The diversity of nature of Chuvashia amazes any tourist who first visited this region. Indigenous people are not surprised at anything, but they are doing everything possible to preserve and increase their natural wealth. We learn about the dense forests of forests, endless rivers and mysterious lakes, as well as vivid representatives of the local flora and fauna.
Key Statistics
Chuvash lands stretch along the right bank of the Volga, washed by its tributaries - Sviyaga and Sura. The highest point of the republic is 286.6 meters above sea level. The nature of Chuvashia is one of the main treasures of the republic, located in the very heart of Russia, on the East European Plain.
On the border with Tataria, in the river valleys (Sura, Bolshoi and Maly Tsivil), there are chernozem soils that are especially valuable for agriculture, in the rest of the republic podzolic soils prevail. The subsoil is not as rich as the locals would like, but there are deposits of phosphorite, oil shale and peat.
The edge of rivers and lakes
On the territory of Chuvashia today there are more than 2350 rivers and streams, and all of them flow into the Volga or its tributaries. Interestingly, 9 out of 10 rivers are very short - less than 10 kilometers, out of the total number of water sources, the length of only two water flows exceeds 500 kilometers.
The most beautiful nature of Chuvashia, naturally, in the Volga valley, there are favorable conditions for the growth and development of plants and animals. The Volga crosses almost the entire territory of the republic, is the main source of drinking water, used in irrigation. The Cheboksary hydroelectric station was built on it, which provides energy not only to Cheboksary, but also to other regions.
The Sura River - the main "supplier" of clean water for Alatyr and Shumerl, plays an important role in the transport system of Chuvashia. The Bolshoi Civil River basin covers a quarter of the republic’s territory and also plays an important role in industry and agriculture.
The land of forests, meadows or steppes?
Unfortunately, over the past centuries, the nature of Chuvashia has undergone significant changes. Previously, almost all of the land was covered with forests, but as a result of the development of territories by man and, primarily, deforestation, only a third of the land today is occupied by forest lands.
Cultivated land is given over to agricultural workers and is used as land - fields and meadows. Also in the territory of the autonomous republic there are steppes, they are especially beautiful in the spring, when there is enough water, heat and light. By mid-summer, the steppe expanses look less attractive.
The mysterious kingdom of flora
Chuvash forests are mostly deciduous. They are dominated by birch, oak, maple, linden, ash. A large number of shrubs — rose hips, viburnum — grow on the territory of the forests. Of the smaller ones, blueberries, lingonberries, and other wild berry crops.
Steppe plants of Chuvashia are a special pride of local residents. Firstly, the steppe flora is striking in its richness of species and colors. Secondly, it is actively used in agriculture, in official and traditional medicine. The most common feather grass. Quite often you can find other herbs, for example, fescue, bluegrass. Sage grows everywhere, which is especially loved by homegrown doctors.
Since a huge number of rivers and lakes flow in the territory of the Chuvash Republic, there are, accordingly, aquatic plants. Tourists can see a white water lily and its simpler, modest cousin - a yellow small egg.
Reeds and similar representatives of the flora — sedge and cattail — grow on the swampy shores of forest streams. There are not very attractive in appearance, but having beautiful names - foxtail and arrowhead.
The kingdom of the Chuvash predators and herbivores
The fauna of Chuvashia is rich and diverse, in the forests you can find predatory animals - a wolf, a badger, a fox, a bear. There are also fur animals: ermine, marten, weasel, mink, arctic fox. Some animals are listed in the Red Book, and are threatened with extinction. Among them are brown bear and European deer.
Too many other mammals, on the contrary, have divorced, so you can come to Chuvashia for hunting. Squirrel, hare, elk, fox, wild boar and other animals are being extracted. The same can be said about aquatic animals: trout disappeared, on the verge of extinction beluga, sturgeon, sterlet and other valuable species. You can catch pike, pike perch, burbot, ide, bream, crucian carp, and sometimes the “guests” - silver carp, grass carp and kilka, sometimes fall for the bait.
Of the 275 species of representatives of the avifauna, 74 species can be seen extremely rarely, but the following bird species are popular: lark, cuckoo, nuthatch, sparrow, tit. There are predators (falcon, hawk). The objects of prey are black grouse, partridge, and hazel grouse.
