The border between Asia and Europe: where it lies, interesting facts. Border between Europe and Asia Border between Europe and Asia on the map

The Urals borders two parts of the world: Europe and Asia. Usually the border between Europe and Asia is drawn along the watershed of the Ural Mountains. However, where exactly it is more correct to draw this border in some areas is still debated. Particularly controversial territory is near Yekaterinburg, where the Ural Mountains are the lowest, and south of Zlatoust, where the Ural ridge loses its axis and breaks up into several ridges, gradually turning into the steppe.

It is interesting that in the past the border between Europe and Asia was drawn much west of the Urals - along the Kerch Strait and the Don River (from antiquity until the 18th century). We owe the drawing of the border along the Urals to V.N. Tatishchev, who first expressed this idea back in 1720. In his writings, he explained the drawing of the border along the Don in the past by the lack of information about the Ural Mountains at that time. Tatishchev substantiated in detail the correctness of the border between Europe and Asia along the Ural ridge.

In support of his conclusion, Tatishchev pointed out that the Ural ridge is a watershed, and the rivers flowing from it to the west and east are distinguished by the presence of different species of fish. The vegetation of the western and eastern slopes of the Urals is also seriously different. However, not everyone agreed with drawing the border along the Urals...

In the Urals, dozens of border monuments have been erected on the border of Europe and Asia, including in very inaccessible places. True, not all of them correspond to the real border. The northernmost obelisk on the border of Europe and Asia stands on the shore of the Yugorsky Shar Strait. It was installed in this inaccessible area in 1973 by employees of the polar station. The border sign is a wooden post with the inscription “Europe-Asia”. There is also a chain with an anchor nailed to the post. The easternmost obelisk is located on Polevskoye Highway in the village of Kurganovo. It was installed in 1986.

It can also be noted that the most “cosmic” monument “Europe-Asia” stands on the Nizhny Tagil – Uralets highway. It was opened in 1961 and, accordingly, is dedicated to Yuri Gagarin’s space flight. It looks like a square column 6 meters high. It is crowned with an image of the globe.

One of the most beautiful and largest obelisks (along with the one opened in 2008 near Pervouralsk) is located on the highway between the cities of Kachkanar - Chusovoy. It appeared in 2003, its height is 16 meters. Here, a line is drawn on the asphalt, symbolizing the border of the parts of the world.

And yet, the most famous and popular monuments on the border of Europe and Asia are located on the Moscow Highway near Yekaterinburg and near Pervouralsk. The very first monument on the border of Europe and Asia was the monument on Mount Berezovaya. It is located near the city of Pervouralsk on the former Siberian Highway. The first border sign appeared here in the spring of 1837 - before the arrival of 19-year-old Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich, the future heir to the throne, to the Urals.

The fact that it was here that the highest point of the Siberian tract was established in 1829 by the expedition of the German scientist Alexander Humboldt, who was accompanied by professors Gustav Rose and Christian Ehrenberg. “Birch Mountain forms the ridge of the Ural Mountains, which also forms a watershed here,” Gustav Rose later wrote.

The monument originally erected here was a sharp tetrahedral wooden pyramid with the inscriptions “Europe” and “Asia”. The future Emperor-Liberator Alexander II, who traveled accompanied by the State Councilor, poet V.A. Zhukovsky and his retinue, examined this obelisk in May 1837.

In 1846, the monument was replaced with a more substantial stone one, created according to the design of the architect of the Ural factories, Karl of Tours. It was made of marble and stood on a stone pedestal. A gilded double-headed eagle was attached to the top.

There was an inscription on the monument: “In memory of the visit to this place by Their Imperial Highnesses the Sovereign Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich in 1837, and Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg in 1845.” Later, signs “Europe” on the left and “Asia” on the right were hung on the wooden fence of the monument.

After the revolution, the monument was destroyed as a reminder of the tsarist power. But later, in 1926, a new monument was erected. Not marble, but simply lined with granite and without an eagle. In the middle of the 20th century, a cast iron fence was installed around the border pillar. In the mid-1990s, it was replaced by posts with chains.

This place has great historical value. Convicts going to Siberia said goodbye to Russia here and took land as a memory of their homeland. On the same Mount Berezovaya, a little further, closer to Pervouralsk, in 2008 a new Europe-Asia obelisk was opened. A high 30-meter pillar made of red granite is crowned with a double-headed eagle.

There is an obelisk “Europe-Asia” on the Novomoskovsky tract (at 17 kilometers) within the city of Yekaterinburg. It appeared in August 2004, designed by architect Konstantin Grunberg. It is a wide marble pedestal with an observation deck and a metal stele. Stones from the extreme points of Europe and Asia are laid here - from Cape Roca and Cape Dezhnev.

Immediately after the appearance of the project for installing a monument at this site, controversy broke out about the correct choice of point. The fact is that the watershed runs away from this monument. One way or another, now many tourists come to this place. Guests of Yekaterinburg strive to take photographs on the border of Europe and Asia. It has become a tradition for newlyweds to come here.

The authorities of the city of Yekaterinburg have plans to build a 180-meter obelisk here, directly above the highway, reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, in the form of stylized letters “E” and “A”.

Textbooks and reference books give a clear answer to this question. However, there is still no agreement on this issue either in the scientific community or in political circles.

The fact is that the border between these two parts of the world passes through the territory of a single continent - Eurasia, that is, overland. This is the most important difference between Europe and Asia and other parts of the world, which are separated by expanses of water. In geography, it is generally accepted that the boundary in such a case is a tectonic fault or watershed.

Surprisingly, even with the modern development of science, it is not always possible to accurately determine, to the nearest kilometer, where exactly this axis passes.

There is another factor complicating the drawing of the border between Europe and Asia - geopolitical. Europe and Asia are not only geographical, but also political, cultural and civilizational objects. What type of culture does vast Russia belong to?

Can the countries of Transcaucasia and Turkey, which so strive to join the European Union, but geographically belong to Asia, be considered European? Which Russian regions belong to Europe and which to Asia? And why do some foreign cartographic publications lay the eastern border of Europe exactly along the border of the Russian Federation, classifying the European part of our country as Asia?

One thing is certain: over time, the notorious border has constantly shifted to the east, as an increasing number of countries and regions wanted to consider themselves European.

All these questions force geographers to return again and again to the problem of the Asian-European border, to conduct additional research and expeditions.

The border between Europe and Asia - what did geographers agree on?

While researchers are studying, politicians are arguing, cultural experts are writing articles, students and schoolchildren are being told that the border between Europe and Asia runs as established by the International Geographical Society. More precisely, here's how:

Along the eastern base of the Ural ridge and the Mugodzhar spur;

Along the Emba River, which flows into the Caspian Sea;

Along the northern shore of the Caspian Sea;

- along the Kuma-Manych depression, which is now the floodplain of the Kuma and Manych rivers, and in ancient times was a strait connecting the Black Sea with the Caspian Sea;

Along the Black Sea, Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.

The Mediterranean coast east of the Dardanelles belongs to Asia, to the west – to Europe.

What are the disputes about?

There are two sections of the Asian-European border that cause the most heated disputes. This is the area south of the Ural Mountains (to the Caspian Sea) and the bridge between the Caspian and Black Seas.

In the first case, the problem is caused by the fact that in its southern part the Ural ridge splits into several spurs. Which of them is considered the border between Europe and Asia has not yet been established with precision.

As for the section of the border in the Caucasus region, there are also several opinions. Some scientists propose drawing the border along the Kuma-Manych lowland, others along the watershed of the Caucasus ridge, and still others even further to the south.

In order to once and for all resolve the issue of the border between Asia and Europe, Russian scientists proposed using not only a geographical, but also a political, cultural and civilizational approach. The international community has been asked to consider an option in which the border leaves the Ural Mountains and the Sea of Azov within Europe, and the Caucasus within Asia.

It is obvious that establishing the border between Europe and Asia is not only a scientific, but also an administrative and political problem. Let's hope that in the coming years this issue will be resolved at the international level and we will not have to argue about which of us lives in Europe and which in Asia.

Tip 1: Where is the border between Europe and Asia?

Where is the border between Europe and Asia?
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Geography textbooks clearly state that the border between Europe and Asia runs directly along the Ural ridge and down to the Caucasus. This fact draws even more attention to the mountains, which are already full of secrets and mysteries.

Directly in the mountains there are border pillars that signal that Europe is on one side and Asia is on the other. However, the pillars were placed very poorly. The fact is that they do not entirely correspond to historical data.

Different approaches to defining boundaries

In addition, when comparing several sources, we can come to the conclusion that regarding the Caucasus there is generally no consensus on where the border lies. The most common opinion is that it runs along the main watersheds of the ridge. Other sources indicate that the border runs along the northern slope. By the way, if you look at the atlas of Soviet times, then the Euro-Asian border runs directly along the border of the USSR.

This attitude towards the passage of the border has led to disputes regarding the territories of Asia and Europe, which for some scientific circles is almost a primary task. They are still arguing whether Mont Blanc and Elbrus should be classified as Asia or Europe.

