Where in the world is Russia? Unit 5: Russia & Central Asia

3/16/20

Where in the world is Russia?

Unit 5: Russia

& Central Asia

Countries:

¡ñ Russia

Major cities

¡ñ Eurasian Republics in the

Caucasus Mountains:

¡ñ Moscow

¡ð Armenia

¡ñ St. Petersburg

¡ð Azerbaijan

¡ñ Novosibirsk

¡ð Georgia

¡ñ Vladivostok

¡ñ Eurasian Republics in

Central Asia:

¡ð Kazakhstan

¡ð Kyrgyzstan

¡ð Tajikistan

¡ð Turkmenistan

¡ð Uzbekistan

Major Cities

Moscow

Major Bodies of Water

St. Petersburg

¡ñ Rivers

¡ð Volga River

¡ð Ob River

¡ð Amur River

¡ñ Lakes

¡ð Lake Baikal

¡ñ Seas

¡ð Caspian Sea

¡ð Aral Sea

¡ñ Oceans

(Sea)

¡ð Arctic Ocean

Novosibirsk

Vladivostok

Some rivers flow

northward toward

the Arctic Ocean.

Pacific Ocean

¡ð Pacific Ocean

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Physical Geography

Natural Barriers

¡ñ Vast land area:

¡ñ Russia has oceans on its

northern & eastern borders

¡ð Spans 2 continents (Europe & Asia)

¡ñ Plains cover much of the region

Russia and northern Kazakhstan are

called steppes

¡ñ Deserts & mountains in

Central Asia keep

Kyrgyzstan & Tajikistan

isolated

¡ð Much of this land is good for

agriculture and grazing

¡ñ The Ural Mountains separate

the Northern European Plain

from the West Siberian Plain

Tundra

Land of Extreme Climates

¡ñ

Pacific Ocean

¡ñ Mountains lie along much of

Russia¡¯s southern border

¡ð The large plains in southwestern

Vast areas of tundra, taiga, and steppe

Siberia - ¡°the sleeping

land¡± is located within the

Tundra

¡ð Tundra: exists in Siberia; only small plants can grow here

¡ð Taiga: forested areas south of the tundra; mostly small

evergreens grow here

¡ð Steppes: farming is concentrated here

¡ð Semiarid and desert areas: limited to herding and grazing

¡ñ

About ? the land in Russia is so cold that it has

permafrost (permanently frozen ground beneath it)

¡ñ

Areas farther north, such as the city of St.

Petersburg, have long, dark, cold, snowy winters

Permafrost - frozen soil

found in high latitudes, like

the tundra

Taiga

Steppe

What North

American

landform does this

remind you of?

Most of the farming takes

place on the Steppe because

of the rich, fertile, soil.

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Chernozem

Chernozem - ¡°black earth¡±; a

rich, fertile layer of soil

¡ñ Russia & its neighbors experience extremely cold weather.

Quick Check:

1. Which mountain range separates

western Russia from Siberia?

2. Describe the climate of eastern Russia

(Siberia).

3. What are the steppes?

4. How is the land of the steppes used?

5. Why do more people live in the southern

& western portions of this region?

6. What physical features might

contribute to the population

distribution on this map?

¡ñ The majority of the population lives in the western portion of the region,

away from the harsh cold weather in the region known as Siberia.

Natural Resources

¡ñ This region is among the world¡¯s richest in

natural resources

¡ñ Energy resources: oil, natural gas, coal, peat,

and hydroelectric power

¡ñ Mineral resources: iron, aluminum, gold, copper,

platinum, uranium, cobalt, manganese, & chrome

¡ð These resources provide raw materials for factories &

support industrial development

¡ð Has almost 20% of the world¡¯s iron ore reserves

(used to make steel)

Open-pit diamond mine in Mirny, Siberia

¡ñ Challenges: much of the region¡¯s resources are

in remote, or hard to reach, locations (i.e. many oil

fields and minerals are located in the coldest parts of

Siberia which makes mining and transportation difficult)

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Where are the

most valuable

resources

located?

Why would it be

hard to get them

from there?

Quick Check

Where do most people live within Russia?

a.

b.

c.

d.

West

East

South

North

Why are the majority of Russia¡¯s natural

resources not used?

a.

b.

c.

d.

How can you characterize Russia¡¯s

winters?

a.

b.

c.

d.

Cold with little snowfall

Mild

Cold with a lot of snowfall

Warm compared to other places there

Economic Characteristics

Russia and Central Asia have seen a transition from a command economy to a

limited market economy (mixed economy).

¡ñ

Before the industrial revolution, the economy relied heavily on agriculture, and was

concentrated in the ¡°Fertile Triangle¡±.

¡ñ

The breakup of the Soviet Union (the command economy) caused many political and

economic problems for the region.

There are not many to use

They are hard to get to

The good ones have already been used

Russia does not have good roads

Economic Characteristics

Quick Check

1. What is the difference between the

amount of time needed to work in

America and Russia for a loaf of

bread? A 2 mile bus fare?

2. What is the difference between the

amount of time needed to work in

America and Russia for a pair of

jeans? A chicken?

3. Why do you think there is a

difference?

Factories in Moscow, Russia

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Human-Environment Interaction

Some scientists believe the permafrost below Siberia¡¯s lakes is thawing which is

releasing methane into the atmosphere (this could intensify the greenhouse effect)

Human-Environment Interaction

¡ñ Efforts to irrigate land in Central Asia

(for cotton production) led to the shrinkage

of the Aral Sea

¡ð

The habitats of many plants and animals were

destroyed

¡ð

Human health was threatened

¡ð

In 2005, a dam was built to save the North Aral Sea

in Kazakhstan

¡ð

The southern part of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan is

almost completely gone

The Aral Sea in

1989 (left) and in 2014 (right).

The once-thriving fishing industry

was damaged.

Human-Environment Interaction

¡ñ Pollution - caused by growth of industry within the country

Quick Check

Can you think

of another

railway like this

one?

¡ñ Growing infrastructure - Systems of canals and railroads

¡ð

Trans-Siberian Railway - railway system that runs across the country of Russia,

connecting one half to the other

Where do most people live within Russia?

a.

b.

c.

d.

Why are the majority of Russia¡¯s natural

resources not used?

a.

b.

c.

d.

Early History

Settlers and conquerors from Europe and

Asia shaped the early history of Russia

and the Eurasian republics.

West

East

South

North

How can you characterize Russia¡¯s

winters?

a.

b.

c.

d.

Cold with little snowfall

Mild

Cold with a lot of snowfall

Warm compared to other places there

There are not many to use

They are hard to get to

The good ones have already been used

Russia does not have good roads

In the 1200s, Genghis Khan established the Mongol Empire in Central Asia. His descendents

took over much of Russia (cut off from Europe but connected to East Asia via the Silk Roads)

¡ð The culture of the Slavs had the most

lasting influence on early Russia

¡ð The Vikings, sometimes called the

¡°Russes,¡± came from Scandinavia

and took control of towns such as

Novgorod and Kiev

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