CHAPTER 17 RUSSIA, UKRAINE, AND BELARUS >

NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS CHAPTER 17 – SECTION 1

QUESTIONS  What landforms and rivers are found in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus?  What factors influence the regions’ climates and vegetation?  What natural resources does the region have?

LANDFORMS AND RIVERS  __________________________________________ __________________________________________  Stretches across Eurasia from the Baltic Sea and Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean.  Ural Mountains divide Eurasia.  West of Urals, including Ukraine and Belarus, are in of Asia.  East of Urals includes the part of Russia that is known as Siberia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.  Include the Caucasus Mountains, and active tectonic zone with sever earthquakes.

LANDFORMS AND RIVERS  __________________________________________ __________________________________________  Much of the area is located in the Northern European Plain and has a relatively low elevation.  Carpathian Mountains are located in Ukraine. <>

LANDFORMS AND RIVERS  ______________________________________________  West of the Urals lies the Volga River Basin..  ______________________________________________  Russian region – Dnieper, Don, and Volga flow south.  Siberian region – Ob, Yenisey, and Lena flow north.  Includes deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal, holds 1/5 of the world’s freshwater.

CLIMATES AND VEGETATION  ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________  Rivers and canals freeze during the winter.  Polluted fog hangs over the cities.  Permafrost will melt in the summer causing buildings to tilt, highways to buckle, and railroad tracks to slip.  Harsh conditions cover 2/3 of the country and bring severely cold temperatures.  Interior 1/3 can be dry, as ocean winds cannot reach that far.

CLIMATES AND VEGETATION  Region’s European third has the mildest climates  Better for agriculture and human settlement.  ______________________________________________  Murmansk is Russia’s only large, ice-free, Arctic port.

CLIMATES AND VEGETATION  __________________________________________  South includes taiga, a forest of mainly evergreen trees that covers half of Russia.  Farther south in Belarus and European Russia, deciduous- coniferous forest.  Farther south is the steppe, drier grassland.  Rich soil, major grain producing area.

NATURAL RESOURCES  __________________________________________ __________________________________________  Remaining resources are of poor quality or in remote places.  Taiga provides wood.  West of Ural Mountains has been cleared.  In Siberia, will last for a long time.  Siberia has gold and diamond mines.

NATURAL RESOURCES  __________________________________________ __________________________________________  Oil reserves in Caspian Sea.  Oil and gas fields between Volga River and Ural Mountains make Volga River Basin industrial heartland.  Reserves in Ob River Basin supply most of Russia’s oil and gas.  Largest network of pipelines carries fuel for export.

HISTORY AND CULTURE CHAPTER 17 – SECTION 2

QUESTIONS  What are some major events in the growth of the Russian Empire?  How did the Soviet Union develop, and what was life like for its citizens?  What are some features of the region’s culture?

THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE  The roots of the Russian Empire centered around the grassland of the steppe.  Moved from east to west from Mongolia, China, and central Asia.  Main group of inhabitants were the Slavs.  In the 800s, Kiev was the important center for trade, led by a group of Scandinavian traders known as the Rus.  Some of these traders moved and started cities like Moscow and built the Kremlin.

THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE  Christianity took hold in the region.  Eastern Orthodox became the religion of Kiev.  Invading Mongols destroyed Kiev.

CONQUEST AND EXPANSION  Under the rule of the Monguls, several states developed including Muscovy, with its chief city, Moscow.  Ivan IV, Ivan the Terrible, crowned himself czar of all the Russias!  Ivan expanded the territory of Russia with help from the Cossacks.  Russia gained European territory under Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.  Many non-Russians came into the Empire, including Muslims from Central Asia.

END OF AN EMPIRE  Though Russia started to industrialize, it remained a country of serfs.  Rural poverty lead to an economic depression and the weakening of the Russian government by the beginning of WWI.  Russia suffered huge losses in the war and economic problems increased.  The czar abdicated and the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government.

THE SOVIET UNION  The leader of the Bolsheviks, Vladimir Lenin, wanted to remake Russia using the ideas of Karl Marx and communism.  Groups of soviets were elected to make laws and the country was renamed The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).  USSR included 15 republics, largely based on ethnic territories.

LIFE IN THE SOVIET UNION  Under Lenin, the USSR became a one-party, totalitarian state.  Stalin followed Lenin with a brutal regime that lasted from  Names of cities were changed to reflect Soviet heroes.  Economic planners set up a policy of autarky which tried to produce everything the country needed on its own and limit trade with capitalist countries.  Systems were inefficient and millions starved.  Political opposition was sent to the gulags, religion outlawed.  Success in education and health care.

