Russia and the Republics

Questions to ponder How does the landscape of the northern 2/3 of the region change from east to west? Which area has the richest agricultural land, the most people, and the largest cities? What physical features characterize the southern third of Russia and the republics? It rises in elevation, changing from plains to plateaus to mountains. Northern European Plain Mountains, barren uplands, and semiarid grasslands

Why is Lake Baikal unique? What are some of the resources in this area? Why has it been hard to extract and transport these resources? What other challenges face leaders of this region? It is the world’s deepest lake and holds 20% of the world’s fresh water. Coal, iron ore, oil, natural gas, and timber Location – many are in areas that have severe climates and difficult terrain Balancing economic growth with respect for the environment

Climate and Vegetation Continentality Extreme temperatures Precipitation Tundra Forest – taiga, coniferous, deciduous and mixed Steppe – temperate grasslands Grassland – desert and semiarid lands

Shrinking of the Aral Sea  Cause: Water from rivers that feed into the Aral Sea has been diverted for irrigation  Effects: Decreased amount of water reaching the Aral Sea Retreating waters expose salt, fertilizers, and pesticides in the sea bed Windstorms pick up the exposed substances and drop them on people Diseases and mortality rates increase

Siberia 32 million people live in this region Temperatures are the most variable on earth (-90 to 94) Insects Permafrost and construction War – Napoleon (from 100,000 soldiers to less than 10,000) – WWII

Trans-Siberian Railroad 5,700 miles 7 time zones In 12 years, 70,000 workers moved 77million cubic feet of earth and cleared 100,000 acres of forest Completed in 1904 Wanted to populate Siberia to use the resources In 10 years, almost 5 million settlers moved to Siberia Links Moscow to Vladivostok Map on page 355 What difficulties did the workers face while building?