GEOGRAPHY OF RUSSIA AND EASTERN EUROPE Geography 308 Professor Zoltán Grossman Office: Phillips 258 Hours: 10:00-10:50 MWF Phone: Web:
Geography is about “place” Physical (natural) Human Economic Cultural/ethnic Population Political Urban/rural Nature-human interaction Environmental Regional
Changes in Europe,
Geographical implications End of Cold War stand-off Transition from State Socialism to Capitalism Some states break up along ethnic lines Decolonization of Russian Empire after four centuries
Northeastern Europe Poland Ex-GDR (East Germany) Czech Republic Slovakia Hungary Baltic States: Estonia Latvia Lithuania
Southeastern Europe (“Balkans”) Romania Bulgaria Albania Former Yugoslavia: Slovenia Croatia Bosnia & Hercegovina Macedonia Serbia & Montenegro (Yugoslavia until 2003; includes Kosovo)
Russian/Soviet “Heartland” European Russia Southern Russia Including Chechnya Eastern Russia (Siberia) Ukraine Belarus Moldova Mongolia MONGOLIA
Caucasus and Central Asia Transcaucasia: Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan Central Asia: Kazakstan Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Tajikistan
My Homies: The Magyars (Hungarians)
Zoltán “Zoltan Hound of Dracula” Zoltar in “Big” Zoltan, Imperial Commander of the Space Nerds
Hungarian for “Sultan” (from the Ottoman Turkish occupation of Hungary, ) (Hungarians have lost every war since then.)
Poltar, SlovakiaKondorfa, Hungary
Mom’s Hungarian Relies