1. Physical Features and Climates of Russia

2. Ural Mountains Marks natural boundary between Europe and Asia.
Rich in Iron Ore and mineral fuels (oil and natural gas)

3. Ural Mountains

4. Caucasus Mountains Lie between the black and Caspian Seas.
Has long attracted human settlement because of close proximity to Black Sea.

5. Caucuses Mountains

6. Siberian Plain
Area of 13.1 million square miles (accounts for 77% of Russia’s land mass)
Only about 27% of Russia’s population lives here.
Extraordinary rich in mineral resources ( nickel, gold, lead, coal, molybdenu, gyp sum, diamonds, diopside, silver and zinc)
Unexploited resources of oil and natural gas.
Large areas of timber, major resources here.

7. Siberian Plain

8. Coastline Russia has longest coastline in the world (23,400 miles).
Coastlines touch both Artic and Pacific Ocean.
However there are very few seaports along these coast due to harsh climates.

9. Black Sea
Provides Russia with warm water outlet to the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas through three Turkish- controlled water ways- the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara and Dardanelles.

10. Black Sea

11. Caspian Sea Actually a large salt water lake.
Largest Inland body of water in the world.
Rivers flow into the Caspian, but there is no outlet to the ocean.

12. Caspian Sea

13. Volga River 4th largest River in the World.
Connects Moscow to the Caspian Sea and Black Sea.
Provides hydro-electricity power and water for drinking as well as water for irrigation.
2/3’s of Russia’s water traffic travels along the Volga.

14. Volga river

15. Amur River
Drains eastward and forms the boarder between Russia and China, for about miles.
Warmer than most of Siberia.
Siberians main food- producing area.

16. Amur River

17. Tundra (Polar Climates)
High Latitude Region
Tree less plain.
Covers about 10 percent of Russia.
Short growing season. Thin acidic soil limits growth.

18. Taiga (Polar Climate) High Latitude Region
Supports Boreal forest that covers two-fifths of western Russia.
Roughly the size of the United States.
World’s largest coniferous forest, containing about on-half of the world softwood timber.

19. Humid Continental Multitude Region
Most of Russia Northern European Plain and a smart part of Southern Siberia.
Moscow lies in this region.
Deciduous and coniferous biomes here.
Soils are more fertile.
Further south chernozem (rich brown soil) soil in grasslands suitable for agriculture