Leading scientists claim that it is impossible to draw the border between parts of the world with an accuracy of a kilometer. The point is that there are no sharp transitions between them. If we approach it from the point of view of climate differences, there is no difference, the same applies to vegetation, wildlife and soil structure.

The only thing you can rely on is the structure of the earth's surface, which reflects geology. This is precisely what leading geographers relied on in their time, trying to draw the border between Asia and Europe. They took the Urals and the Caucasus as a basis.

Conditional and real border

A natural question arises here: how to draw the border in the mountains? It is known that the width of the Ural Mountains is about 150 kilometers, the Caucasus Mountains are even wider. That is why the border was drawn along the main watersheds, which are located in the mountains. That is, the border is completely arbitrary and cannot be considered accurate, even if counted in kilometers. However, subsequently a competent decision was made, according to which the modern border has clearer contours.

For an ordinary resident, the answer to the question: “Where is the border between Europe and Asia?” can be given as follows: “Across the Urals and the Caucasus.” He will be quite pleased with such an answer. What about cartographers? After all, it was possible to draw the borders of Europe along the Ural River both on the left and on the right. There are many similar examples that can be given. For this reason, in scientific circles it was decided to consider the border to pass along the eastern slope of the Urals and Mugodzhar. Afterwards it goes along the Emba River, to the northern shore of the Caspian Sea to
Kerch Strait.

That is, recently the entire Urals is part of Europe, and the Caucasus is part of Asia. As for the Sea of Azov, it is “European”.

Official border between Asia and Europe

Drawing a continental border is very difficult. Between Asia and Europe it constantly changed its shape. This happened due to the gradual development of the Ural mountains and the lands of Siberia.

The official division of one continent into two (in the North-South direction) was carried out in 1964. At the 20th Congress of the International Geographical Union, scientists drew a clear boundary line between Asia and Europe. Based on these data, the following situation was recorded.

The border begins in the Kara Sea, in Baydaratskaya Bay. Further, the dividing line runs along the eastern part of the Ural Mountains and follows down the eastern Perm Territory. Thus, both Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg turn out to be located in Asia.

Further, the border goes along the Ural River, passes into the Orenburg region and descends to the northern part of Kazakhstan. There it is “picked up” by the Emba River and descends straight into the Caspian Sea. Leaving the northern coast of the Caspian Sea in Europe, the border reaches the Kuma River and, along with it, crosses the northern part of the Caucasus Mountains. Further, the path passes along the Don to the Sea of Azov, and then to the Black Sea. From the latter, the border between Asia and Europe “flows” into the Bosphorus Strait, where it ends. Ending at the Bosphorus Strait, the border divided Istanbul into two continents. As a result, there are two parts to it: European and Asian (Eastern).

Along the path of the border there are several states, which it happily “divides” into two continents. This applies to Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkey. It should be noted that the latter “got it” the most: the border divided its capital into two parts.

However, after the official border was drawn, disputes and speculation about it did not subside. Scientists assure that it is impossible to clearly draw a line based on any external/internal parameters. For example, by vegetation, climate or soils. The only real measure is the geological history of the area. Therefore, the Urals and the Caucasus turned out to be the main border landmarks.

Today the Caucasus and the Urals are not divided into parts by a border. It passes only along their bases, leaving the mountains untouched. This approach greatly simplified the work of geologists.

But this situation caused difficulties in the work of cartographers. Reproducing one of the continents, scientists had to divide the mountain ranges into unequal parts. It is almost impossible to carry out such a procedure accurately. This situation negatively affected the work of geologists who often use maps: parts of the mountains were “scattered”, although historically they were single massifs.

Crete is an amazingly beautiful island, it separates the Mediterranean and Aegean seas and runs the border between Africa, Europe and Asia. Four thousand years ago, the oldest civilization in the world, the Minoan, was born here. The remains of palaces have survived to this day, as proof of the greatness of a brilliant civilization.

Crete has a well-developed tourism infrastructure and excellent conditions for travelers and guests to relax. The unique nature with warm sea waters, picturesque gorges, cozy bays with azure clear water is attractive to tourists. In Russia, drops are singing, the first snowdrops are appearing, and on the island at the end of April the swimming season already begins.

Crete is rich in attractions, ancient and cultural monuments, as well as hospitable, friendly people. Millions of vacationers from all over the world come here every year to visit the palaces of Crete and monuments to the Minoan kings, amazing in aesthetics and architecture. It was here that the myths about Tessa, who killed the Minotaur, the beautiful Ariadne and her guiding thread, Daedalus and Icarus originated.

Excursions are offered on the island to introduce guests to local traditions. The fiery Cretan dances, performed in folk costumes to national music, are a delightful spectacle. The island of Crete promises a wonderful holiday, exciting travels, and a sunny paradise. Getting to heaven is easy and inexpensive.

The border between Asia and Europe: where it is, interesting facts

The continent of Eurasia is divided into two parts of the world: Europe and Asia. Everyone has known about this since school. But not everyone can show the border between Europe and Asia on a map. And the researchers themselves, to be honest, still cannot come to a consensus on this issue.

In this article we will try to understand where the border between Europe and Asia is drawn today and how ideas about its location have changed over time.

Europe and Asia, West and East

In geography, the Earth's surface is usually divided into continents (or continents) and the so-called parts of the world. And if the identification of continents is based on objective geographical factors, then in the case of the allocation of parts of the world, historical and cultural criteria are more dominant.

Thus, the continent of Eurasia is conventionally divided into two parts – Asia and Europe. The first is significantly larger in area, the second is noticeably richer in material terms. Europe and Asia have been contrasted with each other for quite some time as two completely different worlds. Europe (West) appears to us as a symbol of something correct, progressive, prosperous, and Asia (East) - as an image of something backward, almost barbaric. But all this is nothing more than stereotypes.

Europe – Asia: main differences

“East is East, West is West,” - this is what the great and wise writer Joseph Rudyard Kipling once said. “...And they won’t get along together!” In many ways, of course, he was right. The differences between the two global regions can be traced in culture, religion and philosophy, and are noticeable at both the individual and social levels. The Eastern way of life and work was initially more scrupulous and monotonous. Just remember how long it takes the Chinese to draw just a few characters. In eastern countries, it is customary to pray while sitting, in the “lotus” position. But in the Western world, Christians pray mostly standing... There are a lot of differences!

It is interesting to note that recently ideas and cultural trends from the East and Asia have become incredibly fashionable in Europe. Thus, yoga and martial arts classes are gaining popularity. Catholic priests and monks began to use rosaries in their prayer rituals. Many residents of prosperous European countries are increasingly buying tours to India, China and Nepal in order to experience the spirit of Eastern cultures and peoples.

Europe and Asia: general information about parts of the world

Asia is four times larger in size than Europe. And its population is larger (about 60% of all mainland residents).

Europe owes its name to the heroine of the same name from the myths of Ancient Greece. The medieval historian Hesychius interpreted this toponym as “the land of sunsets.” It is curious that the ancient Greeks called only the northern regions of modern Greece Europe. The toponym “Asia” also comes from the name of the character of ancient Greek mythology - the Oceanid Asia, who was the daughter of two ancient deities (Ocean and Tethys).

Within modern Europe, there are 50 independent states, including a number of the richest and most developed countries in the world (France, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and others). There are 49 independent states in Asia.

Three mainland countries (Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan) are located simultaneously in both Europe and Asia. Four more states (Cyprus, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan) can be classified as both the first and second parts of the world, depending on where the border between Europe and Asia lies. Where is this border drawn today? Let's figure it out.

The border between Asia and Europe and the criteria for its identification

Which mountain peak is rightly called the highest point in Europe - Elbrus or Mont Blanc? Can the Sea of Azov be considered European? In which championship should the Georgian national football team compete? The answers to all these questions can be completely different. And everything will depend on which border between Europe and Asia is taken into account. And there are a lot of options (on the map below they are shown with different lines).

In fact, the border between Asia and Europe cannot be drawn along the surface of the Earth accurately and definitively. The problem is that there are no unambiguous criteria for determining it. At different times, researchers relied on different factors in the process of identifying the European-Asian border:

administrative;
orographic;
landscape;
demographic;
hydrological and others.

A short excursion into the history of the problem

Even the ancient Greeks tried to determine where the parts of the world familiar to them ended. And the conventional border between Europe and Asia in those days ran exactly along the Black Sea. But the Romans shifted it to the Sea of Azov and the Don River. It passed through these hydrological objects until the 18th century.

By the way, the Don River as a border between Asia and Europe appeared in many works of Russian scientists, in particular, in the book “On the Layers of the Earth” by M. V. Lomonosov.

In the 1730s, European geographers took up the problem of defining the Europe-Asia border and justifying it from a scientific point of view. In particular, the Swedish scientist F.I. von Stralenberg and the Russian researcher V.N. Tatishchev seriously studied this issue. The latter drew the European-Asian border along the Ural River and the mountain range of the same name.

