Parting 

Minerals of France. Characteristics of natural resources

France is the most big country Europe (borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain and Andorra), the area is 555 thousand km2, the length of the borders is 5.5 thousand km, of which 2.7 thousand km are maritime. The territory of the country is almost a regular hexagon. Even ancient historians and geographers noted the unusually convenient geographical position of France. Strabo wrote that "providence itself erected mountains, brought the seas closer, laid the channels of the rivers in order to create here the most flourishing place on earth."

France is the third largest country in Europe (after Russia and Ukraine), if you count the overseas regions - then the second. The lowest point in France is the Rhone Delta (2 m below sea level), the highest is Mont Blanc (4,810 m above sea level). France shares borders with 11 countries. The metropolis borders on 8 countries, and overseas regions - on three. The total length of the land borders is 4,082.2 km. With the exception of the northeastern part of the country, France mainly has natural borders: the Rhine, the Jura, the Alps, the Pyrenees.

The north of the country is almost at sea level. The center of the country - the Loire Valley is higher. The relief of the coastal territories of Aquitaine and the regions overlooking the Mediterranean coast is also mostly flat.

Climate of France

For Normandy and Brittany, a maritime climate is characteristic, spreading its influence over the entire western part of the country. Brittany has a particularly mild and humid climate, which is characterized by a small difference between summer and winter temperatures, as well as cloudy days with strong winds.

It is warm here in winter (average January temperature is +7°C), but summers are cool and cloudy (+17°C in July). AT eastern regions countries dominated continental climate: here is the annual amplitude average monthly temperatures reaches 20°C. Paris is characterized by a mild winter, with an average January temperature of +3.5°C. Protected from northern winds Alps and Massif Central coast mediterranean sea has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and humid warm winter. In low-lying areas remote from the sea, the average January temperature is also positive, and the summer is much warmer. In the southern part of France, on the coast, the climate is Mediterranean subtropical: summers are dry and hot, winters are warm, but rains begin in autumn.

In Nice, the average temperature in July is +23°С, in January +8°С. In the mountains - the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central - there are low winter temperatures, strong winds, abundance of precipitation, long-term snow cover. The average annual rainfall in most of the country is 600-1000 mm, with precipitation distributed throughout the country, with the exception of the Mediterranean coast, relatively evenly.

Geographical regions of France

The country has several mountain ranges. The Alps are the highest mountains, stretching from north to south (actually to the Mediterranean Sea) for 370 km, the most high point Europe - Mont Blanc (4807m) - The Alps are full of ski resorts, which are considered among the best in terms of location and equipment in the world. The Jura mountains are a kind of outskirts of the Alps. It has cold winters and many forests. The Pyrenees stretch for 430 km from west to east (altitude up to 3000 m), the natural border between France and Spain.

The massif central is a high-altitude massif in the center of the country, the highest point is Mount Puy de Sancy (1886 m). In the massif are the sources of many rivers, in the Auvergne - extinct volcanoes. (The screen mountains of the Central Massif - Cevennes, stretched from north to south, their height is up to 1700 m. This is a kind of climate dividing line: humid in the west; dry in the east. The Vosges forests (approx. 1400 m) separate Elsasota from Lorraine. Ardennes (not higher than 700 m) are located in the north-west of France.Their name comes from the Celtic word for oak.

The north of the country is almost at sea level. The center of the country - the Loire Valley is higher. The relief of the coastal territories of Aquitaine and the regions overlooking the Mediterranean coast is also mostly flat. The Loire, whose length is more than a thousand kilometers, gave the name to the wine-growing region - the Loire Valley, which is divided into five large areas: Muscode-Lei-Nantes, Anjou-Samur, Touraine. Central Loire and Haute Loire. The region stretches from west to east, so its climate varies from mild maritime in Muscadet to continental - with a sharp difference in temperature: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume.

The Central French massif, located between the basins of the Loire, Garonne and Rhone, is the largest massif that arose as a result of the destruction of the ancient Hercynian mountains. Like other ancient mountainous areas France, it rose in the Alpine era, while the softer rocks in the Alps were crumpled into folds, and the dense rocks of the Central French Massif were broken by cracks and faults. Deep-seated molten rocks rose along such disturbed zones, which was accompanied by volcanic eruptions. AT modern era these volcanoes have lost their activity. Nevertheless, many extinct volcanoes and other volcanic landforms have been preserved on the surface of the massif.

