1. Russia and the Republics

2. Russia is Huge!

3. Climate

4. The Steppes e25% of the old Soviet Union’s food supply.

5. Major Regional Divisions of the Former U. S. S. R. Chernozen Soil

6. The Ural Mountains

7. The Volga River eThe river is so polluted that the sturgeon catch has been decreased by 60%.

8. Lake Baikal, Siberia eThe oldest and deepest lake in the world. e 20% of the world’s total unfrozen water supply.

9. Siberia --> Permafrost eAverage temperatures of January vary from 0 to -50°C, and in July from 1 to 25°C e 150,000,000 population. e A former “gulag” Soviet prison camp.

10. Tundra: The Not-So-Barren Land Below the Arctic Circle

11. Trans-Siberian Railroad eCompleted in 1905.

12. Trans-Siberian Railroad eThe main line runs 5,785 miles.

13. A land of 10 time zones!

14. Eastern Bloc Union of Soviet Socialist Republics 15 Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan 7 Satellite Countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia The Collapse

16. Remaining Communist Countries At its peak, communism was practiced in dozens of countries: Soviet Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan Asian Countries: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Yemen Soviet Controlled Eastern bloc countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia. The Balkans: Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Africa: Angola, Benin, Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, and Mozambique. Currently only a handful of countries identified as communist remain: Laos, North Korea, Vietnam, China, and Cuba.