Russia:
Setting the
context
GEOL 352 – Fall 2014
September 10, 2014
Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez
Outline
• Geography and population
• Health and education
• Political history
• Climate and Environment
• Lake Baikal paper mill
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
Climate + Environment
http://thestateofthecentury.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/the-geopolitical-realities-of-eurasia/
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
• Area: 17,098,240 km2
• Largest country in the world
• Population: 143,499,861 (2013)
• Rural population: 37,067,162 (2013)
• $12,700 GDP per capita
• Great range of environments and landforms
• Cold climate
Climate + Environment
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
Climate + Environment
http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-158280/Topography-of-Russia
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
Climate + Environment
• Five main drainage
basins:
•
•
•
•
•
Arctic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Baltic Sea
Black Sea
Caspian Sea
http://www.freeworldmaps.net/russia/rivers.html
Geography + population
Health + Education
• Life expectancy: 70 years
• Fertility: 1.6 births per woman
• Adolescent fertility rate:
26/100,000 women (15-19 years)
Political history
Climate + Environment
• Literacy percentage: 100% in
2010 (no more data after)
• School enrollment –Tertiary:
76% in 2012
• Tuberculosis: 91/100,000
people (0.09%)
• Ratio of female to male tertiary
enrollment: 126 (2012)
• Mortality (<5 years): 10/10,000
live births
• No data on primary school
completion rate
• No data on HIV
• No data on public spending on
education
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
Climate + Environment
• 1917 - the Russian republic is established after the Russian
Revolution
• Becomes a USSR republic in 1922
• 1917-1991 – Soviet communist rule
• Late 80’s -1991 – Gorbachev’s perestroika
• 1993 – Russian parliament dissolved
• President chosen by elections and with maximum authority
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
Climate + Environment
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
Climate + Environment
http://www.agroatlas.ru/en/content/climatic_maps/Temperature_avg/Temperature_avg_01/
St. Petersburg (-8°C) Turukhans (-27°C) Yakutsk (-43°C) Verkhoyansk (-50°C)
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
Climate + Environment
http://maps.howstuffworks.com/russia-annual-precipitationmap.htm
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
Climate + Environment
http://europeintheeast.wikispaces.com/Russia+Geography
Geography + population
Health + Education
Russia ranks 73/178 countries
Overall score 53.45/100
Political history
Climate + Environment
Geography + population
Health + Education
Political history
Climate + Environment
The world’s 10 Most Polluted Places – Scientific American, 2013
NORILSK
DZERZHINSK
Case study – Baikal paper mill
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVYHqf1ETwA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL9DSSwFwZ0