The Armorican Massif, which occupies the territory of the Brittany and Cotentin peninsulas, is less uplifted and less fractured than the Central French Massif. However, despite its low heights, the Armorican massif is deeply dissected by river valleys and there are few leveled areas. Steep slopes predominate, which, combined with infertile soils, limits development opportunities. Agriculture.

The Vosges Mountains, which separate the fertile Rhine Valley in Alsace from the rest of France, are only 40 km wide. The smoothed and forested surfaces of these mountains rise above deep valleys. A similar landscape prevails in the north of the country in the Ardennes (their main array is located on the territory of Belgium). The Paris Basin is located in north-central France, surrounded by the Massif Armorican, Massif Central, the Vosges and the Ardennes. Around Paris is a system of concentric ledges of ridges separated by narrow strips of plains.

The Garonne lowland, located in southwestern France at the foot of the Pyrenees, is a flat area with fertile soils. Landes, a triangular wedge-shaped area southwest of the lower Garonne, is characterized by less fertile soils and is planted with coniferous forests. The graben of the Rhone and Saone in southeastern France forms a narrow passage between the Alps in the east and the Massif Central in the west. It consists of a series of small depressions separated by highly dissected uplifted areas.

Rivers of France

Most of the rivers of France, starting in the Massif Central, flow into the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea. The Seine (775 km, from Latin “calm”) is a flat river. It forms a widely branched system with large right tributaries of the Marne and Oise and the left tributary of the Ionne. The Seine is navigable and ensures the movement of goods between Paris and Rouen.

Garonne (650 km) originates in the Spanish Pyrenees, flows through Toulouse and Bordeaux, at the confluence with the ocean, forming a vast estuary - the Gironde. The main tributaries are Tarn, Lot and Dordogne. Used in agriculture for irrigation.

Rhone (812 km, the nickname of the river - "angry bull") - the most deep river France, begins in the Swiss Alps from the Rhone Glacier, flows through Lake Geneva. Near Lyon, the Saone River flows into it. Other major tributaries- Durance and Isère. It is of great hydropower and transport importance. Provides water supply to the cities located on the Cote d'Azur. It is navigable below the tributary - the river En. Also plays a large role in agriculture (used for irrigation).

Loire (1020 km) - the longest river in France starts in the Massif Central. The river receives many tributaries, the main ones being Allier, Cher, Indre and Vienne. The river is navigable only in the lower reaches, where Nantes and Saint-Nazaire are located. In December and January, the Loire is especially full-flowing (it increases about eight times) and only by summer does the water subside. In former times, important trade routes passed along the Loire and it was called the Queen River. The banks of the Loire are composed of white limestone, which was used to build temples and palaces. The Loire is navigable to the city of Rouen. It is of great tourist importance.

Minerals of France

Coal deposits are found in the foothills and intermontane depressions of the Hercynian mountains in northern France, in Lorraine and in the Massif Central. The total reserves of hard coal are estimated at 2-3 billion tons, and low-quality coals, low coking coals and anthracites predominate. The largest reserves of uranium ore in Europe have been discovered in the Central Massif and in other Hercynian Uplands; antimony, gold and other non-ferrous metals are also mined here in small quantities.

Europe's largest iron ore deposits have been found in the Jurassic limestone beds in the west of the Lorraine Plateau. Lorraine ores are not rich: they contain only 30-33% iron and a lot of phosphorus, but their layers are thick, they lie shallow and the ores contain natural fluxes. Nearby, east of Nancy, deposits are known rock salt. The western part of the French Alps (Pre-Alps) is composed of sedimentary rocks, mainly limestones, the eastern, higher one, is composed of crystalline rocks. The centuries-old activity of ice, snow and meltwater has led to a strong dissection of the Alps.

The Pyrenees (only their northern slopes belong to France) are much lower than the Alps (~2500m). Especially majestic is the huge glacial circus of Gavarni with almost sheer walls 400-500 m high, from where waterfalls rush down, giving birth to the river. By. Nowadays, there are almost no glaciers left in the Pyrenees.