Where is the border between Europe and Asia today?

Today, geographers on the planet, fortunately, have come to a more or less unanimous opinion on this issue. So, along what objects does the border between Asia and Europe pass? Let's list them from north to south:

the eastern foot of the Ural Mountains and the Mugodzhar ridge;
Emba River;
northwestern coast of the Caspian Sea;
the mouth of the Kuma River;
Kuma-Manych depression;
lower reaches of the Don;
southeastern shores of the Sea of Azov;
Kerch Strait;
the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits;
Aegean Sea.

This is the definition of the border used today by the UN and the International Geographical Union. It is also presented in most modern cartographic atlases.

According to this division, Azerbaijan and Georgia should be considered Asian countries, and Istanbul is the largest transcontinental city (since it is located on both banks of the Bosphorus). It also turns out that the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea is located in Europe, and the neighboring Taman Peninsula, together with the Tuzla Spit, is already in Asia.

Obelisks and monuments on the border between Europe and Asia

The border line "Europe - Asia" is marked on the surface of the Earth with many monuments, obelisks and memorial signs. There are at least fifty of them in total! Most of them are installed in Russia.

The world's northernmost sign "Europe - Asia" is located at the Yugorsky Shar Strait. This is a small pole with an anchor and an information sign. The geographic coordinates of this sign are 69° 48’ north latitude and 60° 43’ east longitude.

The oldest such sign is located within the Northern Urals, near the village of Kedrovka. It is represented by a small chapel built back in 1868. But on Mount Berezovaya in Pervouralsk there is, perhaps, the most majestic and monumental sign “Europe - Asia”. This is a 25-meter granite obelisk that was installed here in 2008.

It is quite strange that in the area of the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul (seemingly on the most iconic stretch of the European-Asian border) there is only a tiny yellow sign with a modest double-sided inscription Welcome to Europe/Asia.

Finally

The border between Asia and Europe is very arbitrary and far from objective. According to the modern definition of geographers, it connects the Kara and Mediterranean seas, passing along the eastern foot of the Ural Mountains, the northwestern shores of the Caspian Sea, the Kuma-Manych depression, the Kerch Strait and the Bosphorus Strait.

Border "Europe-Asia"

The border between Europe and Asia runs along the Ural ridge. Or rather, along the watershed itself. However, disputes often flare up between experts - it is not always easy to accurately draw this line in some places. The most controversial is considered to be the territory located near Yekaterinburg - here the level of the Ural Mountains is the lowest - and south of Zlatoust, near which the Ural ridge is divided into several ridges, losing its axis and turning into a flat steppe.

It is curious, but relatively recently this border ran much further than it does today - along the Don River and the Kerch Strait. Moreover, such a division appeared a very long time ago and was used at the beginning of the eighteenth century. V.N. Tatishchev first proposed drawing the border along the Ural ridge in 1720. The works he wrote describe in detail why the border between two parts of the world - Europe and Asia - should pass along the Ural ridge, and not the Don.

One of the main arguments given by Tatishchev is the fact that the Ural ridge acts as a watershed - rivers flow along its slopes both to the west and to the east. However, such a proposal was not immediately supported.

There are many border monuments throughout the Urals, showing exactly where the line dividing Asia from Europe lies. Moreover, some of them are located in very hard-to-reach places. And some of them don't actually correspond to the actual boundary. For example, the northernmost monument is located on the shores of the Yugorsky Shar Strait. It was installed by employees of the polar station in 1973. The border sign will be quite ordinary - an ordinary wooden post with the inscription “Europe-Asia”. In addition, a nailed chain with an anchor hangs from the pole. If we take the obelisk located most east, it is located in the village of Kurganovo, on Polevskoye Highway. It was installed even later in 1986.

One of the largest and most beautiful obelisks was the one installed in 2003 on the highway connecting the cities of Chusovoy and Kachkanar. Its height is quite impressive - as much as 16 meters. Right next to it, on the asphalt, there is a line showing where the border between parts of the world lies.

Initially, the monument erected here was an ordinary wooden pyramid with four sides and the inscriptions “Asia” and “Europe”. Emperor Alexander II, to whom the people gave the nickname Liberator, saw him while traveling with the poet V.A. Zhukovsky, state councilor and retinue, in May 1837.

A few years later - in 1846 - this monument was replaced. In its place they put a more serious stone one, created according to a design drawn up by the architect Karl of Tours, who worked at the Ural plant. The main material used in its manufacture was marble, and it stood on a stone pedestal. The top of the obelisk was crowned with a gilded eagle with two heads.

Soon after the revolution, this monument was destroyed - according to the official version, it reminded of autocracy. However, just a few years later, already in 1926, a new monument was erected here. True, it was not made of marble, but only lined with granite. Of course, there was no eagle here either. A few decades later, in the mid-twentieth century, a cast iron fence was installed around the obelisk. At the end of the 20th century it was dismantled and posts with chains were installed.

Of course, this place has great historical value. Convicts, going to Siberia from the European part of Russia, took visiting lands here as a memory of their abandoned homeland.

Still on the same Birch Mountain, a little closer to the city of Pervouralsk, another obelisk was opened - already in 2008. On top of a thirty-meter pillar made of red granite sits a double-headed eagle.

There is also a monument “Europe-Asia” in the city of Yekaterinburg, at the 17th kilometer of the Novomoskovsky tract. It was installed relatively recently - in the summer of 2004. The architect was Konstantin Grunberg. This spectacle is truly impressive - a huge marble pedestal with a metal stele and a spacious observation deck. In addition, there are stones taken from the most extreme points of two parts of the world - Cape Dezhnev and Cape Roca.

Soon after the installation of the monument, disputes began about whether the location was chosen correctly. Many opponents insist that the monument was installed at a great distance from the watershed. In any case, today this place is visited by a large number of tourists. Many people who come to Yekaterinburg try to take pictures here. Newlyweds also make sure to visit an important geographical point.

According to representatives of the authorities of Yekaterinburg, they have plans to erect a huge obelisk, similar in appearance to the Eiffel Tower. These will be the letters “E” and “A”, and their height will be about 180 meters.

Border between Europe and Asia

The border between parts of the world Europe and Asia Most often it is carried out along the eastern base of the Ural Mountains and Mugodzhary, the Emba River, along the northern shore of the Caspian Sea, along the Kuma-Manych depression and the Kerch Strait. The total length of the border across Russia is 5,524 km (of which 2,000 km along the Ural ridge, 990 km along the Caspian Sea).

Some sources use another option for defining the border of Europe - along the watershed of the Ural Range, the Ural River, and the watershed of the Caucasus Range.

The very fact of singling out Europe is the result not so much of logic and geographical conditionality as of history.

The border between Europe and Asia from the 6th century BC. e. to our time has experienced significant movement from west to east. The ancient Greeks carried it out approximately in the central part of the Mediterranean Sea. Later, in 524-457 BC. e., the Kerch Strait and the Tanais (Don) River began to be considered the border. The great scientific authority of Ptolemy was the reason that this idea was firmly established and did not change until the 18th century.

In 1730, the Swedish scientist Philipp Johann von Strahlenberg first substantiated in world scientific literature the idea of drawing a border between Europe and Asia. Later in 1736, V.N. Tatishchev claimed that it was he who suggested this idea to Stralenberg. Tatishchev justified in his book the drawing of this border from the Yugorsky Shar Strait along the Ural ridge, along the Ural River, dividing cities such as Orsk and Orenburg (within their current borders), through the Caspian Sea to the Kuma River, through the Caucasus, the Azov and Black Seas to Bosphorus.

This idea did not immediately gain recognition from contemporaries and followers. For example, Mikhail Lomonosov in his treatise “On the Layers of the Earth” (1757-1759) drew the line between Europe and Asia along the Don, Volga and Pechora. However, authors soon appeared whose studies, following Tatishchev, began to recognize the Ural Range as a natural border between Europe and Asia.

The Europe-Asia border line runs from the coast of the Kara Sea along the eastern base of the Ural Range, approximately parallel to the border between the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Komi Republic from the west and the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug from the east.

Further, the border runs slightly east of the administrative border between the Perm Territory from the west and the Sverdlovsk Region from the east, while the southwestern regions of the Sverdlovsk Region remain in Europe. The name “Asian” of the railway station and the village adjacent to it is associated with the passage of the Europe-Asia border in this region.

In the Chelyabinsk region, the border leaves in Europe the Ashinsky, Katav-Ivanovsky and Satkinsky municipal districts, as well as the western parts of the territories of municipal districts and urban districts adjacent to Bashkortostan. In the Orenburg region, the border leaves most of the territory in Europe, except for the eastern regions. Further to the south, the border continues through the territory of the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan, where it passes along the eastern foot of the Mugodzhar (a continuation of the Ural Mountains on the territory of Kazakhstan) and along the Emba River it reaches the Caspian Lowland, through the Caspian Sea it reaches the mouth of the Kuma River, then along the Kuma-Manych depression it passes to the lower reaches of the Don, further along the southern shore of the Sea of Azov.

