The influence of the natural environment on health and human influence on nature. The influence of natural conditions on the life and economic activities of people

Humanity, despite all its current power and independence, has been and remains integral part of a single diverse nature. Man and society are inextricably linked with it and are unable to exist and develop outside of nature, and first of all, without the environment around them. natural environment.

The connection between man and the environment is especially pronounced in the sphere material production. Natural resources (primarily such as minerals) serve as the natural basis of material production and the life of society as a whole. Even having “emerged from nature,” humanity is not able to exist without the products of labor obtained as a result of material production, the “humanization of nature,” and, therefore, without nature as such. It is the natural basis of human life and society as a whole.

Man is most closely connected with such components of nature and the biosphere as the geographical and environmental environment. The geographical environment is that part of nature (vegetative and animal world, water, soil, atmosphere of the Earth), which is involved in the sphere of human life, primarily in manufacturing process. It has a significant impact on the most different sides human life and, first of all, the development of material production. The diversity of nature’s properties was the natural basis for the division of human labor (hunting, fishing, agriculture, cattle breeding, mining). Specific directions depend on the characteristics of the geographic environment human activity, in particular the development of certain industries in various countries and continents.

The influence of nature in the form of a specific geographical environment on the historical development of a particular people is different and can be very significant, as, for example, in the form of the presence or absence of minerals, favorable natural conditions for the production of agricultural products. This difference was especially sensitive for people in the early stages of society, when the transformation of natural objects was only a very small percentage compared to their direct use in finished form.

During the period of low level of development of society, unfavorable natural conditions significantly slowed it down. It is no coincidence that ancient civilizations arose initially in the most comfortable places for human species conditions - in southern countries close to the equator (on the banks of the Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, Ganges, Indus). A favorable climate required significantly less labor for the manufacture of housing and clothing, and for the production of food. In the South, great opportunities opened up for the further division of labor, the emergence of a surplus product, and the emergence of culture.

However, the best natural conditions southern countries provided these advantages mainly in the early stages of human development. In the future positive role a favorable climate for society paradoxically began to turn into a negative one, because there was no incentive for the subsequent development of production and society as a whole.

If a person found all the means of subsistence he needed ready-made, then he would have no incentive to improve production, and, consequently, for his own development. Thus, not only the presence of certain natural conditions for production, but at the same time their lack also had an accelerating effect on the development of society. Practice has shown that it is the presence of diverse natural conditions that is the most important favorable factor in human development.

It is clear that there is a tangible connection between human health and natural conditions. The state of human health and well-being is influenced by the quality of water, soil, air and basic climatic conditions. After all what does it depend on human ability to work and normal life expectancy?

From the air he breathes, the food he eats and the environment in which he lives. For this reason, the issue of ecology is so important in modern world. Natural factors such as sea and mineral water, sun, forest and mountain air, healing mud significantly contribute to human health.

Favorable conditions for human existence

A significant part of Russia is a favorable zone for healthy life of people. This applies to conditions such as fairly warm, sunny summers, moderately cold winters and sufficient rainfall.

The territory with favorable living conditions is the middle and young part of the European territory, the south North Caucasus And Western Siberia. Since ancient times, these regions have had a high population density, since the climate of these territories has a very good effect on people's health.

Extreme conditions

But there are territories that are characterized by unfavorable living conditions for people. What are extreme conditions? These are the conditions of nature that have a bad effect on the human body. These include low winter temperatures and high summer temperatures, high humidity and strong winds.

These are the territories of the tundra, deserts, the Far Eastern monsoon zone and areas of sharply continental climate in Siberia. For example, the region of Eastern Siberia is the coldest region in the Northern Hemisphere and has the largest annual temperature ranges.

In winter it can be -50 ... -60 °C, and in summer, on the contrary, the temperature is very high up to +30 °C. Such a contrast cannot but affect health. This temperature is problematic not only for human life, but also for tools and various materials, which must be frost-resistant.

