Download Lesson 1: Russia and Neighboring Lands

Lesson 1: Russia and Neighboring Lands
Russia, A Eurasian Nation
Russia stretches from Europe across all of North Asia. It lies in the geographical area known as
Eurasia, the land extending from Europe eastward through Asia to the Pacific Ocean. If you look
at a globe, you will see that the Eurasian landmass is one of the largest regions on earth. Some
geographers refer to Europe as a peninsula of Eurasia.
Geographers use the Ural Mountains as the division between Europe and Asia. The Ural
Mountains run more than 2,000 miles (3,220 km) from near Russia’s northern coast to its
southern border. Russia’s lands west of the Urals are part of Europe (see map, page 425),
allowing this area to be called European Russia. Those to the east are part of North Asia.
Central Asia and Transcaucasia
To the south of Russia’s Siberian lowlands lies Central Asia. Russia took control of this territory in
the 1800s. In the twentieth century, the Soviet Union divided the territories into republics. They
became independent nations in 1991, after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan
(kah·zak·stan), Uzbekistan (ooz·bek·ih·stan), Turkmenistan (turk·men·ih·stan), Tajikistan
(tah·jik·ih·stan), and Kyrgyzstan (kur·gih·stan) stretch from the Caspian Sea to the western
border of China.
Russia also extended control over Transcaucasia, the region south of the Caucasus Mountains.
Transcaucasia extends from west to east from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, and includes
the now independent nations of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan (ah·zur·bye·zhan).
Landforms
Unlike other regions of Europe, which contain a variety of landforms in a small area, the
landscape of Russia, Central Asia, and Transcaucasia is unchanging for thousands of miles.
Much of southern Russia consists of lands called steppes, the Russian word for plains. The
steppes, extending from Russia’s western borders to the Ural Mountains, are part of the Northern
European Plain. As you have read, this plain includes southwest England and spreads eastward
across France, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and into Russia.
The Ural Mountains appear on maps to be an overpowering feature of Russia’s landscape. In
reality, they are an old, eroded mountain range that rises some 3,000 to 4,000 feet (900 to
1,200 m). Travelers often find the slopes so gentle that they are unaware of having left the
plains and entered the Urals.
East of the Ural Mountains, low plains and a higher plateau make up a vast region known as
Siberia. The Siberian lowlands form the largest unbroken plains in the world, reaching eastward
from the Ural Mountains almost to the Pacific Ocean.
Near Russia’s eastern coast, several rugged mountain ranges rise in the landscape. These are a
jumbled mass of volcanic peaks and steep valleys that stand between the lowlands and the
ocean. The Kamchatka Peninsula extends from Russia’s northeastern coast (see map, page 425).
Some of the peninsula’s mountains tower more than 15,000 feet (4,500 m).
South of Russia, in Transcaucasia, the Caucasus Mountains stretch from the Black Sea to the
Caspian Sea. There are high plateaus in western Georgia along the Black Sea and in eastern
Azerbaijan along the Caspian Sea. The Aras River valley of Armenia also contains high plains. In
contrast, the land in Central Asia lies flat except where the Tien Shan Mountains rise in the
southeast.
These landforms have influenced where people have settled in Eurasia. As you have read, Europe
is a small area that is densely populated. In contrast, the vast expanse of Russia, including its
southern lands, is thinly populated. Most people live in the western cities and along the rivers
running to the south. Russia west of the Urals has been the center of the nation’s development.
Few areas east of the Urals attracted settlers. Despite Siberia’s flat lands, people chose to avoid
it because the climate is much too cold for a well-developed agriculture. Instead, settlements
grew west of the Urals, where the weather is mild enough for raising crops.
Waterways and Movement
Compared to Western Europe, Russia and its neighbors are nearly landlocked. These lands have
little direct access to the seas by way of rivers or ports.
Look back at the map of Western Europe on page 185. Notice how many cities lie on the coast or
on rivers. These are port cities, connected to trade with the rest of the world by sea. Now look at
the map of Russia and the lands to the south. St. Petersburg and Vladivostok lie on the coast,
but there are far fewer port cities than in Europe.
