Kurgan State University presented the first ecological and geographical atlas of the Kurgan region. It was created by specialists from the Department of Geography, Fundamental Ecology and Nature Management of KSU using a grant from the Russian Geographical Society.
For the first time, a comprehensive popular science publication reflects the natural conditions and resources, the state of the environment, the population and the social sphere, the economy and the natural heritage of the Kurgan region. The atlas of 112 pages contains 70 author’s maps, about 100 photographs, many explanations and statistical materials.
According to Natalya Nesgovorova, head of the Department of Geography, Fundamental Ecology and Nature Management, KSU, the idea of creating the atlas was born 30 years ago. It took almost a decade of painstaking work to prepare the database, collect and confirm the data.
— The data we collected had to be verified and validated. We conducted many student expeditions in which we collected materials, then processed them in laboratories, carried out mathematical processing and created maps– said Natalya Nesgovorova.
In creating the atlas of the Kurgan region, scientists were assisted by the regional government, various departments, organizations and services, and, as the authors especially note, university students. The Atlas boasts a large array of data on regional features. This is what distinguishes it from other similar publications.
— For example, in the section on nature, maps are shown that are not created in other regions. The section “Population and society” shows the state of health of the inhabitants of the Kurgan region. In our atlas there is a subsection “Education and culture”. This is not in most atlases of other regions of our country.— emphasized Natalya Nesgovorova.
The rector of KSU, Nadezhda Dubiv, noted that the atlas was a gift from the Kurgan region in the year of its 80th anniversary. She is sure that the publication will be of interest to local residents and travelers from other regions of Russia.
The authors note that the atlas was created not only for employees of administrative bodies, scientists and specialists of environmental services, but also for teachers, students and schoolchildren, hunters and fishermen, tourists and entrepreneurs, for everyone who is interested in the sights of the Kurgan region. The Atlas will become a tool for the development of ecology and geography, education, and the formation of civic identity.
So far, the atlas of the Kurgan region has been published in a limited edition, but in the future it may be increased. The university also intends to create an electronic version.
