Chapter 15 Physical Geography of Russia and the Republics

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Chapter 15 Physical Geography of Russia and the
Republics
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Ch. 15.1 Landforms and Resources

• Section Objectives
• Identify physical features of Russia and the
  Republics
• Explain why 75 of the population in this region
  lives in one area of the FSU (Former Soviet
  Union)
• Identify resources of the FSU
• Examine why natural resources in this region are
  difficult to develop
• Predict Russias potential in our ever connected
  global economy

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Northern Land Forms
-Russia and the Republic stretch across 11 time
zones (Contiguous United States has 4)
-The northern two-thirds of this region can be
divided up into four areas
1. Northern European Plain
2. West Siberian Plain
3. Central Siberian Plateau
4. Russian Far East
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The Northern European Plain
-The Northern European Plain stretches over 1,000
miles from the western border of Russia to the
Ural Mountains (map pg. 336-337)
-Most of Russia and the Republics agriculture is
located in this plain
-This plain his home to fertile soils called
chernozem
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The Northern European Plain Questions
What is the name of the black soil found in this
area?
Chernozem
Why do you believe that nearly 75 of the
regions population live in the Northern European
Plain?

• Possible Answers
• Agricultural Jobs
• Cities located near food source
• People traditionally live by food and prefer
  moderate climates

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West Siberian Plain
- The West Siberian Plain is located between the
Ural Mountains and the Yenisey River (map pg.
336-337)
- Many people believe that the Ural Mountains is
also the dividing point of Europe and Asia
- Other people argue that Europe and Asia are one
single continent known as Eurasia
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Central Siberian Plateau and Russian Far East
-Central Siberian Plateau lies between the
Yenisey River and Lena River
-This area has high plateaus ranging from
1,000-2,000 feet
-The volcanoes and islands to the east of the
Lena River create the Russian Far East
-Sakhalin Island and the Kamchatka Peninsula in
the Far East is home to large Russian military
bases, radar sites, and missile launch sites
(Korean Air Flight 007)
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Korean Air Flight 007

• Sept. 1, 1983
• 239 people died
• Including a U.S. Congressman

http//www.answers.com/topic/korean-air-flight-7
11/10
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What did you learn?
What is the name of the mountain chain that
separates Europe from Asia?

• Ural Mountains
• Andes Mountains
• Caucasus Mountains
• Himalayas

A. Ural Mountains
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What did you learn?
The West Siberian Plain and Central Siberian
Plateaus are located on similar lines of latitude
with Canada In what physical geographic ways are
these regions similar?

• Climate Subarctic, Tundra
• Vegetation Coniferous Forest
• Compare maps pgs. 125, 340, 351

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Southern Landforms (Mountains)
- Caucasus Mountains separate the Black and
Caspian Seas and create a border that separates
Russia from the Transcaucasia republics of
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
- Two large deserts lie in the Turan Plain
located between the Caspian Sea and high
mountains within Central Asia
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Rivers and Lakes
- There are a number of large drainage basins
(areas drained by rivers and tributaries) in
Russia

• The Volga River drains the Caspian Sea basin
• The longest river in Europe beginning near
  Moscow and drains into the Caspian Sea
• About 40 of Russias population live near the
  Volga
• 70 of river traffic occurs on the Volga
• 90 of Russian Sturgeon is located in the Volga
  (Caviar)

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Sturgeon, Royal Beluga is the crème de la crème.
When size, color, and flavor are of exceptional
quality, the Beluga eggs are graded as Royal
Beluga. Shipping Weight 0.43 lbs
http//sendcaviar.com/id127246list5064product.html
11/08/2006
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Other Rivers and Lake in Russia
- The Ob, Yenisey, and Lena Rivers drain more
than 3 million square miles in the Artic Basin

• Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world
• Its deepest point is about a mile
• Lake Baikal holds 20 of the WORLDS fresh water
• Over 300 rivers and streams flow into the lake,
  but only the Angara River flows out
• The lake is very clear Visibility is about 130
  feet

http//www.livinglakes.org/baikal/ 11/08/2006
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Questions
What is the name of the region that contains the
republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia?
Transcaucasia
What is the longest River on the European
Continent?
Volga River
How much of the worlds fresh water does Lake
Baikal contain?
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Regional Resources
What type of resources do you find in Russia?
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Regional Resources
Correlate the map on pg. 340 with the above map,
what problems might you infer about Russias
resources?
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Chapter 15 section 2 Climate and Vegetation

• Section Objectives
• Identify the main climates of Russia and the
  Republics and the influences on the regions
  weather
• Describe four major vegetation regions of Russia
  and the Republics

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A Climate of Extremes
- Humid continental and subarctic climates
dominate most of Russia. (map pg. 340)
- These climate are present because of Russias
altitude and distance from the Atlantic sea
breeze (Continentality)
- For instance, Siberias average temperatures
range between 50 and 90 degrees F.
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Other Climates
- Subtropical climate exist in the Transcaucasia
(republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia)
due to moist air coming from the Mediterranean Sea
- Two large deserts lie in the Turan Plain
located between the Caspian Sea and high
mountains within Central Asia
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Vegetation Regions
1. Tundra falls in the Artic climate zone where
few plants and animals can survive (mosses and
low shrubs)

• 2. The largest forest in the world lies below the
  tundra- the taiga (mostly coniferous trees)
• Many animals (foxes, elks, and bears) live in the
  taiga
• The coniferous forest gives way to deciduous
  (broad leaf) trees as the latitude decreases

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Vegetation Regions Cont.
3. The steppe is located on the temperate
grasslands of the Northern European Plain - This
is were the chernozem soil is found - The
regions bread basket
4. Two Deserts of Kara Kum and the Kyzyl Kum
occupy 230,000 square miles of land in and around
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
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Questions
What are the two major climate regions in Russia?
Humid Continental and Subarctic
What factors contribute to Russias extreme
climate?
Altitude and Continentality
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Questions
What type of vegetation grows in the tundra?
Mosses and small shrubs
Which vegetation region would you prefer to live
in? Why?
The easy life would be in the steppe because it
has a moderate climate and good soil to grow food
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Chapter 15 Section 3 Human-Environment
Interaction

• Section Objectives
• Identify the causes and effects of the shrinkage
  of the Aral Sea
• Describe how Russias harsh winter has been both
  an obstacle and an advantage to the country
• Explain the significance of the Trans-Siberian
  Railroad

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The Shrinking Aral Sea
- The Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers drain into
the Aral Sea (map pg. 336)
- In 1950, people began large irrigation projects
to water cotton fields in Central Asia (Kara Kum
Canal)
- The canal as taken so much water from the
rivers that hardly any water flows into to Aral
Sea
- The Aral Sea has lost nearly 80 of its water
because evaporated water is not being replenished
by the two rivers
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10 years of the Shrinking Sea
1987
1997
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Problems with Runoff
- Growing crops in this region requires large
amounts of pesticides and fertilizers
- These poisonous mixtures are carried by runoff
into the rivers, killing many species in the
rivers and Aral Sea
- Peoples water is also contaminated by the
runoff of the fields
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Russian Winter
- One of Russias greatest weapons is General
Winter

• In 1812, Napoleon arrived in Moscow to conquer
  the land
• The Russians burned Moscow, so Napoleon would
  have no shelter for the harsh winter
• Napoleon and his 100,000 troops left Moscow to
  seek shelter in neighboring Poland
• Because of the bitter winter, only about 10,000
  of the 100,000 actually made it to Poland.

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Coping in Siberia
- What type of clothes do you believe the 32
million people living in Siberia wear?
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The Wild East
In the late 19th century, what did the United
States build to move people and goods from one
coast to another?
Trans-Continental Railroad
Where is the majority of Russias gold and coal
found?
Do you think Russia might have built a railroad
east?
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Trans-Siberian Railroad
- Linked Moscow to the Pacific port of
Vladivostok (Europe to Asia)
- The railroad is more than 5,700 miles long and
crosses 7 time zones
- This railroad helped Russia populate Siberia
and extract the natural resources from the land