Unit 6RUSSIA

Satellite Image of Russia

MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES

• Largest country in the world.• Former colonial power.• Population and development concentrated

in the west (west of Ural Mountains).• Culturally diverse, but dominated by the

Russian culture.• Ports are limited due to climate/ice.

Land Mass• Russia and the Republics occupy 1/6 of the

world’s total land mass.

RUSSIA’S DIMENSIONS• Spans 11 Time Zones..p.357• From East to West: Gulf of Finland to

Alaska• Twice the size of the United States• It has a low pop. density because of it’s

size

ReligionThe predominate religion in Russia is Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

Northern European Plain

• Is an extensive lowland area. Which has incredibly rich soil called Chernozem-or Black earth, this soil is abundant on the plain. ¾ of the population lives on this plain.

Ural Mountains

• This separates the Northern European Plains and the Western Siberian plains. It is also the dividing line between Europe and Asia. Some consider Europe and Asia to be one continent called Eurasia.

THE URAL MOUNTAINS• NORTH-SOUTH LENGTH COVERS 2000 MILES

• *On the west side of Mountain range it receives warm continental

winds, compared to the eastern side which is much cooler in

temperatures.

• CENTRAL URALS ARE THE LOWEST SECTION AND INCLUDE

SEVERAL KEY CROSSING PLACES

• URAL FORESTS AND MINERALS HAVE BEEN THE SOURCE FOR

INDUSTRIALIZATION AND URBANIZATION.

• SOURCE OF AT LEAST TWENTY DIFFERENT COMMERCIALLY

USABLE MINERALS

Urals Compared to Rocky Mountains

• The Ural Mountains divide the Russian frontier into east and west just as the Rocky Mountains divide the U.S. .

• Why has the economic impact been different with the Rocky Mountains?

Caucasus Mountains

• *Stretch between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. They form the border between Russia and the Republics of the *Transcaucasia (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan).

Central Asia

• Is the next region east and it includes the Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Black Sea

• Separates the Republic of the Ukraine and the Transcaucasia from Turkey and Eastern Europe.

Caspian Sea

• Is really a saltwater lake. It is the largest inland sea in the world.

• There is disagreement over whether it is a lake or an inland sea. This is because of how the oil is divided up.

Aral Sea

• The Aral Sea is also a saltwater lake, it lies east of the Caspian Sea and because of extensive irrigation has caused the Aral Sea to shrink.

• The Aral Sea has decreased by half since 1960.

August, 2009July, 1989 August, 2003

Aral Sea

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/aral_sea.php

The Shrinking Aral Sea

• Between 1960 and the present time The Aral Sea has lost 80% of its water. The two rivers that carry water to the Aral Sea, have been to use to irrigate the cotton fields that are located in the deserts surrounding the Aral Sea.

Lake Baikal

• Is the deepest freshwater lake in the world. It is more then a mile deep and it holds 20% of the world’s fresh water.

Siberia

• This is the part of Russia located in Asia. It has many natural resources but many are located in the frigid arctic and subarctic regions.

SIBERIA• LARGER THAN THE CONTINENTAL U.S., BUT...LESS THAN 15

MILLION PEOPLE • *CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT

– DISTANCE– COLD TEMPERATURES– ARCTIC WINDS– POOR SOILS– PARTLY LOCATED IN

ARCTIC CIRCLE• *RESOURCE POTENTIAL

– PRECIOUS MINERALS– METALLIC ORES– OIL AND NATURAL GAS– TIMBER

WEST SIBERIAN PLAIN

• THE WORLD’S LARGEST CONTINUOUS LOWLAND

• INCLUDES SEVERAL MAJOR RIVER BASINS

• PERMAFROST GROUND CONDITIONS

CLIMATE AS A RESTRICTIVE CHARACTERISTIC

• AGRICULTURE– SHORT GROWING SEASONS– EROSION (ACCELERATED VIA SNOW MELT)

• SETTLEMENT PATTERNS & TRANSPORTATION (limited)

• INDUSTRY– HIGH ENERGY CONSUMPTION (for heat)– EXTRACTION (more expensive in permafrost)

*The building of these pipelines is an innovation that has allowed for the movement of natural resources of oil, and gas to essential ports for trade

Russian Oil

Thermal Pollution• Business has had some

success in getting the natural resources of Siberia but this has damaged the environment. Especially the mining and the hydroelectric plants. When the hot water from the hydroelectric plants is released into the lakes it damages the plant and animal life. This is known as Thermal Pollution.

RussianCore

URALS

• Population and Industrial Center

• Volga River is key waterway

• Ural mountains are eastern barrier

RUSSIANCORE

• Borders China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan

• Lake Baikal is key area

EASTERN FRONTIER

S IB E R IA

• Lowlands• Harsh climate• Sparsely

settled

• LIMITED ACCESSIBILITY

• ASIAN FRONTIER?

• FISHING – PRIMARY INDUSTRY

FAR EAST

Continentality

• The effect on the climate, of being far from the moderating influence of the sea.

Climate The climate zones in Russia range from Tundra along the Arctic coast to Deserts in the central asian region. 

The greatest climatic region is that the the Subarctic (also known by its Russian name Taiga).  

*Taiga is the Russian word for forest lands -- and this climate supports the largest forested area in the world.  Trees range from conifers in the north to mixed deciduous in the south. 