Therefore, the development of territories with extreme living conditions is quite complex process. which requires significant material costs and new achievements in science and technology.

There are natural phenomena that adversely affect human life and health. This is due to the fact that often natural phenomena are unforeseen and destructive disruptions to the normal course of natural processes.

The consequences of these phenomena do not contribute further development humans and sometimes have an extremely negative impact on human health over a long period of time.

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on the topic: “Man and nature. General characteristics of the territory of Russia"

HUMAN AND NATURE. INFLUENCE OF NATURAL CONDITIONS ON HUMAN LIFE AND HEALTH

The connection between natural conditions and human health is obvious. The quality of water, air, soil, and climatic conditions determine a person’s health, ability to work, and longevity. In preserving people’s health and treating various diseases, natural factors play an important role: sun, sea, forest, mountain air, sea ​​water, mineral waters, healing mud.

Favorable conditions for human life and activity. Part of the territory of our country is characterized by favorable conditions for human life and health: warm sunny summers, moderate cold winter, sufficient rainfall, an abundance of attractive picturesque landscapes. The climate of the middle and southern part of the European territory, the south of Western Siberia, and the North Caucasus is very favorable for health. For example, for a resident of temperate latitudes, the most favorable conditions are: temperature in winter -8 ... -10 °C, in summer +23 ... +25 °C, wind speed in winter - 0.15 m/s, in summer - 0.2-- 0.4 m/s, relative air humidity, respectively, 40--60%. These territories have been developed for a long time and have a high population density.

Development of territories with extreme conditions. However, in our country there are many places with unfavorable conditions for human life.

Extreme conditions are conditions that are extremely unfavorable for the human body: very low winter temperatures, very high summer temperatures, strong winds, very high humidity.

In our country, the following territories with extreme conditions can be distinguished: tundra, deserts, areas of sharply continental climate in Siberia, the Far Eastern monsoon zone. In Primorye, for example, summers are very damp. Eastern Siberia contains the coldest regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is extremely difficult to build any buildings due to the presence of permafrost. In winter, the thermometer shows -50 ... -60 °C, and in summer sometimes more than +30 °C. Here are the largest annual temperature ranges on our planet: 95 °C in the south and 105 °C in the north; in winter, the highest atmospheric pressure is observed in Russia. Frosts of -45 ... -50 °C can remain here continuously for 1.5 to 3 months.

Such conditions create great difficulties not only for humans, but also for tools. Temperature -45 °C is critical for mechanisms. For northern regions, they must be made from special frost-resistant materials.

The development of territories with extreme conditions requires significant material expenditures, people's enthusiasm, and the use of scientific and technological achievements.

Natural natural phenomena and their causes. Significant difficulties in human life and activity are associated with natural phenomena. Natural disasters usually mean unexpected disruptions in the normal course of natural processes that are severe in their consequences.

ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON NATURE

Natural resources. Nature serves as the environment for people’s existence, the main and most often the only source of satisfying their various needs. Social needs satisfied by nature can be divided into three groups:

Group I: primary needs for water, air, clothing, housing;

Group II: production needs (raw materials, energy, etc.);

Group III: needs for rest and health improvement.

Components of nature that are given time used in production are called natural resources. Composition used by people natural resources has changed significantly over time.

All natural resources: mineral, climatic, water, land, biological can be divided into two groups: exhaustible and inexhaustible. Exhaustible, in turn, are divided into renewable and non-renewable. Renewable resources include land, water, biological, plant, and animal resources. Non-renewable ones include: mineral. Inexhaustible resources are the energy of the Sun, flowing water, wind, as well as climate resources.

The influence of human activity on natural complexes. Human economic activity is a special factor influencing the development of nature. Man not only adapts to his natural environment, but also changes it. When changing nature, a person must foresee the consequences and, if necessary, prevent them.

