A cycle of films about physical and geographical countries. So scientists call dissimilar territories that were formed during the geological history of the Earth. There are thirteen of them in Russia. Each has its own geological structure, relief features, and hence the special natural conditions that determine its originality.
The East European Plain is one of the largest on the planet. Its area is over four million square kilometers. Since most of it is located within Russia, it is also called the Russian Plain.
The Valdai Upland can be called the heart of the plain. Because three of its main river arteries begin here: the Volga, the Western Dvina, the Dnieper. They diverge in three directions: to the Caspian Sea, the Baltic and the Black. Their origins lie not far from each other among raised bogs in the Okovsky forest, which is mentioned in ancient Russian chronicles. Part of this forest area is taken under protection by the Central Forest Reserve.
Going down the Volga River, we find ourselves on the Caspian lowland, a flat surface, part of which lies below sea level. The entire territory is occupied by dry steppes and semi-deserts. Saiga live here, antelopes that lived in the local steppes with mammoths. Now they remain only in Kalmykia and Kazakhstan. To save the saigas in Kalmykia, the Chernye Zemli nature reserve was created.
The largest river delta in Europe begins in the lower reaches of the Volga River. Its area is 19 thousand square kilometers. This is the land of endless channels and countless islands. To preserve the species diversity in the delta, the Astrakhan Nature Reserve was created. Many species associated with water live here, but birds still form the basis of its fauna. In total, 280 species of birds are found in the delta.