Chapter 14 – The Russian Core
Physical Geography of the Russian Core
A. Some geographers consider Europe and Asia separate continents – other consider the
landmass one continent called Eurasia
1. Ural Mountains - natural barrier between European Russia and Siberian Russia
2. Caucasus Mountains - natural barrier between Russia and countries to the south
a. Mount Elbrus ( 18,510 feet) highest mountain in Europe
3. West of the Ural Mountains is the Northern European Plain; navigable waterways
a. Chernozem: rich, black topsoil found in the Northern European Plain, especially in
Russia and Ukraine
4. Siberia: east of the Ural Mountains and extending to the Pacific Ocean; plains and
plateaus
5. Harsh continental climate and some of the world’s largest swamps and wetlands
6. Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe - vast plains and plateaus
7. Belarus is landlocked; lies entirely on the Northern European Plain
B. Rivers and lakes are key to the subregion’s growth, expansion, and success
1. Volga River system drains most of western Russia; longest river in Europe
2. Dnieper River in Ukraine provides hydroelectric power and transportation
3. Belarus once an important trade route between the Baltic Sea and Black Sea
4. The Ob, Irtysh, Yenisey, and Lena flow northward, into the Arctic Ocean; blocked by ice
for much of the year
5. Lake Baikal is the oldest lake in the world; deepest (5,715 feet); holds 1/5 of world’s
unfrozen freshwater
a. “Galapagos of Russia” - many unusual freshwater marine species
C. Climates, Biomes, and Resources
1. Tundra - parts of the subregion that are farthest north
a. Dark for many weeks during winter - during summer, continuous sunlight
b. Only mosses, lichens, algae, and dwarf shrubs thrive
c. Permafrost: a permanently frozen layer beneath the surface of the ground
2. South of the tundra is subarctic; boreal forest (taiga): coniferous evergreen trees
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3. Midlatitude climates in the western region; milder winters and warmer summers
a. Where most Russians live and agricultural production takes place
b. Much of the deciduous forest cleared for agriculture and construction
4. Steppe: grassland - chernozem soil; wheat, barley, rye, oats, and other crops
5. Southern Ukraine and Belarus have a humid continental climate
6. Continentality: effect of extreme variation in temperature and very little precipitation
within the interior portions of a landmass
D. Russia has 1/5 of the world’s forests; large petroleum deposits
1. 16% of world’s coal reserves; biggest coalfields in remote areas of Siberia
2. Leading producer of petroleum and natural gas; much of it in Siberia
3. Among top producers of aluminum, gemstones, and platinum-group metals
4. Leading producer of hydroelectric power
5. Iron and other ores mined in parts of Ukraine; produces salt
6. Natural resources in Belarus include peat, oil, and natural gas deposits
Human Geography of the Russian Core
A. A.D. 600s - Slav farmers, hunters, and fishers settled near the waterways of the Northern
European Plain
1. Kievan Rus - leading city-state, Kiev, controlled a prosperous trading route
a. Russia’s western rivers linked seaports and trade centers on the Baltic and Black Seas
2. Early 1200s, Mongols from Central Asia invaded; controlled the area for 200 years
3. Czar: ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution; from Latin word Casaer - title of Roman
emperors
4. Late 1600s - Czar Peter the Great determined to modernize Russia
a. Developed trade with Western Europe; seized land along the Baltic Sea
b. Built St. Petersburg - new capital and major port; “window on the West”
5. 1700s - Catherine the Great gained a warm-water port on the Black Sea
6. Russification: a government program that required everyone in the empire to speak
Russian and to become a Christian as expansion brought many non-Russians under
Russian rule
7. Many former serfs to move to cities to work in factories; poor conditions and low pay
8. Trans-Siberian Railroad opened Russia’s eastern region to settlement; provided access
to natural resources
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9. German philosopher Karl Marx, founder of modern communism, advocated:
a. Public ownership of all land and means of production
b. A classless society with an equal sharing of wealth
10. Russian Revolution of 1917 - Czar Nicholas and his family were murdered
11. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) or Soviet Union played a pivotal role in the
Allied victory over Germany during WW II
a. Satellite: a country controlled by another country, notably Eastern European
countries controlled by the Soviet Union by the end of World War II
b. Enclave: a distinct territorial or cultural area that is within a foreign territory
c. Exclave: a territory that belongs to a particular political unit but is separated from it
and surrounded by another political unit
d. Cold War - Communist Soviet Union engaged in a political and ideological war with
the West, particularly the U.S.