The warmest climates are near the shores of the Black Sea -- Mediterranean in the Crimean Peninsula, and Subtropical in the eastern region in the Republic of Georgia.

Resources Among the greatest reasons for interest in Russia is the vast amount of natural resources.  Incredible amounts. Water Power is developed in the western parts of the region -- the greatest hydro potential in is Siberia, where some of the world's greatest hydroelectric dams are located.  Industrial cites have been built here to take advantage of the energy available. Forests cover most of the country and lumbering is an important activity -- limited by great distance to market and transportation systems. Fishing supplies a great deal of food -- Russian trawlers and 'factory ships' sail the world. Perhaps the greatest of resources is the mineral wealth.  Russia is a leading producer of coal, iron, manganese, petroleum, and many other metal ores, including platinum, gold, chromite, bauxite, copper, lead, and zinc.  Every mineral needed by industry is in the region -- remote location and transportation limit the usefulness.

Transportation Rail transportation is vital to the economy.  Russia has far fewer roads and vehicles than the United States.  Severe winters and snow hamper road transportation -- increasing the importance of the railroads.  Many highways are not paved.  Efforts have been ongoing for many years to correct this situation. The Trans-Siberian Railroad is the world's longest and connects Moscow with the Pacific port of Vladivostok. Water transportation has been developed by connecting rivers and lakes with canals -- this system is limited by the freezing weather of the long winter -- again, increasing the importance of rail. Air transportation links Russia with the rest of the world.  Also important in linking Siberia to western part Russia.  

Adverse Climate Conditions

• Because Siberia is so large there are huge distances from the ocean. It rarely averages over 50 and can drop to -90 degrees.

Taiga

• Largest forest on the earth. Mostly coniferous trees.

• The Steppe is the fertile grassland.

Effects of Agriculture

• Cotton growers used fertilizer and pesticides. These chemicals were being picked up by runoff- rainfall not absorbed by the soil.

• These chemicals have killed 24 species of fish once found in the sea.

Russian Winters• The weather in Siberia

has large extremes from summers of 94 degrees to -90 degrees in the winter but most times it is cold. The climate affects the construction. The ground is permafrost making the ground very hard. Buildings have to be on stilts off the ground so that the heat from the building will not thaw the permafrost causing the building to sink.

Trans-Siberian Railroad

• In the late 1800s the Russian Czar ordered a railroad be built from Moscow to the pacific Ocean. The railroad spans 7 time zones and is over 5700 miles. They wanted to increase the population and be able to profit from the many natural resources in Siberia.

• The rail along with oil pipelines changed the perception of Siberia.

Imperialism

• *Imperialism-practice by which powerful nations seek to extend control over weaker nations or people.

• The regions of the world used by imperialist powers are Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.

• The economic motive behind imperialism in India was the exportation of raw materials.

*FOUR ERAS OF RUSSIA*• Vikings originally settled in the West• Ancient (pre-1688): Kievan Rus, Mongol

Invasions, and early Tsars• Imperialism (1688-1917): Romanov Tsars

come to power and industrialize Russia.• Soviet Era (1917-1991): Bolsheviks

overthrow Tsars; Communist Party comes to power.

• Post-Soviet (1991- present): Introduction of democracy, Free Market and capitalism.

Soviet Era (1917-1991)Rise of the Soviet Union

-REVOLUTION (1905-1917)

Bolsheviks vs. Mensheviks vs. The Romanovs

-V.I. LENIN (VLADIMIR ILYICH ULYANOV)

-FEDERAL STRUCTURE

USSR (UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS) -1924

Command Economy• Communist leaders adopted a

*command economy. That is where the government makes all economic decisions. The goal was for all citizens to own property together and share the wealth.

• The Soviet leaders instituted a command economy by taking over property, businesses, and industries and made all economic decisions. They moved people into collective farms.

• The results of these actions increased industrial and agricultural production, but millions starved or were killed.

Cold War

• By the late 1940s, tension developed between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was called a cold war because it never grew into open warfare.

Tradition And Change• Life in the cities has changed

since the end of the Soviet Union. People are exposed to more outside influences, including books, magazines, newspapers, movies, music, clothing, and foods from around the world.

• People still eat such traditional foods as rye bread and kasha. They still enjoy visiting dachas and banyas.

• The preservation of customs and traditions is important in Russia because it helps make the transition from the isolated Soviet past to the more open society of the present less difficult.

A yurt is quite different from a modern tent, apart from its portability—the structure packs up small enough to fit on one draft animal and can be set up easily by the family who inhabits it.

Westernization of Russia

• We begin to see fast food chains and stores like Wal-Mart.

Infrastructure*Russia faces many problems as they modernize their economy. Their infrastructure is old and outdated. This can be seen in their factories, transportation systems, and the goods that they produce.

Modern TechnologyAs Russia has began to use modern technology it has increased their industrial production but also has increased their level of air pollution.

*ChernobylThe Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident of catastrophic proportions that occurred on 26 April 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (then in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the Soviet Union). It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history and is the only level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

Cities of RussiaTwo of the largest cities in Russia are St. Petersburg and Moscow. Both of the cities are located beside bodies of water. St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea and Moscow on the Volga River

Chechnya

• This republic remained part of Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It has experienced the most violent upheaval. Chechnya’s demands for independence from Russia has triggered two major invasions and over 100,000 causalities.