The beach is the surface of the shore of a body of water, which is relatively flat. It is formed as a result of denudation. The latter is a complex of processes consisting of the transfer and demolition of rock destruction products under the influence of water, wind, ice, and gravity. These products are carried to low areas on the surface of the earth, where they accumulate. Read more about what it is - "beach", in the proposed review.
Dictionary interpretation
The dictionary gives two meanings for the word "beach":
- The first of them is the sloping bank of a river, sea, pond, lake, which is convenient for swimming, individual and mass recreation, air and sunbathing.
- The second is a landform that looks like a strip consisting of solid, usually alluvial material, located on the shore of a reservoir.
To better understand the meaning of "beach", it will be useful to consider the origin of the word.
Etymology
According to linguists, the origin of the studiedlexemes are rooted in ancient times and look like this. It is formed from the French noun plage, which, in turn, comes from the Old French plaje, meaning "beach".
Further, the history of the word leads to Italian, where there is a noun piaggia. It is derived from the Latin plaga, the meaning of which is “country”, “region”. It is believed that the latter is directly related to the Proto-Indo-European adjective pelag in the meaning of "smooth", "flat", "wide".
Continuing to consider that this is a beach, it should be said about some of its types.
Varieties
Beaches differ in the composition of the surface layer. It's about:
- sandy;
- sand-shell;
- pebble;
- boulder;
- gravel;
- coral.
At a sandy beach, the surface layer on land, and also partially in the water, is sand. In the sand-shell layer, this layer is made up of sand and small shells. It turned out as a result of the fact that the shells were destroyed by waves. An example is the beaches of the Kerch Peninsula, located in the Kazantip Bay. In the pebble variety, the surface layer is pebbles.
Use
As a rule, beaches are places of mass recreation. Here they swim, sunbathe, play. Often they are provided with appropriate equipment - umbrellas, sun loungers, changing rooms, showers, toilets. They are called "cultural", as opposed to "wild"beaches. On the latter, nature to some extent remains in its original form.
Sometimes "cultural" varieties have a first aid station, a rescue station. Since cleaning the beaches and maintaining them in proper sanitary condition entails costs, the entrance to them is paid. Sometimes it is limited to a certain contingent of visitors.
Some of the beaches are places where naturists who prefer to stay in the nude relax, they are called nudist. There is also such a variety of them as "topless". This is when women relax with only the bottom of their swimsuit on. There are also special beaches designed for people to relax on them with dogs.
Gradually increasing depth, easy access to water make it possible to use these places for economic purposes. For example, for watering pets, water intake, washing clothes. Some sports are specially adapted for practicing them on the beach - beach volleyball, football, handball, there are also Asian Beach Games.
Environmental
The beach, which formed naturally, serves to protect the shore from further destruction. It weakens the strength of the breaking wave as it moves through the shallow water.
Therefore, the extraction of sand or gravel on the beach area is fraught with negative consequences. It leads to the destruction of coastal structures during storms, such as, for example, embankments. Such cases took place in the middle of the 20th century in Sochi.
When a wave moves in a direction that is notperpendicular to the coast, there is a drift of gravel or grains of sand along the coast line. In order to preserve beaches, a system of breakwaters is often created, they go into the sea from the coastline.
The most famous
The most famous beaches are:
- Copacabana is the longest of the city, four kilometers long, located in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro.
- Bondi - located near Sydney, has a length of about one kilometer. One of the oldest in the world, exists since 1882. It is called the most extreme in the world. "Bondi" in translation from the language of indigenous Australians - "the noise of rumbling water." It is the waves of great height that attract surfers from all over the world.
The line of beaches near Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh is the longest in the world. Its total length is 125 km. This is where the locals love to hang out. However, for foreign tourists this place is not particularly attractive. First of all, this is due to the underdevelopment of infrastructure and the presence of restrictions of a religious nature. However, in 2009 the beaches were shortlisted for the New Seven Wonders of Nature competition.
