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Russia and Central Asia Physical Characteristics Vast land area Spans two continents, Europe and Asia --Population concentrated on the European side --More land on the Asian side Covers 11 time zones --Russia spans roughly 170 degrees of longitude (almost half the globe) --Russia almost touches the US state of Alaska Difficulties of governing Russia due to size and other physical features: --communication and transportation difficulties --different economic and cultural activities Vast areas of: Tundra—completely frozen; northern Siberia; no vegetation Permafrost—ground is covered with permanent frost; little or no vegetation; most of Siberia Taiga—cold, but plenty of rainfall; tall trees Steppe—large grasslands; east of Caucasus Mountains, below Ural Mountains Varied climate regions --tundra in far north --mild climates (humid continental) across Northern European Plain in western Russia and can support agricultural activity --deserts to the east of the Caspian Sea (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc.) Black earth belt --Rich chernozem soil; rich in nutrients; great for farming --From the Ukraine across the steppes of southern Russia below the Urals Mountains Caucasus --Between Black Sea and Caspian Sea --Rebellious Russian region of Chechnya is located here Ural Mountains --Divide Europe from Asia --Mountain range runs from N Russia at the Kara Sea (Arctic Ocean) to the steppe and desert regions above the Aral Sea Siberia --“the sleeping land” --located east of the Ural Mountains --major source of natural resources such as oil, natural gas, and minerals --many resources are difficult and/or expensive to develop because of cold temperatures; vast distances from civilized areas, and a lack of transportation infrastructure Water features --Volga River: longest river in Europe; flows past Moscow in NW Russia to the Caspian Sea; very polluted --Ob River: flows north from mountains in south central Russia past the central steppes and through Siberia into the Arctic Ocean --Amur River: forms part of border between Russia and China; flows east into the seas of the Pacific Ocean --Lake Baikal: in Siberia, just above Mongolian border; fed by 336 rivers; hold 20% of world’s freshwater; deepest lake in the world; surrounded by mountains --Caspian Sea: world’s largest landlocked sea; sometimes referred to as the world’s largest lake; man-made canal connects it to the Black Sea; located between Europe and Asia SW of the Urals; rich in energy resources such as oil and natural gas --Aral Sea: located in the desert/steppe areas below the Urals; shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; shrinking since the 1960s because of Soviet decision to divert rivers to stimulate cotton production; very polluted because of weapons testing and chemical runoff from farms and industries especially during the Soviet era --Bering Sea: located to the NE of Russia; includes Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and the Bering Strait that separates Russia from Alaska --Pacific Ocean: located to the east of Russia --Arctic Ocean: located to the north of Russia; most ports on the Arctic Ocean are frozen during parts of the year; some rivers flow north into the Arctic Ocean such as the Ob River