Central Asia/ Russia: Physical and Human Geography PPT Notes
Major Landforms
The Northern European Plain contains one of the world’s most fertile soils which are called
chernozem or black earth. Nearly 75% of the region’s population lives in this area. This
includes Moscow. This area is mostly forested with Marine West Coast climate towards the
south and Subarctic towards the north.
The Ural Mountains are where the European and the Asia tectonic plates collided and became
the Eurasian plate. They are located in the Eurasian Plate. The rivers in this area flow to the
north in to the Arctic Ocean. This is due to the fact it is tilted north.
The Caucasus Mountains is the land between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The
mountains are so high that towards the south and arid desert has formed due to the lack of
precipitation in the area. The mountains block the moisture to flow over the mountains to
the other side. This is call rain shadow. Air condenses when lifted (it is cold) and all moisture
falls out. This region is called Transcaucasia.
The Turan Plain includes two large deserts, Kara Kum Desert and Kyzyl Kum Desert. The Aral
Sea is located here also.
The Caspian Sea is a saltwater lake and the largest inland sea in the world. This lake was
named a sea by the Romans because they found it to be extremely salty. The two rivers that
flow into it are the Volga River and Ural River. This lake is economically valuable for the oil
and natural gas and the caviar. Oil and natural gas production platforms are replete along
the edges of the sea. In addition, large quantities of sturgeon live in its waters, and the caviar
produced from their eggs is a valuable commodity.
Remember the mapping lab challenge 4 number 6? Baku?
Since the 1960’s the Aral Sea has lost about 80% of it water volume. This lake is located in the
Turan Plain which is located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Lake Bailak
Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest lake it is about 5,715 feet deep. This lake is fresh water and
contains about 20% of the world’s freshwater supply. Compare this to the US deepest lake
Crater Lake that is only 1932 feet deep. Located in Oregon.
Russia and the Western Republics
The area now know as Russia was settled by __the Vikings in _9th Century ___.
_Ivan the Great _began to rule in the 1500’s he expanded the country by a rate of 55 miles
per day for the next four centuries . By the end of the 17th century Russia extended all the
way to the Pacific Ocean.
Trans- Siberian Railroad
At the end of the 19th century the Russian emperor ordered that the lands needed to be
connected and safer to travel across. The Trans- Siberian Railroad was conceived by Czar
Alexander III. This railroad would cover over 5,700 miles and it took 10 years to build, from
1891 to 1901. This was the first major step towards connecting all of Russia together
physically and economically. This railroad is still used today you can take tours on the
railroad.
Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
Peter the Great who was a Cazr or emperor of Russia from 1682 to 1725. He did great things
for his country including building a strong navy, secularized school, modernizing the Russian
alphabet, and established the first Russian newspaper. However, he was also known for his
harsh taxes, and cruelty. He created a strong navy, reorganized his army according to
Western standards, secularized schools to draw away from religious orientation,
administered greater control over the reactionary Orthodox Church, and introduced new
administrative and territorial divisions of the country. Mirroring Western culture, he
modernized the Russian alphabet, introduced the Julian calendar, and established the first
Russian newspaper. Although he proved to be an effective leader, Peter was also known to
be cruel and tyrannical. The high taxes that often accompanied his various reforms led to
revolts among citizens, which were immediately suppressed by the imposing ruler. He
convicted his eldest son of high treason and his punishment was death.
During World War I in 1917 the Russian Revolution occurred. This removed the Cazrs and
replaced it with the Communist Party. They called this area the USSR or the Soviet Union. A
union of 15 sub national Soviet republics, its government and economy were highly
centralized.
Building a Command Economy
At the end of the 19th century the Russian emperor ordered that the lands needed to be
connected and safer to travel across. The Trans- Siberian Railroad was conceived by Czar
Alexander III. This railroad would cover over 5,700 miles and it took 10 years to build, from
1891 to 1901. This was the first major step towards connecting all of Russia together
physically and economically.
Command Economy- in which the central government makes all the important economic
decisions.
Here in the USSR the government took control over land, mines, factories, banks and
transportation systems. The government told their people what to manufacture, grow and
how much they could sell their products for.
