Upload
lschmidt1170
View
838
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Citation preview
A Geographic Profile of RUSSIA ANDTHE NEAR ABROADChapter 5
Introduction to the Region
Former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Cold War versus U.S.-led Western bloc Split in 1991 into 15 independent nations
Russian Federation 14 other countries comprising “The Near Abroad”
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Economic Association Russia and 11 of the former Soviet states Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania joined the EU in 2004
Fluidity in Delineating Region Trends Toward Political Fragmentation and Decentralization
5.1 Area and Population
Largest World Region Area of 8.5 Million Square Miles Region Spans 11 Time Zones
Regional Population of 282 Million (2011) Russia 142.8 Million Ukraine 45.7 Million Uzbekistan 28.5 Million
Vast Region but Sparsely Populated Average Population Density of 32 per square mile
Rates of Population Change 1.8% growth among Islamic Central Asian countries 0.4% loss in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus
Russia and the Near Abroad
Population Distribution of Russia and the Near Abroad
Population Cartogram of Russia and the Near Abroad
5.2 Physical Geography & Human Adaptations
Factors affecting this immense region: Cold Temperatures Infertile Soils Marshy Terrain Aridity Ruggedness
5.2.1 Roles of Climates and Vegetation
Extreme Continental Climate Severe winter cold but warm/hot summers Lowest official temperature ever recorded in Northern Hemisphere
at Siberian settlement of Verkhoyansk (-90 degrees F) Short Growing Seasons (average 150-day frost-free season) Aridity and Drought (less than 20 inches avg annual precipitation)
Permafrost Frozen ground that makes construction difficult Buildings and Pipelines must be elevated and insulated
Land Use / Agriculture Russian taiga is the largest continuous area of forest on earth Wheat, Sugar Beets, Sunflowers, Livestock in the black-earth belt of
the steppes Cotton in Irrigated Areas of Central Asia
Comparison of Latitude and Area with North America
80% of thisregion’s area is
farther norththan any
point in theconterminousUnited States
Climates of Russia and the Near Abroad
Biomes of Russia and the Near Abroad
High Arctic Building Erected on Pilings
Land Use in Russia and the Near Abroad
The Taiga: Earth’s Largest Continuous Forest Biome
Grazier on the Southern Russian Steppe
5.2.2 Role of Rivers
Rivers formed natural passageways Used for Trade, Conquest, and Colonization Helped Russians advance from the Urals to the Pacific
in less than a century Rivers drain into numerous oceans and seas
Volga-Don Canal Major link in the inland waterway system Connected the White Sea & Baltic Sea in the north
with the Black Sea & Caspian Sea in the south Series of 13 Locks
Physical Geography of Russia and the Near Abroad
Lock in the Volga-Don Canal
5.2.3 Role of Topography
Plains typify the region west of the Yenisey River Ural Mountains
Low, narrow range separating Europe from Asia Average elevation of less than 2,000 feet
West Siberian Plain One of the flattest areas on earth Waterlogged country underlain by permafrost Tremendous flooding
Central Siberian Uplands Between Yenisey and Lena Rivers (1,000 to 1,500 ft)
Mountainous Southern Rim of Region Caucasus, Pamir, Tien Shan, and Altai Mountains
5.3.1 A Babel of Languages
Complex cultural and linguistic mosaic 30 Major Ethnic Groups More than 100 Languages Spoken
Main Language Families Indo-European
Slavic Russian, Belarusian & Ukrainian Romance Moldovan (Romanian) Armenian
Altaic (Turkic) Kazakh, Kyrghyz, Turkmenian, Uzbek Caucasian (Kartvelian) Uralic (Finno-Ugric) Proto-Asiatic (Chukotko-Kamchatkan)
Ethnolinguistic Distributions
5.3.2 Vikings, Byzantines, and Tatars
Vikings Slavic tribes came under the influence of Viking
adventurers known as Rus or Varangians Rise of Kiev in 9th Century
Byzantines Kievan Russia had close contact with Constantinople
Accepted Christian faith from Byzantines Orthodox Christianity became a fixture of Russian life Moscow becomes the “Third Rome”
Tatars In 1237, Batu Khan brought all Russian principalities
except Novgorod under Tatar rule Decline of Tatar power in the 15th century
Religions of Russia and the Near Abroad
Today, Russia has 4 official religions:Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism
Russian Orthodox Church in Vyborg
5.3.3 The Empire of the Russians
The Russian Empire Lasted from the 15th Century until the 20th Century Immense land empire built around core of Moscow
Expansion under the Tsars Ivan the Great (reigned 1462-1505)
Northward thrust; Annexed Novgorod Ivan the Terrible (1533-1584)
Eastward conquest giving Russia control over the Volga Peter the Great (1682-1725)
Defeated the Swedes to gain a foothold on the Baltic Sea St. Petersburg established as Russia’s “Window on the West”
