Highlands, which will be described in thisarticle, the driest and largest of all the Asiatic. It is framed on all sides by tall, ridged ridges, converging in the west and east, forming the Pamir and Armenian knots of congestion.
About where the Iranian Plateau lies, about the peculiarities of its relief, about the vegetation and animal life of these places, as well as other information can be found in this article.
Geologically, the Iranian Plateau is one of the parts of the Eurasian plate, which was sandwiched between the Hindustan plate and the Arabian platform.
The folded mountains here alternate with the plains andintermontane depressions. Depressions between the mountains are filled with huge strata of clastic loose material, which got there from the mountains around them. The lowest areas of the depression were once occupied by lakes that had long dried up and left large strata of gypsum and salt.
Iranian is the largest highland in the area of the strike in the Near East. And most of it is located within Iran, and in Afghanistan and Pakistan it comes from the east.
The northern part extends to the south of Turkmenistan, and the southern part takes the border with Iraq. Large expanses occupies the Iranian highlands. Its coordinates are: 12.533333 ° - latitude, 41.385556 ° - longitude.
For the described highland it is characteristica consistent alternation of mountainous vast plateaus and lowlands with mountain ranges, a fairly dry climate and the predominance of semi-desert and desert landscapes. Chains of mountains located on the outskirts, separate the inner parts of the plateau from the lowlands of the coastal. The latter also enter partly into the limits of the given region.
These outlying mountain ranges converge in the Armenianthe highlands (in the north-west) and the Pamirs (in the northeast), forming huge mountain nodes. And within the highland itself, the outlying chains are considerably removed from each other, and in the areas between them there are numerous depressions, mountain massifs and plateaus.
Iranian Highlands is on a hugeterritory, the area of which is approximately 2.7 million square meters. kilometers, and its length is from the West to the East 2500 kilometers, from the North to the South - 1500 km. The largest part of it is located on the territory of Iran (it occupies about 2/3 of the area), in connection with which it has the name of the highlands. The rest covers some parts of the territories of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Its small northern margin lies within the limits of the Turkmeno-Khorasan Mountains (part of the Kopetdag mountain), and its western sections are in the territories of Iraq.
Huge territory occupies the Iranian highlands. Its highest point is in its inner regions.
Virtually the entire system of southern marginal areashas characteristic, almost identical features of a relief and a structure. The mountains here have approximately the same heights (from 1500 to 2500 meters) and only in the central part (Zagros) reach a height of more than 4000 m.
The ridges are parallel chains of mountains, composed of folded Cenozoic and Mesozoic rocks, between which are wide depressions (heights from 1500 to 2000 meters).
There are also numerous gorges,located transversely, but they are so wild and narrow that it is almost impossible to get through them. But there are such transverse through valleys that are wider and more accessible, through which pass the ways communicating the coast and the inner regions of the highlands.
The interior of the highlands is clearly delineated by mountainarcs. Elbrus is located in the northern arc along with the demavend volcano (its height is 5604 m). Also here are the Turkmeno-Khorasan Mountains (including Kopetdag), Paropamiz, Hindukush (Tirichmir city with the peak height of 7,690 m is the highest peak of the Iranian plateau).
Some of the numerous highest peaks of the highlands are formed from extinct or dying volcanoes.
The reserves of minerals in the uplands are poorly understood andpoorly used, but, judging by everything, they are very large. The main wealth of the region is oil, large reserves of which are concentrated and are being developed in Iran (south-west). These deposits are confined to the Mesozoic and Miocene sediments of the foothills of the foothills (Zagros). It is also known about the existence of hydrocarbon reserves in the north of Iran, in the lowland areas of the South Caspian (the province of Iranian Azerbaijan).
The Iranian highlands have in their deposits andcoal (in the basins of the marginal mountains of the northern part). There are deposits of lead, copper, iron, gold, zinc, etc. They are found in the internal areas and in the marginal ridges of the Iranian highlands, but their development is still insignificant.
Huge and stock of salts:cookery, Glauber and potash. In the southern part, the salt has a Cambrian age and is located in the form of powerful salt domes emerging on the surface. There are salt deposits in many other areas, and they are also deposited along the banks of numerous salt lakes in the central parts of the highlands.
Almost completely, the Iranian highlands are inwithin the subtropical belt. Its internal parts, as noted above, are surrounded by mountains. This determines the climate of the Iranian Plateau and its features - dryness, high temperature in summer, and its continentality.
Most of the precipitation falls withinhighlands in the winter and spring periods of time along the polar front, along which the air from the Atlantic enters along with the cyclones. Due to the fact that most of the moisture is intercepted by ridges, the total mass of precipitation is low in these places.
The Iranian Plateau has an average temperatureJuly in large areas of the territory - within 24 ° C. In lowland areas, especially in the south, it usually reaches 32 ° C. There are also areas where the summer temperature reaches 40-50 degrees, which is associated with the formation of tropical air above these sites. The winter period in most of the region is cold. Only the South Caspian lowlands (the extreme south) have an average January temperature of 11-15 ° C.
The amount of precipitation, the periods and the duration of theirdeposition on the highlands determine the characteristics of soils and natural vegetation growing on them. The Iranian highlands have forests that are common only in some areas on mountain slopes, on the sides facing wet winds.
Especially dense and rich in its composition, broadleaf forests grow on the lowland of the South Caspian and on the slopes of Elbrus adjoining it to heights of about 2000 m.
Most of all there are chestnutoaks and its other species, hornbeam, beech, glacial Caspian, ironseeds (endemic South Caspian), evergreen boxwood. Shrubs (undergrowth) - hawthorn, pomegranate, cherry plum. Crocheted plants - a wild vineyard, ivy, blackberries and clematis.
Low-lying forests alternate with areas of swampy, overgrown reeds and sedge. Near the settlements are gardens, citrus plantations, rice fields (in the more humid areas).
On the southern slopes of the cityOak grows oak, ash, maple alternating with myrtle and pistachios. Pistachio forests and tree-like junipers are also found on the well-irrigated slopes of the Turkmeno-Khorasan Mountains, in the Suleymanovy and Paropamiza Mountains. The level above is mainly dominated by thickets of shrubs and beautiful alpine meadows.
The Iranian highlands in their fauna have elements of the Mediterranean, as well as neighboring areas: South Asia and Africa.
In the north, and live some representatives of the faunaCentral Asian. In addition to such inhabitants of the northern forests as roe deer and brown bear, there are predators of the tropics here - leopards and tigers. Inhabitants and wild boars live in marshy thickets.
On the inner part of the highlands, sheeps and mountain goats, antelope gazelle, wild cats, various rodents and jackals live on its plains. On the southern territories there are mongooses and gazelles.
A huge number of birds found their home inthese places, especially in lakes and riverine thickets and bogs: ducks, geese, flamingos, seagulls. And in the forests you can meet pheasants, in more open desert areas - jay, hazel and some predatory birds.
Virtually the whole region suffers from a shortage ofwater. Only a few sections are provided by it. The rivers are deep, flowing into the Caspian Sea, flow only in the north. The bulk of the watercourses on the territory of the Iranian Plateau has no constant flow and is replenished with water only during rains or downpours.
These watercourses are widely used for irrigation. Along the rivers, as well as in the territories when the water sources come out of the mountains, magnificent oases are green.