A NEW BEGINNING  Economic and political changes were allowed in the 1980s.  Soviet Union collapsed in  All 15 republics became independent.  More freedoms and more hardships

CULTURE  Russia Ukraine, and Belarus have similar languages, religions, and customs.  Russia has over 60 different ethnic groups.

PEOPLE AND LANGUAGES  At least 85% of Russians are Slavs and speak Slavic languages as do 95% of Ukrainians and 98% of Belarusians.  Written in the Cyrillic alphabet.  Russia has 21 republics made up of non-Slavic peoples.

PEOPLES OF THE CAUCASUS REPUBLICS  Some ethnic republics are located in the Caucasus. Mountain region, along with the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.  Shatter belt – zone with frequent boundary changes and conflicts.  Languages and religions are unrelated to each other.  Area sits between competing powers.

SETTLEMENT  25% of Russia lies in Europe.  80% of its population lives here due to better climate.  More than 2/3 of the population live in the larger cities.  St. Petersburg, Russia; Kiev, capital of Ukraine; Minsk, capital of Belarus  All countries are losing population.  Emigration, high death than birth rate, poor health behaviors, poor health care.

RELIGION AND EDUCATION  Main religion is Eastern Orthodox.  Most cities still have a church despite years of communist rule.  Onion dome figures prominently in architecture.  Catholic churches exist in Belarus, and Ukraine in areas bordering Catholic Poland.  Protestant churches are on the rise.  Muslims are part of the minority.  Focus on education and scientific and technical training.

FOOD, TRADITIONS, AND CUSTOMS  Foods utilize cold weather crops.  Tea is a popular drink.  Wood construction in the forested areas.  Sod construction on the plains.  Dachas – country cottages.

THE REGION TODAY CHAPTER 17 – SECTION 3

QUESTIONS  How have the economies of areas within the region developed?  What challenges does the region face?

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT  Moving economies from heavy industry to light industry.  Manufacturing based on metal products to consumer goods like clothing and housewares.  Cities are beginning to look like those of richer countries.

THE MOSCOW REGION  Moscow, with the Kremlin, is the symbol of Russia.  Home of the Russian Orthodox Church.  Capital.  Most important economic center.  70 centers of higher learning.  Location and infrastructure to get there makes it one of Russia’s most important cities.

THE ST. PETERSBURG REGION  Represents country’s desire for western ideas and lifestyle.  Located on Gulf of Finland, called Venice of the North because of many canals.  Center of trade with many other European cities.

THE VOLGA AND URALS REGIONS  Heavy industry in these regions.  Abundant hydroelectricity as a result of dams.  Refineries, and car and truck factories.  Smelters are still important as most mineral finds have been in the Ural.

SIBERIA  Siberia developed along with the Trans-Siberian Railroad  At 5,800 miles, it is the longest single rail line in the world.  Siberia provides furs, gold, and timber but harsh climate to work in.  Oil production is an important industry.  Workers are paid higher wages.

THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST  Russia has a long coastline along the Pacific Ocean.  Much land remains heavily forested.  Weather in the Amur River Valley is mild enough for farming.  Khabarovsk is the main inland city.  Factories that process forest and mineral resources.  Vladivostok – naval base, chief seaport, and fishing center.  Kuril Islands – disputed with Japan.

UKRAINE AND KIEV  Kiev is Ukraine’s capital and is located in the Dnieper River Valley.  10% of Ukraine’s population lives here and it is the center of economic activity.  Located in a region rich with agricultural, energy, industrial, and human resources.  Moderate climate, access to markets, and resources help Ukraine to attract new investment.

BELARUS AND MINSK  Country has few mineral resources and poor soil.  Relies on educated labor force to build economy.  Forest supply wood products.  Peat, used as fuel, causes air pollution.  Outdated plants are left over from the Soviet Union.

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES  Establishing a democracy is easier than building a stable economy.  Tension exists between supporters and opponents of reform and among ethnic groups.  Unemployment and crime have risen.  Gap between rich and poor has grown.  Plants need to be updated and laws reformed.

GEOGRAPHICAL CHALLENGES  In attempt to develop local economies, the Soviet Union did not concern itself with environmental issues.  1986 accident at Chernobyl.  Soviet Union tried to cover up nuclear accident.