Countries… Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Russia Tajikistan Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan stan – means “place” or “land” in Turkish

Geography… Russia stretches 6,000 miles from east to west Largest country Eurasia – name given to Europe and Asia when they are considered one landmass or continent Many of these countries are landlocked

Plains… Northern European Plain West Siberian Plain ¾ of the people live there Rich topsoil called chernozem (Russia for “black earth”) is good for farming 3 large cities Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev West Siberian Plain Most of the land consists of swamps, marshes and frozen land unsuitable for farming Thinly populated Central Asian (Turan) Plains Most is desert or dune covered Deserts Kara-Kum – black sand desert Kyzyl-kum – red sand desert Plains…

Mountains… Urals Carpathian Caucasus Tian Shan Altay Shan Divide the regions of Europe & Russia Carpathian Caucasus Highest point – Mt. Elbrus (18,510 ft) Tian Shan Altay Shan Shan – means mountain in Chinese

Seas & Lakes… Sea of Okhotsk Bering Sea Black Sea Caspian Sea Aral Sea World’s largest lake Aral Sea Has shrunk 60% since 1960 Soviets wanted to prosper from cotton industry Built network of irrigation canals & have overused water supply Lake Baikal Deepest lake in the world Holds 1/5 of earth’s total freshwater supply Lake Balkhash

Rivers… Rivers that flow across the plains of Central Asia: Volga Major river used for trade Don Dnieper Major Siberian rivers that are frozen most of the year & flow northward into Arctic Ocean: Lena Ob Yenisey

Natural Resources… Rich in natural resources Energy sources: Minerals: Oil, natural gas, coal Minerals: Gold, lead, manganese, iron, copper, zinc

Ethnic Diversity Many different ethnic groups – group of people who share a common ancestry, language, customs, or religion Boundaries were based on nationalities – large, distinct ethnic groups within a country When the Soviet Union broke apart, independent countries were formed

Population Distribution 276 million people in this region Russia is the 9th most populated country in the world Distribution Only 25% of Russia lies in Europe but 80% of people live in this region Environment determines where people live East of Ural Mountains Low population density Climate is harsh and mountainous West of Ural Mountains Dense population Large cities Rich, fertile farmland More than 2/3 of the population lives in urban areas Decreasing population Many of these countries are losing population Death rate > birth rate Poor health habits (smoking, alcohol abuse) Collapse of Soviet Union plunged many into poverty

History… Slavs Main group to settle what is now Russia & Ukraine A.D. 800 – city of Kiev became center of trade between Mediterranean & Baltic Seas 1240 – Mongol invaders from Central Asia destroyed Kiev

Mongols… In the 1200s, the Mongol warriors invaded Central Asia Led by Genghis Khan Conquered a huge area & destroyed Kiev Began 200 year rule of Central Asia

Czars… Expanded Russian territory even further north Czar – Title of Russian emperor 1547 – Ivan crowned himself the 1st czar Made Moscow the religious and political center of Russia Russia was far behind Europe in achievements and modernization 1682 – 1725 – Czar Peter the Great ruled Peter attempted to modernize Russia by modeling the rest of Europe Dressed like a European Gained territory Increased trade Made a new capital city called St. Petersburg Catherine the Great Expanded Russian territory even further north

Discontent… By the late 1800s Russia began to industrialize Russia’s people were tired of the rule of the Czars Largely a country of poor peasant farmers called serfs Serf – laborers owned by lords and bound to the land Lords controlled the land and the wealth 1860s – serfs were freed from the land but poverty did not end By 1917 – poor harvests, economic depression, & losses during WWI forced the end of czars Czar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate, or resign

Russian Revolution… 1917 – small group called the Bolsheviks overthrew the government in event known as Russian Revolution People began to favor socialism – philosophy that called for ownership of all land and factories by peasants and workers The Bolsheviks were led by Vladimir Lenin Lenin wanted to remake Russia using the ideas of Karl Marx

Karl Marx… German philosopher Hammer & sickle of the communist party German philosopher Believed that the working class were the victims of capitalism Lenin thought the solution was communism Felt a classless society would emerge

Russian Revolution… Bolsheviks – also called “Reds” favored communism Communism – social and political movement developed by Karl Marx and Lenin that favored revolution to establish a classless society in which workers would control industrial production Anti-Bolsheviks – also called “Whites” Civil War broke out between the two groups The Reds won the war Russian Empire was renamed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

Soviet Era… Soviet Union became totalitarian state Lenin’s Government: Used “Peace, Land, and Bread” as his slogan Withdrew Russia from WWI Moved the capital back to Moscow Took control of industry Promised workers an 8 hour workday