Powerful mountain systems The Alps and the Pyrenees have large water reserves, their vast subalpine and alpine meadows are used for pastures, and forests provide raw materials for the woodworking industry. Here are the centers international tourism and mountaineering.

The bowels of France as a whole contain significant reserves of minerals, especially iron ore, bauxite, potash and rock salts, but fuel resources are very limited. Mineral reserves as of 2001:

  • Barite - 1300 thousand tons (general), 800 thousand tons (confirmed)
  • Bauxite - 100 million tons (identified), 53 million tons (total), 13 million tons (confirmed)
  • Tungsten - 40 thousand tons (identified), 20 thousand tons (general), 20 thousand tons (confirmed)
  • Gas - 9.7 billion cubic meters
  • Iron ore - 2200 million tons (total, confirmed)
  • Tin - 65 thousand tons (general, confirmed)
  • Fluorspar - 14 Mt (total), 10 Mt (confirmed)
  • Silver - 4000 tons (general), 2000 tons (confirmed)
  • Lead - 700 thousand tons (general), 320 thousand tons (confirmed)
  • Brown coal - 161 million tons (general), 14 million tons (confirmed)
  • Coal - 441 million tons (general), 15 million tons (confirmed)
  • The data are given as of 01.01.2007.

Flora and fauna of France

Forests occupy 27% of the country's territory. In northern and western regions countries grow walnut, birch, oak, spruce, cork tree. On the Mediterranean coast - palm trees, citrus fruits. Among the representatives of the fauna, deer and fox stand out. Roe deer live in alpine regions, and wild boar has been preserved in remote forests. It also lives here a large number of various kinds birds, including migratory ones. Reptiles are rare, and among snakes only one is poisonous - common viper. In coastal sea ​​waters There are many types of fish: herring, cod, tuna, sardine, mackerel, flounder, silver hake.

Source - http://ru.wikipedia.org/

FRANCE (France), the French Republic (Republique Francaise), is a state in Western Europe. The area is 551.0 thousand km 2. Population 55.6 million (1987). The capital is Paris. Administratively it is divided into 96 departments. France includes "overseas departments" (Guadeloupe, Guiana, Martinique, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Reunion) and "overseas territories" (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Kerguelen, Wallis and Futuna). The official language is French. The monetary unit is the French franc. Member of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC; since 1951), the European Economic Community (EEC; since 1957), the European Community for atomic energy(Euratom; since 1958), the Western European Union (since 1955), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (since 1961) and some other economic and political organizations.

General characteristics of the economy. In terms of gross domestic product and industrial output, France in 1987 ranked 4th in the capitalist world (after Japan and). Structure of gross domestic product (%): agriculture 3.9; mining industry 0.7; processing - 25.4; power industry 2.6; construction 5.6; trade 11.8; transport and communications 5.2, other industries 44.8. The French economy is dominated by state monopoly capital; the degree of monopolization is especially high in metallurgy, the production of cars, and other branches of engineering and chemical industry. Nationalized (partially or completely) banks, coal, nuclear, aviation, automobile and gas industries, large power plants, railways, etc.

The fuel and energy base of France is underdeveloped, despite the presence of significant own energy resources. The structure of the fuel and energy balance (%, 1986): solid fuel 15.1, liquid - 50.8, natural gas 18.2, hydropower 3.2, nuclear power 12.7. Electricity generation in 1986 amounted to 343 billion kWh. Length railways about 40 thousand km, 1.5 million km of highways, of which 7 thousand km are motorways. The tonnage of the merchant marine is 8.4 million gross tons. Major seaports: Marseille, Le Havre, Dunkirk, Rouen, Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, Bordeaux.

