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TEREK
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TEREK , a See also:province of See also:Russian See also:Caucasia, situated N. of the See also:Caucasus See also:chain. It is bounded by the See also:government of See also:Stavropol on the N., by the See also:Caspian See also:Sea and See also:Daghestan on the E., by See also:Tiflis and See also:Kutais on the S., and by the See also:Black Sea See also:district and the province of See also:Kuban on the W., and has an See also:area of 23,531 sq. m. From See also:Mount Elbruz to See also:Kasbek the See also:southern boundary coincides with the See also:main range of the Caucasus, and thus includes some of its highest peaks; further See also:east it follows a sinuous See also:line so as to enclose the secondary chains and their ramifications.639 Nearly one-third of the area is occupied by hilly tracts, the See also:remainder being undulating and See also:flat See also:land belonging to the depression of the Terek; one-See also:half of this last, on the See also:left See also:bank of the See also:river, is occupied by sandy deserts, See also:salt See also:clay See also:steppes, and arid stretches unsuited for cultivation. The Caucasus Mountains are described under that heading. See also:Tertiary formations, over-lain by See also:Quaternary deposits, See also:cover a wide area in the prairies and steppes. See also:Mineral springs occur near See also:Pyatigorsk. The See also:climate is See also:continental. The mean See also:annual temperatures are 49.6° Fahr. at Pyatigorsk (168o ft. above the sea; See also:January 39°, See also:July 70°) and 47.7° at See also:Vladikavkaz (2345 ft.; January 23°, July 69°), but frosts a few degrees below zero are not uncommon. The See also:mountain slopes receive an abundance of See also:min (37 in.), but the steppes suffer much from drought (rainfall between Io and 20 in.). Nearly the whole of the government belongs to the drainage area of the river Terek, but the See also:north-See also:west corner is drained by the upper tributaries of the Kuma. In the See also:lower See also:part of its course the Terek flows at a higher level than that of the neighbouring plains, and is kept in its See also:bed by embankments. Nevertheless inundations are frequent and cause See also:great destruction. The estimated See also:population in 1906 was 1,044,800. The province is divided into seven districts, the See also:chief towns of which are Vladikavkaz, See also:Groznyi, See also:Kizlyar, Nalchik, Pyatigorsk, Sunzhinsk and Khasavyurt, the last two being See also:nomad centres of See also:administration. See also:Agriculture has See also:developed greatly on the prairies, the area under crops being 9 per cent. of the See also:total. See also:Rye, See also:wheat, oats, See also:barley and potatoes are the See also:principal crops. The See also:vine is very extensively cultivated, especially in the districts of Kizlyar and Pyatigorsk, where 1,5oo,000 gallons of See also:wine are made annually. Live-stock breeding is widely engaged in, and fishing is an important source of income, especially at the mouth of the Terek. Bees are generally kept, and yield every See also:year nearly half a million See also:sterling See also:worth of See also:honey and See also:wax. Melons, cucumbers and See also:sun-See also:flowers are extensively grown. The railway, which formerly stopped at Vladikavkaz, has been continued from the Beslan station, near Vladikavkaz, to See also:Petrovsk on the Caspian Sea, and thence to See also:Baku. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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