Section 1: Landforms

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Section 1 Landforms Resources
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Northern Landforms

• The Northern European Plain, West Siberian Plain,
  and Ural Mountains join to form the northern
  landforms.

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The Northern European Plain

• The Northern European Plain is one of Europes
  best farming areas because of the rich black
  topsoil called chernozem.

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The Northern European Plain

• The Northern European Plain is the center of
  economic life for 75 of the people in the region.

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Ural Mountains

• The Ural Mountains separate the Northern European
  Plain and the West Siberian Plan.
• The Urals (from the Arctic Ocean to near the Aral
  Sea) divide European Russia and Siberian Russia
  and Asia.

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The West Siberian Plain

• The West Siberian Plain is east of the Ural
  Mountains and is made up of swamps, marshes, and
  frozen land unsuitable for farming.

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Central Siberian Plateau

• The Central Siberian Plateau consists of uplands
  between the Yenisey and Lena rivers.

8
Southern Landforms

• The Turan Lowland Plain and the Transcaucasia
  mountain ranges join Europe and Asia in the south.

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Turan Lowland

• The Turan Lowland is between the Caspian Sea and
  the Tian Shan mountain range.
• A few areas are irrigated for agriculture but
  most is desert.

10
The Carpathian Caucasus Mountain Systems

• The Carpathian Mountains border Ukraine and the
  Caucasus in the southwest.
• These mountains are an extension of the Alpine
  mountain system.
• Communism Peak is the regions highest elevation.

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The Carpathian Caucasus Mountain Systems

• The Caucasus Mountains connect the Black and
  Caspian seas.
• The Caucasus form the border between Russia and
  Transcaucasia (the nations of Georgia, Armenia,
  and Azerbaijan.)

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Rivers Lakes

• Some of the worlds longest rivers (as well as
  largest and deepest lakes) flow and are located
  in the vast plains of the region.

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Rivers Lakes

• The Arctic Basin is the regions largest drainage
  basin.
• The Ob, Yenisey, and Lena rivers drain an area of
  three million square miles.

14
Rivers Lakes

• Lake Baikal is the oldest and deepest lake in the
  world. (At deepest point more than 1 mile from
  surface to the bottom.

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Volga River

• The Volga River is the longest river in European
  Russia. Even though it is frozen for 4-6 months
  per year, the river provides hydroelectric power
  and 60 of Russias river traffic.

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Rivers Lakes

• The rivers, connected to seas and other rivers by
  canals, play a major role in Russian and
  Eurasian trade and development.

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Aral Sea

• The Aral Sea has lost some 80 of its water
  volume over the last 40 years due to extensive
  irrigation in the region.

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Caspian Sea

• The Caspian Sea (a saltwater lake) is the largest
  inland body of water in the world.
• The Caspian Sea is shrinking due to reduced flow
  from rivers.

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Regional Resources

• Russia is the worlds largest producer of
  manganese and chromium and the 2nd largest
  producer of gold.
• Russia is the worlds leading exporter of natural
  gas and 2nd in petroleum production.
• Leading producer of hydroelectric power and has
  vast oil reserves as well as 1/5 of the worlds
  timber.

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Regional Resources

• The Black Earth Belt stretches from western
  Ukraine to southwestern Siberia.
• Its rich black chernozem makes the region a
  leading producer of wheat, rye, oats, barley, and
  sugar beets.
• About 35 of the regions forestland is found in
  Siberia (the area of Russia found in Asia).