To the south, the border between Europe and Asia runs along the Kerch Strait, between the Crimean (Europe) and Taman (Asia) peninsulas, leaving the island of Tuzla in Asia.

In April - May 2010, the Russian Geographical Society conducted an expedition in Kazakhstan (desert and Ustyurt plateau), with the aim of revising generally accepted views on the passage of the border between Europe and Asia through the territory of Kazakhstan. The participants of the expedition stated the fact that south of Zlatoust the Ural ridge loses its axis and breaks up into several parallel ridges, and further south the mountains gradually disappear, while it is the Ural ridge (or rather its eastern foot) that is traditionally a landmark for drawing the border of Europe and Asia. According to the expedition members, the Ural and Emba rivers are also not reasonable boundaries, since the nature of the terrain along their banks is the same. The expedition members came to the preliminary conclusion that it seemed most reasonable to them to draw the border between Europe and Asia along the eastern edge of the Caspian Lowland, which is the southeastern end of the East European Plain.
Until now, the opinion of Russian and Kazakh scientists who participated in this expedition has not been considered by the International Geographical Union.

The border post “Europe-Asia” on the Moscow-Chelyabinsk highway pierces the sky, conditionally dividing and connecting two ancient civilizations, two parts of the world. Here lies the border between Europe and Asia. Wait, why here? Let's try to figure it out.

Where is the border between Europe and Asia on the world map?

In fact, it is not very clear where this border lies. The European-Asian border cannot be drawn with an accuracy of one meter or even a kilometer, since there are no clear guidelines. Over a more than three-thousand-year history of research, various researchers have used the following types of boundaries as the border between Europe and Asia:

cultural studies (settlement of peoples, spread of languages, cultures);
administrative-political, borders of states and administrative units;
landscape-orographic, that is, according to the structure of the earth;
hydrological: watersheds and valleys of large rivers.

Thus, many border options have accumulated. The map below shows the main ideas about the border. As you can see, they largely coincide, with the exception of the southern section European borders in the Caucasus and a small northern section. However, other geographical definitions depend on this. For example, if we draw the border along the Kuma-Manych depression, then Elbrus can no longer be the highest peak in Europe, since it falls into Asia. Depending on where the border is drawn, Kazakhstan can be considered a Eurasian country, and Georgia can be considered a European country and can take part in Eurovision.

"A": - modern definition of the border. Currently used by the UN. “B”: - along the Ural Ridge and the Ural River. “C”: - border along the line Cape Yugorsky Shar - Pai-Khoi Ridge - Ural Range - Ural River. “D” - along the border of Kazakhstan. “F”: - Caucasus ridge (watershed). "E": - northern foothills of the Caucasus. “F”: - lines along the Greater Caucasus watershed. "G": - southern foothills of the Caucasus. “H”: — Caucasus in the Rioni and Kura rivers. “I”: - along the Lesser Caucasus and the Araks and Kura rivers. "J": - former border of the Soviet Union.

History of the border between Europe and Asia

Early ideas about the border between Europe and Asia

Even in antiquity, people wondered where the parts of the world ended. Already in the 9th-8th centuries BC, the Phoenicians distinguished three parts of the world: Europe (from the word “ereb” - west), Asia (from the word “asu” - east) and Libya - as the name of Africa. The Greeks drew the border between Europe and Asia along the Pontus (Black Sea). The Romans pushed the border to Meotida (Sea of Azov) to the Kerch Strait and the Tanais (Don) River. In the works of Herodotus, Polybius, Strabo, Pomponius Mel, Claudius Ptolemy, precisely this division is reflected and thanks to them border along the Sea of Azov and Don remained unshakable until the 18th century.

The view of the Don River as a natural border between Europe and Asia was also widespread in Russian geographical works called "Cosmography", published before the 17th century. M.V. Lomonosov in his work "About the layers of the earth"(1757-1759) drew the border between Europe and Asia along the Don, Volga and Pechora, although by this time other ideas had already appeared.

How the border between Europe and Asia was drawn in the 18th and 19th centuries

However, in the Middle Ages and Modern Times, attempts were made to draw the line differently. In medieval Arab works, the border of Europe is Itil (Volga) and Kama. French cartographer Guillaume Delisle in his "World Atlas" drew the border along the Ob, and the traveler Johann Gmelin in his book “Journey through Siberia in 1733-1743” completely substantiates the eastern border of Europe along the Yenisei, as did later the French geographer E. Reclus in his work “Land and People. General Geography".

The idea of drawing the border between Europe and Asia along the watershed of the Ural Mountains was first put forward by the Swede Stralenberg in the book "Northern and eastern parts of Europe and Asia" in 1730. However, V.N. Tatishchev disputes Stralenberg's priority and claims that it was he who proposed this division to Stralenberg in 1720. In his work, Tatishchev (published in Russia only in 1950!) rejects the old ideas of previous authors about the border along the Don, Volga, Kama and Ob. He writes: “... all of them are not suitable, but for the best natural separation of these two parts of the world, these mountains ... according to the ancient Riphean, Tatar Ural, in Russian called the Belt, I believe.”

IN "Russian Lexicon" he describes the eastern borders of Europe this way: “It is very decent and natural to draw the border from the narrowness of Vaygach along the Great Belt and Yaik down through the Caspian Sea to the Kuma River or the Tauris Mountains” (i.e., the Caucasus) and gives many arguments in favor of such a division. Tatishchev's works give the most convincing evidence in favor of drawing the border between Europe and Asia along the Ural ridge.

However, the border options proposed by Stralenberg and Tatishchev coincide only in the middle part of the Ural ridge, and in the southern part of the Urals at Stralenberg the border ran through the General Syrt, the Samara River, the Volga to Kamyshin and further along the Don to the Black Sea. Scientific recognition of the Ural range as the border between Europe and Asia was reflected in the works of Falk, Polunin, Pleshcheev, Shchurovsky in the 18-19 centuries.

There was no agreement on how to draw the border south of Miass. At the end of the 18th century, Pallas drew the border from the middle reaches of the Ural River along the southern slopes of the General Syrt, Volga, Ergeni, the valley of the Manych River and attributed the entire Caspian lowland to Asia. Miller and F.A. Polunin drew the border along the Don, Volga, Kama, Belaya and further along the Ural ridge. In 18th-century geography textbooks, the southern section of the border was drawn along the Emba River.

Map of historical definitions of the border between Europe and Asia

History of the Europe-Asia border

The figure depicts the history of the definitions of the border between Europe and Asia based on maps published between 1700 and 1920. Please note that until the end of the 16th century there was no clear delimitation of the Arctic Ocean, Kara Sea, and Novaya Zemlya. The red line shows the boundary definition that has existed since about 1850, e.g. in Johnson's writings(1861). It draws the border along the Greater Caucasus ridge, the Ural River and the Ural ridge.

Line A shows an alternative definition according to Beach and McMury, 1914. The border along it runs along the Don and Manych rivers and places the provinces of the Russian Caucasus in Asia. Other historical definitions of boundary lines are no longer used.

Line B carried out along the Don River, then along the Volga to Volgograd, then along line D or C (depending on the agreement).
Line C is carried out along the Volga from Volgograd to Samara, the continuation is designated as E or F, depending on the agreement.
Line D passes as follows: along the Don past Volgograd, then cuts north in the Arkhangelsk region west of the Volga. This agreement is found in the first official atlases of the Russian Empire, published in 1745.
Line E runs along the Volga to the Samara Luka, and then turns northwest, to the Northern Dvina and ends in Arkhangelsk. This designation is used by Christoph Weigel in his Vetus map of Asia, published in 1719.
By line F the border leaves the Volga at the Samara Luka and passes from the lower Irtysh and Ob. Used by Johann Baptist Homann in his Recentissima Asiae Delineatio, published in 1730.
Lines G and H designated by John Carey in his New Map of Asia (1806). The border follows the Don and Volga (B, C, F), but then follows the Urals south of Perm (G) and leaves the Ural watershed, reaching the coast of the Arctic Ocean west of the Yugorsky Peninsula (H).

Official political definition of the Europe-Asia border at present

For the political definition of the border between Asia and Europe, the historical and cultural concept remains important. Officially, the border between Europe and Asia should be considered a line passing through the Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus, the Black Sea, along the Greater Caucasus watershed, the northwestern part of the Caspian Sea and along the Ural River and from the Urals to the Arctic Ocean. This boundary is presented in most atlases, including the National Geographic Society atlas, as well as in the World Factbook.

By this definition, Georgia and Azerbaijan lie in Asia, but small parts of them lie north of the Greater Caucasus watershed in Europe. Istanbul is thus located on both sides of the Bosphorus Strait, making it transcontinental. Also Russia and Türkiye are transcontinental countries with territories in both Europe and Asia by any definition. While Russia is a historically European country with a history of imperial conquests in Asia, Turkey is an Asian country with imperial conquests in Europe. Kazakhstan is thus a Eurasian country, since the West Kazakhstan and Atyrau provinces lie on either side of the Ural River.

