C.J. Cox
Instructor
Former USSR
Central & North Asia
 Ten
Geographic Qualities
 Regions & States
 Historical Geography
 Physical Geography
 Cultural Geography
Ten Geographic Qualities

1. Region Covers 1/6 of world’s total
landmass

2. Most of region is at high latitudes which
are cold, dry & harsh
Ten Geographic Qualities

3. Russia has more neighbors than any
other country

4. Very small population for the land size
& most are concentrated I the west

5. Few good & suitably located ports almost landlocked
Ten Geographic Qualities

6. Multinational Empire dominated by
Russia

7.Large scale experiment in national
economic planning
– communisim

8. Russia - divided by Ural mountains with
European Russia to the West
Ten Geographic Qualities

9. Hundreds of ethnic groups isolated
by distance and geographic barriers

10. Largest reserves of natural
resources in the world
Relative Location of Former
USSR
Relative Location of Former
USSR
Relative Location of Former
USSR
Former USSR
Central & North Asia
 Ten
Geographic Qualities
 Regions & States
 Historical Geography
 Physical Geography
 Cultural Geography
States of the Former USSR
 Russia
 European
States -Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus
 Caucasus States - Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia
 Central Asian States, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Turkmenistan &
Kyrgyzstan
Former USSR
Central & North Asia
 Ten
Geographic Qualities
 Regions & States
 Historical Geography
 Physical Geography
 Cultural Geography
Historical Geography
Pre Tsarist - before Ivan IV - 16th century
Tsarist Period 16th century to 1917
Cossackcs
carried Russian presence to Pacific & Alaska
Peter the Great 1682-1725
Catherine 1762-1796
Bolshevik Revolution 1917
Break -up of the Soviet Union 1991
Future of Russia?
Former USSR
Central & North Asia
 Ten
Geographic Qualities
 Regions & States
 Historical Geography
 Physical Geography
 Cultural Geography
Physical Geography of Former
USSR
Plate Tectonics
 Plateaus
 Deserts
 Mountains
 Rivers
 Lakes
 Climates

Physical Geography of Former
USSR

Rivers
–
–
–
–

Volga
Ob
Lena
Don
Lakes
– Baikal
– Lodoga
Physical Geography of Former
USSR

Seas
–
–
–
–
–
–
Aral
Barents
Bering
Okhotsk
Black
Caspian
Physical Geography of Former
USSR

Landform Regions
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Russian Plain
Ural Mountain
West Siberian Plain
Central Siberian Plateau
East Siberian Uplands
Kazak Uplands
Caucasus Mountains
Kamchatka Pennisula
Mountain Ranges
Urals
Caucasus Mountains
Physical Geography of Former
USSR

Climates
– North Asia is dominated by Snow
Climates know as Humid Continental
& Subartic
– Central Asia is dominated by dry
Desert & Steppe Climates
– Mountainous regions provide a variety
of Mid-latitude climates to Ice
Climates
Former USSR
Central & North Asia
 Ten
Geographic Qualities
 Regions & States
 Historical Geography
 Physical Geography
 Cultural Geography
Cultural Geography of Former
USSR
– Population
– Languages
– Religion
– Agriculture
– Economics
– Historical
Geography
Population per square kilometer
Cartogram of World Population
Dot Density Map Showing World Population
Latvia:
Cultural Geography of
Former USSR
Estonia:
Lithuania:
 Population
Ukraine:
Belarus:
Georgia:
Moldova:
Russia:
Armenia:
Kazakhstan:
Azerbaijan:
Kyrgyzstan:
Turkmenistan:
Uzbekistan:
Tajikistan:
– Population exceeds
300 million
– concentration in
western 1/3 of
region
– numerous ethnic
groups in defined
regions
Former USSR
Latvia: 19
 Population
Estonia: 15
Lithuania: 13
Characteristics
Ukraine: 14
Belarus: 13
Georgia: 17
Moldova: 21
Russia: 18
Armenia: 14
Kazakhstan: 25
Azerbaijan: 23
Kyrgyzstan: 26
Turkmenistan: 46
Uzbekistan: 22
– Birth rates 9/1000
– Death rates 13/1000
– Natural Increase -.04.%
– Infant Mortality 15/1000
– Doubling Time -----yrs
– Pop <15 20%
– Pop > 65 13%
Tajikistan: 41
Cultural Geography of Former
USSR
 Languages
– Indo European
dominates the
region
– Southern areas
have large
areas speaking
Altaic
Languages
– Uralic Language
Family
originated in the
Cultural Geography of Former
USSR
 Religions
– Orthodox
Christian
dominates the
Slavic Regions
– Islam dominates
the Central Asia
Republics
– Communism
sought to
eradicate
traditional
Cultural Geography of Former
USSR
 Religion
– Religious
landscapes
Cultural Geography of Former
USSR
 Commercial
Agriculture
– Commercial
Ranching
– Commercial
Diarying
Nomadic Herding
of the Central
Asian Republics
Absence of Agriculture
in the northern
latitudes
Cultural Geography of Former
USSR
 Economy
– large quantities of resources
many remotely located
 many located under permafrost

– large manufacturing sector of
economy producing industrial goods
– large non-skilled labor force
Cultural Geography of Former
USSR
 Cities
are centers for manufacturing
(secondary),
 Developing Service industries as
Capitalism matures as an economic system
 Limited Information Technologies
 Military Technologies remain
Former USSR
Central & North Asia
 Ten
Geographic Qualities
 Regions & States
 Historical Geography
 Physical Geography
 Cultural Geography
C.J. Cox
Instructor