Unit 5- Russia
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Standards and Objectives
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Analyze natural resources of Russia and
understand why and where they come from.
Answer and analyze all questions of geographic
history of Russian landforms, vegetation, and
climate.
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GHW.1.2
Landforms- Mountains
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Ural Mountains- Mark tradition boundary between European
Russia and Asian Russia.
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Series of mountains, average height 2,000ft.
Rich in iron ore, and mineral fuels such as oil and natural gas.
Caucasus Mountains- Between the Black & Caspian Seas.
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Area by Black Sea attracted human settlement.
Mount Elbrus (extinct volcano) reaches 18,510 feet (Russia’s Highest
Point)
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Ural Mountains
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Caucasus Mountains
Landforms- Plateaus
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Central Siberian Plateau- rolling plateau,
elevations ranging from 1,600 to 2,300 feet.
 Swiftly flowing rivers have carved out
canyons.
Siberia- Eastern Russia, Arctic and Subarctic
Region of Russia.
 Kamchatka Peninsula has more than 100
volcanoes, 29 are active.
 Cold, mostly Asian type population
 Trans-Siberian Railroad- network of
railways connecting Moscow with the
Russian Far East and the East sea.

Connected Moscow with Vladivostok
since 1916 and is still being expanded.
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Central Siberian Plateau
Landforms- Plains Areas
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Northern European Plain- “Russian Plain, sweeps across Western and
Central Europe into Russia
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Northern half- very flat and poorly drained, creating swamps and lakes.
Southern half- navigable waterways and a rich black soil known as
chernozem.
Chernozem supports production of wheat, barley, rye, oats, and many
other crops.
About 75% of the Russian population lives in the Northern Plain. Holds
Moscow and St. Petersburg.
West Siberian Plain- Almost 1 million square miles. One of the worlds
Largest areas of flatland.
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At widest plain stretches from Arctic Ocean to grasslands of Central Asia.
Lowland areas poorly drained with swamps and marshes.
Red Square in Moscow
St. Petersburg
Water Systems
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Rivers
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Arctic Basin
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Volga Basin
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Volga River (Mother Volga) from Moscow to Caspian Sea
4th Longest
Supplies 33% of Russia’s usable water
Amur River
Border between Russia and China
Most of Russia’s longest rivers which carry 84% of country’s water
are located in Siberia, where only 25% of the Russian population
lives.
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Drains more then 1,750,000 cubic feet water per second into Arctic
Ocean
Water Systems
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Lakes
Caspian Sea- saltwater lake
 Arial Sea- saltwater lake, shrinking
 Lake Baikal- Located in Southern Siberia.
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Deepest lake in world.
400 miles long, 40 miles wide.
1 mile deep.
20% of worlds fresh drinking water.
Lake Baikal
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Natural Resources
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Minerals & Energy- fossil fuels, large petroleum deposits, 16%
of world’s coal reserves, leads world in nickel production,
aluminum, gemstones, platinum-group metals, Russia’s rivers
large producer of hydroelectric power.
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Cold Culture- only 10% can support agriculture.
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Permafrost- permanent frozen layer of soil, lies beneath the
surface of the ground.
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High Fishing industry- diet and economy
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1/5 of world's forest lands lie in Russia, most in Siberia.
 Supply much of the world's timber- pine, fir-spruce, and
cedar.
Climate & Vegetation
High-Latitude
 Subarctic -90 degrees
 Forest- Taiga- largest Coniferous forest on
earth, ½ of world’s softwood timber, 2/5 of
Western Russia
 Tundra- treeless plain, hugs arctic seas, covers
10%
 Continentality- Extreme Variations in Temp. &
little precipitation
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Climate & Vegetation
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Midlatitude
 Humid continental- 9 Degrees
 Steppe- Between Black/Caspian seas, North
MTNS, grasslands/ Chernozem
 Overgrazing and foreign plants
introduced
 Russian Winter
 Defeat of Napoleon I 1812
 Defeat of Germans WWII
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What is the traditional
boundary between
EuroRussia and AsiaRussia
1.
2.
3.
Caucasus Mountains
Central Siberian Plateau
Ural Mountains
What did the Trans-Siberian
Railroad connect?
1.
2.
3.
North & South Russia
East & West Russia
Russia & USA
What is the rich brown soil of
southern part of the Northern
European Plain
1.
2.
3.
Permafrost
Chernozem
Decidous
Permanently Frozen layer
of soil?
1.
2.
3.
Permafrost
Marsh
Chernobyl
What Lake is Over 1 Mile
Deep?
1.
2.
3.
Caspian Sea
Ladoga Lake
Lake Baikal
World's largest boreal
coniferous forest
1.
2.
3.
Tundra
Steppe
Taiga
What has caused the soil
fertility in the Steppe
climate region to decline?
1.
2.
3.
Deforestation and acid rain
Introduction of foreign plants
and overgrazing by animals
Pollution, and slaughtering of
animals