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Chapter 15
Physical Geography of Russia & the Republics
A Land of Extremes
Objective: Examine key features
of the landforms, resources,
climate, vegetation, & humanenvironment interaction in
Russia & the Republics
Chapter 15 Section 1
Landforms & Resources
Vocabulary: Chernozem, Ural
Mountains, Eurasia,
Transcaucasia, Central Asia, &
Siberia
Objective: Identify resources &
explain why they are difficult to
develop
Northern Landforms
• Russia & the Republics cover
over eight & a half million
square miles
• The Northern European
plain contains chernozem
“fertile soil” & most
agriculture takes place here
• 75% of population live in this
region (major cities Moscow, St.
Petersburg, & Kiev)
• Ural Mountains divides Europe &
Asia in the West Siberian Plain
Southern Landforms
• Transcaucasia contains
Armenia, Azerbaijan, &
Georgia
• Central Asia includes
Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, &
Uzbekistan
• High ranges contribute to
the arid climate of Central
Asia
Rivers & Lakes
• The main drainage basins in
Russia & the Republics are
the Arctic Ocean, Caspian
Sea, Pacific Ocean, Baltic Sea,
Black Sea, & Aral Sea Basins
• The Volga River carries 60% of
Russia’s river traffic
• The Caspian & Aral Sea are two of
the largest seas & both are
saltwater
• Lake Baikal is the deepest
lake in the world & holds 20%
of the world’s fresh water
Regional Resources
• Russia & the Republics
boast huge reserves of coal,
deposits of iron ore, other
metals, oil, & natural gas
• Russia’s vast forests hold 1/5th of
the world’s timber resources
• Harsh climate, rugged
terrain, & vast distances
make it difficult for Russia
& the Republics to remove
resources from the ground
& transport them to
markets
• Resources are found in Siberia
(frigid arctic & subarctic region)
Chapter 15 Section 2
Climate & Vegetation
Vocabulary: Continentality &
Taiga
Objective: Describe four major
vegetation regions of Russia & the
Republics
A Climate of Extremes
• Humid continental &
subarctic climates dominate
much of Russia & the
Republics
• Siberia average temperatures
rarely exceed 50 degrees &
sometimes drop below -90
degrees
• Some areas consist of permafrost
• Central Asia however have
semiarid & desert climates
• Transcaucasia has a
subtropical climate zone
Vegetation Regions
• Tundra: in the Arctic climate
zones very few types of
vegetation are able to
survive
• Forest: also known as
the Taiga
• Steppe: grassland that
where fertile soil is
found (produces mostly
grain)
• Desert: two main deserts are
the Kara Kum & Kyzyl Kum
Chapter 15 Section 3
Human-Environment Interaction
Vocabulary: Runoff & TransSiberian Railroad
Objective: Describe how Russia’s
harsh winter has been both an
obstacle & an advantage to the
country
The Shrinking Aral Sea
• In the 1950s officials began to take
large amounts of water from the
rivers to irrigate Central Asia’s
cotton fields
• Since the 1960s the sea has
begun to evaporate
• Pesticides & fertilizers runoff
into the Aral sea killing all of
the native species of fish
• Pollution has caused drastic
increases in diseases like throat
cancer & respiratory diseases
• Child mortality rates in Central Asia
are among the highest in the world
The Russian Winter
• 32 million people make their homes in
Siberia
• Temperatures drop so low in
Siberia that basic human
activities become painful
• However, warmer weather melts
the ice & creates pools of water
that attract mosquitoes & black
flies
• They build on top of concrete pillars to
make sure their buildings don’t sink in
summer
• However its has helped to protect them
from invasion of European armies
Crossing the “Wild East”
• Russia’s emperor
ordered work to start on
the Trans-Siberian
Railroad that would link
Moscow to Vladivostok
• It covers 5700 miles &
crosses seven time zones
• Russian officials also started
this project to populate
Siberia to make profit off of
its resources