Ch. 17 Vocabulary Russia

Ural Mountains A mountain range in Russia that separates Europe and Asia

Moscow The capital of Russia

Siberia A huge region in eastern Russia, “sleepy land”

Volga River The longest river in Europe located in western Russia. The river winds southward to the Caspian Sea; long formed the core of Russia’s river network

Taiga A forest of mainly evergreen trees covering much of Russia

Trans-Siberian Railroad A rail line in Russia that extends about 5,800 miles from Moscow to Vladivostok; it is the longest single rail line in the world

Russian Far East extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean – heavily forested

Tundra tree growth is delayed by low temperatures and short growing seasons - “treeless mountain track”

Slavs People who moved across the steppe and settled in Eastern Europe, including what is now Ukraine and western Russia; developed towns and began trading with people from other areas

Rus Viking traders from Scandinavia who invaded the Slavs; these Vikings shaped the first Russian state among the Slavs

Cyrillic (suh-RIHL-ihk) A form of the Greek alphabet

Czar A Russian emperor Nicholas II CZAR NICHOLAS II (1868 – 1918)

Bolsheviks A radical Russian Communist group that seized power in 1917 in the Russian Revolution; formed a new country, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or the Soviet Union

Gulag harsh Soviet labor camps often located in Siberia

Dachas Russian country houses

St. Petersburg City founded by Peter the Great who styled it after those of Western Europe – features wide avenues, grand palaces, and numerous canals; “White Nights” – period during summer when it never gets totally dark

smelters Factories that process metal ores

Chechnya A republic of Russia located in the Caucasus Mountains where Russia faces ethnic conflicts – fighting and terrorism have caused many deaths in Chechnya

Russian Federation a system in which power is divided between national and local governments – voters elect a president; president appoints prime minister; legislature makes the laws

corruption dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery

Kremlin The center of Russia’s government – consists of several buildings surrounded by a wall and towers

Vladivostok a city in Russian Far East with a naval base and the area’s main seaport