1. Section 3: Natural Resources
Chapter 6
Europe and Russia:
Physical Geography

2. Resources of Western Europe
Western Europe is a wealthy region and a world economic leader because of the large numbers of natural resources.
Western Europe’s three major natural resources are fertile soil, water, and fuels.
Fertile Soil
Farmers are able to grow an abundant amount of food due to the large number of river valleys throughout W. Europe
Loess: a rich, dustlike soil
This soil, combined with plenty of rain and a long growing season, helps the farmers grown an abundant amount of food.

3. Resources of Western Europe
Water is used for drinking, nourishing crops and hydroelectric power.
Hydroelectric power: power generated by water-driven turbines
Many European countries have good locations for the development of hydroelectric power because of the flowing rivers throughout Western Europe.
Some countries have built dams to help store water to make sure there is always a constant flowing of water to make the turbines move

4. A Dam on the Danube River

5. Resource of Western Europe
Fuels
Europe contains many fossil fuels (fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas that developed from fossils, or remains of ancient animals and plants)
Countries used and continue to use their abundance of natural resources to become a world industrial power.
Some examples of places with an abundance of natural resources
Great Britain and Norway (large deposits of oil and natural gas)
Great Britain and Germany (have large coal fields)
Ruhr, Germany (area along the Ruhr River in Germany) has been one of W. Europe’s most important industrial regions because of the coal.

6. Resources of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe (The countries from Poland and the Czech Republic to Russia) have many of the same resources of Western Europe
An important area is where Poland Czech Republic and a little bit of Germany meet to form an area called Silesia.
Silesia is an important industrial area due to is large deposits of coal.
Although it has coal, Ukraine is known for its chernozen (black soil that is very fertile). This soil makes farming a very important activity in the Ukraine.
Recently, Ukraine became a leader for mining Uranium in Europe, and the country uses Nuclear power for 50% of its country’s electricity. (This point is not in your textbook)

7. Resources of Eastern Europe
Rivne, Ukraine Power Plant
Chernobyl , 1986 (Part of USSR)

8. Resources of Russia
Russia has not been able to develop its resources like Europe
It is not because they do not have them. In fact, they have a larger variety than the United States.
3 reasons why Russia has not been able to turn the resources into wealth
The harsh climate
Its huge size
Its few navigable rivers

9. Resources of Russia Russian Fossil Fuels and Iron Ore
Russia is one of the world’s largest oil producers
It has the largest reserve of natural gas in the world (Some scientists say it contains about 1/3 of the world’s natural gas)
Reserve: the available supply
Russia, also, has one of the world’s greatest reserves of iron ore to make steel. Most of it is on the western side of the Ural Mountains.
This is why most of Russia’s industry and people are on the European (western) side.

10. Resources of Russia Siberia
Siberia is home to most of Russia’ deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and forests.
1/2 of the world’s reserve of softwood timber is here (Ex. Pine)
Russia size, climate, and rivers do not allow them to get the natural resources to sell.
It is too expensive to build transportation across all of Siberia
Rivers freeze and even, if they don’t, they only flow to Arctic Ocean and not major Russian cities
Russia had to build pipelines and railroads to transport Siberian natural resources
They must also fight previous decades of environmental dumping of nuclear waste and air pollution from factories