Geographical position of Luhansk
Landscape in Antratsyt region
Physical geography. The Donets River, which flows in a southeasterly direction, divides the oblast into two distinct zones. The northern part consists of a hilly plain rising from the Donets Lowland to spurs of the Central Upland. The southern region consists of the Donets Ridge, an undulating plain with an elevation of up to 200-250 m dissected by river valleys and ravines. That part of the oblast is rich in coal and natural gas deposits as well as limestone, marl, chalk, and clay. The climate is continental: the summers are hot and dry, and the winters are cold and snowless. The average January temperature is -7°C and the average July temperature, +22°C. The annual precipitation ranges from 400-450 mm in the north to 550 mm in the Donets Ridge. The water resources of the oblast are limited. The main tributaries of the Donets are the Luhan and the Velyka Kamianka on the right bank and the Kras-na, the Borova, the Aidar, and the Derkul on the left. Chernozems cover 81 percent of the surface. Only 8.6 percent of the oblast is forested. In the ravines the prevalent trees are oak, ash, maple, pear, and apple, and in the flood-plains, alder, poplar, and willow. Most of the natural steppe vegetation in the oblast has been replaced with cultivated plants; only remnants are left, along riverbanks and in the Luhansk Nature Reserve.
Encyclopedia of Ukraine, volume III (University of Toronto Press Incorporated, 1993)
|
site search
