Ukrainian immigrants to Central Asia

Landlocked countries are countries with land on all sides and no coastline at all. As of 20 13, there are about 40 landlocked countries in the world. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, five landlocked countries in Central Asia, are all landlocked countries. However, if a person strolls to the western border area between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, he will definitely feel that it faces the sea.

To the west of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan is the Caspian Sea, and the coastlines of both countries are very long, both of which are more than thousands of miles. Compare the Caspian Sea with the nearby Black Sea: the Caspian Sea covers an area of about 386,000 square kilometers, and the Black Sea covers an area of about 436,000 square kilometers. In terms of area, there is not much difference between the two. There are six countries along the Black Sea, namely Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia. Among them, Russia is not only in the Black Sea, but also in the Baltic Sea, the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Turkey is not only on the Black Sea, but also on the Mediterranean Sea. The rest of Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia are all in the Black Sea. These countries are all serious coastal countries.

There are five countries along the Caspian Sea, namely Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Among them, Iran borders the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea to the south, Russia borders the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and Iran and Russia belong to coastal countries. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are all landlocked countries adjacent to the Caspian Sea. Why are the three countries along the Caspian Sea (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan) landlocked? Because although the Caspian Sea is called the Sea, it is a fake sea and an inland saltwater lake.

Geographically, there is not much difference between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Why is the Black Sea a sea and the Caspian Sea a lake? The ocean refers to the vast waters on the earth's surface separated by continents. The central part is called the ocean, and the edge part is called the sea. Ocean refers to a large area of salt water area connected with the ocean. A lake refers to a relatively static water body in an inland depression with a certain area and no direct connection with the ocean. The Black Sea is connected with the Mediterranean Sea through the Turkish Strait, and the Mediterranean Sea is connected with the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar. In addition, there is a sea of Azov in the Black Sea, which is connected with the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait. Therefore, the Azov Sea is also a serious sea. The Caspian Sea is not connected with the outside ocean. Georgia and Azerbaijan in Transcaucasia are neighboring countries, one next to the Black Sea and the other next to the Caspian Sea. Georgia is a coastal country and Azerbaijan is a landlocked country.

Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan in Transcaucasia, why are these three landlocked countries "fake coastal countries"? Because being in the coastal areas of the Caspian Sea in the above three countries, you will have the illusion of being in the coastal areas. Looking at this endless Caspian Sea, there is indeed a feeling like the sea. However, the Caspian Sea is not a sea, but a saltwater lake.

Why does the Caspian Sea feel like the sea? First of all, its area is very large, only a little worse than the Black Sea and equivalent to the Baltic Sea. The number of lakes in the world is quite amazing, but the area of lakes in the world varies greatly. The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, with an area equivalent to 14% of the total area of lakes in the world, and it accounts for 40% to 44% of the total water storage of lakes in the world. Caspian Sea can be divided into North Caspian Sea, Middle Caspian Sea and South Caspian Sea. In depth, the north is shallow and the south is deep. As far as salt content is concerned, the farther south, the higher the salinity.

Secondly, although the Caspian Sea is a lake geographically, it has some characteristics of the sea. For example, the bottom of the Caspian Sea is standard marine basalt. The Caspian Sea has an ecosystem similar to the ocean. The average salinity of lake water in Caspian Sea is one third of that of ordinary sea water, and its lake water is similar to sea water in color and properties. There are also violent storms in the sea, and the beaches along the Caspian Sea also feel like beaches. At the same time, as an inland saltwater lake, the Caspian Sea has the nature of a lake. It can be said that the Caspian Sea has the dual characteristics of sea and lake. It is precisely because of its large area and high salt content in the lake that ancient residents living on the shores of the Caspian Sea often regard it as an ocean. Why does the Caspian Sea have the characteristics of the sea? Because a long time ago, it was really a sea. It belongs to the ancient Mediterranean with the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Azov Sea. Later, due to the uplift of the crustal structure, it broke the natural connection with the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea and became an inland saltwater lake.

The Caspian Sea region is rich in oil resources and fishery resources, and its shipping is developed. Baku is a famous port in the Caspian Sea region and the capital of Azerbaijan. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, three landlocked countries, all have navies of a certain scale in the Caspian Sea region. The navies of some landlocked countries are actually symbolic and have few personnel. For example, the staffing of the Mongolian navy seems to be seven people. However, the navies of the above three countries actually have a certain scale. For example, the Azerbaijani navy has about 5,000 people in service, a Petya-class frigate, a special warship, and some landing craft, patrol boats and minesweepers. I think it is precisely because of the Caspian Sea that these three landlocked countries still feel a little like coastal countries to some extent.

Why mention Uzbekistan, another Central Asian country, because it involves another long-lost "brother" Aral Sea of the Caspian Sea. Long, long ago, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea were all part of the ancient Mediterranean Sea. Later, the Caspian Sea and Aral Sea became lakes. However, so far, the Caspian Sea is still full of vitality, and the Aral Sea is another scene. The Aral Sea has declined and has not fallen into an existential crisis.

The Aral Sea lies between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It used to be the fourth largest lake in the world, but this is a thing of the past. See what the Aral Sea used to look like. 1950, the Aral Sea covers an area of about 68,000 square kilometers, which is quite large, equivalent to the area of Sri Lanka, a South Asian island country. At this time, the Aral Sea, with its winding shores, has many small lakes and bays, not only the inland river delta, but also the wetlands and swamps with rich ecology. There are abundant fishery resources, and fishing ports of all sizes are distributed around the Aral Sea, and the fishery is prosperous. At this time, there are more than 65,438+0,000 islands scattered in the Aral Sea.

1In the early 1960s, the former Soviet government diverted the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers flowing into the Aral Sea, built water conservancy projects and canals, and used the water from these two rivers to irrigate the deserts on both sides of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers and around the newly-built canals. With the nourishment of water, many places have become farmland, and cotton, grain, rice, fruits and vegetables are planted in large quantities. Soon, thousands of people moved to the Amu Darya River, Syr Darya River and the New Canal Valley, and Central Asia became an important cotton, rice, vegetables and fruits producing area in the former Soviet Union.

With less and less water flowing into the Aral Sea, at 1987, the Aral Sea has shrunk into two independent regions, the North Aral Sea and the South Aral Sea. By 1997, it has been reduced to 10% of its original size. In 2003, the South Aral Sea was divided into east and west water bodies. The salinity in the water also increased sharply, causing most of the animals and plants in the lake to die. In 20 14, most of the South Aral Sea dried up. As the Aral Sea dried up, a desert was formed here.

Compared with the drying up of Aral Sea, the ecological crisis caused by it is even more deadly. Due to the saline-alkali exposure at the bottom of the lake, a "white storm" (salty storm) was formed, which led to serious salinization of many lands in Central Asia. A large number of newly reclaimed farmland along the banks of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers were directly "discarded", and in Turkmenistan, a lot of land there was also "discarded" because of salinization. In addition, pollutants, toxic substances, etc. The salty sand was also blown to the surrounding area from here. These toxic dust pollutes a lot of land and water sources in Central Asia, which has a serious impact on people's health. What does this show? It shows that if human beings don't respect objective laws and treat nature rudely, they will naturally slap human beings backhand.