12. 1985 - Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union
a. Perestroika (restructuring): plan for reforming the Soviet economy and government
b. Glasnost: Russian term for new openness in politics, social issues, and media
c. 1991 - collapse of the Soviet government; 15 independent countries
13. Belarusians share an ethnic identity and language; history of regional conflicts and
territorial claims by neighbors
14. Since the beginning of Russian occupation, Chechnya has sought independence
a. Oil and gas pipelines vital to Russian economy run through Chechen territory
15. 2013 - Ukrainian president abandoned an agreement to strengthen trade ties with the
EU and sought closer cooperation with Russia
a. Violent protests - people feared bringing Ukraine back under Russian influence
b. In the Crimean region, majority Russian population demonstrated to secede
c. Russian troops moved into Crimea; the region is now part of Russia
B. About 80 percent of Russians live west of the Ural Mountains
1. Major industrial city is Moscow, Russia’s capital
2. Reestablishment of Russia - controls over where people could live removed
a. Migrated where there were jobs and other opportunities; cities increased in
population
3. Shrinking population is a major problem for Russia; death rates outpace births;
population is growing older
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C. Soviet government severely discouraged religious practices and discriminated against
different ethnic groups
1. Promoted atheism - belief that God or another supreme being does not exist
a. Millions of Russians rediscovering their religious faiths and traditions
2. More than 100 languages spoken in the country; Russian is the official language
3. Most people live in large apartment blocks; new developments similar to Western
Europe and U.S.
4. Full-time employment of women contributes to declining birthrates
D. Well-known artists include composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky and novelist Leo Tolstoy
1. Russian ballet and theater have an international reputation
2. Socialist Realism: communism limited individual artistic expression and directed artists
to glorify the government’s achievements in their works
3. Censorship: suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are
considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security
E. Soviet Union had a command economy – government decided what and how much to
produce, where and how to produce it
1. Unemployment nearly nonexistent, but wages were low
a. Many could not afford consumer goods, or goods needed for everyday life
b. Black Market: illegal trade of scarce or illegal goods, usually sold at high prices
2. Gorbachev and Yeltsin moved the country toward a market economy
a. Privatization: change to private ownership of state-owned companies and industries
b. Economic growth since 1998; increased productivity, wages, consumption, and a
growing middle class
3. Fertile Triangle: most productive agricultural area of western Russia, extending into
Ukraine; referred to as a breadbasket because of grain crops
4. Russian manufacturing and service sectors are expanding; most important industry is
petroleum
5. Belarus aligned with Russia, exchanges agricultural products for oil and natural gas
6. Ukraine has the major seaport on the Black Sea; exports grain, sugar, iron ore, coal, and
manganese
a. Some of the world’s best software companies are in Ukraine
7. Because of its size and climate extremes, Russia depends on railroads and waterways for
much of its transportation needs
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People and Their Environment
A. Russia is trying to access the vast minerals, oil, and gas beneath the Arctic Ocean
1. Controversial pipeline to carry oil from eastern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean will pass
through a protected wilderness area near Lake Baikal
2. Russia’s supertrawlers tow huge nets—want only certain kinds of fish; everything else
hauled up in the nets gets discarded
3. World-famous Russian caviar comes from the eggs of sturgeon fish; dams on the Volga
River interrupt the migration and disturb the habitat
4. Soviets developed and stockpiled nuclear weapons throughout the Cold War
a. Condition and fate of those weapons concern Russia and the rest of the world
5. Nuclear Wastes: by-products of producing nuclear power and weapons
a. Radioactive Material: material contaminated by residue from the generation of
nuclear energy and weapons
6. 1986 - fire in a nuclear reactor in Chernobyl Ukraine, released tons of radioactive
particles into the environment
a. Prevailing winds carried radiation across tens of thousands of square miles
b. Thousands died of radiation poisoning; tens of thousands suffer from cancer, stomach
diseases, cataracts, and immune system disorders
c. Today, a tightly controlled exclusion zone surrounds the power plant
7. Toxic waste dumps and airborne pollution also pose problems for Russia’s soil
8. Pesticide: chemicals used to kill crop-damaging insects, rodents, and other pests
9. Russian forests shrink by almost 40 million acres each year
10. Balance between using natural resources and preserving the environment
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