The Kuma-Manychka lowland (the Manych rivers, the Kuma-Manychky canal and the Kuma river) remains Europe's most commonly defined geographical boundary. However, such a division places traditionally European regions of Russia, such as the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, as well as areas south of Rostov-on-Don, into Asia, which is unusual. However, judging by the fact that the authorities of Rostov-on-Don are going to play up this fact, such a division does not bother them. There are other political definitions for Europe and Asia.

Countries in both Europe and Asia

The United Nations currently defines the following transcontinental countries:

Russia
Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan,
Georgia
Türkiye

The Council of Europe includes such transcontinental countries as Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia and Turkey, as well as Asian Armenia and Cyprus, since they are politically integrated into the European sphere. Eurasian Kazakhstan is not a member of the Council of Europe, but it is given the right to demand membership in this council.

Expedition to clarify the border between Europe and Asia

In 2010, with the support of the Russian Geographical Society, an expedition was held to clarify the boundaries between Europe and Asia. Geographers analyzed most of the existing scientific works devoted to the Urals and developed criteria for determining the border. It was decided take a landscape approach. Since the transition from the foothills of the Urals to the flat spaces of the East European Plain is not pronounced, the most significant rivers of the studied areas were used as the starting points of the border. Expedition leader A.A. Chibilev talked about it like this:

When starting to determine the natural boundaries of the Urals, we proceeded from the fact that the country is not “purely mountainous,” but essentially “mountain-plain.” This approach simplifies the drawing of the eastern Ural border, which is clearly traced along the contact of ancient, highly dislocated and metamorphosed rocks with Quaternary deposits of Western Siberia.

The route was divided into 12 sections corresponding to certain natural features. They entered there 9 regions of the Ural natural country: Paykhoi, Polar Urals, Polar Urals, Subpolar Urals, Northern Urals, Middle Urals, Southern Urals, Southern Urals, Mugodzhary and Primugodzhary, as well as the Ustyurt plateau and the Mangyshlak mountains.

Map of the border between Europe and Asia, updated by the Russian Geographical Society expedition

WITH the southern border is getting more complicated. The Southern Urals differs from all other mountain regions in its more complex geological structure, the arcuate shape of tectonic structures and a whole fan of ridges, a disconnected network of longitudinal river valleys with a southern and southwestern direction.

In such conditions, it is difficult to choose which of the ridges is the main one. At one time, V.N. Tatishchev chose the Ural River from its very source as the border. The expedition did not agree with these conclusions, since in the upper reaches the river does not yet represent a noticeable boundary. In addition, the valley of the upper reaches of the Urals is significantly shifted to the east relative to the structural-tectonic axis of the Urals. Meanwhile, a number of its ridges still continue to play the role of the main watershed of the mountain system. The end point of the border of the East European Plain and all of Europe in the south is a low-lying sea plain located at the northern foot of the Northern Aktau ridge between Kochak Bay and the western ledge of Ustyurt.

Based on the results of the expedition, it was proposed to draw the border between Europe and Asia, focusing on the relief structures that have access to the southern tip of the entire mountain system - Mugodzharam and the Shoshkakol ridge. Main landmarks for this part the boundaries are:

crossing the valley of the Ufa River at its confluence with Kizil,
further along the watershed (Kalyan ridge) with access to Mount Sava (748 m),
Yurma ridge (1002 m),
Taganay ridge (Mount Kruglitsa, 1177 m),
northern extremities of the Maly Taganay ridge with access to the axial part of the Uraltau ridge
further to the Nazhimtau ridge, which serves as the watershed of the Urals and Volga.

Where is the border between Europe and Asia in the Urals

The issue of the border between Europe and Asia unexpectedly in 2004 attracted the attention of residents of the city of Yekaterinburg and became a source of doubts and disputes. Doubts arose due to the fact that Yekaterinburg was rapidly approaching Europe: 17 kilometers along the New Moscow Highway arose Memorial marking the border between Europe and Asia. Taking into account the planned growth of the city, Ekaterinburg, like Istanbul, will soon lie in both Asia and Europe.

Obelisk Europe-Asia on the New Moscow Highway near Yekatrinburg

The question of the border between Europe and Asia in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg was repeatedly discussed at several conferences, of which the most representative was the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference “Ekaterinburg: from a factory-fortress to a Eurasian capital”, held in Yekaterinburg on May 23-24, 2002. At this conference, several reports were devoted to the border problem, and the conference resolution stated, among other things:

Consider historically established research as scientifically justified Europe-Asia borders along the watershed of the mountain strip of the Middle Urals and the eastern foothills. Due to the complex pattern of the watershed line, the actual position of the border at specific points can be chosen within a certain strip, the center line of which is the watershed.

Border strip near Novouralsk, Pervouralsk and village. Kurganovo, Polevsky district passes through the following points: Mount Hanging Stone, Mount Kotel, Mount Chubarova, Mount Berezovaya, “Chusovodstroy”, Varnachi Mountains, Mount Khrustalnaya, village. Chusovskoye Lake, northern environs of the village. Kurganovo. At the same time, it crosses the western and southwestern parts of the Municipal Formation “City of Yekaterinburg”.

Doubts about the correct location of the installed memorial The sign is also caused by the fact that in this place of the highway there are no signs of a pass, which should be at the watershed point of the European and Asian Rivers. But such a pass can be seen near the historical obelisk on the Old Moscow Highway. However, this is not the same pass.

Where should we draw the border between Europe and Asia in the Sverdlovsk region?

Discussion between political scientist Vadim Dubichev and member of the Russian Geographical Society, deputy Evgeny Artyukhov about where to draw the border between Europe and Asia in the Urals in the Sverdlovsk region?

Historical obelisk on the Europe-Asia border

New obelisk on Berezovaya Mountain near Yekaterinburg

In the 15th-17th centuries and even later, the Ural ridge was the border between the Kazan and Siberian khanates and was perceived as the border of Siberia. After these parts of the Horde joined the Moscow state the ridge practically remained the border between the Siberian lands and the old Moscow districts lying west of the Urals. But memory retained this symbolic feature for a long time.

The current obelisk was erected in 2008 in the imperial style to replace the historical one in the same place. The place was chosen on Mount Berezovaya, since it served as Poklonnaya Mountain, a simple place. People traveling along the road believed that this was where the border between Russia and Siberia was located. Convicts going to Siberia traditionally here they said goodbye to their homeland and took the land as a souvenir. Here is what Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko (Russian writer, traveler, journalist, elder brother of a famous theater figure) wrote about this obelisk:

“The border between Europe and Asia. How many tears have been shed here! The unfortunate people in shackles looked back from here for the last time, at their forever-abandoned homeland. A distant, unpleasant, alien and cold land begins from here. New life, new people, new suffering! I can imagine what a swarm of thoughts rushed through the head of the poor exile when he leaned against this border column for a short rest. Perhaps burning tears fell on every stone at its base.”

This historical obelisk was installed here in honor of the visit to the Urals by the heir to Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich(future Emperor Alexander II).

Photo of the historical obelisk from the book by D.I. Mendeleev "Ural iron industry in 1899". Taken July 11, 1899.

An inscription was carved on the border pillar: “In memory of the visit to this place by Their Imperial Highnesses the Sovereign Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich in 1837, and Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg in 1845.” Later on the wooden fence of the monument they hung signs: on the left side - “Europe” and on the right - “Asia”.

In the 1920s, the monument was partially destroyed, the plaque was knocked down, and no one remembered in honor of what event this stone pillar was erected. In 1946, by a special resolution of the Pervouralsk City Executive Committee, the monument was restored, and subsequently They installed a cast iron fence. From now on the obelisk becomes brand name of Pervouralsk. In the summer of 1982, the obelisk was faced with polished slabs and a “border” of serpentine stone was laid across the road. In the 1950s, a cast-iron fence was made around the post, which was replaced with chain-link posts in the mid-1990s.

Director of the Pervouralsk Novotrubny Plant Fyodor Danilov (second from left) and US Vice President Richard Nixon on the border of Europe and Asia in July 1959 (from the funds of the plant museum).

In 2006, it was decided to erect the obelisk using budget funds. They decided to move the old monument into a campsite altogether; under pressure from the public, the administration of Pervouralsk made a compromise. Historical The obelisk was moved 300 meters a little lower along the slope of Mount Berezovaya - to the spring of Fyodor Danilov on a new road.

Another old obelisk is located at Urzhumka station near Zlatoust. In 1892, the Europe-Asia obelisk was erected to mark the completion of the construction of a section of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The border pillar is made of hewn granite “bricks”, which were used in facing roadside structures. The author of the project is N. G. Garin-Mikhailovsky.

Video about the border between Europe and Asia

Where is the border between Europe and Asia?

