Yergeni (; ) is a hilly area in Russia. It is located in the southern corner of the
East European Plain
The East European Plain (also called the Russian Plain, "Extending from eastern Poland through the entire European Russia to the Ural Mountains, the ''East European Plain'' encompasses all of the Baltic states and Belarus, nearly all of Ukraine, ...
, mostly in
Kalmykia
Kalmykia, officially the Republic of Kalmykia,; , ''Khalmg Tanghch'' is a republic of Russia, located in the Volga region of European Russia. The republic is part of the Southern Federal District, and borders Dagestan to the south and Stavr ...
, with parts in
Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast ( rus, Волгоградская область, p=vəɫɡɐˈgratskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the Volga region, lower Volga region of Southern Russia ...
and
Rostov Oblast
Rostov Oblast ( rus, Росто́вская о́бласть, r=Rostovskaya oblastʹ, p=rɐˈstofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. The oblast ...
. The highest point of Kalmykia, high
Shared, is located in the Yergeni hills.
In Kalmykia the hills stretch from
Sarpinsky District
Sarpinsky District (; , ''Sarpan rayon'') is an administrativeDecree #137 and municipalLaw #308-IV-Z district (raion), one of the thirteen in the Republic of Kalmykia, Russia. It is located in the north of the republic. The area of the district is ...
to the north to
Iki-Burulsky District
Iki-Burulsky District (; , ''İk Buurla rayon'', ) is an administrativeDecree #137 and municipalLaw #308-IV-Z district (raion), one of the thirteen in the Republic of Kalmykia, Russia. Its administrative center is the rural locality (a settlemen ...
in the south.
History
A thorough topographic survey of the Yergeni was carried out in 1860-61 by Russian topographer
Ivan Krizhin, who drew the first maps of the area.
The
Volga–Don Canal
Lenin Volga–Don Shipping Canal (Russian language, Russian: Волго-Донской судоходный канал имени, ''В. И. Ленина, Volga-Donskoy sudokhodniy kanal imeni V. I. Lenina'', abbreviated ВДСК, ''VDSK'') is a ...
was built across the northern part of the hill area in 1952.
Geography
The Yergeni area forms the
watershed
Watershed may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage)
Music
* Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...
between the
Azov
Azov (, ), previously known as Azak ( Turki/ Kypchak: ),
is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. The population is
History
Early settlements in the vici ...
and the
Caspian Caspian can refer to:
*The Caspian Sea
*The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea
*The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea
*The Caspian languages spoken in northern Iran and southeastern Azerbaij ...
seas. The hills lie to the west of the lower course of the
Volga
The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...
, between
Volgograd
Volgograd,. formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area of , with a population ...
to the north and the
Manych Depression to the south. The eastern slopes rise abruptly from the
Caspian Lowland
The Caspian Depression or the Caspian Lowland is a lowland, low-lying Plain, flatland region encompassing the northern part of the Caspian Sea, the largest enclosed body of water on Earth. It is the larger northern part of the wider Aral–Casp ...
dissected by numerous ravines, with up to to high escarpments. The western slope, on the other hand, gradually descends to the
Don valley. The average elevation of the hills is about .
The
Sal, a left tributary of the Don, is the main river having its sources in the hills.
Flora and fauna
The climate is
semi-desert
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
and the hills are mostly covered with grasses and shrubs, including
feather grass Feathergrass is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
*''Nassella'', a genus of bunchgrasses
*''Stipa
''Stipa'' is a genus of 141 species of large Perennial plant, perennial hermaphrodite, hermaphroditic grasses collectively known ...
,
Volga fescue
''Festuca valesiaca'', the Volga fescue, is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia. It was introduced to North America when it was deliberately planted.Darbyshire, S. J. and L. E. Pavlick. (2007)''Fes ...
,
wormwood and
saltwort Saltwort is a common name for various genera of flowering plants that thrive in salty environments, typically in coastal salt marshes and seashores, including:
:*'' Salsola'' and related genera within subfamily '' Salsoloideae''
:*''Salicornia''
:* ...
, but some trees, such as willow, oak, elm, and aspen, may grow in the ravines of the eastern slopes.
Some of the animals found in the hills are the
demoiselle crane
The demoiselle crane (''Grus virgo'') is a species of crane found in central Eurosiberia, ranging from the Black Sea to Mongolia and Northeast China. There is also a small breeding population in Turkey. These cranes are migratory birds. Birds f ...
, the
eastern imperial eagle
The eastern imperial eagle (''Aquila heliaca'') is a large bird of prey that breeds in southeastern Europe and extensively through West and Central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, the Middle East and South a ...
,
steppe eagle
The steppe eagle (''Aquila nipalensis'') is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The steppe eagle's well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the "booted ...
,
red-footed falcon
The red-footed falcon (''Falco vespertinus''), formerly the western red-footed falcon, is a bird of prey. It belongs to the family Falconidae, the falcons. This bird is found in eastern Europe and Asia although its numbers are dwindling rapidly ...
,
white-winged lark
The white-winged lark (''Alauda leucoptera'') is a species of lark found from southern Ukraine through Kazakhstan to south-central Russia. It is partially bird migration, migratory, with birds tending to move south in winter. The southernmost bir ...
and the
javelin sand boa.
Reptiles of Northern Eurasia
/ref>
See also
*Highest points of Russian Federal subjects
This is a list of the highest points of the Federal Subjects of the Russian Federation.
List Above 1000 m
Below 1000 m
See also
* List of mountains and hills of Russia
* List of European ultra-prominent peaks
* List of Ultras of Central Asia
* ...
*List of mountains and hills of Russia
This is a list of mountains and hills of Russia.
List by elevation
Over 5000 meters
4000 to 4999 meters
3000 to 3999 meters
2000 to 2999 meters
1000 to 1999 meters
Under 1000 meters
See also
* Highest points of Russian Fede ...
*Kalmyk Steppe
Kalmuk Steppe, or Kalmyk Steppe is a steppe with a land area of approximately 100,000 km², bordering the northwest Caspian Sea, bounded by the Volga on the northeast, the Manych on the southwest, and the territory of the Don Cossacks on the ...
References
External links
*
Geological and geomorphological structure of the eastern foot of the Yergeni Hills (Preliminary results)
Landforms of Kalmykia
Hills of Russia
{{Kalmykia-geo-stub