Soviet Era… Following Lenin’s death, Joseph Stalin took power Stalin’s brutal regime lasted until 1953 Adopted policy of autarky – system in which a country tries to produce all the goods that it needs Trade with capitalist countries was limited Without competition, efficiency dropped off Government took control of industries and farm production Personal freedoms were limited Millions were sent to labor camps called gulags Churches were closed or destroyed The Soviet Union became involved in WWII Expanded their territory to Eastern Europe and spread communism

Cold War… Soviet Union vs. Non-Communist countries Constant competition with the U.S. There was always the threat of war and using nuclear weapons until the late 1980s Mikhail Gorbachev tried to reform the Soviet Union through his concepts of: Perestroika – restructuring the Soviet government and economy Glasnost – policy of openness But these reforms proved not to be enough

New Republics… 1990 – Soviet Union began to fall apart and collapsed in 1991 Each of the former 15 republics became independent In 1991, Soviet Republics held its 1st democratic election for President Boris Yeltsin became president Many of the republics declared independence No longer known as the Soviet Republic The republics became independent countries

Culture… For over 70 years, the Soviets were in power The Soviets: Forced people to give up religion Made Russian the official language Communism limited personal freedoms Now everything is different: Language 85% of Russians are Slavs and speak Slavic languages Russian is the most commonly spoken language During Soviet rule, Russian was the official language Russian is still spoken and read in most of the Republics but each Republic has its own official language Almost 2/3 of Central Asians speak a language of the Turkic language family Education High literacy rate Soviet system limited personal freedoms but stressed education

Culture Closed down or destroyed churches Since the 1990s more religious freedom was allowed Christianity Eastern Orthodox Christianity Most commonly practiced religion split from Catholic Church in 1054 Islam 2nd most practiced religion in the region Traders and conquerors brought Islam to Central Asia Judaism Often suffered prejudice and discrimination Culture

Economy under Soviet Rule… For many years, Russia and the Eurasian Republics were under the control of the Soviets Had a command economy – an economy in which the central authority makes economic decisions The Soviet government controlled the distribution of goods and price of goods Focused on heavy industry – manufacturing based on metals Not focused on light industry – consumer goods Used the black market – illegal market where goods were sold at a much higher price than those set by the government Gorbechev wanted to move the government towards a free market economy Heavy Industry vs. Light Industry

Challenges with New Economies… When Russia and the Republics became independent, they faced challenges: Unemployment & crime increased Gap between rich and poor is growing Safety net old Soviet government provided was gone Public healthcare declined Factories & transportation needed to be modernized Immigrants From the Former Soviet Republics

Agriculture & Industry under Soviet Rule… The government controlled all industry & agriculture People worked where the government told them Accepted wages the government was willing to pay Paid by the piece, not hours worked Agriculture and industry were not efficient Workers were not motivated and had no incentive to work hard Under Perestroika, efforts were made to change this by: Letting factory managers make some decisions Start their own farms

Agriculture & Industry after Soviet Rule… After independence, the Republics tried to reform their economies Agriculture & herding remain important Mining & industry offers future wealth for region However, many skilled Russian workers are leaving the region Corruption, poor transportation, and lack of investment hurts development Countries are landlocked and trade routes are not easily accessible Agriculture & Industry after Soviet Rule…

Environment… The Soviets pushed to industrialize their country & become an economic power Soviet government paid little attention to environmental issues Huge areas are ruined by pollution Today the government has little money to repair damage Worst disaster occurred at Chernobyl Nuclear Energy Soviets wanted to use nuclear energy as a fuel source Built nuclear power stations Soviets didn’t tell citizens they were testing nuclear bombs 1.5 million people were exposed to radiation

Chernobyl… Chernobyl – small town in Northern Ukraine In 1986, there was an explosion at the nuclear power station Released deadly radiation into the atmosphere Soviets tried to cover up the story 2 days later, Swedish scientists noticed the increase in radiation in their air Aftermath: Radiation from explosions contaminated millions of acres of forests & farmland Thousands suffered from cancer and blood disease due to radiation Chernobyl was abandoned and destroyed

Water Problems… The Soviets emphasized heavy industry and farming so much that they often shrank or polluted water supplies Testing of biological weapons contaminated the Aral Sea Shrinking of Caspian Sea and Aral Sea Soviets demanded high quotas on agriculture Farmers forced to use the Caspian & Aral Seas for irrigation In 15 years, the Caspian Sea dropped 8 feet Pollution of Lake Baikal Polluted due to a paper and pulp mill Rivers with fertilizers and chemicals flow into the lake

Pollution… The Soviets gave little thought to the environment Dumped toxic wastes into rivers Factories burned coal that polluted the air