Nature. coast Atlantic coast slightly dissected in the north and west, mostly low rectilinear; in the northwest, in the region of the Brittany and Cotentin peninsulas, bay, partly rias; the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the west are low, in some places swampy, in the east they are steep rocky. The spurs of the Maritime Alps approach the Ligurian Sea. In the western and northern regions of the country, flat or hilly plains (the Garonne Lowland, the Paris Basin) and low mountains predominate; in the center and in the east - medium-altitude mountains (Central French massif, Vosges, part of the Jura mountains). Along the southwestern and southeastern outskirts - high ridges and the massifs of the Pyrenees and the Alps (with the highest peak in France and Western Europe - Mont Blanc, 4807 m). The climate of most of the country is maritime temperate, in the east it is transitional to continental; on the Mediterranean coast, subtropical Mediterranean with dry summers and rainy winters; in the rest of France, precipitation is more evenly distributed (their total on the plains is 600-1000 mm, in the mountains up to 2000-2500 mm per year). Average January temperatures are 1-5°C (up to 8°C in the south), July 17-22°C (up to 24°C in the south). The river network is dense, the rivers are full-flowing. The largest large rivers are the Seine, the Rhone with the Saone, the Loire, the Garonne, and the Rhine (along the border with the FRG). Most of the country is occupied by agricultural land. Forests cover 26% of the territory of France (mainly oak, beech, chestnut, pine; in the mountains, also spruce, fir). On South - evergreen forests and shrubs of the Mediterranean type. Reserves - Pelvo (in the Alps), Camargue (in the Rhone Delta), etc.

Geological structure. Most of the territory of France is underlain by continental crust, consolidated at the end of the Paleozoic, in the Hercynian tectonic era, and further developed in a platform mode. The exceptions are the French Alps and the Pyrenees. The Paleozoic basement of the epi-Hercynian platform comes to the surface in the Armorican and Central French massifs, in the Ardennes, the Vosges, in the Black Mountain (Montagne-Hyap) in the south of the Massif Central and in the axial zone of the Pyrenees. In the basement of the Armorican Massif there are small blocks of deeply metamorphosed Early Precambrian, as well as (in the Central Massif) areas of development of weakly metamorphosed Late Precambrian, which was folded before the Cambrian in the Kadomian epoch of folding. The Lower and Middle Paleozoic strata, which make up the main part of the basement, are usually almost not metamorphosed, but are extremely intensively dislocated and intruded by numerous intrusions of granitoids. Composed of various sedimentary rocks - shale, sandstone, limestone, and volcanic rocks. The deformation of these deposits began in the middle Devonian and ended mainly by the Middle Carboniferous and finally in the middle of the Early. In the Middle Carboniferous, mountainous relief arose almost throughout France, including the Alps and the Pyrenees. Through the extreme north-east of the country (Department of Hop and Pas de Calais) stretches a piedmont trough, which is part of the so-called Coal Canal of Europe; it is filled with a paralic industrial coal-bearing formation of the Middle Carboniferous (Westphalian), located before the Late Carboniferous, and a red-colored detrital formation of the Upper Carboniferous (Stefanian) - lower Permian (Authenian). Intermountain troughs (grabens of the same age) are known in the Massif Central, in the Alps, and at the base of the Paris Basin. The sedimentary cover of the Epihercynian platform begins from the upper part of the Lower Permian. It fills two large depressions - the Parisian and Aquitaine basins (syneclises), connected by the "Poitou Strait", which separates the Armorican and Central massifs - the projections of the foundation. The Parisian pool has a simpler structure, while southern part The Aquitanian basin is complicated by salt tectonics associated with the development of a salt-bearing stratum in the Upper Triassic. Jurassic Cretaceous, Lower Paleogene formations - shallow marine sediments (, clays,), general regression begins from the Oligocene, and marine sediments in the Paris basin are replaced by continental ones; in the Aquitaine basin, the marine regime persists until the Miocene inclusive. The Alps in the Triassic still represented part of the epihercynian platform, and at the beginning of the Jurassic rifting took place here, a basin with oceanic crust arose - part of the Tethys; relics of its bark are represented by the Pennine zone, the innermost zone of the Alps. The ophiolites are overlain by the Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene flysch "brilliant schists". The outer zones of the Alps belonged to the underwater margin of the European continent; on the Hercynian basement, protruding in the so-called Outer crystalline massif, lagoonal sediments of the Triassic and shallow-marine Jurassic, Cretaceous and Lower Paleogene occur. The main deformations of the Alps began at the end of the Eocene and continued until the late Miocene. They were caused by the collision of the Adriatic microcontinent (Puglia) with the Eurasian continent and led to the formation of an extremely complex whole system charyazhs moved in the western and northwestern directions. In the Oligocene-Miocene, between the Alps and the Central Massif, a meridional system of rift grabens of the Sona and Rhone stretched, opening into the Mediterranean Sea; it forms a link in the wider Western European rift system, which also includes the Rhine graben and extends from North Sea to the Mediterranean. The Pyrenees are connected to the Alps through the latitudinal folded structures of Provence and the Gulf of Lion. They also arose on the Hercynian basement, protruding to the surface in their axial part in a number of massifs; platform development here continued almost until the end of the Early Cretaceous (Albian), after which, on both sides of the Hercynian axis, relatively deep-water troughs arose on the thinned continental crust with the accumulation of a thick thickness of the Upper Cretaceous - Lower Paleogene flysch. At the end of the Eocene, these sequences underwent intense folding and thrusting; On the territory of France, the formations of the North Pyrenean trough were pushed over the Cis-Pyrenean trough filled with Oligocene-Miocene molasse and closing in the east, bordering the Aquitaine basin. In the Pliocene, almost the entire territory of France became dry land; Armorican, Massif Central and the Vosges experienced uplift. In the Central Massif, it was relatively the most intense and was accompanied by an outbreak of volcanic activity; volcanic apparatuses are well preserved in relief.

