The Altai Region

The Altai Region is situated in the South East of Western Siberia at an equal distance from the four oceans. Its territory covers 1691 thousand sq. km., the population numbers 2,7 mln.people including urban –1,4 mln. and rural - 1,3 mln. people. The region has 12 towns (Aleisk, Barnaul, Belokurikha, Bijsk, Gorniak, Zarinsk, Zmeinogorsk, Kamen'–na–Obe, Novoaltaisk, Rubtsovsk, Slavgorod, Yarovoye), 7 urban and 60 rural districts. The capital of the Altai Region is Barnaul. Its population runs to 700 thousand people. Altai borders on Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions in the North; Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and the Republic of Altai in the South.

In the XVIII century the territory of Altai was «the Silver Treasury of Russia». It had been the personal property of the Cabinet and Russian tzars.

You can’t but admire the nature of the territory we live in. One of the greatest rivers of the world– the Ob formed by the junction of the two rivers the Katun and the Beya flows through the Altai Territory.

There are 3 thousand lakes in our Altai. The largest one is Kulundinskoye Lake (728 sq.km.). Two types of landscape prevail in the region: mountainous in the East and steppen in the West. Considerable areas are covered with virgin taiga forests. True hunters and fishermen highly appreciate the wealth of the taiga and the lakes. "The Belokurikha" health resort with its famous radon baths is situated in a picturesque corner of the Altai foothills. Visitors of Yarovoye Lake use its curing mud. Herbs are prepared in Altai in large quantities. A great number of tourist paths lead to the mountainous Altai.

During the Soviet period such important industries as agricultural machine building, petrochemestry, textile industry and others have been founded in the Altai and they are constantly developing. Today Altai produces engines, tractors, power-station boilers, tractor ploughs, freight railway cars, tyres, electric pumps, radio-apparatuses, cotton and synthetic fibres. The production of consumer goods has been organized here lately: washing machines, TV-sets, chemical goods, furniture, sports goods and tourist equipment.

The largest plants are joint-stock companies «Altai Tractor», «Barnaultransmash», «Sibenergomash», «Altaiselmash-Holding», «Altaivagon», «Chemical Fibre plant» etc.

They call Altai «the Breadwinner» and the people are right. Altai is a major agricultural producer in Russia. It produces millions of tons of grain, meat, milk, vegetables and potatoes. Altai has become the foremost producer of sugar beet, oil-giving sunflowers and soy. A number of other crops are grown here: buckwheat, pears, oats and flax. It also produces berries and fruits.

Altai ranks first in Russia in the output of cheese and second in the output of butter. Breeding animals for furs is highly developed in Altai. Principle brunches of agriculture are crop production, livestock farming, fodder production, maral breeding and bee keeping. Livestock farming specializes in meat, milk, wool and eggs. Food processing industry is the second in the industrial structure of the region. There are dairy, meat processing, confectionery, baking, liquor, wine-making, sugar and cheese making enterprises in the Altai Region.

Altai has 10 higher educational institutions, 1620 secondary schools, private schools, lyceums, gymnasium and a number of schools where pupils are taught in German, Kazakh and Kumandin. The number of books and magazines in public libraries runs to 18 mln. volumes. Representatives of more than 110 nationalities peacefully co-exist in Altai.

World famous is the Altai stone-cutting art. Artistic articles made by Kolyvan masters decorate many palaces and museums. The unique «Queen of Vases» is kept in the State Hermitage.

Altai gave birth to many talented people: Valerii Zolotukhin – an actor, Alexander Zalygin – a writer and editor, Ivan Pyryev – a film producer, Michael Evdokimov – an actor, Margarita Terekhova – an actress, Vassily Shukshin – a writer, actor and film producer. The name of the academician Michael Lisavenko who headed scientific research institute of Siberian gardening is well known all over the country too. Altai is the Motherland of Cosmonaut II German Titov.

Nikolai Rerikh viewed Altai as the most important geo-cosmic center of our planet.

III. Read, translate and reproduce the dialogues:

Dialogue 1:

- Could you tell me a few words about Altai and its peculiarities?

- One of the peculiar features of Altai is that it is situated at an equal distance from the four oceans, at the crossing of ancient trade routes. Besides it was the place where people came in search for land and freedom. In the XVIII century the territory of Altai was «the Silver Treasury of Russia»

- How many towns are there in Altai?

- The region has 12 towns but the capital city is Barnaul.

- When was the Altai territory founded?

- As far as I remember, Barnaul became the center of the Altai territory in 1937. But in former times Altai was included in Tomsk province.

Dialogue 2:

- What is the climate like in the Altai Region?

- The climate is sharply continental with long and cold winter, which lasts as long as six months and hot summer due to which Altai is called «a Corner of Paradise»

- What can you say about the landscape of Altai?

- The landscape of Altai is varied. It’s hilly and mountainous in the east; the smooth plane surface turns into steppe in the west. The unique belt pine forests stretch for hundreds kilometers.

- Are there many lakes? What are they famous for?

- Altai is famous for a thousand of blue lakes. The largest is Kulundinskoye lake and the most attractive is lake Teletskoye. More than one hundred rivers flow into it and only one the Beya outflows.

- Why is the Ob treated to be the most important water route?

- There are few such rivers on the globe. Its length is five thousand kilometers. Only the Nile, then the Mississippi with its inflow the Missouri and the Amur, the Yenisei and the Lena are longer than the Ob. It begins in glaciers of the Altai Mountains, carries in itself the waters of two rivers – the Katun and the Beya, and flows up to the Arctic Ocean. It washes the area of about 3 mln. square kilometers and links Altai with the Northern regions of Western Siberia.

- Have you ever been to the Mountainous Altai?

- Naturally. Why?

- How did it impress you?

- Oh, I’ve been to the Belokurikha health resort with its famous radon springs and I was greatly impressed by a picturesque corner of the Altai foothills with a mountain river and rich vegetation.

Dilogue 3:

- What are the main industries in Altai?

- During the Soviet period such important industries as electropower engineering, agricultural machine-building, chemistry, oil-industry, timber-industry, production of building materials and others have been founded and are constantly developing here.

- What does Altai produce?

- Today Altai produces engines for machinery, diesels and metal-cutting lathes, forge presses and tyres, electric pumps and steam-boilers, chemical and textile goods, furniture and sophisticated home appliances, faceted diamonds and tourist equipment and what not.

- Why is Altai named the"Breadwinner of Siberia"?

- To tell you the truth, Altai is a major agricultural producer in Russia. It produces millions of tons of grain, meat, milk, vegetables and potatoes, sugar beet, oil-giving sunflowers, soy, berries and fruits, etc.

- What are the main branches of agriculture?

- They include grain-production, stock-breeding, fodder producing, maral-breeding and bee-keeping.

- Thank you. I appreciate your willingness to answer my numerous questions.

Dilogue 4:

- What places in Altai are connected with the development of the

stone-cutting art?

- Kolyvan and Lokot are the two places connected with the stone-cutting art. Vases made of Altai precious stones came into history of Russian decorative applied art.

- We know, Russia is a multinational country. Can we mean the same speaking of Altai?

- Yes, of course. Represantatives of more than 110 nationalities peacefully co-exist in Altai.

- What famous people did the Altai give birth to?

- Fortunately, Altai is the Motherland of many talented people such as German Titiov, Vassily Shukshin, Ivan Pyryev, Michael Evdokimov, Margarita Terekhova, Michael Kalashnikov, Robert Rozhdestvensky and others.

- Thank you, N. It was very kind of you to tell me about your region.

IV. Ask your friend:

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