http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rs.html
taiga
Taiga refers to a
nearly continuous
belt of evergreen
coniferous forests
across the Northern
Hemisphere,
including Russia.
This is the largest
forest in the world.
WildLife photography in Siberia and Central Asia by Oleg Kosterin used with permission
http://pisum.bionet.nsc.ru/kosterin/landscap/altai/chuiskaya2.htm
steppe
Steppe is the
term used for the
temperate
grassland
regions in the
Northern
Hemisphere.
WildLife photography in Siberia and Central Asia by Oleg Kosterin used with permission
pisum.bionet.nsc.ru/kosterin/landscap/ altai/chuiskaya2.htm
chernozem
Chernozem is black
topsoil, one of the
world’s most fertile
soils.
Chernozem is found
in the north European
plain in Ukraine and
Russia.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/faculties/SS/GEOG/Virtual/SoilOrders/soilorders.html
Used with permission
tundra
Tundra is the
term for the flat,
treeless lands
forming a ring
around the Arctic
Ocean. In the
tundra, the
climate is
extremely cold.
http://faculty.washington.edu/lyn4/images/tundra.jpg
Used with permission. Photo is the property of Lyn Gualtieri, University of Washington
http://www.creekbed.com/descanso-townhall/images/tundra.jpg
Permission requested
permafrost
Permafrost is
permanently frozen
soil found where the
ground temperature
remains below 0°C. It
exists where summer
heating fails to reach
the base of the layer
of frozen ground.
http://www.netl.doe.gov/scng/hydrate/about-hydrates/arctic-regions.htm
No copyright
This NASA image
of the Northern
Hemisphere shows
the areas of
permafrost — the
tundra regions of
Asia, Europe, and
North America.
permafrost or
permanently frozen
ground
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/FrozenSoils/Images/frozenground.gif
http://henkbinnendijk.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/dawsonpermafrosthouses700x460.jpg
Used with permission
Buildings built on permafrost may collapse when the heat generated by
the building thaws the ground. The photo above is an example of what
can happen to a building built on ground that is permanently frozen.
Houses in Siberia are often built on stilts so this will not happen.
 The Aral Sea is becoming a desert because
water is being diverted from rivers that feed it.
The diverted water is being used to irrigate the
cotton fields in Uzbekistan.
 The wind blows the sand, which is contaminated
with fertilizers and pesticides, into the nearby
villages, where it causes serious illnesses.
 The Sea is so polluted from run-off that the fish
have died.
irrigation
To irrigate is to
supply (dry land)
with water by
means of ditches,
pipes, or tubes.
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/slides/Prfiles.htm
No copyright
divert
(To divert is to turn aside
from a course or
direction.)
Water is diverted from
streams to irrigation
canals in order to irrigate
the cotton fields in the
Aral Sea drainage basin.
Irrigation Channel
http://www.marxists.org/history/ussr/art/photography/workers/misc/cotton-pickers.jpg
Used with permission
Other factors that influence the
geography of Russia and Central Asia
• Many rivers flow northward into the Arctic
Ocean. They are frozen most of the year.
• Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world.
It contains 20 percent of the Earth’s fresh
water supply.
• St. Petersburg is the “window to the West”
and gives the Russians a port on the Baltic
Sea.