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RUSSIA
Physical Geography
The Land
• Russia is a large country that is located in
Europe and Asia. Russia is so long that it
spans 11 time zones.
– 9 time zones as of 2010
• The dividing line between Europe and Asia
is the Ural Mountains.
• Russia stretches 6000 miles from Baltic
and Black Sea to the Pacific.
Map
The Land
• Eurasia is the name given to Europe and
Asia when they are considered on
landmass
• The part of Russia located in Asia is called
Siberia. This area is isolated, sparsely
populated, and extremely cold in the
winter time.
– This area has long been used for exile of
political opponents of the communist party.
Siberia:
In Verkhoyansk temps reached
-90F
Icebreakers help navigate most of
Russia’s waterways
The Land
• The Northern European Plain extends into
Western Russia. This area has a type of
fertile soil called chernozem. Chernozem
means black earth and the soil is dark in
color.
The Land
Comparison of arable land
The United States
173,450
India
160,519
China
142,615
Russia
122,559
* unit in thousands of hectares
Arable land is land that can be used for farming.
Mountains
• The Urals are the longest mountain range
in Russia.
– Rolling hills
• The Caucasus Mountains run from the
Black Sea to the Caspian Sea and they
generally divide Russia from the Caucus
region.
– Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are often
referred to as the Caucuses
The Ural Mountains split Russia
Caucasus Mountains lie between
the Black and Caspian Seas
Water Features
• Russia has many long rivers such as the Volga,
Ob, and Amur.
– The Amur River forms part of the border between
Russia and China.
– Some rivers flow northward to the Arctic Ocean.
• The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest body of
enclosed water. Large reserves of oil have been
found on the bottom of the lake.
Caspian Sea
Rivers
Climate and Vegetation
• Russia is in the middle and high
latitudes but it is not warmed by ocean
currents and wind currents like
Europe, so it is much colder.
– Western Russia has a humid continental
climate zone but most of Siberia has a
sub arctic climate zone.
– The northern part of Russia is tundra.
Climate and Vegetation
• Differences in climate cause plant life to
vary from north to south
– Tundra in the north – low shrubs, moss
– Taiga in the south – forest of evergreen trees
(covers half of Russia)
– Steppe – most southern area of Russia, dry
grassland with chernozem
Tundra
Taiga
Steppe
Natural Resources
• Taiga provides an abundance of wood
• Gold and Diamond mines in E. Siberia
• Coal, and oil are the main energy
resources
Natural Resources
Diamond Mines of Siberia
Central Asia
Physical Geography
Landforms, Rivers, & Lakes
• The five countries of Central Asia are
landlocked.
– Semiarid grasslands are found in the north
– Plateaus rise above barren deserts in the east
– Most of population centered in the southeast
• Concentrated along rivers
Landforms
• Mountain Ranges
– Altay Shan – rise in the far Northeast
– Tian Shan – Southeast (Kyrgyzstan)
– Pamirs – Southeast (Tajikistan)
– Kopet-Dag – Southwest, they are lower
mountains and offer a rugged boundary
between Turkmenistan and Iran
– “Shan” means mountain in Chinese
Tajikistan’s massive Fedchenko
Glacier is 44 miles long
Rivers & Lakes
• Several lakes are found in Central Asia
– On the western edge of Central Asia lies the Caspian
Sea, the world’s largest lake
• The Caspian sits 92 feet below sea level
– East of the Caspian Sea is the landlocked Aral Sea
– Lake Balkash and Issyk-Kul
• Two major rivers flow through Central Asia
– Amu Dar’ya
– Syr Dar’ya
• Both provide vital irrigation to an otherwise dry region
Caspian Sea
• The Caspian Sea, located in
western Asia on the eastern
edges of Europe, is the largest
lake on the planet
• History records that it's called a
sea because the Romans found
it salty, especially in the southern
reaches, and the name stuck
• Fresh water flows into the sea
via the Volga River and Ural
River in the north, however, the
sea remains somewhat salty,
central and south.
Aral Sea
Aral Sea
• The Aral Sea is
disappearing
(evaporating) and is
today almost totally
polluted by fertilizer
runoff, weapon testing
residue left here by the
former Soviet Union and
careless industrial
projects.
• Shrunk to 60% of original
size
Climate, Biomes & Resources
• Most places in Central Asia have harsh
climates
– Far removed from oceanic influences
– Mountains create a rain shadow from the
Indian Ocean
• Low precipitation
• Temps can range from 115F to -36F
Climates
• Mostly arid and semiarid climates
– Two large deserts
• Kara-Kum (“Black Sand”)
– Sand dunes
• Kyzyl Kum (“Red Sand”)
– Stony ground
Kara Kum Desert
Kyzyl Kum Desert
Natural Resources
•
•
•
•
Oil
Coal
Natural Gas
Minerals – Iron, zinc, copper, lead, and
nickel