About Primorye.
PRIMORYE - ROCKS, TAIGA AND SEA… Primorye is the end of Russia, the most distant south-eastern region, where the North and the South, the continent Eurasia and Pacific ocean meet. It is an area of remarkable combination of biodiversity and inconsistencies. Thus, to feature its natural zones it is necessary to mention here its mountains, lakeside flats and sandy sea beaches, fauna and flora - prehistoric triton and tiger, lotus and yew-tree, ethnography - ancient Jurchengs and contemporary ethnic groups (exceed one hundred). Here, lowlands and volcanic plateaus, jungles and stony deserts, mountain lakes and sea bays with exotic landscapes and uninhabited islands, deeply cutting dry land, clash with each other. The boundary of the latest great glaciation has gone along the north of the territory, that is why here, like on the lost in time island, numerous plant and animal forms, extinct in other areas, have been still recorded. Such peculiarity is enhanced by geography of the area. It is situated on the "warm" subtropical latitude, but on the coastline of the cold Pacific ocean. The geographical confusion determines the capricious character of weather, its instability. Monsoon climate causes fresh rainy weather of June and mid July with frequent typhoons. On the other hand, August and September are warm and sunny (average July temperature is 14 - 20 C. Autumn in Primorye is marvelous! Nowhere else you can find such a bright palette of colors: gold, purple and green, as in the Ussury taiga. A swimming season is open here from June till the middle of October. Quite reasonably Primorye is called "the pearl" of the Russian Far East. Primorye borders on land with Khabarovsk area, Russia; China and North Korea, and in the east and south is washed by waters of the Sea of Japan. It has an area of 165,9 square km, exceeding the area of Greece, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland taken together. Most part of the territory is occupied by Sikhote-Alin mountain system with low mountains or mounds prevailing, which are characterized by round dome-shaped and slopes of 600-700 m high, covered with infinite mixed coniferous-broad-leaved forests, called the Ussury taiga. It is a great natural dendro-exposition, real northern jungle, where dark coniferous fir forests of the North are mixed with multilayer southern forests of Manchurian type, cedar (a Korean pine), fir, oak, yellow birch, lime-tree, the Manchurian nut, the Amur phellodendron, ash, hornbeam. The endemic trees of the most ancient Araliaceae family, i.e. Dymophantus, eleutherococcus, Aralia (Far-eastern palm); abundant schisandra chinensis lianas, grapes, actinides; various edible mushrooms and berries; medicinal plants and the most precious one among them - legendary ginseng you may see here. For two hour foot trip you may climb on the top of the mound from the lowland subtropical forest, crossing all existing forest formations, and find oneself in tundra of the extreme North. The fauna world of the Ussury taiga is unique and it may be distinguished by unusual combination of fauna elements attributed to the northern and southern areas. More than a half bird species registered in Russia are recorded here, among them The Red Book species, such as golden eagle, the white-tailed eagle, pheasant, hazel-grouse, and the rarest mandarin-duck. Primorye is one of the primary landing areas of hundred thousand migrating waterfowl and stints in their eastern-asian flight route (ducks, swans, geese, herons). Here, at bordering China Khanka lake the bird reserve Khankaisky, a natural object of international significance was established, covering 80 thousand hectare area of unique water-marshy lands. There are 4 more reserves established in Primorye, namely, Kedrovaya Pad, Lazovsky, Ussuriysky, Sikhote-Alin. Along their ecological routes fascinating foot paths go. Under the cover of cedar-broad-leaved forests of reserves such animals dwell as the Red wolf, Amur badger, marten, sable, lynx, wolverine and the Asiatic black bear. Forest backwaters are inhabited by otters and minks. Of hoofed animals Sika deer, Manchurian deer, roe deer, elk, musk deer and wild boar are registered here. Besides. This region is inhabited by such rare representatives of the Red Book fauna as the Amur tiger, called as "the master of taiga", eastern-asian leopard, the Amur wild cat, musk-deer and the Amur goral. Over bright flowers of wild orchid, lily and rhododendron in forestal clearings one may admire exotic butterflies, such as Noctula butterfly (Harsiesis hygea), Brown argus (Lycaena astrache) or Hackberry butterfly (Asterocampa celtis). The plain area of the region occupies its one third. This is the Western Primorskaya plain and a narrow strip along the coast of the Sea of Japan. However, even here mountain ramifications are found close to water. Relief of Primorye is asymmetrical. Rivers (Tigrovaya, Kievka, Milogradovka, Kema, Maksimovka, Samarga) flowing from Sikhote-Alin mountains in the eastern direction