the ocean change.
SUBJECT 2. Eurasia
§ 47. Rivers of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, internal flow. Lakes
Remember:
- Name and show on the map the rivers of Eurasia that you know flow into the seas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
- At what time of year does the most rainfall occur on the coasts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans? Explain why.
Rivers of the basin Pacific Ocean(Fig. 122). Almost all rivers of Eurasia in the Pacific Ocean basin are significantly fed by rain. In summer, the monsoons bring heavy rains, which cause violent river floods. In the equatorial zone (in the south of Indochina and most of the Sunda Islands), the rivers receive rich and uniform rainfall throughout the year. The largest rivers in the Pacific Ocean are the Amur, Yellow River, Yangtze and Mekong.
The Amur freezes in winter, but due to the lack of snow in the winter, there is little spring flooding. But in summer, during the monsoon rains, the river and its tributaries flood widely.
The Yellow River ("Zhovta River") begins in the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, flows through deep gorges and is fed mainly by the summer melting of mountain snow. Further, making a large bend to the north, it flows through arid terrain, crosses the Forest Plateau (plateau) and enters the Great Chinese Plain. Here the river is fed by summer monsoon rains.
The loess is easily eroded, and the Yellow River carries water cloudy with yellow silt. The river bed gradually filled with silt, as a result of which it became higher than the adjacent low-lying plain. To protect the area from flooding, the river was surrounded by coastal dams in ancient times. During the summer rains, when its level increased significantly, it often broke through dams and flooded fields and villages, causing great disaster. The Yellow River sometimes changed its direction, deviating hundreds of kilometers to the side. Flowing into the Yellow Sea, the river forms a delta, which increases annually by an average of 300 m. In winter, it freezes. Unsuitable for shipping.
Rice. 122. Ocean and internal drainage basins
- Explain why.
The Yangtze (“Blue River”) is the largest river in all of Eurasia (5800 km). It originates on the Tibetan Plateau and in its upper reaches is fed by water as a result of the summer melting of mountain snow and glaciers. The river makes its way between the mountain ranges and flows quickly. Having descended to the plain, it feeds on water from monsoon rains and overflows widely in summer. The high-water Yangtze rushes into the Shedno-China Sea throughout the year (ill. 123). The river is navigable; even sea vessels can sail along it 1200 km from the sea.
Rice. 123. Changes in water level in the Yangtze River throughout the year
The Mekong River also originates on the Tibetan Plateau, near the Yangtze River. Then it flows along the Indochina Peninsula into the South China Sea. A large delta formed at the mouth of the river.
Rivers of the Indian Ocean basin. The rivers that flow into the Indian Ocean are fed mainly by rain. The rivers that begin on the Tibetan Plateau and in the Himalayas, in addition to rainwater, receive their nutrition as a result of the melting of mountain glaciers. The large rivers Indus and Ganges with the Brahmaputra belong to the Indian Ocean basin.
The Indus River originates on the Tibetan Plateau (at an altitude of 5.3 km). The main mountain tributaries flow into it, and it flows further into the arid lowland, feeding numerous irrigation canals and losing a lot of water to evaporation. In summer, during monsoon rains and melting of mountain snow and glaciers, the Indus floods widely, and in winter it becomes very shallow. The river flows into the Arabian Sea.
The Ganges River begins in the Himalayas (Fig. 124). Then it slowly flows through the lowlands along the Himalayas, receiving some rapid tributaries and giving up part of its waters for irrigating fields. The river has mixed glacial-rain feeding, and during a flood its level rises by an average of 10-12 m. The Ganges is one of the deepest rivers on the globe. It flows into the Bay of Bengal, forming a huge marshy delta along with another major river, the Brahmaputra. This river begins on the Tibetan plateau, near the Indus, but flows in the other direction, bypassing the Himalayas from the east.
Rice. 124. Ganges Delta
Rivers and lakes of internal drainage basins. Areas that do not drain into the oceans include: a) the Caspian Sea basin, which occupies a significant part of the East European, or Russian, plain, Ural mountains and the Caucasus; b) almost the entire middle part of Eurasia (Turanian Lowland and the mountains and plateaus located to the east of it); c) the interior regions of the Iranian Plateau and the Arabian Plateau.
The Caspian Sea has lost connection with the oceans, and now it is drainless on the globe salt Lake. Its level is 28 m below the level of the World Ocean.
Along the East European Plain, the large Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea, and from the Ural Mountains - the long but shallow Ural. They feed primarily on water formed as a result of the spring melting of snow.
In the interior parts of Eurasia there are large spaces occupied by deserts and semi-deserts, almost devoid of river networks. In place of many rivers that once flowed here, only dry beds remain, which fill with water after rains and then quickly dry up (for example, wadis on the Arabian Peninsula). Large rivers flow from the neighboring mountains. There they receive nutrition from the summer melting of mountain snow and glaciers, as well as from groundwater that seeps underground at the foot of the mountains. They flow into closed lakes or dry up and disappear into the sand.
