SECTION 1: LANDFORMS AND RESOURCES

NORTHERN LANDFORMS  Northern European Plain  Chernozem: black earth; some of the world’s richest soils  Large cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg

NORTHERN LANDFORMS CONTINUED  West Siberian Plain  Begins at Ural Mountains and stretches to the Yenisey River  Rivers here flow to the Arctic Ocean

SOUTHERN LANDFORMS  The Caucasus Mountains: between Black and Caspian Seas  Form border between Russia and Transcaucasia: region consisting of republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia

RIVERS AND LAKES

DRAINAGE BASINS AND RIVERS  Main Russian drainage basins: Arctic Ocean, Caspian Sea, Pacific Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Aral Sea  Arctic basin is the largest (Ob, Yenisey, and Lena Rivers)— drains 3 million sq. miles

VOLGA RIVER  Longest river on the European continent  Begins near Moscow and flows south  2300 miles long  Ends at Caspian Sea  Carries 60% of Russia’s river traffic

LAKES  Area contains the world’s largest lakes  Caspian Sea: saltwater lake  750 miles wide (largest inland sea)  Aral Sea: saltwater lake  Could vanish within 30 years

LAKE BAIKAL  Deepest lake in the world (more than 1 mile)  Nearly 400 miles wide  Holds 20% of world’s fresh water  1200 unique species of plants and animals

REGIONAL RESOURCES

ABUNDANT RESOURCES  Huge coal reserves, deposits of iron ore  The region is a leader in oil production and natural gas  Russia’s forests hold 1/5 (20%) of the world’s timber resources  One of world’s largest producers of hydroelectric power

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT  Harsh climates and rugged terrain make movement of resources difficult  Many resources are in Siberia: part of Russia that lies on the Asian continent

SECTION 2: CLIMATE AND VEGETATION

CONTINENTALITY  Def: the effect of distance on climate  Most of Russia is hundreds of miles away from the sea  This effects precipitation and temperature

VEGETATION REGIONS

TUNDRA  Most northern section of Russia  Mosses, lichens, small herbs, and low shrubs

FOREST  Taiga: south of Russian tundra; largest forest in the world  Mostly coniferous trees  Deciduous trees become more prominent in the lower latitudes

STEPPE  Temperate grassland  Extends from southern Ukraine through northern Kazakhstan  Chernozem

DESERT  The 2 major deserts in Central Asia cover an area of c. 230,000 sq. miles

SECTION 3: HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION

THE SHRINKING ARAL SEA  Water for Aral Sea comes mostly from the Syr Darya and Amu Darya Rivers  1950s: governments diverted water for irrigation

EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURE  Pesticides and fertilizers were entering the Aral Sea through Runoff: rainfall not absorbed by the ground that runs into streams and rivers  Killed all species of fish  Disease spread as sediment exposed from the drying of the Sea was carried by wind over population areas

THE RUSSIAN WINTER

COPING IN SIBERIA  C. 32 million people live in Siberia  Temps can reach -90°F in winter and 94°F in summer  Warmer temps melt ice and snow and leave pools of water for mosquitoes and black flies  Hard to build on permafrost ground

WAR AND “GENERAL WINTER”  The cold climate sometimes helps Russia  Napoleon was turned back in the early 1800s  Began retreat with 100,000 men  Returned with fewer than 10,000  The winter saved Russia from French occupation

CROSSING THE “WILD EAST”

TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILROAD  Links Moscow to Vladivostok  More than 5,700 miles, crossing 7 time zones  Construction lasted from  Built mainly to speed up travel time of resources

TIME ZONES  Created in 1884  World divided into 24 time zones  Each time zone represents 15° longitude (360°⁄24 hours=15°)  Prime Meridian is starting point (0°)  Base time is called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)  International Date Line set at 180°