Collective farms- enormous farms in the USSR on which large team of laborers were
gathered to work together. By 1939 nine out of 10 farms were collective farms.
During World War II the USSR was run by Joseph Stalin who led the fight against Nazi
Germany. After the war he imposed pro-USSR governments on the countries he liberate
against Germany. This caused concern for the United States. Thus the Cold War had begun.
The Cold War lasted from about 1947 to 1991. Stalin was also ruthless. He did not allow his
people to protest his ideas or laws (Command economy and Collective farms). It is estimated
that he was responsible for the deaths of over 14 million people.
The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The region was divided into 15 independent republics.
Area of Conflicts After the Fall of USSR
Three major area of conflict after the collapsed USSR include Chechnya, Georgia, and Armenia
and Azerbaijan.
Central Asia
This are includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Silk Road
The Silk Road is a 4,000 mile trade route stretching from China to the Mediterranean Sea. This
trade route traded not only material goods but also culture, technology and diseases.
The Black Death originated in or near China and spread from Italy and then throughout
other European countries. Research published in 2002 suggests that it began in the spring of
1346 in the steppe region, where a plague reservoir stretches from the north-western shore
of the Caspian Sea into southern Russia. The Mongols had cut off the trade route, the Silk
Road, between China and Europe which halted the spread of the Black Death from eastern
Russia to Western Europe.
Steps toward Capitalism
In 1992 when Russia removed price controls of products sold in the country the price of good
shot up by 250 percent. In the same year the Russian government began to sell government
ran businesses to private individuals this is called privatization. However, most people were
too poor to afford to buy them. Thus the government gave out loans. Individuals were unable
to repay these loans and this lead to the economic crash in 1998. At the end of the 1990’s
40% of Russia lived below the poverty line. In 2010 this number was down to 13.1%
Distance Decay- the concept that increasing distance between places tends to reduce
interaction among them.
In 2009 President Vladimir Putin created 7 federal districts to help organize the large land
mass to work more efficiently together and to enforce regional economic reforms. This
includes reducing the power of the “Russian Mafia” or organized crime. In 1998, the
government estimated that organized crime controlled 40% of private companies and 60%
of state owned enterprises. This hurts not only the government (not able to collect taxes)
but also the people who want to be honest. It is more costly and harder to get customers.
Customers want the least expensive items and honest people cannot compete with large
organizations that don’t have as many costs i.e. taxes.
Environmental Concerns
During the Cold War the USSR grew their nuclear program rapidly. The consequences included
short cuts on buildings, procedures and lack of regulations. During the Cold War the USSR
would do above ground testing of atomic bombs without giving the workers protection. This
has led to environmental problems and cancer to the workers and civilians living in the
fallout zones. For example in Chagan, Kazakhstan the USSR wanted to create an artificial
lake so they detonated an atomic bomb to create Lake Balapan. The people in the area
suffer from cancer, birth defects and shorter life spans. This area is still radioactive.
However, people swim in it. They built the nuclear power plants extremely fast and poorly
built. Great example is Chernobyl.
On April 26, 1986 There was a sudden and unexpected power surge, and when an
emergency shutdown was attempted, an exponentially larger spike in power output
occurred, which led to a reactor vessel rupture and a series of steam explosions. Reactor #4
An area extending 19 miles (31 km) in all directions from the plant is known as the "zone of
alienation." It is largely uninhabited, except for a few residents who have refused to leave.
The area has largely reverted to forest. Even today, radiation levels are so high that the
workers responsible for rebuilding the sarcophagus are only allowed to work five hours a
day for one month before taking 15 days of rest. Ukrainian officials estimate the area will
not be safe for human life again for another 20,000 years. In 2011, Ukraine opened up the
sealed zone around the Chernobyl reactor to tourists who wish to learn more about the
tragedy that occurred in 1986.
Examples:
Nuclear Testing: Chagan, Kazakhstan the USSR wanted to create an artificial lake so they
detonated an atomic bomb to create Lake Balapan.
Nuclear power plants: Chernobyl
Effects: unusable land or water, fall out of radiation, cancer birth defects