Most likely, you have heard the term "isthmus", and more than once. Perhaps he even came across you in several meanings. Today the conversation will focus on the meaning of geography.
An interesting science is geography.She studies the structure of our planet both from the outside and from the inside. And for every little thing finds its definition. If you ask a geographer, he will answer that the isthmus is a stretch of land that is washed on both sides by water and serves to connect two parts of the land. It can connect continents, as in the case of the Isthmus of Panama. Can serve as a connection between the mainland and the peninsula or divide nearby water bodies.
And you can also say that the "isthmus" is the term opposite to the term "strait". Since the strait, on the contrary, is located between land sections and connects large reservoirs between each other.
The man paid attention to these narrow areasland, as here it was possible to find the most convenient places for water canals. As you understand, the channel is easiest to dig in a place where the distance between water bodies is minimal. Isthmus - this is the place. The construction of canals in such parts of the land proved to be very profitable, as they simplify the sea service and shorten the journey time. So, the largest and most complicated construction project is still the Panama Canal, opened in June 1920 through the Isthmus of Panama. This narrow strip of land connects Central America with the South. On the one hand, it is limited to the Caribbean Sea, on the other - the Pacific Ocean. The narrow patch of land formed between the continents gave a significant impetus to the enrichment of the flora and fauna of the continents, through the interpenetration of species. In fact, any isthmus is a natural bridge, allowing animals to migrate, for example, to another continent.
The Karelian Isthmus is a narrow stretch of land,Separating the Gulf of Finland and Ladoga Lake. Its border from the south is the Neva River, and from the north it is a conditional run from Vyborg along the border of the Leningrad Region to Karelia.
Here is just a unique natural area.A lot of lakes, islands and peninsulas, overgrown with dense forests or consisting of piles of granite. Once, in the Archean and Proterozoic era, there was a mountainous terrain. Volcanoes erupted on the isthmus and earthquakes occurred. Then part of the land was flooded by the ancient seas, leaving behind sandstones and clay layers. Today in this territory there are many nature conservation areas (35 reserves and natural monuments).
This land section connects the Crimea peninsula withmainland Europe. And he shares the waters of the Azov and Black Seas. The isthmus is quite small. In length it is not more than 30 km, and its width is 7 km in the narrow part and 9 km in the wide one. On the isthmus is the town of Armyansk and the village of Perekop.
But in the old isthmuses could not pavechannels, therefore, to reduce the time of water caravans, the ships were dragged through dry land. "Portage" and "isthmus" are synonymous words. The ancient Greek Diolk can be considered the oldest known fiber. Here ships moved over land 6 km from the Aegean to the Ionian Sea or vice versa. Dyolk was on the Isthmus of Corinth, now the Corinth Canal is built here.
Also obsolete synonyms for the word "isthmus" are the words: istm, perime, perehvat and uzin. From more modern words it is possible to result synonyms: interception, a jumper or a bow.
The term "isthmus" is actively used in medicine. So denote the narrowed part of some organs. Its isthmus is in the thyroid gland, in the brain, in the uterus and so on.