From cockroach to dragon: the border of Europe and Asia in imperial science, Ural identity and provincial esotericism

Lecture by Associate Professor of the Department of Cultural Studies at UrFU Evgeniy Rabinovich on how the idea of the border between Europe and Asia, born of Tatishchev’s imagination with the goal of geographically similarizing Russia to European empires, becomes a specific Ural way of overcoming provincialism. Thus, the outskirts of Europe and Asia become the center of Eurasia.

Obelisks and memorials on the border between Europe and Asia

Most of the monuments and signs were installed in the Urals, but there are also in Kazakhstan and the Stavropol Territory. It is planned to install a sign in Rostov-on-Don. But in Istanbul there are only signs at the Bosphorus Bridge. In many places, such signs at the borders of parts of the world are a kind of magnets for tourists. People come here to take wedding photos, like at the sign at the pass over the Ural-Tau ridge on the M5 Ural federal highway near Zlatoust. Some signs are just signs or posts. Perhaps, all the signs are most fully listed and photographed in, where this list of obelisks and signs is taken from. Unfortunately, some of the signs were destroyed and are therefore not included in the list.

	1. Yugorsky Shar Strait The sign in the form of a pillar with a tablet and an anchor is located on the shore of the Yugorsky Shar Strait at the point where Vaygach Island is closest to the mainland. This is the northernmost Europe-Asia sign on the mainland Coordinates: 69°48’20.5″N. w. 60°43’27.7″E. d.
	2. Easternmost point of Europe Sign installed on extreme eastern mainland point of Europe. The sign is located between the upper reaches of the Malaya Usa and Malaya Shchuchya rivers in the polar Urals (the border of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Komi Republic). The extreme eastern point of Europe is located on Novaya Island in the northeast of Severny Island in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Coordinates: 67°45’13.2″N. w. 66°13’38.3″E. d.
	3. Sign at the Polar Ural station Installed on the platform of the Polyarny Ural station on the Vorkuta-Labytnangi line. Coordinates: 67°00’50.2″N. w. 65°06’48.4″E. d.
	4. Sign on the Shchekuryinsky pass (Mount Neroika) A poorly visible sign stands on the Shchekuryinsky Pass in the Subpolar Urals near the village of Saranpaul. The sign was placed along the watershed of the Bolshoi Patok and Shchekurya rivers near Mount Neroika. Coordinates: 64°39’21.1″N. w. 59°41’09.4″E. d.
	5. Sign on the gas pipeline “Northern Lights” The Europe-Asia sign next to the Northern Lights gas pipeline near the village of Vuktyl, Komi Republic. Installed by gas workers, it is located on the road leading from the village of Vuktyl along the Northern Lights gas pipeline to the central base of the Yugydva Natural Park. Coordinates: 63°17’21.8″N. w. 59°20’43.5″E. d.
	6. Sign at the source of Pechora A cast iron sign was installed at the source of the Pechora River. Coordinates: 62°11’56.2″N. w. 59°26’37.1″E. d.
	7. Sign at an altitude of 708.9 m north of Mount Yanyghachechahl A homemade sign in the form of a wooden pole with signs, fixed in a pyramid of stones, was installed at an altitude of 708.9 m north of Mount Yanyghachechahl in the subpolar Urals, north of the city of Ivdel, Sverdlovsk region. On the other slope of Mount Yanyghachechahl there is the Dyatlov Pass. Coordinates: 62°01’47.6″N. w. 59°26’07.9″E. d.
	8. Sign on Mount Saklaimsori-Chahl The sign is installed on Mount Saklaimsori-Chakhl, where eight borders converge: Europe, Asia, the Perm and Sverdlovsk regions, the Komi Republic, the basins of three great rivers of Russia - the Ob (Purma), Pechora (Malaya Khozya) and the Volga (Vishera). The “Europe-Asia” sign was installed on July 25, 1997. On the pole there is the inscription: “Governor Igumnov as a keepsake for posterity!” Coordinates: 61°39’47.3″N. w. 59°20’56.2″E. d.
	9. Sign on the Popovsky Uval pass The sign is installed on the Popovsky Uval pass (altitude 774 m) on the road from Ivdel to the Sibirevsky mine. On one side of the pillar there is a European face, on the other - an Asian one. Coordinates: 60°57’39.9″N. w. 59°23’05.4″E. d.
	10. Sign at the Kazan Stone On the road from Severouralsk to the waterfalls on the Zhigolan River, at the foot of the Kazan Stone. Nearby there were two granite slabs with the inscription “Europe and Asia”, but they were broken. Coordinates: 60°03’56.2″N. w. 59°03’41.3″E. d.
	11. Sign near the village of Kytlym The sign is located near the village of Kytlym, 8 km along the road leading to Verkhnyaya Kosva, at the foot of the Kosvinsky Stone mountain. Coordinates: 59°29’27.9″N. w. 58°59’23.5″E. d.
	12. Sign near the village of Pavda The sign stands at the fork in three forest roads leading to Pavda, Kytlym and Rastyos. Coordinates: 59°20’00.0″N. w. 59°08’55.3″E. d.
	14. Obelisk near the village of Promysla The obelisk is located 9 km from the village of Promysla on the Kachkanar-Chusovoy road. There is an observation deck across the road from the obelisk. The road is crossed by a line marking the boundaries of parts of the world. This is the obelisk in the photo in the title of this article. Coordinates: 58°33’42.3″N. w. 59°13’56.5″E. d.
	15. Obelisk at the Uralsky Ridge station The sign was installed on the platform of the Uralsky Ridge station in 2003 in honor of the 125th anniversary of the Sverdlovsk Railway. Coordinates: 58°24’44.1″N. w. 59°23’47.4″E. d.
	16. 276th km of the Gornozavodskaya railway Identical metal trusses in the form of triangular pyramids were installed on both sides of the railway track in 1878 during the construction of the Gornozavodskaya Railway. The obelisks are located on the 276th kilometer of the road, between the Evropeiskaya station and the op. Uralsky Ridge (6 km from European, 8 km from Uralsky Ridge). Coordinates: 58°24’06.0″N. w. 59°19’37.4″E. d.
	17. Chapel near the village of Kedrovka Installed in 1868 by order and with funds from gold miners of the Northern Urals. He was described by Mamin-Sibiryak. Located 4 km from the village of Kedrovka on the Kushva-Serebryanka highway (via V. Barancha) on the pass north of Mount Kedrovka. Coordinates: 58°11’21.2″N. w. 59°26’04.5″E. d.
	18. Obelisk on the logging road near the village of Baranchinsky Obelisk on the logging road near the village of Baranchinsky. It is located to the west, on the pass south of Mount Kedrovka. The sign was cast from cast iron at the Baranchinsky Electromechanical Plant and decorated with ornaments. Coordinates: 58°08’39.0″N. w. 59°26’51.7″E. d.
	19. Stella on the Big Ural pass Stella is located on the Big Ural pass along the Serebryansky tract (N. Tagil - Serebryanka) near the village of Sinegorsky. Installed in 1967 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Great October Revolution by workers of the Sinegorsky timber industry enterprise (project author A.A. Schmidt). Coordinates: 57°53’43.1″N. w. 59°33’53.6″E. d.
	20. Pillar near the village of Elizavetinskoye A wooden pillar was installed near the village of Elizavetinskoye on the old Demidovsky tract near the Red Pillar mountain. Coordinates: 57°47’20.9″N. w. 59°37’54.7″E. d.
	21. Obelisk near the village of Uralets The obelisk was erected near the village of Uralets on the pass over the Veselye Gory ridge in 1961 in honor of Yuri Gagarin's flight into space. The author of the project is V. P. Krasavchenko. The obelisk was built by workers from a mechanical plant in the village of Uralets. Coordinates: 57°40’38.0″N. w. 59°41’58.5″E. d.
	22. Sign at Mount Bilimbay A sign with the inscription “Jolly Mountains” (that’s the name of the ridge) on the eastern slope of Mount Bilimbay at the side of the logging road. Coordinates: 57°32’44.9″N. w. 59°41’35.0″E. d.
	23. Sign at the Old Man-Stone Installed on the side of the road leading from Karpushikha to the foot of the Old Stone. A modest wooden sign on a wooden post with a carved inscription “Europe-Asia” and either a cross or a pointer. Coordinates: 57°28’55.0″N. w. 59°45’53.3″E. d.
	24. Obelisk with a sundial near Novouralsk The obelisk with a sundial was installed by tourists from the Kedr club in 1985. The author of the project is Boris Shitikov. Guys from the Neiva teenage tourist club helped install the pole and align it along the solar meridian. Coordinates: 57°13’19.6″N. w. 59°59’20.7″E. d.
	25. Stone promise at the Old Bilimbaevskaya road near Novouralsk On the western slope of Mount Medvezhka, on the old Bilimbaevskaya road (the road from Novouralsk to the gardens), there is a marble slab with the inscription “The Europe-Asia sign will be installed here in honor of the builders of the city.” Coordinates: 57°11’27.1″N. w. 60°02’37.5″E. d.
	26. Sign on Mount Medvezhka At the top of Mount Medvezhka there is a Europe-Asia Sign in the form of a metal triangular pyramid. It is located on the south side of the small rocks at the top. Coordinates: 57°11’11.7″N. w. 60°04’10.3″E. d.
	27. Pillar on the Bunarsky ridge pass The pillar was installed in 1966 on the road going through Bilimbay to Murzinka. It is located between the villages of Pochinok and Taraskovo on a clearly visible pass over the Bunarsky ridge. The installation location does not coincide with the main watershed. Coordinates: 57°05’01.0″N. w. 59°58’17.2″E. d.
	28. Sign on Mount Kotel The sign in the form of two kissing doves was installed for Border Guard Day in 2011 by tourists from Yekaterinburg and Novouralsk. Coordinates: 56°58’18.0″N. w. 60°06’02.0″E. d.
	29. Obelisk at Vershina station The obelisk was erected near the Vershina station during preparations for the VI World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Moscow in 1957. Coordinates: 56°52’55.0″N. w. 60°03’56.3″E. d.
	30. New obelisk on Mount Berezovaya It is located on the Old Moscow Highway at the foot of Mount Berezovaya not far from the entrance to Pervouralsk from Yekaterinburg. The very first “Europe - Asia” sign was installed at this place in honor of Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich’s visit to the Urals in 1837. In 2008, a granite monument was installed in its place, and the old monument was moved to the New Moscow Highway. Coordinates: 56°52’13.0″N. w. 60°02’52.0″E. d.
	31. Historical obelisk near Pervouralsk Moved from the historical site on Mount Berezovaya to the Novo-Moskovsky tract near Pervouralsk. Coordinates: 56°52’04.0″N. w. 60°02’41.7″E. d.
	32. Obelisk on the Novo-Moskovsky tract near Yekaterinburg This obelisk was installed in 2004 and is located at 17 km of the Novo-Moskovsky highway near Yekaterinburg. Coordinates: 56°49’55.7″N. w. 60°21’02.6″E. d.
	33. Stella on the road Revda-Degtyarsk The stella on the road from Revda to Degtyarsk was installed in 1984 for the 250th anniversary of Revda, but the installation site is far from the main watershed. Coordinates: 56°46’14.8″N. w. 60°01’35.7″E. d.
	34. Owl sign at Kamennaya Mountain The obelisk “Filin” was erected by students of school No. 21 in the city of Revda on Mount Kamennaya in the Revdinsko-Ufaleysky ridge. The inscriptions “Europe” and “Asia” are laid out on the ground with stones. Coordinates: 56°45’05.4″N. w. 60°00’20.2″E. d.
	35. Obelisk near the village of Kurganovo The Europe-Asia obelisk was installed near the village of Kurganovo on the Polevsky tract. Coordinates: 56°38’34.3″N. w. 60°24’05.4″E. d.
	36. Sign at Mramorskaya station The sign is installed at Mramorskaya station opposite the platform on a striped pole. At the top there are signs indicating the parts of the world. Between the signs is written “Ural” and a figurine of a sable is attached. Coordinates: 56°32’13.9″N. w. 60°23’41.8″E. d.
	38. Sign on the road Diagon Ford-Asbest Sign on the road from the village of Diagon Ford to the village of Asbest. Installed on June 16, 2007 by the guys from the Voyager Club. Coordinates: 56°28’40.6″N. w. 60°24’06.1″E. d.
	39. Sign near the village of Bolshie Egusty Sign on the side of the road Slyudorudnik - Bolshie Egusty 2.5 km from the village of B. Egusty on the left side. A concrete stele in the form of a sharp triangular pyramid with signposts “Europe” and “Asia” is installed above the spring from which the stream flowing to Asia begins. Coordinates: 55°37’22.6″N. w. 60°15’17.3″E. d.
	40. Obelisk at Urzhumka station Installed near the Urzhumka station of the Chelyabinsk-Zlatoust railway (the first station from Zlatoust towards Chelyabinsk) in 1892 as a sign of the completion of construction of a section of the Trans-Siberian railway. The border pillar is made of hewn granite “bricks”, which were used in facing roadside structures. The author of the project is N. G. Garin-Mikhailovsky. Coordinates: 42. New obelisks on the banks of the Urals near the village of Novobayramgulovo The steles are installed on both sides of the bridge over the Ural River on the Uchaly-Beloretsk road between the village of Uralsk and the village of Novobayramgulovo. Coordinates: 54°05’42.5″N. w. 59°04’04.8″E. d.
	43. Old obelisks on the banks of the Urals near the village of Novobayramgulovo Obelisks are installed on both sides of the old destroyed bridge over the Ural River. Built in 1968 according to a sketch by the artist D. M. Adigamov and architect U. F. Zainikeev. Obelisks are flat steles topped with images of a hammer and sickle, and in their lower part there is an image of the globe. Coordinates: 54°05’33.9″N. w. 59°04’11.9″E. d.
	44. Geographical sign in Verkhneuralsk A geographical sign marking the Europe-Asia border was erected in 2006 near the Ural River at the site where the Verkhneyaitskaya fortress was located. Coordinates: 53°52’27.7″N. w. 59°12’16.8″E. d.
	47. Obelisk on the banks of the Urals in Magnitogorsk The obelisk was installed in 1979 on the right bank of the river. Ural at the entrance to the Central Bridge in honor of the 50th anniversary of the city, designed by architect V.N. Bogun. The obelisk consists of two massive cubes with a symbolic image of the Earth, divided into two parts with the letters “E” and “A”. On the bridge itself there are 4 steles symbolizing the border between Europe and Asia. In the center of the bridge is a unique road sign “Europe-Asia”. Coordinates:
	52. Signs Europe-Asia in the city of Atyrau (Kazakhstan) Signs in the form of gazebos on both sides of the bridge over the Ural River in the city of Atyrau in Kazakhstan. Coordinates: 47°06’18.0″N. w. 51°54’53.2″E. d.
	53. Obelisk in the town of Neftekumsk The obelisk stands in the city of Neftekumsk in the Stavropol Territory. It was established here because, according to one of the options, the border between Europe and Asia runs along the Kuma-Manych depression between the Caspian and Black Seas. The stele was installed in 1986. Architect: N.A. Postol. Coordinates: In Rostov-on-Don they plan to erect a memorial sign “Europe-Asia” in the area of the bridge over the Don River. The competition started in 2009, but there is no sign yet.
	55. Conventional sign Europe-Asia in Rostov-on-Don Since there is still no “Europe-Asia” sign on the border in Rostov-on-Don, the owners of the “Quiet Don” shopping center in the right wing of the River Station building have placed a “Europe-Asia” symbol on the Don embankment. It is located on the bridge on the second floor. However, the border follows the Don fairway, so the sign is conditional. Approximate coordinates sign 47°12’47.8″N 39°42’38.5″E .
	56. Signs in front of the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul "Welcome to Europa/Asia" signs at the entrances to the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey. Bridge coordinates: 41°02’45.2″N 29°02’02.0″E

