Most likely, you have heard the term "isthmus" more than once. Perhaps you even came across it in several meanings. Today we will talk about the meaning related to geography.
Definition
An interesting science is geography. She studies the structure of our planet both from the outside and from the inside. And for every little thing finds its own definition. If you ask a geographer, he will answer that the isthmus is a piece of land elongated in the form of a strip, which is washed by water on both sides and serves to connect two parts of the land. It can connect the continents together, as is the case with the Isthmus of Panama. Can serve as a connection between the mainland and the peninsula or separate close water bodies.
And you can also say that "isthmus" is the opposite of the term "strait". Since the strait, on the contrary, is located between land areas and connects large bodies of water.
A striking example is the isthmus in Panama
Man paid attention to these narrow plots of land, because here you could find the most convenient places for water channels. As you understand, the easiest way to dig a channel is in a place where the distance between water bodiesminimum. The isthmus is such a place. Building canals on such stretches of land has proven to be very profitable, as they facilitate maritime communication and reduce travel time. Thus, the Panama Canal, opened in June 1920 through the Isthmus of Panama, is still considered the largest and most complex construction project. This narrow strip of land connects Central and South America. It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The narrow plot of land formed between the continents gave a significant impetus to the enrichment of the flora and fauna of the continents, through the interpenetration of species. In fact, any isthmus is a natural bridge, enabling animals to migrate, for example, to another continent.
Karelian Isthmus
The Karelian Isthmus is a narrow piece of land separating the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga. Its border from the south is the Neva River, and from the north - a conditional strip drawn from Vyborg along the border of the Leningrad Region to Karelia.
This is just a unique natural area. Many lakes, islands and peninsulas, overgrown with dense forests or consisting of heaps of granite. Once, in the Archean and Proterozoic era, there was a mountainous area. Volcanoes erupted and earthquakes occurred on the isthmus. Then part of the land was flooded by the ancient seas, leaving behind sandstones and clay layers. Today, this territory is home to many protected areas (35 reserves and natural monuments).
Perekop Isthmus
This piece of land connects the Crimean peninsula with mainland Europe. It also separates the waters of the Azov and Black Seas. The isthmus is quite small. It is no more than 30 km long, and its width is 7 km in the narrow part and 9 km in the wide one. On the isthmus is the city of Armyansk and the village of Perekop.
Synonyms
But in the old days, channels could not be laid along the isthmuses, therefore, to reduce the time of water caravans, ships were dragged across land areas by portage. "Drag" and "isthmus" are synonymous words. The oldest known portage can be considered the ancient Greek Diolk. Here, ships moved overland 6 km from the Aegean to the Ionian Sea or vice versa. Diolk was on the Isthmus of Corinth, now the Corinth Canal has been built here.
Also obsolete synonyms for the word "isthmus" are the words: isthm, pereima, intercept and uzina. Synonyms can be given from more modern words: interception, jumper or bow.
Another meaning of the word
The term "isthmus" is actively used in medicine. So designate the narrowed part of some organs. There is an isthmus in the thyroid gland, in the brain, in the uterus, and so on.
