Russia and it’s Republics
Chapters 15-17
Northern Landforms
• Russia and it’s republics is the geography of
nearly 1/6 of the earth’s land surface.
• Region actually follows simple patterns when
it comes to landforms.
– The Northern 2/3 is plains (Northern European
plain, West Siberian plain, and Central Siberian
plain)
Northern European Plain
• Contains some of the world’s most fertile soil
– Called “chernozem” or black earth.
• More than 75% of the region’s population live
on this plain.
– Largest cities include: Moscow, St. Petersburg, and
Kiev.
Siberian Plains
• West Siberian Plain
– Separated from the Northern plain by the Ural
Mountains.
• The Ural Mountains are also seen as the divider
between Europe and Asia.
• Central Siberian Plain
– Much of this plain is surrounded by mountains on
all sides.
Southern Landforms
• Feature towering mountains, some grasslands,
and barren uplands
• The Caucasus and Other Mountains
– Stretch from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea.
• Includes: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
• The Turan Plain is an extensive lowland from
the Caspian Sea to the uplands of Central Asia.
Rivers and Lakes
• Some of the largest rivers and lakes flow through
Russia.
– Large drainage basin for rivers to dump into many seas
– Three largest rivers include the Ob, the Yenisey, and the
Lena.
• The Caspian Sea is actually considered a Saltwater lake
• Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world.
– Goes more than a half mile deep
– 20% of the world’s freshwater is held here
– 1,200 species, including the only freshwater seal, are
native to the lake.
Regional Resources
• Vast wealth of resources
– Poor regional management
– Bad transportation routes hinder production
– Damaging to environment
• Huge reserves of coal, iron ore, and other
metals
– Leading producer of oil and natural gas.
• Forests hold 1/5 of the world’s timber
• Trying to use more hydroelectric power
Resource Management
• Harsh climates, rugged terrain make it difficult for
Russia to remove and transport materials
– Many resources located in Siberia
• Success has usually meant harm to the
environment
• Some dams release extra hot water into rivers
and lakes and have ruined certain plants
– Known as thermal pollution
• Recent political change is dealing with managing
this problem.
Climate
• We know Russia as a cold climate
– Also have deserts, and subtropical areas around the
Caucasus Mountains
• Humid continental and subarctic climates
dominate much of Russia.
– Due to high latitudes and mountains
– Large area also effects the climate
• Precipitation rates depends on how close to the
ocean the region is located
– The further from the ocean, the less precipitation
Vegetation
• Four major types of vegetation
– Tundra- mostly in the Arctic climate zone
• Only small herbs, low shrubs, lichens, and mosses can grow
there
– Forest- The taiga is the largest forest in the world
• Many coniferous trees
• Many animal species live there
– Steppe- temperate grassland
• Highly fertile chernozem soil
– Desert- semiarid lands
• Covers 230,000 square miles of area
The Shrinking Aral Sea
• Since 1960, the Aral Sea has lost 80% of its
water.
– Two main rivers dump water into the Sea, Amu
Darya, and Syr Darya
– Water loss is caused by farmers using the water to
irrigate their farm fields
• Chemical runoff from these cotton farms have
caused some rivers and streams to dry up and
not be able to absorb water.
The “Wild East”
• Similar to American Wild West
– Dangerous and slow travel
• Czar ordered work to start on a Trans-Siberian
railroad.
– Goal: to link Moscow to Vladivostok
– Needed to cover over 5,700 miles (over 7 time
zones)
• After completion, millions of settlers started
mining the bountiful resources
Brief History
• Created around 9th century from the Slavic tribe.
• Was ruled by a Czar, or emperor
– Lagged behind Western Europe in industrialization
– Harsh working conditions and low wages are part of cause
• Russian Revolution (1914-1918) made Russia
communist.
– Stalin takes over and creates Cold War with US
– Creates Iron Curtain states (15 states)
– Communism falls in 1991
• Today, president is “elected” and they have two
chamber legislature
Command Economy
• Karl Marx inspired communism in Russia.
• What do you need for a Command Economy?
– Central government that makes all the decisions
– Rapid industrialization
– Collective farms- large farms that many laborers
worked
• Although industry increased, citizens made great
sacrifices
– Famine from large farms moving away
– State police
Culture
• Ethnicity and Religion
– Many ethnic groups due to large acquisition of
lands over centuries
– Russian is largest ethnic group
• Up to 70 other ethnicities
– Orthodox Christianity is largest religion
• Jews, although largely persecuted is large religion as
well
• Art is closely tied to religion in Russia
Arts
• Many great writers
– Aleksandr Pushkin and Feodor Dostoyevsky
• Great composers
– Peter Tchaikovsky and Igor Stravinsky
• Known for ballets
– Kirov and Bolshoi companies
• Art had transformed after communism to
more modern style after propaganda poster
style art.
Tradition and Life
• Large cities enjoy a very social and cultural life.
• Russians still prefer traditional foods
– Rye bread
– Kasha- made from grain and eaten with butter
– Vodka- made from rye and wheat
• Dachas and Banyas
– Only 1/3 of population lives in country
– Dacha= countryside cabin
– Banya= ice bath with hot tea
Transcaucasia
• Region consists of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan
• Very diverse populations
– Many ethnic and religious groups
– Civil wars
• Ruled for decades by Communist Russia
• Very significant oil reserves here
– Known as the “land of flames” due to high oil content
• Very educated region (due to communism)
• Known as hospitable people
Central Asia
• Area consists of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
• Traders used this route from China to Europe
– Known as the Silk Road
• Nuclear Testing
– Over 450 nuclear explosions
– Has caused health problems in Kazakhstan
– Even though they stopped 1989 problems will occur
for many years to come
• Many oil drilling potentials
Central Asia
• Large number of ethnic groups
• USSR comes in and separates tribes into five
regions
– Regions did not necessarily fall in to ethnic
boundaries
• Most people are Muslim and speak a language
close to Turkish
– Of course, Russian is also widely spoken
Central Asia
• The grasslands still have many nomadic
peoples
– Nomads= people who do not have a permanent
home
– They move places with the seasons
– Tend animals and farm crops in each new place
– Live in tents called yurts- have a wooden frame
and outer covering made of felt waterproofed
with sheep fat
Russian Issues
• The Caucasus conflicts
– Region is the size of California but speak dozens of
different languages and have 50 ethnic groups
living there.
– Each group wants independence and their own
land.
• Chechnya
– Still a part of Russia but wants freedom
– Known for terrorist ideals (very violent)
Russian Issues
• Moving toward Capitalism
– Privatization- Russia selling government-owned companies to
private companies.
– Not enough Russians had the money to buy these businesses.
– Russia is still trying to gain benefits from new economy
• What obstacles are in their way?
– Long distances for transporting goods and communicating
– Regional leaders and government not cooperating
• Organized Crime
– Very powerful mafia
– Owns 40% of private business
– Makes tax collection hard and thus government cannot make
profits