Chapter 15: RUSSIA & The REPUBLICS
Ch. 15:1 Landforms & Resources The Northern European Plain stretches for over 1,000 miles between the western border of Russia & the Republics and the. Ural Mountains One of the world s most fertile soils, chernozem or black earth is abundant on the Northern European Plain. The Ural Mountains separate the Northern European and West Siberian plains. East of the Yenisey River lies the, Central Siberian Plateau a land dominated by uplands and mountains. Towering mountains barren uplands and semiarid grasslands are located in the southern areas of Russia & the Republics. In the southwest, the Caucasus Mountains stretch across the isthmus separating the Black & Caspian Seas.
These mountains form the border between Russia & Transcaucasia - a region consisting of the republics of. Armenia, Azerbaijan, & Georgia Mountains are also located along the southeastern border of Central Asia -- a region that includes, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and. Uzebekistan Some of the world s longest rivers flow through the vast plains of Russia and the Republics. The, Volga River the longest river in the region, drains into the. Caspian Sea In addition to some of the world s longest rivers, Russia and the Republics also boast some of the largest lakes on Earth. Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake in the world.
Central Asia Transcaucasia Transcaucasia
Volga River
Lake Baikal
Russia and the Republics have many energy and mineral resources. Many of the region s resources are located in frigid and subarctic regions of. Siberia Because of this, drilling for oil and, natural gas and mining for, coal gold,, diamonds silver and other minerals is extremely difficult.
Natural gas drilling in Siberia
Oil drilling in Siberia
Ch. 15:2 Climate & Vegetation 1. Much of Russia and the Republics are hundreds of miles from the moderating influence of the. sea The effect of this distance on climate is called. continentality 2. Temperatures in Siberia are so consistently low that much is covered by a layer of permanently frozen soil called. permafrost 3. While humid continental and subarctic climates dominate the northern & eastern areas of the region, Russia and the Republics also have warmer climates. In, Transcaucasia moist air from the Mediterranean Sea contributes to a subtropical climate zone in the region.
Diagram of Permafrost Structure
Permafrost Landscape
Permafrost Wetland Landscape
Arctic Permafrost Landscape
Map of Transcaucasia
4. Russia and the Republics have four major vegetation regions. The tundra region falls mostly in the arctic climate zone. 5. South of this region lies the largest forest on Earth the. taiga 6. The steppe is the name of the temperate grassland that extends from southern Ukraine through northern Kazakhstan to the. Altay Mountains 7. The two main deserts that occupy wide plains in the west and central areas of Central Asia are the Kara Kum & the. Kyzyl Kum T F G D
Tundra
Tundra Yukagir Reindeer Herders
Taiga
Taiga
Steppe
Steppe
Kara Kum Desert
Kyzyl Kum Desert
Ch. 15:3 Human-Environment Interaction 1. Between 1960 and the present, the Aral Sea lost about of 80% its. water 2. The flow of water into the sea was reduced because of. irrigation 3. The sea s shrinking shore exposed fertilizers and, pesticides as well as salt. Windstorms began to pick up these residues at rates as high as 44 million tons per year and dumped them on nearby. populations 4. This pollution has caused a sharp increase in. disease
The Environmental Disaster of the Aral Sea
Location
Location
Satellite Image of the Aral Sea
Why is the Aral Sea important? It was once the fourth largest inland body of water on earth It provided rich fishing resources It is an example of Soviet misuse of the environment Fishing once employed many thousands; unemployment is at about 40% today.
What started the Aral Sea problem? In the 1950s, the U.S.S.R. wanted to grow cotton in the deserts of Central Asia They needed to irrigate the land by using nearby rivers
How was the Aral Sea affected? The Amu Darya and the Syr Darya were a source of irrigation water These rivers feed into the Aral Sea The Aral has greatly shrunk Amu Darya River today is a mere trickle.
The Damage Over Time:
The Damage Over Time:
Ships stranded due to the lack of water
Former military ships on Vozrozhdenie Island
Due to the shrinking of the Aral Sea, fishing boats have been stranded in what was once water.
The Effect on Aral Sea Fishing Only the cans in the museum recall the past - all the canning factories have gone, the population has shrunk to 1,500. In 1957 the Aral provided 26,000 tons of fish - today a catch is rare.
Fish: A Rare Sight in the Aral Sea Region
Other Environmental Problems: Cotton cultivation requires the use of pesticides and fertilizers The use of these agents in the Aral Sea region have caused huge health problems Around 70% of women suffer from anemia and the death rate in childbirth is high.
Other Human Costs: The small bazaar in Muynak has almost no fruit or vegetables and the people feel abandoned by the world.
Camels are a common means of transport in the Aral Sea region.
Dogsled Team in Siberia
5. The rugged inhabitants of are Siberia also familiar with hardship. In this region, temperatures have reached 90ºF below zero. 6. The climate affects construction in Siberia. As the ground thaws buildings, sink tilt, and eventually topple over. 7. Russia s harsh winter has sometimes come to the aid of the region s. inhabitants Some assert that Russia s General Winter succeeded in defeating the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte and his troops where the other armies of Europe had failed to defeat him. 8. The Trans-Siberian Railway is a massive human-environment interaction that covers over 5,700 miles and crosses. 7 time zones
Napoleon s Disastrous Retreat from Russia 1812 (He began with 400,000 troops; he returned with 10,000.)
A Painting of French Soldiers Freezing During Napoleon s Unsuccessful Attack of Russia - 1812
The Trans-Siberian Railroad is the longest continuous rail line on earth, spanning nearly 6,000 miles.
The Trans-Siberian Railroad
Trans-Siberian Railroad Moscow to Vladivostok
The railroad runs from Yekaterinburg to Vladisvostok
The Trans-Siberian Railroad, a century old monument to the Czars imperial will and the Soviet Union s industrial might, is the world s longest railway.
Siberia, Russia - The horizon east of Lake Baikal peaks through an ice covered window on the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
Krasnoyarsk, Russia - Soldiers and civilians await a twilight departure from Krasnoyarsk station.
Svishchevo, Russia Since the Trans-Siberian Railroad does not stop in the tiny central Siberian village of Svishchevo, locals like Vladimir Maltsev rely on horse-drawn sleighs to get around.
Petrovsky Zavod Russia babuskas load baby carriages with pans of home-cooked food and garden produce to sell to travelers.
Krasnoyarsk, Russia - Travelers scramble across the tracks in the morning fog at the station under a tangle of power lines.
Vladivostok, Russia - Trans-Siberian tracks end at the historic Vladivostok station which was renovated for the centennial celebrations.