1. Chapter 15 Physical Geography of Russia & the Republics A Land of Extremes
Objective: Examine key features of the landforms, resources, climate, vegetation, & human- environment interaction in Russia & the Republics

2. Chapter 15 Section 1 Landforms & Resources
Vocabulary: Chernozem, Ural Mountains, Eurasia, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, & Siberia
Objective: Identify resources & explain why they are difficult to develop

3. Northern Landforms
Russia & the Republics cover over eight & a half million square miles
The Northern European plain contains chernozem “fertile soil” & most agriculture takes place here
75% of population live in this region (major cities Moscow, St. Petersburg, & Kiev)
Ural Mountains divides Europe & Asia in the West Siberian Plain
Russia & the republics are 3 times the land area of the Untied States
It covers 11 time zones meaning laborers in the west are leaving their work & going to sleep while on the eastern side people are just beginning to wake up
Chernozem is called the black earth
290 million people live in this region
Some people call the region Eurasia with the Ural Mountain dividing them

4. Southern Landforms
Transcaucasia contains Armenia, Azerbaijan, & Georgia
Central Asia includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, & Uzbekistan
High ranges contribute to the arid climate of Central Asia

5. Rivers & Lakes
The main drainage basins in Russia & the Republics are the Arctic Ocean, Caspian Sea, Pacific Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, & Aral Sea Basins
The Volga River carries 60% of Russia’s river traffic
The Caspian & Aral Sea are two of the largest seas & both are saltwater
Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world & holds 20% of the world’s fresh water
Russia & the republics have some of the largest lakes in the world
It is more than a mile from the surface to the bottom
From north to south it is 400 miles long
Thousands of species of plants & animals live in the lake

6. Regional Resources
Russia & the Republics boast huge reserves of coal, deposits of iron ore, other metals, oil, & natural gas
Russia’s vast forests hold 1/5th of the world’s timber resources
Harsh climate, rugged terrain, & vast distances make it difficult for Russia & the Republics to remove resources from the ground & transport them to markets
Resources are found in Siberia (frigid arctic & subarctic region)
Businesses have been able to exploit regional resources successfully but they have done so at great cost to the environment

7. Chapter 15 Section 2 Climate & Vegetation
Vocabulary: Continentality & Taiga
Objective: Describe four major vegetation regions of Russia & the Republics

8. A Climate of Extremes
Humid continental & subarctic climates dominate much of Russia & the Republics
Siberia average temperatures rarely exceed 50 degrees & sometimes drop below -90 degrees
Some areas consist of permafrost
Central Asia however have semiarid & desert climates
Transcaucasia has a subtropical climate zone
They use rivers & lakes as roads for part of the year
Layer of permafrost can reach depths of 1500 feet

9. Vegetation Regions
Tundra: in the Arctic climate zones very few types of vegetation are able to survive
Forest: also known as the Taiga
Steppe: grassland that where fertile soil is found (produces mostly grain)
Desert: two main deserts are the Kara Kum & Kyzyl Kum

10. Chapter 15 Section 3 Human-Environment Interaction
Vocabulary: Runoff & Trans- Siberian Railroad
Objective: Describe how Russia’s harsh winter has been both an obstacle & an advantage to the country

11. The Shrinking Aral Sea
In the 1950s officials began to take large amounts of water from the rivers to irrigate Central Asia’s cotton fields
Since the 1960s the sea has begun to evaporate
Pesticides & fertilizers runoff into the Aral sea killing all of the native species of fish
Pollution has caused drastic increases in diseases like throat cancer & respiratory diseases
Child mortality rates in Central Asia are among the highest in the world
It has lost about 80% of its water
Only drastic measures can save the sea

12. The Russian Winter 32 million people make their homes in Siberia
Temperatures drop so low in Siberia that basic human activities become painful
However, warmer weather melts the ice & creates pools of water that attract mosquitoes & black flies
They build on top of concrete pillars to make sure their buildings don’t sink in summer
However its has helped to protect them from invasion of European armies
Temperatures range from -90 degrees to 94 degrees (span of 184 degrees)
Eyes would be so cold that youd close one until the one you were looking with froze then swap over
Napoleon & Hitler invaded russia during summer & were killed by the Russian winter

13. Crossing the “Wild East”
Russia’s emperor ordered work to start on the Trans-Siberian Railroad that would link Moscow to Vladivostok
It covers 5700 miles & crosses seven time zones
Russian officials also started this project to populate Siberia to make profit off of its resources