More than a century ago, F. Engels warned humanity: “However, let us not be too deluded by our victories over nature. For every such victory she takes revenge on us. Each of these victories, it is true, has, first of all, the consequences that we are counting on, but second and third, completely different, unforeseen consequences, which very often destroy the significance of the first ones.” These words are still relevant today. The negative consequences of human activity on nature in some cases are not an inevitable result of scientific and technological progress. Their reasons are errors in technical and scientific projects, associated with insufficient consideration of anthropogenic influence on nature, and the opinions of geographers and ecologists.

For example, scientists have found that applying mineral fertilizers to the soil without sufficient consideration of the amount of precipitation and soil moisture leads to the removal of minerals from the soil into rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. And this is not only the loss of labor, energy, and raw materials expended on the production and transportation of fertilizers, but also pollution water bodies, deterioration of water quality.

RATIONAL NATURE MANAGEMENT

Rational environmental management is based on the results of studying the natural features of various territories of the country and assessing natural resources; it involves participation in determining ways of their rational use and preventing unfavorable natural processes, and in developing measures for nature protection. These tasks determine its main directions: a) the use of knowledge about natural complexes obtained by geographers and representatives of other sciences with the help different methods, including space ones; b) application of this knowledge in developing a system of measures to combat negative consequences human impact on nature; c) development of the principles of rational environmental management; d) ensuring control over the state of nature; e) drawing up forecasts for rational environmental management.

Geographical science is increasingly involved in the development of recommendations to reduce or prevent the negative consequences of economic activity.

Principles of rational environmental management. Man, using diverse natural resources - air, water, soil, minerals, etc., does not always manage them skillfully and efficiently.

Rational environmental management is a purposeful activity that meets the growing needs of society through the full intensification of the use of natural resources, the preservation of natural resources in the interests of future generations, the preservation of human health, the protection and restoration of the aesthetic properties of natural complexes. Rational environmental management includes: nature protection, rational development of nature, transformation of nature.

Nature conservation is a whole complex of economic, scientific, administrative and legal measures aimed at preserving and controlled changes in nature in the interests of society. In solving problems of rational use of natural resources, geographical science should play a leading role, because it studies nature comprehensively, as a single whole. Knowledge about the integrity of the geographical envelope, its structure, the interrelation of all phenomena, about the natural complex and its changes under the influence of human activity forms the basis for the development of all measures to protect and improve nature.

The meaning of geographic forecast. Due to the fact that people have little understanding of the consequences of the influence of their activities on nature, the problem of the relationship between “nature and society” has arisen. The study and prediction of changes in nature under the influence of human activity is one of the main tasks of geography in our time.

Forecast is scientific development ideas about the nature of the future, its states and properties, determined both by its own development and human activity. Every day in funds mass media We are encountering one type of forecast - a weather forecast. This is an example of a passive forecast, since a person, knowing the weather forecast for tomorrow, cannot influence the object of the forecast, i.e., is not able to change the weather.

ECOLOGICAL SITUATION IN RUSSIA

The ecological situation in many regions of the Earth, including Russia, cannot be considered favorable.

Sources of environmental hazards. The ecological situation in the country is determined by the quantity and quality of anthropogenic changes in nature, the consequences of man-made interference in nature.

One of the most important environmental problems century there has been water pollution. A sharp deterioration in the quality of water in rivers and lakes cannot but affect people's health, especially in densely populated areas.

The main sources of air pollution are industrial enterprises, which annually release huge amounts of harmful waste into the atmosphere (sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide), leading to the formation of acid rain. Such rains fall in the areas of Krasnoyarsk, Angarsk, the Urals and other areas

Russia. They contribute to the pollution of the earth's surface. Large cities are the most heavily polluted.

Information received from space satellites gives an idea of ​​the extent of pollution spread over many industrial cities. In particular, a haze or cloud constantly hangs over Moscow and St. Petersburg smog. Smoke tongues extend over a distance of several tens of kilometers. The atmosphere over oil-industrial cities (for example, Sterlitamak) is especially heavily polluted.

Monitoring the state of the natural environment. In the 70s of our century, a new service was created - a system for monitoring and assessing the state of the natural environment under the influence of anthropogenic influences - monitoring.

