Primorye

Primorye is the extreme South-Eastern Region of Russia. Primorye covers an area of 169,900 square kilometers and it is large enough to house four states – Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland. Many hundred kilometers separate its southern and northern extremities.

Primorye is washed by the waters of the Sea of Japan. Highlands dominate the territory of Primorye. The highest peak of Primorye is Oblachnaya Mountain (1854m.). The Sikhotae-Alin is a mountainous formation, extending for the most part of the Territory. The Sikhotealin mountains are rich in coal, iron, zinc, wolfram and many other valuable metals and minerals.

The vast Prikhankayskaya Lowland extends into the West and the South-West of Primorye. A part of the Lowland surrounding the largest lake in the Far East, Khanka Lake, is occupied by a forest-steppe. About two-thirds of Primorye is under forest. Its Ussuri taiga is really a botanical garden, where the northern and southern plants grow: Dauria larches, the Ayan spruces, pines, silver firs, cork trees, yew-trees, Manchurian nut trees, Amur grape and Manchurian apricot. Over 1,000 species grow here, 20 of which are considered to be rare.

It is also a place where extremely valuable medicinal plants-ginseng, Schizandra, Amur chokecherry, eleutherococcus, Daurian rose, hawthorn, actinidia, wild rosemary grow.

The fauna is also unique. The taiga is a playground of the noble roe and the spotted deer. A rare beast here is the Far-Eastern tiger and the hunting of it is prohibited.

Primorye is rich in fur-bearing animals such as the sable, the kolinsky, the mink, the Manchurian squirrel, the Amur badger and the fox.

The manifold riches of Primorye are matched by the wealth of the life in the ocean. Crabs, trepangs, shrimps, mussels, scallops, herrings are also found in the coastal waters.

There are many rivers in Primorye, but they are not deep and long. That’s why they are of no value as water ways, but they give a good supply of fresh water. The most important rivers are the Razdolnaya and the Ussuri.

More than three centuries ago Russian explorers reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean. They built towns and ports, ploughed the land and began to invade the trackless taiga. Today the towns, bays and gulfs of Primorye bear the names of these courageous people.

Now the territory has a powerful industry and a mechanized agriculture. The most important industries are mining, ship-repairing, engineering, timber, furniture- making, building, fishing and food.

Vladivistok, Ussuriisk, Artem, Partisansk, Nakhodka and Arsenyev are the biggest towns of Primorye.

Exercises

1. Suggest the Russian for:

to cover an area, is large enough to house, a hilly country, iron, coal, extremely valuable, medicinal plants, manifold riches, are matched by the wealth, humpbacked salmon, scallop, coastal waters, to be of no value, water way, three centuries ago, explorers, to plough the land, to invade the taiga, bear the names, courageous people, mechanized agriculture, mining.

2. Suggest the English for:

юго-восток, разместить государства, северные окраины, Тихий океан, природа, богат цинком, ценные металлы, две трети, лиственница, канадская ель, сосна, тис, голубая ель, фауна, уникальный, место обитания, косуля, редкое животное, охота запрещена, пушные звери, колонок, норка, барсук, разнообразные богатства, горбуша, лосось, креветки, мидии, гребешки, прибрежные воды, бухты и заливы, носить имена, мужественный, мощная промышленность, горнорудный, судоремонт, машиностроение.