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Bukovinian Subcarpathians Suceava Plateau Bugeac Plain |
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| Hydrography | |
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Danube |
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| Climate |
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| Flora & Fauna | |
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Flora of Romania |
Bălţi Steppe (Romanian: Stepa Bălţului), also Beltsy Steppe (Russian: Бельцкая степь) is a hilly area with few trees (apart from those near rivers Dniestr, Răut and numerous lakes and creeks), dominated by agriculturally cultivated land, and occasionally by grasses and shrubs, in the northern part of Moldova. It is characterised by moderate but unstable seasons, generally hot summers and cold winters.
The Bălţi Steppe has a total surface of 1,920 km², 2.7 per cent (51 km²) of it are forests.[1]. The region, as the rest of Moldova, is traditionally an agricultural area, favored by several factors, such as the chernozem (black earth).
The untouched natural richness of the northern Moldavian region became known as Bălţi steppe only in the beginning of the last century.
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As a geographic area Bălţi steppe is one of the three components of the Moldavian Plain, which in turn is one of the six compenents of the Moldavian Plateau. Despite the name, Bălţi steppe is not a flatland, but a region dotted with hills.
In Moldova, Bălţi steppe, 1,920 km^2, and Middle Prut Valley, 2,930 km^2 are sometimes together referred to as Moldavian Plain, however one should be warned that in Romania the latter term is used as a synonym for the Jijia Plain. Before 1940 the term used to mean Jijia Plain plus Middle Prut Valley plus Bălţi steppe, because the three regions have an identical relief and natural vegetation. To make the things even more complicated, in Moldova sometimes Bălţi steppe and Middle Prut Valley are lumped together into one term, Bălţi steppe. Together, they cover the municipality of Bălţi, the districts of Glodeni, Râşcani, and Făleşti, as well as parts of Drochia, Sângerei, and Ungheni districts.
The waters of the Bălţi steppe fall into the Răut river, while those of the Middle Prut Valley fall into the Prut river.
Bălţi steppe has altitudes of cca. 200m, lower than the surrounding Central Moldavian Plateau (to its south), and Dniester Hills (to its north and east). The surrounding hills are characterized by deep gorges, and the terms plain and steppe are employed to denote the fact that the area in-between the hill formations is visibly more lean and less slant.
The traditional natural vegetation of this area of smooth hills was forest steppe. Nowadays, however, it is intensely farmed, and thus is rendered as a steppe.
The region is a traditional agricultural area, favored by several factors, such as the black earth (earth with a very high natural fertility), the tradition, and a high degree of deforestation that occurred in the 19th century. Over 80% of the land is used for intensive agriculture, and less than 3% are forrests.
Crops, vegetables, commercial plants (such as tobacco), fruit trees (such as apple trees), livestock fodder, and occasionally grapes, potatoes, and berry shrubs are cultivated in the region. The agriculture overwhelmingly dominates traditional vegetation, (deciduous) forests, and occasionally the forest steppes. Region's wildlife includes rabbits, roes, storks, geese and ducks, however in the last half-century these species populations declined in numbers because there are only few remaining forest habitats remaining. A traditional horse breeding area, in the last century Bălţi steppe has specialized in livestock (cows, sheep), and poultry.
Two varieties of winter barley "Auriu" and "Sokor", produced by the Bălţi Research Institute "Selecţia", specialized in field crops. They are very productive in the conditions of unstable moistening of Bălţi steppe.[2]
First human settlements appeared on the territory of Bălţi steppe in ancient times. Archaeological excavations witness that the humans settled here as early as Stone Age.