Chapter 13 The People and Land of Russia Vocabulary Section 1 Section 2

Eurasia – Region that lies on both the European & Asian continents. Orange are is Eurasia…

Urban – relating to the city St. Petersburg

Suburb – smaller community located in the area surrounding the city. Outside Moscow…

Consumer Goods – goods people buy to use for themselves, such as household products, clothing and cars.

Rural – relating to the countryside.

Tundra – vast, rolling, treeless plain in high latitude climates in which only the top few inches of ground thaw in summer.

Taiga – huge forests of evergreen trees that grow in subarctic regions.

Steppe – partly dry, treeless grassland often found on the edges of a desert.

Communism – economic, social, & political system based on teachings of Karl Marx. Government owned and ran the factories.

Heavy Industry – industry that produces goods such as machinery, mining equipment, and steel.

Light Industry – Industry that produces goods such as clothing, shoes, furniture, and household products.

Slav – Russians, Ukrainians, & Belorussians are people from the ethnic group originating in NE Europe whose native tongue is a Slavic language.

Majority Culture – dominant or main culture of a region. (the most)

Minority Culture – culture other than the majority culture in a region. Usually the least number.

Ethnic Conflict – dispute between 2 or more ethnic groups. (people who share a common culture, language or history)

Nomad – person who moves from place to place with herds of animals.

Oasis – green area in a desert fed by underground water.

Elevation – height of land above sea level.

Chapter 13-1 The People and Land of Russia Interesting Facts

Russia – world’s largest country, nearly 2X size of US.

Ural Mountains – dividing line between Europe and Asia

Railroads – leading movers of people & goods in Russia

Russia in Europe is WARMER than Russia in Asia

75% of population lives in European Russia

Moscow – national capital Moscow and the Kremlin…

St. Petersburg – “The Venice of the North”

Volgograd – important city in Russia.

The Poor stand in line to get food they need to survive.

N Siberia – tundra – large treeless plain where only top few inches of the ground thaw during the summer. (huts made of walrus skins)

Taiga – world’s largest forest.

Caspian Sea – largest inland body of water in the world. (salt, not fresh, like most lakes)

Lake Baikal – world’s oldest, deepest freshwater lake holds almost 20% of the world’s supply of unfrozen freshwater. Some plant and fish species can be traced to prehistoric times.

Volga River – longest R in Europe that is an important transportation route.

Russia’s fishing industry is among the largest in the world.

Russian people haven’t had much experience creating jobs, starting businesses, & making money.

1. Moscow Region – capital & largest city, being the political, & cultural center of Russia. Economic center & largest transportation hub.

2. Port Cities – NW ports, Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg

Port of Kaliningrad small land area on Baltic Sea separated from the rest of Russia. ONLY Baltic port that remain free of ice year-round!

St. Petersburg – once the capital, located on the Neva R, & is a shipbuilding center.

3. Siberia – has the largest supply of minerals in Russia. In addition, 2/3 forest, so timber industry strong. For 2 mths out of the year, the sun stays visible for most of the night.

Siberia – undeveloped because of size & harsh, cold climate. 8+ days by train.

4. The Volga and Urals Region – Volga R carries almost ½ of Russia’s river traffic. Water used for irrigation& hydroelectric power.

Home to Russia’s most productive farmlands.