Monitoring includes regular and repeated (repeated) observations of water and air pollution, the development and spread of various processes and phenomena. In Russia there are more than 1000 points where such observations are carried out. With the help of space observation tools, information is obtained on the spread of forest fires, on the development of agricultural crops for the purpose of forecasting yields, on the formation of cyclones, etc.

Russian geographers and ecologists are doing a lot to preserve the natural complexes of our country and to conserve its natural resources. In the 70s, the country's geographical community was the first to rise to the defense of Lake Baikal.

Currently, about 60% of the area in our country is not affected by active economic activity. Only 39% of such territories remain worldwide. Therefore, large forest areas of Russia and other territories not involved in the economic sphere have a beneficial effect on environmental processes not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TERRITORY OF RUSSIA

Russia is the largest country in the world by area, its territory is 17.1 million km 2 (1/8 of the land area). Russia accounts for 77% of the territory and 53% of the population of the CIS countries.

Russia is a country of two parts of the world: about 3/3 (4,185 thousand km 2) of its territory is located in Europe and 2/3 (12,971 thousand km 2) in Asia. The border between these parts of the world runs along the Urals. The European part of Russia opens to the Atlantic coast and covers most of the Russian (East European) Plain, Ciscaucasia and the northern slopes Greater Caucasus, Ural. The Asian part of Russia, including Western and Eastern Siberia and the Far East, reaches the coast with its eastern wing Pacific Ocean.

Russia is a great northern power with wide access to the coast of the Arctic Ocean; more than 60% of its territory belongs to the planetary zone of the North.

Russia has the longest borders - 58.6 thousand km, 2/3 of which are sea. Of the 78 administrative-territorial units of Russia, 48 are bordering with 16 neighboring states. A large number of border states contributes to the development of trade relations, at the same time, questions are periodically raised about the revision of borders: Japan lays claim to the Kuril Islands, Estonia and Latvia - to part of the Leningrad and Pskov regions, China - to part of the Khabarovsk Territory and a number of islands on the Amur River.

Russia has land borders with the following states: in the north-west - with Finland and Norway; in the west - with Estonia, Latvia, Belarus; the border with Ukraine runs along the Valdai and Central Russian Uplands, the Donetsk Ridge; in the south - with Georgia and Azerbaijan - along the Main Caucasus Range; with Kazakhstan - along the southern spurs of the Urals and the Kazakh small hills; with Mongolia - along the Altai, Sayan and Transbaikalia ridges; with China - along the Amur; in the extreme southeast - with the DPRK. Of these, the longest are the borders with Kazakhstan - 7200 km, China - 4300 km and Mongolia - 3400 km.

Most of maritime boundaries passes in the north and east. In the north - with the USA and Canada - along the Barents, Kara, Laptev Sea, East Siberian, Chukchi Seas; in the east - with the USA and Japan - along the Pacific seas: Japanese, Okhotsk, Bering; in the west - with Sweden, Poland, Germany and other Baltic states - according to Baltic Sea; in the south - with Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania - along the Black Sea; with Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan - along the Caspian Sea.

After the collapse of the USSR, Russia became practically a land power, since vast areas of the country, especially in the Asian part, are located at a very great distance from the seas. The remaining major ports on the Baltic are St. Petersburg, Vyborg and Kaliningrad, and on the Black Sea - Novorossiysk and Tuapse. The loss of ports has also placed a heavy burden on Navy. It is advisable to sign mutually beneficial agreements with the CIS countries on the possibility of using ports in the interests of Russia and all Commonwealth states.

Russia occupies a central position in relation to other states that are members of the CIS. Almost all of them can communicate with each other through Russian territory. Land modes of transport - rail and road - play an important role. This is also facilitated by the direction of railways and roads, diverging from the center of the country in different directions. Kazakhstan and the states of Central Asia also maintain connections with other countries through Russian territory.

Compared with former USSR Russia's geopolitical position has changed significantly.

