Russia and Northern Eurasia
(Chapters 17-18)
CHAPTER 17 –RUSSIA, UKRAINE, AND BELARUS
SECTION 1 – NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS
A. Three countries cover about ______ of world’s land area; Baltic and Black Seas to the Pacific Ocean
1. ______________: name given to Europe and Asia when they are considered one landmass or
continent
2. Russia is the world’s ___________________ country; much of Russia above the Arctic Circle
3. Ural Mountains divide the region; west of the mountains is Europe; east is _________________
4. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia in _________________ Mountains; between Black Sea and
Caspian Sea
a. highest point is Mount _____________ (18,510 feet); region suffers from earthquakes
B. Ice-age _________________ and erosion shaped broad plains; region’s major landform
1. Western region part of Northern European Plain; ______________ River basin heart of Russia
2. Ural Mountains are rolling hills; east of the Urals is the
a. sparsely populated; _________ River creates huge swamp
3. Far East – Central Siberian Plains; high mountain ranges; _________________ on Kamchatka
Peninsula
4. Three largest south-flowing rivers: _________________, Don, and Volga
a. major Siberian rivers: Ob, Yenisey, and ____________ flow northward
b. Lake _________________ (Jewel of Siberia): world’s deepest lake; holds one-fifth of world’s
fresh water
C. Much of Russia lies in the humid continental, _________________, and tundra climate regions
1. During coldest months rivers and canals freeze; polluted icy fog; permafrost
a. when _________________ melts, buildings tilt, highways buckle, and railroad tracks slip
sideways
b. interior far from oceans; very dry; Siberian winter often ________°F
2. European area has mildest climates; soils better for _________________________
a. moisture from the Atlantic brings winter snow and summer rain
b. Russian Far East receives rain-bearing winds from the ___________________________
3. Cold climate reduces Russia access to the sea; __________________________ can freeze
a. ship and barge traffic require ____________________: ships that can break up ice in frozen
waterways
b. _________________________________ makes Murmansk Russia’s only ice-free Arctic port
D. Russia’s forest, energy, and mineral resources among world’s richest
1. _____________ provides wood for building products and paper; gold and diamond mines in
eastern Siberia
2. Coal, hydroelectricity, natural gas, oil made ___________ River basin Russia’s industrial heartland
a. world’s largest network of pipelines carries __________ and _________ from Ob River basin to
Moscow, St. Petersburg, and for export to Europe
b. Russia’s first geothermal power station is in ________________________
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SECTION 2 – HISTORY AND CULTURE
A. Region settled mainly by __________; ___________ trade center between the Mediterranean and
Baltic Sea
1. Russia comes from Scandinavian traders called _________
2. Traders built towns like Moscow; wall built to enclose the settlement; fort called the ____________
3. By the 1100s, _________________ Christianity was the dominant religion in the region
4. 1240 – _________________ invaders destroyed Kiev; region became part of the Mongol Empire
5. 1547 – Ivan IV declared himself ____________ (emperor) of all Russia
a. empire extended from Kiev to the Arctic Circle and east to the Ural Mountains
6. Russian fur trappers, hunters, and pioneers migrated eastward into _________________
a. _________________: people from the southern steppes
7. Czar Peter the Great took over lands along the Baltic Sea; built __________________________
for his capital
a. _________________ the Great expanded to the Black Sea
b. 1800s – Russians took the Caucasus and Central Asia
8. Russia started to _________________ in the late 1800s
a. ___________: worked for lord; could not leave without the lord’s permission
b. serfs freed in 1860s but still poor; poor harvests; food shortages, economic depression
c. heavy losses in WWI increased unrest; czar forced to _________________ (resign) in 1917
d. republic set up; fall of 1917 – government overthrown by small group called ________________
e. Russian Revolution - czar and his family were killed
B. Bolsheviks led by Vladimir _________________; wanted to remake Russia
1. __________________: German philosopher; believed working classes were victims of capitalism
2. _______________________: workers would elect governing local bodies called soviets
a. Russian Empire renamed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (_____________)
3. Soviet Union became a one-party, totalitarian state led by Lenin; later by ____________________
a. tried to promote a single Soviet ________________; changed names of cities and streets to
honor communist heroes; Russian language spread to non-Russian ethnic groups
4. Command economy; policy of ________________: country tries to produce all the goods it needs
a. trade with _______________ nations limited; little competition; efficiency and product quality fell
b. production of consumer goods and services lagged far behind the U.S. and Western Europe
5. Government ran large ____________ farms; constant problems; food production often low
a. millions died of starvation or in prison during forced change to new farming methods
6. Personal freedoms limited; people who disagreed with Communist leaders jailed
a. millions were sent to terrible labor camps called _____________
b. tried to stop religious worship; believed religion would lessen loyalty to the _____________
7. Some success; by 1980s ______ could read and write; free health care; able workers had jobs
8. Some political and economic freedoms allowed in 1980s
a. 1991 - Soviet Union ________________; 15 former Soviet republics became independent
b. citizens choose candidates in elections; ______ flows more freely; religious freedoms expanded
c. communism being replaced by ________________; more consumer goods available
C. Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus share a strong cultural identity; language, religion, customs
1. Russia is culturally diverse; over ________ ethnic groups
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2. _______ of Russians are Slavs; speak Slavic languages; written in ________________ alphabet
3. Majority of Ukrainians and Belarusians are Slavic; majority of people speak ________________
D. Many different ethnic groups developed in the rugged Caucasus Mountains
1. ______________________: zone of frequent boundary changes and conflicts
2. Three main languages: Azerbaijan a _______________ dialect; most common; Armenian and
Georgian
3. Diverse religions include Armenian Christian, Eastern Orthodox, and _______________
E. ________ of Russia lies in Europe; ________ of population lives there; Moscow most populous city
1. All three countries losing population; emigration, birthrate lower than death rate
a. poor health due to heavy _______________ and drinking; poverty and lack of health care
2. Main religion is ___________________________; churches often have onion-shaped domes
3. Inherited Soviet emphasis on education and scientific and technical training
4. Cold climate foods: _______________, oats, rye, wheat, beets, cabbage, and potatoes
a. often drink __________ grown in Caucasus and Central Asia
5. Homes in the forested north make of wood; people on the treeless steppe use sod
SECTION 3 – THE REGION TODAY
A. Working to develop light industry: production of _______________ goods; clothing or housewares
1. _______________ industry (manufacturing based on metals) becoming less important
a. cities becoming more like richer countries; shopping centers, stores, sidewalk stalls
2. _______________ is Russia’s center of communications, culture, education, finance, politics,
transportation
3. St. Petersburg located on the Gulf of Finland; called ______________________________ for
many canals
a. location eases trade and transportation links with other European cities
b. chemicals, machinery, ships, and ____________; cultural attractions, high-tech industries
4. Heavy industry along ____________ River and Ural Mountains; hydroelectricity abundant
a. _______________ and petrochemical plants; Russia’s largest car and truck factories
b. __________________________: factories that process metal ores
5. Siberian settlement, farming, and industry follow the
a. Moscow to Vladivostok; ____________ miles; built 1891-1898
b. lumber, mining, and oil production most important industries
6. Russian Far East heavily forested; farming in the ____________ River valley
a. ______________________ is a naval base, chief seaport, fishing center
b. Sakhalin Island has oil and mineral resources; Kuril Islands important for commercial fishing
B. ____________ Ukraine’s capital; located on Dnieper River; large share of country’s economic activity
1. Wheat, sunflowers, _______________; exports wide variety of fruits, vegetables, animal products
2. Heavy industry based on coal, iron, manganese, and other metals
C. _______________ has few mineral resources; generally poor soil; relies on educated labor force
1. Forests support wood products industries; __________ used as fuel; burning causes air pollution
2. ____________ is the capital; many of the country industries; plants left over from Soviet era
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D. Tension between supporters and opponents of reform and ethnic groups
1. ________________ of business; some people became rich through unfair means; don’t pay taxes
2. Middle class insecure; fear government may take homes and businesses again
3. Repair and __________________ infrastructure; replace corrupt officials
E. People moving from remote regions to European _____________________
1. Soviet government left huge areas ruin by _______________
2. 1986 – nuclear power plant at ____________________ exploded; radiation contaminated millions
of acres
CHAPTER 18 – CENTRAL ASIA
SECTION 1 – NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS
A. The five countries of Central Asia are all ___________________
1. Semiarid ___________________in the north; plateaus and barren deserts in the east
2. Most people live in the southeast; rivers bring water from the ___________________
B. ____________ means ‘mountain’ in Chinese; created by tectonic forces pushing Indian subcontinent
into Asia; disastrous earthquakes
a. tallest peak ___________ feet; Fedchenko glacier in Tajikistan 44 miles long
b. Kopet-Dag form the border between Turkmenistan and ___________
2. Plateaus and plains stretch north and west to the ______________ Sea; world’s largest lake
a. east of the Caspian lies the landlocked ___________ Sea
C. Two major rivers; snowmelt feeds the Amu Dar’ya and Syr Dar’ya; both flow to the ___________ Sea
1. Irrigation drains much water; Syr Dar’ waters densely populated ______________ Valley
2. ___________ River flows through Kazakhstan into Russia; joins the Ob
3. ___________________ is a mile above sea level but never freezes; warm water moderates area’s
cold climate
D. Central Asia is mostly semiarid and arid; two large deserts
1. ___________ -Kum – great tracts of drifting sand dunes; ___________ Kum has stony ground
2. Southern Turkmenistan has Mediterranean climate; ___________________ was a center of Soviet
filmmaking
E. Highest peaks too cold, dry, and windy for vegetation; ___________________ forests at middle
elevations
1. Central Asia known for ______________ trees; evergreen trees at higher elevations
2. Alluvial fans, foothills, and river deltas support grasses and shrubs
3. Animals in mountains include deer, pheasants, and wild boar; ___________________________
are endangered
4. Desert shrubs and grasses bloom in spring; animals include antelope, wildcats, and wolves
5. Domesticated ______________, goats, and sheep also graze on desert grasses
F. ______________ is the most precious resource; snowmelt from mountains flows into rivers
