Ishim Steppe

The plain includes the Ishim, after which it is named. It varies in altitude from to and is composed chiefly of sand and clay deposits of the Neocene era, covered with loess-like loams. The terrain is characterized by a series of crests and hollows, with the ridges extending from the northeast to the southwest. The almost long Kamyshlov Log (Камышловский лог), a trench where lake Bolshoy Tarangul lies, stretches roughly from east to west across the plain. In the lowlands and valleys there are numerous fresh, bitter, and salt lakes, such as Siletiteniz, Kyzylkak, Medvezhye, Stanovoye, Teke, Ebeyty, Tavolzhan and Shaglyteniz, as well as the Krutinsky Lakes, including lakes Tenis-Saltaim, Sazykul and Ik. The smaller lakes and rivers dry up in the summer. ==Climate==

The amplitude of average monthly temperatures is between and . Winters are cold and long, the average January temperature ranging between and , reaching to in periods of severe frosts. The summer season is warm, with the average temperature in July between and and maximums reaching to . ==Flora==

The landscape of the plain is dominated by meadow steppes and birch forests (kolki). The soil consists in leached and normal chernozem and gray forest topsoils. In the south the plain is entirely under cultivation. ==References==