are rather short, but swift with numerous rapids and cascades of fascinatingly beautiful waterfalls. Rivers of the western slope (Ussury, Bolshaya Ussurka, Armu, Bikin) are more extended and calm, excluding their upper parts. There are more than 300 lakes in Primorye. Khanka lake and two hundred small lakes located in Ussury river basin, are the greatest natural reservoir of Primorye. In Khasan area there are Talmy salt lake and several small fresh water lakes (Doritsiny, Kachegy, Sak, Karasye and Khasan), where one may admire the local miracle - blooming of the tender-pink flower of Komarov' lotus. Primorye coastline is magnificent, inspiring open space sights, framed by forests, by fringes of picturesque configuration and spectacular sceneries. Coastal line, fantastically winding, forms numerous bays and gulfs. Rocky precipices alternate with white sand beaches. Numerous emerald islands (Ricorda, Verkhovskogo, Baklany) with their noisy bird bazaars and seal-rookeries attract wildlife lovers by their virgin beauty. Here, The Marine reserve, the only marine reserve in the country is located in the Peter the Great Bay. Primorye boasts its wild nature and according to the experts' estimates there are more than 520 remote taiga lodges, more than 200 natural monuments (lakes, waterfalls, rivers, ancient extinct volcanoes, meteorite craters, carst caves), 6 reserves, 2000 monuments of history, archaeology and ancient culture, which are unique and represent by themselves the objects of scientific and aesthetic significance. Great recreational resources of the region attribute to successful development of many types of tourism, ecological in particular. Marine tourism includes cruises on yachts and boats along the coastline and recreation on beaches of Peter the Great Bay and islands. Diving in picturesque underwater landscapes is attractive for tourists, especially for those from continental regions. Primorye boasts a great potential for development of water tourism: rafting, kayaking from May till September even for the tourists without special training. There are all grounds to call Primorye a fisherman's dream. Sporting fishing is a traditional and very popular ecological tourism in Primorye. Taimen, lenok and grayling inhabit the forestall silver springs and mountain rivers together with other fish species, while Amur carp, crucian carp, pike, bullhead and gaper can be found in quiet lakes. Pacific salmon, Siberian salmon coming from the Sea of Japan, make their spawning-grounds in the mouths of taiga rivers. Sea fishing may gladden fishermen by wealthy and varied catch. A lucky fisherman may hook roach, cod, dorse, flat fish, perch, herring or smelt (4 species). You may be surprised by the diversity of the world of mollusks and holoturias in the coastal water. It is inhabited by squids, octopuses, sea scallops, sea cucumbers, blue mussels, sea urchins, shrimps and others. The most popular, especially in the southern Primorye, is winter ice fishing from November till April in the Peter the Great Gulf, the Ussury Gulf and bays of Russky and Popov islands. Vladivostok is an outpost of Russia in the Far East. It is the greatest port on the Russian Pacific coast. It is also a transport hub of the Far East. Here, at the point of 9301 km from Moscow the terminus of the Trans Siberian railroad is located, while marine routes to the countries of Asian-Pacific region take their way out. Besides, Vladivostok is the nearest "European" city to all these countries. The downtown is very beautiful. It is situated on the Golden Horn Bay coast, being its historical centre with Svetlanskaya ulitsa as a main street. Here every building has its own architecture. Gothic, German Baroque, Modern and Russian styles exist side by side. One hundred of fortification constructions of Vladivostok old fortress are identified as unique monuments of history and war-defensive architecture of the federal significance. They are located on the Muravjov-Amursky peninsula. Southern boundary of the Vladivostok fortress, i.e. the Russky island, glorious and legendary, contains numerous monuments of nature, history and fortification; archaeological excavations of the early-feudal Bo-hai state and the Jurchengs settlements can be found there. The same type of archaeological monuments may be observed all over the territory of Primorye. The descendants of the Jurchengs ancient people - the Udeges - still live in national settlements Krasny Yar and Agzu in the heart of the Ussury taiga. Original embroidery, drawings, carved works, are used for decoration of houselife things; tools and instruments, as well as wonderful songs and dances, reflecting many-century life of human beings in wild taiga, attract Russians and foreign tourists. The potential of natural, cultural, scientific, recreational and eco-tourism resources of Primorye is great. However, this magnificent region, is a "terra incognito" for foreign tourists. WE WANT TO OPEN OUR PRIMORYE FOR YOU…. Lozovskaya S.A. Author of the article. |