1. Dams generate hydroelectricity; coal deposits; rich _________ fields around the Caspian Sea
2. Kazakhstan has most of the region’s mines; exports copper, iron, lead, and nickel
3. _________: an element important in metal processing and other industries
4. Uzbekistan is a major _________ producer
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SECTION 2 – HISTORY AND CULTURE
A. Many people left cultural imprint; ______________ Empire; Alexander the Great brought Greek
influence
1. ______________: group of people traveling together for protection
a. passed through along the ___________________ from China to the Mediterranean
2. Turkic-speaking peoples established kingdoms in A.D. 600s
a. ______________ armies later conquered the region
b. 751 Arab armies defeated the Chinese; brought ______________ faith
3. 1218 – Mongol armies led by ___________________ began a 200-year rule
a. Mongol known as ______________ established an empire; 1370-1405; broke up after his death
b. Timur was ruthless but supported the arts, literature, and science
c. built gardens, mosques, and palaces at his capital, Samarqand
4. Late 1400s – ___________________ began to sail to East Asia; avoided the Silk Road; trade
through Central Asia declined
B. Russia conquered Central Asia mid-1800s; Russian settlers ______________ and farmed the desert
1. _________________ helped Russians create a strong military presence between British in India
and Russia
a. also offered access to region’s resources; expanded cotton and oil production
2. Soviet government crushed resistance; drew political boundaries that separated ______________
and _________________
a. Central Asia countries called _________________ but totally under Soviet control
3. Soviets built huge irrigation projects; became a major _________________ producer
a. ___________________: cultivation of a single crop
b. forced _________________ herders to settle on government-owned farms
c. during World War II factories and more Russians moved into Central Asia
4. 1991 – Soviet Union collapsed; Central Asian republics declared independence
a. Soviet-era boundaries cause trouble; _______________ Valley divided among three countries
b. many _________________ create complex boundaries that are difficult to control
C. _________________ languages and ethnic groups have long dominated the area
1. Irrigated farming traditional way of life in the ____________; nomadic herding in the north
a. _________________: people who move often from place to place
b. _____________________: moving herds from mountain pastures in summer to lowland
pastures in winter
c. ___________: movable round house of wool felt mats placed over a wood frame
2. Almost two-thirds of population speak Turkic language; ___________ major languages
a. _______________ main language and ethnic identity for a sizable minority; losing status
b. Latin alphabet replacing _________________; many people returning to Russia
3. _____________ is the main religion; most Christians are Russian Orthodox
4. _________________ are among Central Asia’s best-known art forms
a. ___________ textiles; mulberry trees provide leaves on which silk worms feed
b. _________________ made from hair of sheep, goats, and other animals; red colors and
geometric designs
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5. Cultural crossroads; varied foods; _________________ and tea from China; grilled meat and dairy
products from nomads
6. _________________ rates well above world average; life expectancy longer than world average
SECTION 3 – THE REGION TODAY
A. Agriculture remains important; traditional herders raise camels, cattle, _______________, horses,
and sheep
1. Crops include cotton, fruits, ___________v, rice, tobacco, and vegetables
a. _____________________ is world’s third largest exporter of cotton
b. to retain soil’s nutrients farmers add other crops to monoculture
c. _________________ farming (relies on rainfall instead of irrigation) used as well as irrigation
2. Mining and industry offer chance at future wealth
a. huge reserves of _________, _________, and minerals; outdated equipment slows growth
b. corruption, poor transportation links, and lack of ___________ for investment
c. many skilled _________________ workers and managers are leaving the region
d. need for new foreign markets; products must often cross international borders
B. Region has few big cities because people were traditionally nomads or farmers
1. Cities on ancient trade routes such as _______________ and Samarqand have colorful markets
and blue-tiled mosques
a. _______________ is a Soviet-era city of plain apartment buildings, factories, and offices
b. smaller cities like _______________ serve as starting points for tourists exploring mountains
c. 1997 – Kazakhstan moved its capital from ______________ to Astana
C. Central Asian countries much overcome challenges to ensure ___________________ and social
progress
1. Many people are poor and have few opportunities
2. ___________________ countries cut off from global trade routes
3. Need for ______________; major rivers cross international boundaries
4. Change from command to ________________ economy not easy
a. ___________________ and lack of democracy are major obstacles to economic growth
5. ______________ conflicts; various groups have committed violent acts
6. Soviet agricultural, __________________, and military practices damaged region’s land and water
a. testing of ___________________ weapons contaminated the Aral Sea
b. testing of hundreds of _______________ bombs
c. overuse of ___________________ to increase crop yields made farmland useless
d. ______________ lacking for cleanup; many Russian experts leaving the region
D. Issyk-Kul covers ___________ square miles; 2,303 feet deep; surface elevation 5,279 feet
1. ___________ are abundant; climate mild; productive agricultural area
2. More than 100 ___________ and ___________ along the shores; tourism prospers
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