4 Dec 2017
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Chapter Five
Russia & Central Asia
Major Geographic Qualities
• Largest territorial state
• Northernmost large and populous country
• Stretches west to east some 10,00 km (6,000 mi) and covers 9 time zones
• Major colonial power – Czars and Soviets
• Comparatively small population, heavily concentrated in west
• Development concentrated west of the Ural Mountains
• Multicultural state
• Emerging economy high dependent on exports of oil and gas
Physical Geography
• The Russian Plains
o Core Area
▪ Moscow
▪ Volga River (drains the Russian Plains)
o “Heartland” of Eurasian landmass
• Siberia
o West Siberian Plain
▪ World’s largest unbroken lowland
▪ Ob River – flows north (drains the area to the east of the Ural
Mountains)
o Central Siberia Plateau
▪ High relief, sparsely populated
▪ Yenisey and Lena Rivers
o Eastern Highlands
• Kamchatka and Sakhalin
o Pacific Ring of Fire
▪ Volcanoes and earthquakes
o Sakhalin Island – conflict with Japan
o Major oil and gas reserves
• The Southern Perimeter
o Central Asian Ranges
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Chapter Five
▪ Lake Baykal – deepest lake on earth
o Caucasus Mountains – between Black and Caspian Seas
Climate
Harsh Environments
• St. Petersburg lies at same latitude as southern tip of Greenland
• Winters – long, dark, bitterly cold
• Summers – short and growing season limited
• Continentality – inland climate remote from moderating effect of oceans
• Permafrost – water in ground is permanently frozen
• Taiga – “snow forests” – boreal forest dominated by coniferous trees
• E Climates – artic latitudes
o Tundra – mosses, lichens, patches of low grass and hardy shrubs
Climate Change and Arctic Prospects
Long-term melting of Artic ice might:
• shrink areas of permafrost, expand arable land and increase agricultural options
• keep Artic ports open longer in fall or year-round
Russia’s Changing Human Geography
A Shrinking Population
• more deaths than births and immigrants
• male life expectancy dropped from 71 years in 1991 to 65 years in 2013
o alcoholism, AIDS, heavy smoking, suicide, accidents, murder
Expansion: Building the Russian Empire
Grand Dutch of Muscovy
• 14th to 15th century
o from Baltic to Black Sea
o ties with Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople
• 16th century
o Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible)
o Major imperial power
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com