– image of unlimited raw materials and virgin lands compromised by difficulty of exploitation, remoteness of territory, lack of capital, and bad climate
– Siberia
western Siberian lowland 1,000 miles to Pacific
Ob river drains most of western Siberian lowland Yenisey and Lena Kazakhstan and Central Asia Kazay uplands to south of western Siberian lowland Aral sea fed by two rivers that originate in Pamir and Tian Shan Mts- Amu Darya and Syr Darya
– Vegetation zones
Tundra
– 13% of Russian republic – mean temperature in warmest month 50-32 degrees F – short growing season, poor soils, only hardy plants – permafrost and high winds – very sparsely populated with only a few military
– Dnieper River empties into Black Sea – Don River into Sea of Azov – “Mutushka” (mother) name of Volga – Boatmen towed s up Volga to Moscow
(The Volga Boatmen) – Volga-Don canal important for transportation
– Russia occupies 3/4 of former USSR
Natural Regions
– large Eurasian landmass and high latitudinal location strongly influence severe continental climate (southern most area same latitude as Memphis, TN)
Russia
Background
– Russia and newly independent neighbors once formed the USSR and cover an enormous area
– European part of region includes Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania / Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. Also includes Transcaucasus states of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
Landforms
– European section
Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine lie within Eastern European plain drained by numerous rivers like Volga and Dnieper fairly flat with low mountains on Kola peninsula mountains border plain on south- Carpathian Mts., Crimean Mts., Caucasus Mts. Mt.. Elbrus 18.5 k, highest peak in Europe European plain ends at Ural Mts..
bases, tribes, hunters, trappers, and miners
Forest regions
– taiga of Russia • coniferous forests with swamps and meadows • subartic climate with temperatures as low as 90 degrees F • Permafrost much of the year • short summers, very cold winters, 100 day growing season
– Asian part of region includes Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tadzhikistan
– region occupies 1/6 of earth’s landsurface, stretches 6,000 miles from west to east and 3,000 north to south; spans 12 time zones
– Moscow further north than Edmonton, Canada
– 75% of area is north of 49th parallel (northern border of US/Canada)
Importance of Rivers to Russia
– Longest north-south river is Volga which flows from the north to Caspian Sea
• transportation and constructions problems • timber, fur-bearing animals, precious metals, oil and gas – mixed forests of Baltics, Belarus, Ukraine and European Russia • coniferous and broadleaf trees • temperatures and growing season increase toward south • less acidic and more fertile soils – broadleaf forests of Siberia in Far East • broadleaf forests • cold, dry winters, hot, humid summers