Hydrogeology. Large hydrogeological structures are located on the territory of France: the Parisian, Aquitaine, Upper Rhine, Brest-Lyons artesian basins; Central French, Armorican, Vosges massifs; in the extreme east and south of the country - the folded regions of the Alps and the Pyrenees.

Thermo-mineral waters, especially carbonic ones, are widely used throughout the country. Their outcrops gravitate towards the areas of Neogene-Quaternary volcanism, their discharge is controlled by fault zones and feathering cracks. Mineralization up to 7 g / l, less often up to 30 g / l, composition HCO 3 -, HCO 3 - - SO 4 2-, HCO 3 - - Cl -, temperature over 40 ° С. There are resorts at many deposits (Vichy, Roya, La Bourboule). Groundwater from deep horizons of the sedimentary section with temperatures up to 80-90°C is used in industry and in everyday life for heating.

Minerals. France is rich in a variety of minerals. Among the countries of Western Europe, France occupies a leading position in terms of reserves of uranium, iron ore, lithium, niobium, and tantalum. Significant reserves of bauxite, gold, tin, fluorite, barite, talc and other minerals have been explored (Table 1).

Deposits of potash salts are concentrated in the department of Upper Rhine. Productive salt-bearing deposits of the Tertiary age occur in the Alsatian salt-bearing basin. The average content of K 2 About 19%.

Significant reserves of rock salt have been discovered in Lorraine. The largest deposits: Varengeville (departments of Meurthe and Moselle), Vover (department of Bouches-du-Rhone), Yurkuy, Dax (department of Landes) and others. High concentrations of table salt have been established in sea waters mediterranean coast especially in the department of Bouches-du-Rhone.

Sulfur deposits, characterized by a generally low quality of ores, are concentrated in Languedoc and Provence. The most significant Malwezi deposit, northwest of the city of Narbon, discovered in 1892 and explored in 1942, is represented by finely dispersed sulfur in the Upper Oligocene horizons of clays, marbled limestones and gypsum. Content S 8-10%. Sulfur reserves are also found in the Lac and Pont d'As Mayon fields, whose natural gas contains up to 15% H 2 S.

Fluorite reserves are concentrated in vein ore deposits, which are characterized by medium scale, but relatively high quality ores containing 40-55% CaF 2 , often 10-25% BaSO 4 The most important deposits are: Fontsante (department of Bap), Escaro (eastern Pyrenees), Montroc and Mulinal (department of Tarn). The Fonsante deposit (hydrothermal medium-temperature by genesis) is the only one in the world containing in ores in industrial concentrations (in addition to fluorite) up to 15-20% sellaite (MgF 2). The deposit is represented by a system of sublatitudinal veins 400-500 m long and 1-2 m thick among late Paleozoic gneisses. The veins are composed mainly of fluorite, barite and sulfides. At the Eskaro deposit, ore mineralization is represented by metasomatic deposits of siderite and intersecting quartz-fluorite veins in the Cambrian-Ordovician shale sequence. Fluorite reserves are 1 million tons. The largest of the deposits of stratiform metasomatic ores are Le Bourque (Tarn department) and Le Rossignol (Indre department). Fluorite mineralization of the stratiform type (CaF 2 content 35-40%), concentrated mainly within the Morvan syncline, in the southeastern part of the Paris Basin, is associated with Mesozoic rocks transgressively overlying the Hercynian basement.