Landlocked Nations
The Arctic Ocean coastline is the region’s longest coastline. It remains frozen most of the year,
leaving ports unusable for months. Much of the Pacific Coast is also too cold for regular traffic.
Vladivostok is Russia’s only port open to the Pacific Ocean that stays ice-free most of the year.
Its harbor is kept open with icebreakers in winter.
Ports on the Baltic and Black Seas offer entry to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Yet Russia’s
access to these ports is now limited. The Baltic countries—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—as well
as Ukraine and Georgia, broke away in 1991. Russia reaches the Baltic Sea through the port of
St. Petersburg north of Estonia. But Russia’s main port of the region, Kaliningrad, formerly
known as Köngisburg, is located in the territory Russia owns between Poland and Lithuania (see
the map on page 19). Russia’s openings on the Black Sea are now limited to lands southeast of
Ukraine.
Although the countries of Central Asia are completely landlocked, several do benefit from their
location on the Caspian Sea. Because oil lies under its waters, the Caspian Sea may bring wealth
to these countries. The oil, however, could get to world markets only if these nations found
international partners to help them build long, expensive pipelines. Fighting and political
uncertainty in the region may make it difficult to find those partners.
Rivers
In expressing their deep emotional attachment to the land, Russians frequently refer to their
country as rodina, or “motherland.” They speak similarly of the Volga River, which is
affectionately called Matushka—“Dear Little Mother.”
“The Volga flows in the heart of every Russian,” explained a Moscow riverboat captain. For him,
the Volga is the soul of Mother Russia. It is the longest and most important waterway of the
region. The Volga rises northwest of Moscow and winds 2,400 miles (3,864 km) south before
flowing into the Caspian Sea. The river also connects by canals to the Baltic Sea, the Sea of
Azov, and the Black Sea. The Volga remains open to shipping for nine months of the year.
The Volga offers the chief transportation route by water within Russia, moving wood products
south and oil products north. The Volga also moves cargo into the ports of Europe and from
there to the rest of the world. In addition, the river produces energy through its system of
hydroelectric plants.
Water resources in the arid lands of Central Asia are more limited than in Russia. The region has
two long rivers that come out of high mountains where they are fed by melting snows and
glaciers. They furnish water for irrigating crops, but they are much too shallow to float boats
loaded with freight.
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal (bye·kahl), west of the Yablonovy (yah·blah·no·vee) Mountains of southern Siberia,
is the deepest lake in the world. Nearly 5,315 feet (1,595 m) from surface to bottom, the lake
holds about one fifth of all the freshwater in the world (see the map on page 435). Russians feel
the same awe about the size and beauty of Lake Baikal that Americans feel about the Grand
Canyon.
Lake Baikal is called “the Blue Eye of Siberia.” It has existed for more than 25 million years and
is one of the oldest bodies of water in the world. By contrast, Lake Superior in the United States
is only 10,000 years old. Because Lake Baikal is so ancient, many forms of aquatic life that do
not live in other parts of the world continue to thrive in its waters.
Fishing boats pull good catches from the lake. Few people and little freight, however, are
transported on its waters. Unlike the Great Lakes in North America, Lake Baikal has only one
city—Irkutsk (ihr·kutsk)—and only a few people living along its shores. There is little need in the
area to move goods. A major hydroelectric project has been developed north of Irkutsk. This is
on the Angara River, the stream carrying water out of the lake.
Lesson 1 Review
Fact Follow-Up
1.
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4.
Describe the size of Russia.
What countries that once were part of the Soviet Union lie south of the Caucasus Mountains? Which are
in Central Asia?
Describe the landforms and waterways of Russia.
Describe the landforms and waterways of Russia’s southern neighbors.
Talk About It
1.
2.
3.
Is Russia fortunate or unfortunate to be so large? Explain your answer.
Is the relative location of Russia an advantage or disadvantage? Explain.
How might being nearly landlocked be both a help and a hindrance to Russia?