Geography, it would seem, is the most studied science, in which there are few unclear points left. However, the simplest questions sometimes perplex not only ordinary people, but scientists. Where, for example, is the border between Europe and Asia?
Wikimedia Commons/timofey zakharov ()

Textbooks and reference books give a clear answer to this question. However, there is still no agreement on this issue either in the scientific community or in political circles.

The border between Europe and Asia - what is the problem?

Surprisingly, even with the modern development of science, it is not always possible to accurately determine, to the nearest kilometer, where exactly this axis passes.

One thing is certain: over time, the notorious border has constantly shifted to the east, as an increasing number of countries and regions wanted to consider themselves European.

All these questions force geographers to return again and again to the problem of the Asian-European border, to conduct additional research and expeditions.

The border between Europe and Asia - what did geographers agree on?

— along the eastern base of the Ural ridge and the Mugodzhar spur;

— along the Emba River, which flows into the Caspian Sea;

— along the northern shore of the Caspian Sea;
Wikimedia Commons / Sergey Alexandrov ()
- along the Kuma-Manych depression, which is now the floodplain of the Kuma and Manych rivers, and in ancient times was a strait connecting the Black Sea with the Caspian Sea;

- across the Black Sea, Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.

— The Mediterranean coast east of the Dardanelles belongs to Asia, to the west – to Europe.

What are the disputes about?

As for the section of the border in the Caucasus region, there are also several opinions. Some scientists propose drawing the border along the Kuma-Manych lowland, others along the watershed of the Caucasus ridge, and still others even further to the south.

Wikimedia Commons/const_st()
In order to once and for all resolve the issue of the border between Asia and Europe, Russian scientists proposed using not only a geographical, but also a political, cultural and civilizational approach. The international community has been asked to consider an option in which the border leaves the Ural Mountains and the Sea of Azov within Europe, and the Caucasus within Asia.

