1. GEOGRAPHY OF RUSSIA AND EASTERN EUROPE Geography 308 Professor Zoltán Grossman Office: Phillips 258 Hours: 10:00-10:50 MWF Phone: 836-4471 E-mail: grossmzc@uwec.edu Web: www.uwec.edu/grossmzc

2. Geography is about “place” Physical (natural) Human Economic Cultural/ethnic Population Political Urban/rural Nature-human interaction Environmental Regional

3. Changes in Europe, 1990-93

4. Geographical implications End of Cold War stand-off Transition from State Socialism to Capitalism Some states break up along ethnic lines Decolonization of Russian Empire after four centuries

5. Northeastern Europe Poland Ex-GDR (East Germany) Czech Republic Slovakia Hungary Baltic States: Estonia Latvia Lithuania

6. Southeastern Europe (“Balkans”) Romania Bulgaria Albania Former Yugoslavia: Slovenia Croatia Bosnia & Hercegovina Macedonia Serbia & Montenegro (Yugoslavia until 2003; includes Kosovo)

7. Russian/Soviet “Heartland” European Russia Southern Russia Including Chechnya Eastern Russia (Siberia) Ukraine Belarus Moldova Mongolia MONGOLIA

8. Caucasus and Central Asia Transcaucasia: Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan Central Asia: Kazakstan Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Tajikistan

9. My Homies: The Magyars (Hungarians)

10. Zoltán “Zoltan Hound of Dracula” Zoltar in “Big” Zoltan, Imperial Commander of the Space Nerds

11. Hungarian for “Sultan” (from the Ottoman Turkish occupation of Hungary, 1526-1686) (Hungarians have lost every war since then.)

12. Poltar, SlovakiaKondorfa, Hungary

13. Mom’s Hungarian Relies