Unit 5 Russia and the Republics
Chapter 15
I. Landforms and Resources
A. Intro
1. 3x size of US
2. 11 time zones
B. Northern Landforms
1. Intro
a) 1/6 of world landmass
2. North European Plain
a) Lowland
b) In west to Ural Mtns
c) Chernozem – fertile soil of plain
(1) Lots of agriculture here
d) 75% of population
e) Moscow (Russian cap), St Petersburg, Kiev (Ukraine)
3. West Siberian Plain
a) E of Urals to Yenisey R
b) Arctic O to foothills of Altay Mtns
c) Slopes downhill to N
(1) Rivers drain to Arctic O
4. Central Siberian Plateau and Russian Far East
a) Uplands and mtns dominant
b) High plateaus
(1) 1-2000 ft
c) Far East
(1) E of Lena R
(2) Volcanic ranges
(3) Kamchatka peninsula
(a) 120 volcanoes
(b) 20 active
(4) Sakhalin, Kuril Islands
(a) Seized from Japan after WWII
(b) Japan still claims
C. Southern landforms
1. Caucasus and Other Mtns
a) Caucasus
(1) btw Black and Caspian Seas
(2) form border btw Russia and Transcaucasia
(a) Trans= Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
b) Further east
(1) Tian Shan and others
(2) Southeastern border of Central Asia
(a) Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
(3) Block moisture from south
(a) Create arid climate in central Asia
2. Turan Plain
a) Lowlands
b) East of Caspian
c) 2 rivers
(1) Syr Darya
(2) Amu Darya
d) Very dry area – 2 deserts
(1) Kara Kum
(2) Kyzyl Kum
D. Rivers and Lakes
1. Drainage Basins and Rivers
a) Drainage basin=area drained by river + tributaries
b) Arctic Basin
(1) Ob
(2) Yenisey
(3) Lena
(4) 3=1,750,000 cubic ft/sec
c) Caspian
(1) Volga
(a) Longest river in Europe
(b) 60% Russia’s river traffic
2. Lakes
a) Caspian
(1) Saltwater
(2) 750 mi N-S
(3) Largest inland sea-world
b) Aral
(1) Saltwater
(2) Lost 80% water since 1960
(a) Extensive irrigation
(3) Vanish soon
3. Lake Baikal
a) Deepest in world
(1) 1 mile
b) 400 mi N-S
c) 20% world’s fresh water
d) 1200 species unique to lake
E. Regional Resources
1. Intro
a) Lots of resources
b) Transportation difficult
2. Abundant Resources
a) Coal
b) Iron, metals
c) Oil & gas
d) Forests
(1) 1/5 world total
e) Hydroelectric-rivers
3. Resource Management
a) Harvest and transport difficult
(1) Harsh climate
(2) Long distances
b) Siberia
(1) Source of many resources
(2) In far east – long distances
(3) Frigid temps
c) Environmental damage
(1) Mining
(2) Oil/gas production
(3) Thermal pollution
(a) Hot discharge from dams/hydroel plants
(4) Little govt control of pollution