The main part of the reserves of phosphorites, represented by low-grade ores (P 2 O 5 2.1-20%) such as phosphated chalk and phosphorite nodules, is concentrated in the Paris Basin (the Beauval deposit).

The largest deposits of gypsum are known in the Paris Basin (Taverny, Panchard, Vaujour). The Vozhur deposit is represented by 2 layers: at a depth of 27 m (thickness 19 m) and 33 m (thickness 6 m).

Large reserves of kaolin are localized mainly in the deposits of high-quality raw materials of Brittany (Keccya in the Côtes-du-Hop department; Ploermel in the Morbihan department; Berien in the Finistère department), as well as in the Massif Central.

France occupies one of the leading places in the world in terms of talc reserves. The largest deposits of Trimun and Luzenac are located in the department of Ariège.

France also has significant reserves of diatomite, feldspar (the Saint-Chelis-d'Apche deposit in the Loser department), andalusite (the Glomel deposit in the Côtes-du-Hop department), kyanite, quartz sand, limestone, building materials (including facing stones, gravel, sand, roofing slate), bituminous limestones (Avezhan deposit in the Gard department and Pont du Chateau in the Puy-de-Dome department).

History of the development of mineral resources. The oldest evidence of the use of stone for the manufacture of tools in France dates back to the early Acheulean (about 700-500 thousand years ago). Flint and quartzite artifacts from this period have been found at the Paleolithic site at Teppa-Amata (Nice). The famous sites and locations of Levallois belong to a somewhat later time: Le Moustier cave gave its name to the latest culture of the early Paleolithic - Mustier (100-40 thousand years ago); the names of other sites indicate the phases of development of the Late Paleolithic - Aurignac, Solutre, Madeleine (40-12 thousand years ago). The beginning of regular mining with the construction of mines up to 10-15 m deep, adits and other extended workings coincides mainly with the Neolithic era (5-3 millennium BC). Traces of hundreds of such objects of this time were found in over 50 regions of France. The most significant regions with traces of ancient flint mining are noted in the interfluve of the Seine and the Somme, in the Larg river valley (eastern Alps), southwest of Metz. Highest value had numerous developments of deposits of high-quality flint near Le Grand Presigny (Vienne River, departments of Indre and Loire). Products made of flint dispersed throughout France, as well as beyond its borders, up to Northern Germany. For driving the workings, the burning method was used. The breed was fought back with stone hammers and horn pickles and wedges. Numerous collections of these tools were collected during the clearing of ancient workings in Nointel, Le Grand Presigny, Saint-Michel, Mur-de-Barre and other places. In the 4-3rd millennium BC. the mining of building stone for the construction of numerous religious and tomb structures such as menhirs and dolmens begins on a large scale. Stone construction reached a special scale after the conquest of France (formerly Gaul) by Ancient Rome in the 1st century BC. BC. and the inclusion of Gaul in the Roman Empire as a province. The first copper appears on the territory of France around the 4th-3rd millennium BC. The ore sources for its smelting remain uncertain. In the 3rd - the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. occasionally copper-arsenic alloys or bronzes are used. From the 16th-15th centuries BC. the number of bronze products increases sharply. Products are cast mainly from tin bronzes: the sources of tin, apparently, were in England (Cornwall) and on the Iberian Peninsula. Iron tools are relatively widespread in the 1st quarter of the 1st millennium BC.

Under the Romans, in the first centuries of our era, significant stone mining is noted. So in Nimes

The amount of reserves and distribution of minerals.

