Russia and the Former Soviet Republics

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Russia and the Former Soviet Republics

• Ch. 15-1 Physical Geography
• Objective Identify important elements of the
  physical landscape of Russia

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Former Soviet Republics

• Central Asian
• Republics
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan

• Transcaucasia
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Georgia

• Western Republics
• Belarus
• Estonia
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Moldova
• Ukraine

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Physical Geography

• The Caspian Sea
• Ural Mountains
• Caucasus Mountains
• Turan Plain
• The Kara Kum
• Northern European Plain
• West Siberian Plain
• Black Sea
• Lake Baikal
• Aral Sea

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Caspian Sea

• largest inland lake covering 143,630 square miles
• Bordered by Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran,
  Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan

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Caspian Sea - Kazakhstan
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Ural Mountains

• run north-south separating Russia into a European
  section and an Asian section
• old range of rounded peaks
• contain rich mineral resources.

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Caucasus Mountains

• Separate the Caspian Sea from the Black Sea.
• Ethnic and political conflict is common

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Mt. Elbrus tallest peak, 18,510 ft
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Khinalug settlement in Azerbaijan has a history
of 5,000 years and is among the most ancient
places in the world.
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View of a gorge in the Caucasus Mountains in
Chechnya
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The Turan Plain and Kara Kum Desert

• The Kara Kum is one of central Asias largest
  deserts covering the country of Turkmenistan.
• Turan Plain-lowland between Caspian Sea and
  mountains

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The Northern European Plain Black Earth Belt

• Chernozem-black earth, abundant on this plain
• Agricultural center
• 75 of people in the region live here

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Northern European Plain
Ural Mountains
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The West Siberian Plain

• The Urals separate The West Siberian Plains from
  the Northern European Plain.
• worlds largest flat region.
• Covered with swamps and marshes, the area is too
  flat to drain well.

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Black Sea Coast

• A mild climate and beautiful scenery make the
  Black Sea coast a popular vacation spot.

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Lake Baikal

• Deepest lake in the world.
• The lake stretches 400 miles from north to south.
  
• It holds nearly 20 of the worlds fresh water.

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Aral Sea
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Armenia

• In a seismic region
• earthquakes occur often.
• Between Black and Caspian Seas

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Azerbaijan

• The capital, Baku, lies in one of the worlds
  major producing areas.
• The major source of wealth for the economy is oil.

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Russia

• largest country in the world
• covers 1/3 of the continent of Europe and ½ of
  the continent of Asia.

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Russias Famous Caviar

• Comes from sturgeon caught in the Caspian Sea.
• Caviar is salted sturgeon eggs!