Nature of the land

Ivanovo region is one of central non-chernozem regions of Russia's European part.

It is reckoned among the most favourable regions as regards ecology and possesses the richest recreation possibilities to which belong water and forest resources, unforgettable nature landscapes.

The region surface is mainly plane, low-lying and only here and there wavy. In the west and north-west part of its territory (from the lake Nero in Yaroslavl region to the town Plyos on the Volga) there stretches a morainal range which serves the watershed between Volga's and Klyazma's basins. On the high Volga's banks there is town Plyos, museum-town, town of sanatoria and rest homes.

The majority of regional rivers (about 70%) belongs to Klyazma basin into which there fall the Nerl and the Uvod, the Tesa and the Lukh with their inflows. In the region in all there are over 100 rivers having length of ten and more kilometers and their total extent makes up almost 4000 km.

The Volga carries its waters through the region territory for a distance of 173 km and gives go out to the Caspian, Black, Azov, White and Baltic Seas. Since 1955 it has become full-flowing on account of building of the Gorky Pool which width here and there achieves 16 km. To the number navigable rivers belongs the river Temsa all the way from the mouth to Shuya town. The river Uvod on which banks there is situated Ivanovo town flows in the limits of region for a distance of 134 km.

In the south-west our region includes a small part of Vladimir Opolye with fertile soils. On the rest territory there prevail podzol, sandy-loam and clay soils.

The region is rich in mixed forests which occupy about 46% of its territory. Meadow vegetation is very diverse. Especially valuable as fodder are clover, white, timophygrass, oatgrass, meadow, and many other kinds of grasses.

And rich enough is the animal world of our land. At us there inhabit over 180 species of birds, 46 species of fishes and over 40 species of wild animals.

The climate is temperate-continental for which there are typical hot summer and frosty winter with steady snow cover. The average annual air temperature changes from 2.50 C in the north to 3.50 C in the south. The absolute temperature minimum (minus 470 C) was observed in 1978 and the absolute maximum (plus 35, 380 C) was observed in 1936. 1938 and 1972. The average annual amount of atmospheric sediments contains 585-670 mm.