1. Russia

2. Landforms Russia largest country in the World 1/8th of the earth's surface (6.5 million sq. miles) Eurasia – Landmass of Europe and Asia together What’s the dividing line? Ural Mountains West – Europe East - Asia

3. Ural Mountains

5. Regions West – Flat plain, part of Northern European Plain (most population) Urals – Rolling Hills, limited obstacle for travel East – Volga River Basin, Siberia Southwest – Aral Sea (Drying lake) Southeast – Lake Baikal = world’s deepest lake

6. Disappearing Aral Sea

7. Lake Baikal, deepest lake in world Pollution has killed off wildlife here, including fresh water seals

8. Climate Humid Continental – West Sub-Arctic – East Tundra – North Steppe – Semiarid – Southeast Desert – Arid – Southwest (Central Asia) Siberia – Extremely cold, dry (little rainfall) Arctic Northern Shores - Freeze

10. Vegetation Far North - Tundra – Low Shrubs, mosses Sub-arctic - Taiga – Forest of Evergreen trees Humid Continental – Mixed Forests Steppe - Rich Soil – Grasses, shrubs Little RAINFALL

11. Taiga - Sub-Arctic - Boreal Forest

12. TAIGA

13. Russian Steppe

14. Central Asian landscape

15. Siberia Wintertime

17. Trans-Siberian Railroad

18. History of the Railway Russia's longstanding desire for a Pacific port was realized with the foundation of Vladivostok in 1860. By 1880, Vladivostok had grown into a major port city, and the lack of adequate transportation links between European Russia and its Far Eastern provinces soon became an obvious problem. In 1891, Czar Alexander III drew up plans for the Trans-Siberian Railway and initiated its construction. Upon his death three years later, the work was continued by his son Nicholas. Despite the enormity of the project, a continuous route was completed in 1905. It successfully opened the far eastern parts of Russia to the world! Why was it built?

19. Longest railroad in the world! The marker for kilometer 9,288, at the end of the line in Vladivostok