Landscape zones

The plains and mountainous areas differ in respect of the distribution of different landscape zones. The following landscape zones are available in the territory of Azerbaijan. 

In Kur-Araz lowland, the Samur-Davachi lowland, Absheron Peninsula and Sharur-Ordubad lowland the semi-desert landscape (in German landschaft – land is land and schaft is contact) was spread. This zone is found in Kur-Araz lowland areas up to 600 m of height, and in Nakhichevan in  700-1500 m of the strips. 

Gray, gray-meadow, gray-brown and saline soils are spread in semi-deserts. There are wormwood, gavan, kangiz, camel thorn, saline plants, and more ephemeris. 

Sultanbud area of Shollar plain, Lankaran lowland, Alazan- Eyrichay valley and Karabakh steppe is covered by plain meadow and forest landscape. This landscape area includes the forests along the rivers. Landscape zone is located between the areas of 300 m. in height of the Caspian Sea level and Alazan-Ayrichay valley in the 200-600 m of height. 

In low mountain zones, at height of 800-1200 m mountain steppes landscape zone was formed. In Nakhichevan this zone spread in areas of 1500- 2500 m. of height, in Talysh Mountains at 1500-1800 m. of height. Mountain plains found at Ajinohur and Jeyranchol low mountainous zones, in the Upper Shirvan, at foothills of the Lesser Caucasus mountains (up to 600 m. of height), in mid-mountainous zones of Talysh Mountains. In territories of this zone the mountain-brown, black-and-brown mountain-forest and mountain-black lands the rich vegetation is available. They include ephemeris, wormwood and various bushes. 

In Gobustan, around the Ajinohur lake, in Jeyranchol and Nakhichevan the landscape of semi-desert mountain zone is located. 

In slopes of republican mountains at height of 800-2200 meter the forest landscape was formed. This zone includes broad-leaved forests and bushes following these forests at slopes of the mountain, low and mid mountains zones.  

In Khojsen-Goychay (Akharbakhar) and Langabiz ranges, in southern slopes of Qaramaryam, as well as in south-west of Zangilan region the forest-shrub landscape is located. In the south-west of Talysh Mountains, in the middle mountainous zones of Nakhichevan the arid landscape with sparse grasses, xerophytic bushes were formed. 

In the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains, in Nakhichevan at height of 1800-3000 m the high mountainous landscape is located. In area of crossing of forest and subalpine lowlands, the areas at 1600-2200 m of stripes are considered as forest-meadow landscape. In Lesser Caucasus Mountains these mountain meadows cover larger areas. 

After the mountain meadows the rocky landscape zone is located. It is called subnival zone, too. This zone is found in watershed areas of the Greater Caucasus, Murovdagh, Zangezur and Karabakh ranges. Due to the harsh natural and climatic conditions subnival zone is deprived of soil and vegetation. The moraine, snow, sirc, troq valley and etc ancient glacial forms of relief are found. There are permanent glaciers at high tops of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. This landscape zone called nival-glacial zone is located at areas higher than 3000 m.