Countries of Eastern Europe, which had close economic (CMEA) and military (Warsaw Pact) ties with the USSR, are now more focused on military-economic cooperation with Western Europe and the USA (NATO Partnership for Peace program, participation in the work of the EEC). Russia needs to strengthen its geopolitical influence, restore its former political authority and economic ties in this region. Regional agreements with the countries of the Baltic and Black Sea basins are of particular importance for Russia.

In the EEC countries, the role of Germany, with which Russia has established strong economic and political relations, is increasing.

In the east of Russia there are countries of the Asia-Pacific region (APR), where, along with the leaders of the world economy and politics, Japan, China, and India, new industrial countries (NICs) are developing rapidly: South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines. Political relations with the leader of the region, Japan, are not conducive to the development of active economic dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region; on the contrary, they have recently intensified economic relations with China and NIS, especially with South Korea.

A special role in world geopolitics belongs to the strengthening and development of multilateral ties between Russia and the United States, with which agreements have already been concluded on disarmament, space exploration, and the development of economic, scientific and technical ties.

Russia’s relations with the countries of the North (Canada, the US state of Alaska, states Northern Europe). The experience of developing the northern territories is extremely important for our country.

A complex, contradictory situation is developing on the southern borders of the CIS, where Russia acts as a guarantor of peace and stability on the border with Afghanistan and other countries of Islamic fundamentalism.

ADMINISTRATIVE-TERRITORIALDIVISIONAND ECONOMIC ZONING

Russia is a federal state. The Constitution of the Russian Federation, adopted on December 12, 1993, determines that the composition Russian Federation includes 89 equal subjects of the federation: 21 republics, 6 territories and 49 regions, 2 cities of federal significance - Moscow and St. Petersburg, 1 autonomous region, 10 autonomous districts.

When socio-economically zoning the territory of Russia, the borders of republics, territories, regions and other subjects of the federation are not violated. Thus, the economic region of Russia is a grouping of several neighboring federal subjects that differ from others in their features historical development territory, geographical location, natural and labor resources, specialization of the economy.

Currently, there is an officially recognized scheme for dividing Russia into 11 economic regions. This zoning is used scientific institutions, design organizations; All statistics are compiled from it and even weather forecasts are compiled. In educational and scientific literature Other zoning grids are often used.

There are 11 economic regions on the territory of Russia.

1. Central: 12 regions - Moscow, Smolensk, Tver, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Ryazan, Tula (1st order neighbors of Moscow); Kostroma, Ivanovo, Oryol, Bryansk (2nd order neighbors); 1 city of federal significance - Moscow.

2. Northwestern: 3 regions - Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov; 1 city of federal significance - St. Petersburg.

3. North: 3 regions - Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Vologda; 2 republics - Komi, Karelia; 1 autonomous region-- Nenets (part of the Arkhangelsk region).

4. Central Black Earth: 5 regions - Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Tambov (previously the region sometimes also included Oryol, Bryansk, Penza regions).

5. Volgo-Vyatsky: 2 regions - Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov; 3 republics - Mordovia, Mari El, Chuvashia.

6. Povolzhsky: 6 regions - Ulyanovsk, Penza, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan; 2 republics - Tatarstan, Kalmykia.

7. North Caucasian: 1 region - Rostov; 2 regions - Krasnodar, Stavropol; 7 republics - Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan.

8. Ural: 5 regions - Perm, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Kurgan; 2 republics - Udmurtia, Bashkortostan; 1st Autonomous Okrug - Komi-Permyak (as part of the Perm region).

9. West Siberian: 5 regions - Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo; 1st region - Altai; 1 republic - Altai (formerly the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region, consisting of Altai Territory); 2 autonomous okrugs-- Yamalo-Nenets, Khanty-Mansi (as part of the Tyumen region).

10. East Siberian: 2 regions - Irkutsk, Chita; 1st region - Krasnoyarsk; 3 republics - Tyva, Buryatia, Khakassia; 4 autonomous districts - Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets), Evenki (both within the Krasnoyarsk Territory); Ust-Ordynsky Buryat (in the Irkutsk region), Aginsky Buryat (in the Chita region).

