Russia and the Republics
Ch 15
Northern Landforms
•
Intro
– 1/6 of world landmass
•
North European Plain
– Lowland
– In west to Ural Mtns
– Chernozem – fertile soil of plain
» Lots of agriculture here
– 75% of population
– Moscow (Russian cap), St Petersburg, Kiev (Ukraine)
West Siberian Plain
– E of Urals to Yenisey R
– Arctic O to foothills of Altay Mtns
– Slopes downhill to N
» Rivers drain to Arctic O
Central Siberian Plateau and
Russian Far East
•
•
•
Uplands and mtns dominant
High plateaus
• 1-2000 ft
Far East
• E of Lena R
• Volcanic ranges
• Kamchatka peninsula
120 volcanoes
20 active
• Sakhalin, Kuril Islands
Seized from Japan after WWII
Japan still claims
Southern landforms
•
Caucasus and Other Mtns
– Caucasus
» btw Black and Caspian Seas
» form border btw Russia and Transcaucasia
Trans= Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
– Further east
» Tian Shan and others
» Southeastern border of Central Asia
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan
» Block moisture from south
Create arid climate in central Asia
Turan Plain
– Lowlands
– East of Caspian
– 2 rivers
» Syr Darya
» Amu Darya
– Very dry area – 2 deserts
» Kara Kum
» Kyzyl Kum
Rivers and Lakes
•
Drainage Basins and Rivers
– Drainage basin=area drained by river + tributaries
– Arctic Basin
» Ob
» Yenisey
» Lena
3=1,750,000 cubic ft/sec
– Caspian
» Volga
Longest river in Europe
60% Russia’s river traffic
Volga drainage
basin
Lakes
– Caspian
» Saltwater
» 750 mi N-S
» Largest inland sea-world
– Aral
» Saltwater
» Lost 80% water since 1960
» Extensive irrigation
» Vanish soon
Aral Sea
Lake Baikal
– Deepest in world
» 1 mile
– 400 mi N-S
– 20% world’s fresh water
– 1200 species unique to lake
Regional Resources
•
•
Intro
– Lots of resources
– Transportation
difficult
Abundant Resources
– Coal
– Iron, metals
– Oil & gas
– Forests
» 1/5 world total
– Hydroelectricrivers
• Resource Management
– Harvest and transport difficult
» Harsh climate
» Long distances
– Siberia
» Source of many
resources
» In far east – long
distances
» Frigid temps
– Environmental damage
» Mining
» Oil/gas production
» Thermal pollution
» Hot discharge from
dams/hydroel plants
» Little govt control of
pollution
Forests
An explosion at Russia's largest power generator—the Sayano-Shushenkaya
hydroelectric plant in Siberia—has killed at least 12 people, and another 64 are
thought to be lost in the wreckage. It's an environmental disaster of
monumental proportions: in addition to the tragic deaths, the damaged plant
has released an oil slick over 10 miles of the surface of nearby Yenisei River
August, 2009