Not every person is able to say without thinking which mountains separate Europe and Asia. In order to correctly answer this question, it is necessary to first note that Eurasia is the largest continent on the planet. It is usually divided into two continents - Europe and Asia. From an economic point of view, from ancient times to the present day, the border between them plays a very important role for movement from East to West and vice versa. According to the ancient Greeks, it passed through the center of the Mediterranean Sea. Starting from the fifth century BC, the Don River was considered to be it and Ptolemy adhered to this opinion, so this teaching was quite firmly established and lasted until the eighteenth century. This article will discuss what separates Europe and Asia in the modern sense.

First official separation

In scientific literature, the continent was officially first divided into two continents by the Swedish famous scientist Philipp Johann von Stralenberg in 1730. Answering in his writings the question of what mountains separate Europe and Asia, he clearly noted that this is the Ural ridge. At the same time, the scientist focused on the fact that in addition to it, the border passes through the river of the same name, the Caucasus, the Yugorsky Shar Strait, the Caspian, Black and Azov Seas. Many authoritative researchers of that time supported this idea, which they wrote about in their works. There is an opinion that this idea was suggested to Stralenberg by V.N. Tatishchev, the founder of many local cities and settlements. Now in more detail about which mountains separate Europe and Asia.

Formation of the Ural Mountains

The Urals not only represents a naturally formed boundary between adjacent continents, but also serves as a watershed for the eastern and western basins. The formation of mountains began approximately 350 million years ago, in other words, during the Paleozoic era, and lasted approximately 150 million years. The total length of the ridge exceeds two thousand kilometers. As for its width, it varies in different areas from forty kilometers to one hundred and fifty. The name “Ural” itself, translated from the Bashkir language, means “hill” or “height”. Speaking about which mountains separate Europe and Asia, one cannot fail to note the interesting historical fact that on the very first Russian map they were called the “Big Stone” and were depicted as a large belt from where a significant number of rivers began. Due to the fact that the ridge is quite old, its peaks are not very high. The first official documentary recollection of him is in the Tale of Bygone Years and dates back to the eleventh century. The Urals are geographically divided into Northern, Central and Southern parts.

Natural resources

Now in the Urals you can find a large number of different minerals and minerals. There are copper and iron ores, cobalt, nickel, zinc, oil, coal and even precious stones with gold. In this regard, since the times of the Soviet Union, the mountains between Europe and Asia have been considered the largest metallurgical and mining base of the state. This is not surprising, because 48 of the 55 types of minerals that were mined throughout the country at that time were found here. Many of them, including precious and semi-precious ones, are located in close proximity to the earth's surface. There are also several minerals that are found exclusively here. A striking example of this is the dark emerald uvarovite. This also includes rich forest resources. It should be noted that excellent conditions for farming have been created in the middle and southern parts of the mountains.

Climate

The Urals are characterized by a typical mountain climate, in which precipitation is distributed unevenly. Natural conditions here can vary greatly even within the same zone. The explanation for this is quite simple. The fact is that the mountains separating Europe and Asia play the role of a kind of climate barrier. Due to the fact that the western part receives a large amount of precipitation, the climate here is milder and more humid. As for the eastern region of the ridge, the opposite is true - it is dry due to lack of precipitation.

Obelisks

The obelisks located on the local area deserve special mention. They began to be installed here in the nineteenth century. The first monuments were monuments in the form of stelae, made of wood and rectangular in shape. They were obligatorily marked with signs called “Asia” and “Europe”. In order to ensure the safety of the obelisks, small guard huts were erected next to them, in which, as a rule, forest walkers lived. Individual monuments boast their own unique history. For example, the monument, located near Mount Berezovaya, appeared in 1807. Thirty years later, in connection with a visit to the site by the imperial delegation, the wooden structure was replaced by a marble one, with the coat of arms of the king.

Border along the Ural River

The river separating Europe and Asia is the Ural. Its total length is about two and a half thousand kilometers. It should be noted that in its basin there are about eight thousand rivers of different sizes. At the source of the Urals there are five large springs located at an altitude of 637 meters above sea level. Coming together in a swampy valley, they form a rather powerful stream. The idea of using a river as a border between two continents was proposed by the above-mentioned Russian scientist V.N. Tatishchev.

Istanbul

The only city on the planet that is located on two continents at the same time is Turkish Istanbul. The history of this metropolis goes back more than two and a half thousand years. All these years it has had a very important commercial importance due to its geographical location. The Mediterranean Sea, which separates Europe and Asia, also separates them from Africa. It is here that it is connected to Cherny through the Bosphorus Strait. The continents are divided in the same way. The very location of the modern city of Istanbul was often called the gateway connecting the Silk Road with the Old World.

Expedition 2010

In April 2010, the Russian Geographical Society initiated and carried out an expedition, the main task of which was to determine the true origin of the border between Asia and Europe. During the work, scientists found that the axis of the Ural ridge is lost in the Zlatoust area and is dispersed into several lines. These are some parallel arrays. In this regard, they suggested that it is not entirely reasonable to consider the border. In their opinion, it should be laid along the Caspian lowland, or more precisely, along its eastern edge. However, the research of Russian scientists to this day remains unconsidered by the relevant body - the International Geographical Union.

conclusions

From all of the above, we can safely conclude that the main border between Asia and Europe is the Ural Mountains. One of the proofs of this is even the fact that on their opposite sides the fauna and flora are noticeably different. In addition, a great difference arises even in the directions and characters of the rivers.

The border between Asia and Europe: where it lies, interesting facts. Border between Europe and Asia Border between Europe and Asia on the map

The border between Europe and Asia - what did geographers agree on?

What are the disputes about?

Tip 1: Where is the border between Europe and Asia?

Different approaches to defining boundaries

Conditional and real border

Official border between Asia and Europe

The border between Asia and Europe: where it is, interesting facts

Europe and Asia, West and East

Europe – Asia: main differences

Europe and Asia: general information about parts of the world

The border between Asia and Europe and the criteria for its identification

A short excursion into the history of the problem

Where is the border between Europe and Asia today?

Obelisks and monuments on the border between Europe and Asia

Finally

Border "Europe-Asia"

Border between Europe and Asia

Where is the border between Europe and Asia on the world map?

History of the border between Europe and Asia

Early ideas about the border between Europe and Asia

How the border between Europe and Asia was drawn in the 18th and 19th centuries

Map of historical definitions of the border between Europe and Asia

Official political definition of the Europe-Asia border at present

Countries in both Europe and Asia

Expedition to clarify the border between Europe and Asia

Where is the border between Europe and Asia in the Urals

Where should we draw the border between Europe and Asia in the Sverdlovsk region?

Historical obelisk on the Europe-Asia border

Video about the border between Europe and Asia

Where is the border between Europe and Asia?

From cockroach to dragon: the border of Europe and Asia in imperial science, Ural identity and provincial esotericism

Obelisks and memorials on the border between Europe and Asia

1. Yugorsky Shar Strait

2. Easternmost point of Europe

3. Sign at the Polar Ural station

4. Sign on the Shchekuryinsky pass (Mount Neroika)

5. Sign on the gas pipeline “Northern Lights”

6. Sign at the source of Pechora

7. Sign at an altitude of 708.9 m north of Mount Yanyghachechahl

8. Sign on Mount Saklaimsori-Chahl

9. Sign on the Popovsky Uval pass

10. Sign at the Kazan Stone

11. Sign near the village of Kytlym

12. Sign near the village of Pavda

14. Obelisk near the village of Promysla

15. Obelisk at the Uralsky Ridge station

16. 276th km of the Gornozavodskaya railway

17. Chapel near the village of Kedrovka

18. Obelisk on the logging road near the village of Baranchinsky

19. Stella on the Big Ural pass

20. Pillar near the village of Elizavetinskoye

21. Obelisk near the village of Uralets

22. Sign at Mount Bilimbay

23. Sign at the Old Man-Stone

24. Obelisk with a sundial near Novouralsk

25. Stone promise at the Old Bilimbaevskaya road near Novouralsk

26. Sign on Mount Medvezhka

27. Pillar on the Bunarsky ridge pass

28. Sign on Mount Kotel

29. Obelisk at Vershina station

30. New obelisk on Mount Berezovaya

31. Historical obelisk near Pervouralsk

32. Obelisk on the Novo-Moskovsky tract near Yekaterinburg

33. Stella on the road Revda-Degtyarsk

34. Owl sign at Kamennaya Mountain

35. Obelisk near the village of Kurganovo

36. Sign at Mramorskaya station

38. Sign on the road Diagon Ford-Asbest

39. Sign near the village of Bolshie Egusty

40. Obelisk at Urzhumka station

42. New obelisks on the banks of the Urals near the village of Novobayramgulovo

43. Old obelisks on the banks of the Urals near the village of Novobayramgulovo

44. Geographical sign in Verkhneuralsk

47. Obelisk on the banks of the Urals in Magnitogorsk

52. Signs Europe-Asia in the city of Atyrau (Kazakhstan)

53. Obelisk in the town of Neftekumsk

55. Conventional sign Europe-Asia in Rostov-on-Don

56. Signs in front of the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul

The border between Europe and Asia - what is the problem?