11. Far Eastern: 4 regions - Amur, Sakhalin, Magadan, Kamchatka; 2 regions - Khabarovsk, Primorsky; 1st republic - Yakutia (Sakha); 1 autonomous region --

Jewish; 2 autonomous okrugs - Koryak (in the Kamchatka region), Chukotka.

Separately, we should consider the Kaliningrad region, which is semi-enclave- a part of the country, separated from the main territory and washed by its territorial waters in the Baltic. Within the framework of economic zoning, it is classified as the North-Western economic region.

In the new economic conditions, approaches to zoning the territory of Russia are changing significantly. Firstly, the selected areas are unequal in terms of natural resource and labor potential, and the size of the territory; secondly, there is no single clearly defined specialization or it has changed over time; thirdly, due to the great economic independence of their constituent administrative units (republics, territories, regions), they have lost the function of unified management and have a different nature of internal connections within the country, which previously ensured their unity.

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The connection between natural conditions and human health is obvious. The quality of water, air, soil, and climatic conditions determines a person’s health, ability to work, and longevity.

Remember in which areas of our country people live? greatest number centenarians. Find out what explains this.

It has long been noted that a positive effect on a person is exerted by beautiful landscapes: sea, mountains, fields, forest, steppe, lakes, rivers, etc. The best proof of this is the recreation and treatment of people at resorts, as well as the widespread use of such a form of recreation as tourism.

Natural factors play an important role in maintaining people's health and treating various diseases: sunlight, sea, forest, mountain air, sea water, mineral waters, healing mud.

Name the resort areas you know in our country. Explain their placement.

There is a special branch of science - medical geography, which studies the patterns of geographical distribution of human diseases and develops measures to combat these diseases. Medical geography studies the natural features of a territory in order to determine their impact on the health of the population, and contributes to a more complete and comprehensive assessment of natural conditions when designing and carrying out a set of measures to transform nature.

Attention to people, caring for their health, rest requires reasonable, careful attitude to nature and its riches.

Favorable conditions for human life and activity. Part of the territory of our country is characterized by favorable conditions for human life and health: warm sunny summers, moderately cold winters, sufficient rainfall, and an abundance of attractive picturesque landscapes.

The climate of the middle and southern part of the European territory, the south of Western Siberia, and the North Caucasus is very favorable for health. For example, for a resident of temperate latitudes, the most favorable conditions are: temperature in winter -8...-10°C, in summer +23...+25°C, wind speed in winter reaches 0.15 m/s, in summer - 0, 2-0.4 m/s, relative air humidity is 40-60%, respectively. These territories have been developed for a long time and have a high population density.

Development of territories with extreme conditions. However, in our country there are many places with unfavorable conditions for human life.

Extreme conditions (from the Latin extremus - extreme, extreme, severe) are conditions that are extremely unfavorable for the human body: with very low winter temperatures, with very high temperatures summer, with strong winds and very high humidity.

Rice. 136. The degree of favorableness of natural conditions for human life

On the territory of our country, the following territories with extreme conditions can be distinguished: tundra, deserts, areas of sharply continental climate in Siberia, the Far Eastern monsoon zone.

In Primorye, for example, the summer is very damp: people suffer from shortness of breath, everything iron quickly rusts.

In Eastern Siberia there are the coldest regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is extremely difficult to build any buildings due to the presence of permafrost soils. In winter the thermometer shows -50...-60°С, and in summer sometimes more than +30°С. Here are the largest annual temperature ranges on our planet: 95°C in the south and 105°C in the north; in winter the highest atmospheric pressure is observed in Russia. Frosts of -45... -50°C can remain here continuously for 1.5 to 3 months.

Rice. 137. The degree of discomfort in cold period year (according to F. Reimers)

Natural conditions have a great influence on human life and health. By looking at Figure 137, you can determine for which areas of the country certain buildings and types of clothing are typical.

