Ural River Day

The Ural Mountains are the country's Stone Belt, which separates Europe and Asia. The main water artery of this region until 1775 was called Yaik. After the decree of Catherine II, it was renamed, receiving its name in honor of the largest mountain range. The Urals flows through Russia, its closest neighbor Kazakhstan, and flows into the Caspian Sea. The third longest river in Europe after the Danube and Volga is of great economic importance. The resources of the Urals are important for the development of industry and agriculture, satisfying the needs of local residents for sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, pike perch and other types of fish. One of the first mentions of the river in antiquity is found in Ptolemy and dates back to the 2nd century. AD In his works the Urals are referred to as Daix. References to Yaik (from the Turkic “spilling”) are found in Russian chronicles starting from the 12th century. A holiday was established in honor of the large water artery, which used to be navigable, but became shallow due to the destruction of forest belts and the plowing of the steppes. On the last Saturday of September, Ural River Day is celebrated. It will include educational events, cleanup of coastal areas by volunteers and other environmental events. The celebration appeared in 2018 on the initiative of the governor of the Orenburg region. The holiday was established to attract the attention of authorities, commercial and public organizations to the shallowing of the river, the overgrowing of the main channel and the drying up of floodplain lakes. The Ural is a symbol of the Orenburg region, its main waterway. It originates on the slopes of the Round Hill - the top of the Uraltau ridge, located in the Uchalinsky region of Bashkortostan. In addition to the Orenburg region, it also flows through the Chelyabinsk region. Ural River Day calls on residents of these regions to take the necessary measures to preserve this ancient natural complex. Along the bed of the water artery there are geological and landscape monuments: the Iriklinskoe gorge, the Nikolsky section, the Poperechnaya and Mayachnaya mountains, the Orskie Gates, etc. To restore the ecosystem of the Urals, expeditions are organized every year, which are aimed at studying the river valley, the influence of anthropogenic factors on the state of forest and water resources. The government of the Orenburg region, despite the impossibility of navigation, is making efforts to develop water tourism. With the participation of specialists, a route for kayaking trips with a length of 876 km was drawn up. Rafting along it is designed for 28 days, which can also be devoted to fishing and other active recreational activities. Academician A.A., a specialist in the field of nature reserves, devoted more than 50 years to studying the largest water artery and solving its environmental problems. Chibilev. Under his leadership, large-scale studies of the natural complex are being carried out at the Steppe Institute of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Various aspects of the study of the river basin are touched upon in the works of the institute’s staff from the departments of landscape ecology and socio-economic geography. The joint efforts of scientists, authorities and the public should lead to the restoration of the Urals and the biological resources of Russia's largest waterway.