Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Russia

World GeographyMr. Allen

Russia By far the world’s largest

country, it covers nearly twice the territory of Canada, the second largest.

Russia It extends across the whole of

northern Asia and the eastern third of Europe, spanning 11 time zones and incorporating a great range of environments and landforms, from deserts to semiarid steppes to deep forests and Arctic tundra.

Russia: Climate

The enormous size and the remoteness of many areas from the sea result in the dominance of the humid continental and subarctic climate, which is prevalent in European and Asian Russia except for the tundra and the extreme southeast.

Ural Mountains Mountain range

that separates the Northern European and West Siberian plains; Dividing line between Europe and Asia.

Caucasus Mountains Form the

border between Russia and Transcaucasia.

Chernozem The fertile soil found on the

Northern European Plain. Many agricultural areas are located on the Northern European Plain as a result of the abundance of Chernozem.

Volga River

The longest river on the European continent.

Lake Baikal

The oldest and deepest lake in the world.

Siberia A region known for

frigid temperatures as well as its many natural resources. Though Siberia is known for its extremely cold winters, warmer weather also brings a problem of mosquitoes and other insects.

Continentality Term used to describe a region's

distance away from the moderating influence of the sea.

Russia's large size means that its temperatures and the amount of rainfall it receives is influenced by Continentality.

Vegetation of Russia Forest Steppe Tundra

Aral Sea Damaged by efforts

to use its waters for irrigation of nearby farms. Due to the pollution of the Aral Sea, the population of the region has experienced an increase in diseases.

Permafrost The term that is used to describe

the permanently frozen subsoil in Siberia.

In Siberia, builders have to take special precautions with their buildings because of permafrost.

Turan Plain A dry lowland

area that includes the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts (2 main deserts). Between the Caspian Sea and the mountains of Central Asia.

Thermal Pollution The discharge

of unusually hot water from dams and manufacturing plants.

Taiga Gives Russia

and the Republics the resources to produce one-fifth of the world's timber.

Eurasia The name

given to Europe and Asia by those who think of Europe and Asia as one continent.

Transcaucasia The region

that consists of the republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

Runoff Rainfall that

is not absorbed by the soil.

Trans-Siberian Railway A network of

railways connecting Moscow and European Russia with the Russian Far East provinces, Mongolia, China and the Sea of Japan.

Trans-Siberian Railway Increased access to the

mineral wealth of the region surrounding it…