Such conditions create great difficulties not only for the people living in them, but also for the tools of labor. Temperature -45°C is critical for mechanisms. For northern regions it is necessary to make them from special frost-resistant materials.

The development of territories with extreme conditions requires significant expenditures of funds, as well as the enthusiasm of people.

Rice. 138. Structure of the concept, “natural benefits” (according to N. F. Reimers)

When developing these territories, the use of scientific and technological achievements is of great importance.

Give examples of the development of territories with the help of achievements of science and technology, known to you from courses in physics, chemistry, as well as from periodicals.

Natural phenomena and their causes. Significant difficulties in human life and activity are associated with natural phenomena. Natural disasters usually mean unexpected disruptions in the normal course of natural processes that have terrible consequences for humans.

Natural disasters can become catastrophic. The types of natural disasters are very diverse (Fig. 139). Often these phenomena cause superstitious fear in people and give rise to belief in supernatural powers. Volcanic eruptions have always inspired people with particular fear. Here the “forces of hell” escaping from the bowels of the Earth were visible: red-hot lava, hot ash, scorching clouds, mud flows. Air whirlwinds - tornadoes - are notorious: they overturn cars, fell forests, carry almost tattered haystacks, destroy buildings and can maim and even kill people.

In order to understand and explain the causes of various natural phenomena, it is necessary to know the laws of development of the Earth's shells.

Rice. 139. Interrelation of natural phenomena in the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere

Analyzing the diagram (see Fig. 139), indicate what reasons cause this or that natural disaster. (Check your answers using the materials in §44.)

Tell us what the consequences of these natural phenomena are (you can use materials from periodicals).

Geography of natural phenomena. Many natural phenomena - earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. are associated with areas of active mountain building. In Russia, such areas are located in the Caucasus and Far East. Avalanches, landslides, and mudflows also form in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, as well as in the Urals, in the Khibiny Mountains.

River floods occur mainly on rivers with unregulated flow. With the construction of dams and reservoirs, the risk of flooding is sharply reduced.

Tornadoes occur in the center of the European part of the country; their formation is associated with sharp changes in pressure and changes in air masses, but their manifestation, as in the classic “tornado country” - the southern states of the USA, is prevented by forests.

Surge floods occur when headwinds block river mouths, raising the water level in the bay into which the river flows, causing it to turn back. Such, for example, are the famous floods of St. Petersburg.

Depending on in which area, inhabited or undeveloped, this or that natural phenomenon occurs, it is either classified as a natural disaster or not. In a populated area, it causes great material damage and sometimes leads to the death of people, which is why it is called a disaster.

Measures to combat natural disasters. To combat natural phenomena, you must first of all have a good knowledge of the reasons for their origin. Scientists come to the aid of people by studying and trying to predict natural phenomena. This is a very difficult and complex work, despite the fact that it uses the latest achievements of science and technology, in particular space methods.

In our country, forecasts of volcanic eruptions in Kamchatka are successfully carried out, and local forecasts of avalanches, mudflows, and floods are carried out. To protect people from some of the natural disasters, special structures are created.

People have already learned to predict droughts and floods, hurricanes and storms, blizzards and snow drifts. But there remains a lot of unknown, requiring great effort in studying natural elements.

Great help in understanding formidable forces nature will benefit from more detailed space methods of their study, because they make it possible to obtain new operational information about formidable natural phenomena. In the future, people will conduct regular observations covering the entire Earth, and predict natural processes, and in some cases, prevent them.

To protect the country's population from natural and man-made disasters, a special Ministry of Emergency Situations was created. Well-trained and equipped professionals quickly move to the disaster area and provide assistance to victims.

Questions and tasks

1. Name natural phenomena that prevent a person from mastering nature.
2. What natural conditions are considered extreme?
3. In what areas of our country and why do natural disasters occur? What measures are taken to combat them?
4. Draw it in your notebook and fill out the table.

Table 11. The degree of comfort of territories for people’s lives