Dagestan is an incredibly beautiful mountain republic, sandwiched between the Greater Caucasus and the shores of the Caspian Sea. This article will focus on the nature, geography and rivers of the republic. In particular, about the Sulak River - a real water pearl of the south of Russia.
General features of the nature of Dagestan
The republic is located in the extreme southwest of Russia. Geographically, it is interesting in that it borders (if sea borders are also taken into account) with five states: Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The northern part of Dagestan is represented by lowlands (or the so-called Nogai steppes), the southern - by the foothills and mountains of the Greater Caucasus. The climate is temperate continental and quite arid.
The nature of Dagestan, despite the small size of the region, is incredibly beautiful and diverse. Steppes and mountain peaks, harsh cliffs and waterfalls, canyons and pristine rivers - all this can be seen within one republic!
Dagestan is located immediately in several natural floral zones. Semi-desert species grow in the north of the republic. Moving south, they are replaced by lush meadows and forests. Alpine-type plant formations are found in the highlands. By and large, in this region there are about 4.5 thousand plant species, a quarter of which are endemic.
Lakes and rivers of Dagestan
More than 6, 200 rivers are in the republic. All of them belong to the Caspian basin. However, only 20 of them bring their waters to the huge sea-lake. The rest goes to irrigate agricultural lands or get lost in the Caspian lowland.
About 90% of all the rivers of Dagestan are mountain. Their valleys are narrow and deep, the flow rate in them is very high. Thanks to this, they do not freeze even in the most severe winters. The largest river in Dagestan is the Terek. Its total length is 625 kilometers. The second largest in the republic is the Sulak River.
Within Dagestan there are several hundred large and small lakes. The largest (and most famous) of them is Lake Kezenoy-Am. This is the deepest body of water in the North Caucasus (maximum depth is 72 meters). The lake has an important recreational and tourist value.
Sulak River: general information
“Sheep water” - the name of this watercourse is translated from the language of the Kumyks. The total length of the Sulak River is 169 kilometers, and the catchment area is about 15 thousand square meters. km
The source of Sulak is the confluence of two other rivers: the Andean and Avar Koisu. Both of them originate on the slopes of the Caucasus Range. In the upper reaches, the Sulak River carries its waters through a deep and incredibly beautiful canyon. Then it crosses the Ahetli Gorge, after which its valley expands significantly. In the lower reaches, the river forms a rather large delta and flows into the Caspian.
Sulak feeds mainly on snowmelt. High water in the river is observed from May to September, and low water (minimum water level) - from December to March. The turbidity index in the lower reaches of Sulak is 100 times higher than in its upper reaches.
On its way, the Sulak River receives the waters of a large number of small tributaries. The largest of them are Ah-Su, Tlar, Chwahun-bak and Maly Sulak.