France has one of the main (in Europe) centers for the extraction of iron ore (Lorraine) and oil (the southern basin between Bordeaux and Toulouse). Also in the northwest is the Nord-pas-de-Calais coal basin, only not very large. In the north-east of France, part of the small Saar-Lorraine coal basin belongs. There are 3 deposits of uranium ores (in the southern half of the country), one - iron ore (Sumon), one - potassium salts (near the city of Bern), 2 (La Rouquette and Saint-Julien) - aluminum ores.

Water and forest resources.

Provision of resources for total river flow per capita is on average from 2.5 to 5 thousand m3 per year. In the south-west of the country there is a reservoir with a capacity of 1-5 billion m3. not far from its shores there are deposits of oil and tin ores.

The forest cover of France is quite small. The main forests are located in the mountainous part of the country, in the east and southeast, a little in the south and southwest.

Assessment of natural resources for the development of industry.

There are too few minerals in France for the development of industry. Only the fuel industry and, in part, ferrous metallurgy can be provided with the country's internal mineral resources. Of the resources of the world's oceans, those that contribute to the development of the fuel industry and non-ferrous metallurgy are relatively close.

The relief of the territory and its influence on the location of agriculture.

In the east (Alps) and south (Perineas) of the country, the terrain is elevated (no more than 2000 m). But, since the elevation is not too great, it does not interfere with agriculture very much. Forests are located mainly in elevated areas, and the main part of cultivated land is located in the northwest and slightly north of the Perinei (which, by the way, are used for pastures). The main part of France is land (altitude no more than 1000 m above sea level), which is used both for pastures and for crops. Agriculture is equally intensive everywhere, with the exception of the Brittany peninsula, but the reason for this is not the relief.

Agro-climatic resources.

France in the humid humid zone. The main part of this country is located in the temperate subbelt, the sum of active temperatures is 22000-40000 (late varieties of cereals, corn for grain, sunflower, sugar beet, soybeans, in the south - rice, grapes). In the south and southwest - subtropics (the climate is slightly arid), the sum of active temperatures is 40000-80000 (cotton, late corn, olives, citrus fruits, tea, tobacco ...). There is an area with a cold-temperate climate (10000-22000, rye, wheat, legumes, flax, potatoes, fruits, berries).

Soil and plant resources.

There is no danger of desertification. Most of the country, its center, northeast and west, are lands used both for pastures and for crops. North of the river The Loire and in the south are cultivated lands (without a share of pastures). Further south and near the English Channel are forests. In France, there are some of the main areas for the production of wheat, sugar beets, and flax.

Assessment of natural resources for the development of agriculture.

Agro-climatic resources are favorable for the conduct and development of agriculture, since there is enough moisture for plants (humid climate for the most part), and heat is enough for crops with a medium-long and long growing season. Land resources are also favorable. There are almost no little-used and unused lands, most of the area is occupied by cultivated lands, a lot of lands adapted for pastures. The availability of resources for the total river flow per capita is relatively low (≈ 2.5-5 thousand m3 per year), but sufficient for the country.

To the west of the Bayonne-Sedan diagonal, elevations above sea level are low, most often below 200 m. Most of the territory is occupied by plains and low plateaus of the Parisian and Aquitaine lowlands. They are characterized by contrasting landscapes, partly due to their different origins. Some coastal plains, such as the Flanders Plateau, were formed in the process of reclamation of river or sea sediments. The low plateaus, such as Bes, Brie, and Picardy, are of sedimentary origin. Their contours are formed by marine calcareous and clay deposits of the Mesozoic and Tertiary periods. Picturesque alluvial plains stretch nearby, including the Seine and Loire valleys. Along the periphery of the Parisian lowland, elevations are increasing. This is observed in the north in the Ardennes, an ancient Hercynian massif, eaten away by long-term erosion; in the northeast - on the slopes of the Vosges, facing Lorraine; in the south - in areas framing the Central Massif; in the west - in the Armo-Rican massif. The same picture is typical for the peripheral regions of the Aquitanian lowland, the regions adjacent to the Massif Central in the east and to the Pyrenees in the south.

