The Northern Lowlands in Asia

The Ural Mountains in the west to the Bering Strait in the north is the stretch of Asia’s Northern Lowlands. The shape of these lowlands is triangular, and they are widest in the west. They create the world’s largest continuous plains, stretching from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Central Mountains in the south. Ob, Yenisey, and Lena, three rivers that run north into the Arctic Ocean, have joined to form this plain. The Great Siberian Plain is given name to these marshy and swampy lowlands. The Turan Plain, located south of the Siberian Plains in Central Asia, is another low-lying area. The rivers Amudarya and SyrDarya drain this plain, an inland drainage basin.

Where are the Northern Lowlands of Asia Located?

The lowland region of Russia is one of the Great Russian Regions. The Krasnoyarsk Krai is largely administered by the Sakha Republic, with a minor piece administered by the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). Dudinka, Norilsk, and Khatanga are the principal towns.

In Krasnoyarsk Krai and Yakutia, the Northern Lowlands of Asia are located between the lower reaches of the Yenisey and Olenyok rivers. It stretches for 1,400 kilometres and is up to 600 kilometres wide. This lowland plain is characterised by flat-topped ridges that rise 200-300 metres above vast and heavily inundated degradations with numerous thermokarst lakes.

The rivers Pyasina, Tamyra, Kheta, Kotuy, and the Khatanga, Popinjay, Bur, Anabar, and Uele flow through the Northern Lowland. The Northern Lowland of Asia is home to numerous lakes, the largest of which is Lake Taymyr. Oil, natural gas, and coal reserves can be found in the North Siberian Lowland.

During the winter, the lower courses and mouths of rivers freeze. As a result, water from higher elevations in warmer latitudes flows across a wide portion of the plains. 

Northern Lowlands of Asia are home to the Siberian Plain. Three rivers, the Yenisei, Ob, and Lena, drain the plain and run into the Arctic Ocean. The lower channel of the rivers freezes in the winter. As a result, the river’s upper course becomes blocked and spreads across the plains, becoming marshy and swampy.

Flora and Climate

The climate is subarctic continental, with frigid winters lasting 7–8 months and chilly summers lasting only a few weeks. In January, the average temperature in the West is -30 degrees Celsius, but it might reach -35-37 degrees Celsius in the East. In July, the temperature ranges from 6 to 10 degrees Celsius. The snow cover lasts for about 265 days. The annual precipitation is 250-300 mm.

The Siberian larch dominates the sparse forest in the west. Dahurian larch grows in the eastern regions of the lowland. Northern lowlands are covered in lichen tundra, while southern parts are covered in shrubbery vegetation.

Northern Lowlands of Asia – Siberian Plain

East-central Russia’s North Siberian Lowland is a low-lying region. It is located between the lower Yenisei River and the lower Kolyma River in the west and east. The Central Siberian Plateau is to the south, the Byrranga Mountains of the Taymyr Peninsula are to the north, and the Laptev Sea is to the east. The lowland stretches 1,850 miles east-west and stretches up to 375 miles wide, rising to 165–230 feet (50–70 m) above sea level. Low ridges and slopes can be found in abundance. The plain is exceedingly swampy, with flora that resembles tundra or forest-tundra.

Northern Lowlands of Asia – Turan Plain

Turan Plain, also known as Uzbek Turon, is a large lowland located in southwestern Kazakhstan, northwestern Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It is bordered on the east by outliers of the Tien Shan, on the north by the Saryarqa, Pamir, and Alay ranges, on the south by the Kopet-Dag Range, and on the west by the Caspian Sea. The lower courses of the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya drain into the Aral Sea and pass through it. The Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts, separated by the Amu Darya valley, are located on the dry plain. Fine-grained sedimentary rocks are overlain by large dunes and sand sheets in the deserts. Xerophytic (drought-resistant) scrubs and short grasses make up the scant vegetation.

Conclusion

Also known as the Taymyr Lowland, the Northern Lowlands of Asia is a relatively flat plain that runs from the Taymyr Peninsula’s Byrranga Mountains to the Central Siberian Plateau in the south. The lowland joins with the Central Yakutian Lowland to the southeast of the Olenyok basin. Glacial deposits extend as far south as the Ob-Irtysh confluence, generating a few minor hills and ridges, but the plain is mostly featureless and flat. The West Siberian Plain’s winters are cold and long. Most of the plains have a subarctic or continental climate.