These rivers include the Syr Darya, flowing from the Tien Shan, and the high-water Amu Darya, which originates in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains. They carry their waters through the deserts into a large, but not very deep salt lake, which is called the Aral Sea. These rivers flood in the summer, precisely when water is especially needed for crops, and therefore their waters are widely used to irrigate fields.
Lakes. Like North America, there are a lot of lakes in Eurasia. They are located unevenly. Many lakes in the north-west of Eurasia are located among rocks and hills in depressions, connected to each other and to the Baltic Sea by rapids rivers. The largest of them are Ladoga and Onega. their basins were formed as a result of the slow subsidence of the earth's crust. The ancient glacier plowed out the basins of tens of thousands of lakes.
Where the climate is dry and hot, lakes are usually few and have salt water.
Some lakes in the mountains are located in depressions in the earth's crust. Lake Baikal is located in the deepest depression. Another cluster of lakes in the foothills of the Alps. their basins were formed by glaciers that descended from the mountains, and in many places surrounded by ridges of glacial sediment. Mountain rivers flow through the lakes. The largest is Lake Geneva (Fig. 125).
Remains of the ancient sea basin are the Caspian and Aral sea-lake. In the southeast are the non-freezing lake Issyk-Kul and Lake Balkhash.
The lakes have a large economic importance. A significant number of them - Baikal, Ladoga, Onega, etc. - contain large reserves of pure fresh water, convenient for shipping.
Rice. 125. Lake Geneva
Practical work 10 (continued)
Designation on the contour map of the names of the main geographical objects of Eurasia
Mark it on a contour map using an atlas.
Rivers: Rhine, Danube, Dnieper, Volga, Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur, Yellow River, Yangtze, Mekong, Ganges, Indus, Euphrates, Tigris;
lakes: Caspian Sea, Geneva, Ladoga, Baikal, Dead Sea.
Questions and tasks
- Name the common features of the rivers of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
- Indicate the features of the relief and climate of Eurasia that contributed to the formation of internal drainage basins.
- Describe one of the lakes in Eurasia according to plan. Reveal its significance in human economic activity.
- Give comparative characteristics the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.
Working with a map and atlas
Apply to contour map boundaries of all river basins of the Eurasian continent. Sign.
Researcher Page
Prepare a message on one of the topics: “Permafrost and human economic activity”, “ Ecological problems rivers of Eurasia", using various sources of information.
Interesting fact
Baikal (translated as “Rich Lake”) (Fig. 126) extends from northeast to southwest for 636 km. The greatest width of the lake is 79 km, its area is 31.5 thousand km 2. Baikal is the eighth largest lake in the world. Exactly this deep lake on the ground. Its depth is 1642 m.
Rice. 126. Lake Baikal
Africa is home to a large number of lakes and rivers. However, they are distributed very unevenly: some regions are abundant in moisture from reservoirs, others suffer from constant droughts and water shortages.
Rivers of the Atlantic Ocean
Seven African rivers belong to the Atlantic Ocean - the Nile, Niger, Senegal, Congo, Kasai, Lualaba and Orange River.
Nile– the most long river in the world, its length is about 6700 km. In ancient times, the Nile floods served as the only way for the Egyptians to increase soil fertility. The Nile floods stopped in the 20th century due to the massive construction of a hydroelectric power station on this river.
The second largest river in the Atlantic Ocean is Congo. The length of the river is 4700 km. The Congo is considered the deepest river in Africa. The area of its basin exceeds 4 million km3.
The waters of the Congo are home to many unique species of fish: tilapia, freshwater herring, tiger fish, barbel. The Congo is the only river in the world that crosses the equator twice.
River Niger- the third largest African river. In the upper reaches of the Niger there are a large number of waterfalls. Thanks to the waters of the Niger, dry areas are irrigated. The Niger floods during the rainy season, often in the summer.
Rivers of the Indian Ocean basin
The rivers that belong to the Indian Ocean basin are the Zambezi and Limpopo. The Limpopo River flows through the territory South Africa. Despite the fact that the river is short (1700 km) and low in water, it is the only water source for large quantity population of this region.
Part of Limpopo is navigable, which has a beneficial effect on the development of fishing in countries such as Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The Zambezi River is the fourth longest river in Africa.
Its total length reaches 2500 km. The river flows through countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola and Mozambique, providing water to these arid countries.
The highlight of the Zambezi River is Victoria Falls, which is considered the most beautiful waterfall in the world.
Lakes of Africa
There are many freshwater lakes in Africa. The largest of them is Lake Victoria, named after the famous English queen. Lake Victoria is located in East Africa, its area is 68 thousand km 2.
The average depth of the lake is 40 m. The lake is a real oasis for the inhabitants of this part of the continent. More than 30 million people live around the lake.
Lake Victoria is navigable and local residents engage in fishing there. The second largest African lake is Lake Tanganyika, located in Central Africa.
