1. The Physical Geography of Russia
Chapter 14, Section 1: The Land

2. Important Vocabulary
Chernozem: a rich bank of soil. It can support wheat, oats, rye, barley, and other crops. Southern Russia.
Permafrost: a permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the ground. North and east Russia.

3. Physical Map of Russia

4. Mountains & Plateaus World’s largest country.
Ural Mountains: rich in iron ore, oil, and natural gas.
Caucasus Mountains in southwest Russia.
Central Siberian Plateau: between Russia and China.

5. Plains The Russian Plain: western and central Europe.
Very flat and poorly drained.
80% of Russian population live here.
West Siberian Plain: 1 million square miles.

6. Coasts, Seas, and Lakes
Russia’s coastline stretches from Arctic to Pacific Ocean.
Black Sea: warm-water outlet.
Caspian Sea: largest in-land body of water.
Lake Baikal: Southern Siberia.

7. Rivers Volga River: western Russia, 4th longest river in the world.
Siberian rivers flow to Arctic Ocean.

8. Natural Resources
Vast mineral resources: aluminum, nickel, gemstones, and platinum.
Fossil fuels: large petroleum deposits, natural gas, and coal reserves.

9. Resources (Cont’d)
Only 10% of land can support farming (grains and vegetables).
Timber: pine, fir, spruce; cedar.
Russian forests are shrinking from commercial logging.

10. Resources (Cont’d) Pacific Ocean – salmon.
Arctic Ocean – herring, cod, and halibut.
Decline in world famous caviar.

11. The Physical Geography of Russia
Chapter 14, Section 2: Climate and Vegetation

12. Important Vocabulary
Continentality: extreme variations in temperature and little precipitation within a country’s interior.
Tundra: a vast, treeless plain. This dominates much of Russia’s landscape.

13. Vocabulary (Cont’d)
Taiga: a boreal (northern region) forest belt that covers 2/5 of western Russia, and extends into much of Siberia.
Steppe: a temperate, grassland region that has dry summers and long, cold dry winters. Located between the Black and Caspian Seas and north of the Caucasus Mountains.

14. High Latitude Regions Long, cold winters and short, cool summers.
Yakutsk (eastern Russia): -33F in January and 64F in July.
Sea of Okhotsk: average annual temperature below freezing.
Russia’s largest climate region is subarctic.

15. Mid-Latitude Regions Milder winters and warmer summers.
Where most of population and agriculture is located.
Moscow: 9-14F in winter and 66-99F in summer.
Harsh cold winters – historical effects.