The southeastern part of the country is characterized by a more rugged relief. The medium-altitude mountains located here rise to 500-1700 m. Some of them, such as the Vosges and the Central Massif, are ancient Hercynian massifs that underwent tectonic displacements during the rise of the Alpine ranges. These are heaps of stone blocks, cut by valleys with steep slopes, which makes transport communication extremely difficult. In addition, there are many extinct volcanoes in the Massif Central, such as Cantal and Puy de Dome. Even more striking are other, less extensive ancient massifs, such as the Mor and Esterel, which are furrowed by Mediterranean showers, although their height does not exceed 900 m. The Jura massif also represents medium-altitude, but young mountains that formed in the Tertiary period. These folded mountains sedimentary origin, in the rock of which limestone predominates, are distinguished by a sharper relief with alternating ridges with steep slopes and valleys. The ridges are often cut through by narrow valleys and gorges, along which transport routes mainly pass. Similar reliefs of medium-altitude mountains are also found in the northern and southern foothills of the Alps, where altitudes sometimes reach 2000 m. As a result of more rapid mountain building processes and strong erosion, a relief with steep slopes has developed there, turning in places into high mountain massifs.

High peaks determine the appearance central regions The Pyrenees and the Alps, the formation of which began more than 50 million years ago, in the Tertiary period, when the European and African platforms collided earth's crust. The highest peaks of these massifs, continuing outside the country, are Mont Blanc (4807 m) in the Alps, Vinmal (3298 m) and Aneto peak (3404 m, Spain) in the Pyrenees. Majestic landscapes, inherited to a large extent from the Ice Age, open up to the eye: pointed peaks, jagged mountain ridges and trough-shaped deep valleys. Ancient and young mountains occupy almost the entire southeastern part of the country. The plains lay only along the coast, as in the Languedoc and eastern Corsica, or between the mountains, as in the valleys of the Saone and the Rhone.

Minerals- natural mineral formations of the earth's crust, which can be used in the field of production. Formed during geological history Earth. Limestone, sulfur, potassium, and uranium ores are mined in France.

France is one of largest countries Europe. Thanks to large area and favorable climate it has a huge amount of natural resources from minerals to solar energy, rational use which allows us to almost completely meet the needs of the domestic market.

In general, all the natural resources of France can be divided into five main groups:

Land;

Mineral;

Resources of solar and wind energy.

Water resources

basis water resources France are four largest rivers: Seine, Rhone, Garronne and Loire. Their length ranges from 650 km (Garronne) to 1020 km (Laura). All of them originate either in the Central Massif of the country, or in the mountains (Alps or Pyrenees) and flow into Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to extracting fresh water, rivers play great importance in the economy of the country. They are ideal transport channels for the delivery of goods not only through France, but also to other European countries.

In addition, some of them, such as the Rhône, have many hydroelectric power plants built to safely generate electricity.

Land resources

Favorable climatic conditions and a large number of plains allow the most efficient use of French land resources. So, a third of the territory is occupied by arable land, another 23% of the total area is used as meadows and pastures.

French farmers grow wheat, sunflowers, potatoes, apples, beets, corn, grapes and even citrus fruits. And thanks to the presence of pastures, animal husbandry is actively developing.

forest resources

Since the middle of the last century, France has decided to increase forest resources. This made it possible to almost five times increase the area of ​​forest land. Today, forests cover about a quarter of the country's territory. Oak, chestnut, beech, pine, birch grow here.

The country is fully self-sufficient in wood and exports it to other countries, which has a positive effect on the economy. Also, a lot of forests contribute to an increase in the population of many species of wild animals.

Mineral resources

France has the richest deposits of uranium ores among all European countries. In addition to them, coal, natural gas, oil, non-ferrous metal ores are mined in the country, iron ores, potassium salt.

But despite all this, the rapidly developing economy lacks the available mineral resources. The state is forced to import the main types of raw materials and energy resources.

Alternative energy sources

Like any other large developed state, France strives to make the most efficient use of all natural resources provided to it, including non-traditional ones. The latter include solar and wind energy.

France, along with the United States, Japan, Italy, Brazil, is engaged in the widespread construction of solar and wind power plants. In addition, the country has industrial production wind installations.

Also, a convenient geographical location allows you to use the energy of the tides. But this method is still under development and is not widely used.