Catherine the Great (1762-1796) Secured a frontage on the Black Sea
5.3.3 The Empire of the Russians (contd.)
Eastward Expansion of Russian Empire Cossack expeditions reached the Pacific in 1639 Continued down west coast of North America to Fort Ross in
California (1812-1841) Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. in 1867 for 2 cents per acre
and withdrew from North America During the 19th and early 20th Centuries, Russian tsars
annexed the Amur region, the Caucasus, and Turkestan Soviet Policy of Russificiation
Effort to implant Russian culture in non-Russian regionsand to make non-Russians more like Russians
Policy was generally a failure because of strongnationalist sentiments throughout the Soviet Union
5.3.4 Russia & Soviet Union: Revolution & War
Russian Triumphs over Powerful Invaders King Charles XII of Sweden – 1709 Napoleon I of France – 1812 Adolf Hitler – WWII
Keys to Success Environmental rigors that invaders faced Overwhelming distances Defenders’ love of their homeland Willing to lose great numbers of soldiers in combat “Scorched Earth” strategy to protect the motherland
5.3.4 Russia & Soviet Union: Revolution & War
Russian Revolution of 1917 Protest against sacrifice of Russian forces during WWI Overthrew Nicholas II, last of the Romanov tsars
Bolshevik Revolution Led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) Bolshevik faction of Communist Party seized control Establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922
World War II USSR allied with France and Britain vs. Germany Relocation of Soviet industries eastward 20 million Soviet lives lost, considerable damage
5.4.1 The Communist Economic System
Marxism Soviet economic system was an application of the economic
and social ideas of German philosopher Karl Marx Command Economy
Series of five-year economic plans under Stalin Gosplan (Committee for State Planning) in Moscow
Soviet Enterprises in Agriculture & Industry Virgin and Idle Lands (increase the production of grain) Hero Projects (construction of dams, railways, plants, etc)
Soviet Agricultural Expansion (1954-1957)
5.4.2 Economic Roots of the 2nd Russian Revolution
Reform Policies of Gorbachev Glasnost (openness) Perestroika (restructuring)
Second Russian Revolution Demands for new freedoms and greater autonomy Rise of Boris Yeltsin, champion of reformers’ cause Gorbachev resigned on December 25, 1991 Soviet Union was voted out of existence the next day
and replaced by 15 independent countries
5.4.3 Russia’s Road to Misdevelopment
Russia classified as a “Misdeveloped Country” Boris Yeltsin’s “Economic Shock Therapy”
Rapid transition from command economy to capitalism Widening gap between rich and poor Russia’s GDP plummeted, shrinking by half in the 1990s
Agricultural and industrial production fell dramatically Largest fall in production for any industrialized country in
peacetime Underground Economy: Russia’s new economic
geography Russia became a kleptocracy, with rampant corruption Organized crime became pervasive Widespread bartering resulted from declining value of the ruble
Poverty in Post-Soviet Russia
Western-Style OverconsumptionMoscow’s 2009 Millionaire Fair
5.4.4 Putinomics
Vladimir Putin Former KGB officer of the Soviet Union Became very popular Russian President and Prime Minister
“Putinomics” Export Russia’s natural resources to flood Russia with wealth
Profits will be rolled into manufacturing and high-tech industries so that Russia enjoys a more stable, diversified economy
Energy represents about 2/3 of the value of Russia’s exports 6% of the world’s proven oil reserves 27% of the world’s proven natural gas reserves 2nd largest coal reserves
Problems Will not be possible to sustain production of natural resources Russia has faced one of the greatest brain drains
5.5 Geopolitical Issues
“The Greatest Geopolitical Catastrophe of the Century” Vladimir Putin, in a 2005 speech, discussing the collapse of
the Soviet Union
3 Concentric Spheres of Geopolitical Concern Within the Russian Federation (Unity of Russia itself) Russia’s relationships with its Near Abroad Russia’s relationships with the Rest of the World
5.5.1 Geopolitics Within Russia
Complex Political Categories 48 Oblasts (Regions) 7 Krais (Territories) 21 Republics (Varying Levels of Autonomy) 4 Okrugs (Ethnic Subdivisions of Oblasts / Krais) 2 Federal Cities 1 Autonomous Oblast
Chechnya and Tatarstan pushing for independence Geopolitical significance has to do with resources
Oil and Gas Tatarstan and Bashkhortostan Coal Deposits Komi Republic Diamonds Sakha
Political Units of the Russian Federation
5.5.2 Geopolitics in the Near Abroad
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Energy Shortages and Supplies
Russia using fossil fuels as a political weapon Irredentism
25 million ethnic Russians living in the 14 former Soviet states Desires of Russians living outside of Russia to achieve their own
rights and territories Territorial Issues
Control of the Crimean Peninsula and Kerch Strait GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova)
Orientation toward Europe and away from Russia Russia’s military presence in more than half the former
Soviet countries Peacekeepers or Conquerors?
Physical and Political Obstacles to Caspian Oil Exports
The Caucasus
5.5.3 The Far Abroad
International Relations Peaceful succession to the Cold War The Warsaw Pact has dissolved. Russia became a member of the Group of Eight (G-8) in 1997
Energy Issues Concerns about Russia being a reliable trading partner for oil and
natural gas Weapons Proliferation Issues
Russia’s assistance to nuclear and would-be nuclear weapons powers Reduction of nuclear arsenals Threat of “Loose Nukes”
With whom will oil-rich Central Asia align? Russia, Turkey, or Iran? Turkey’s dream of Pan-Turkism
Combating narcotics and terrorism
5.6.1 Regional Issues and Landscapes
Peoples and Resources of the Core Land The Slavs are the dominant ethnic group Resources are distributed unevenly in this region The Fertile Triangle
AKA “Agricultural Triangle”and “Slavic Core”
Functional hub of the region Contains 75% of region’s
people and an even largershare of its cities
5.6.2 The Ukraine
Ukrainians Second largest ethnic group in the Slavic Core Closely related to Russians in language and culture
Ukraine means “at the border” or “borderland” A buffer between Russia and neighboring lands Industrial and agricultural assets were vital to USSR
Fertile black earth soils have made Ukraine a great “breadbasket” of wheat, barley, livestock and other products
Generous endowments of coal and iron ore
5.6.3 Chernobyl
Site of a 1986 nuclear power station explosion North of Kiev, Ukraine
Rendered parts of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia incapable of safe agricultural production There is still an 18-mile
exclusion zone today Aftermath
100,000 to 200,000 peoplestill severely affected
4,000 deaths expected toultimately be attributed tothis disaster
Ukraine decommissioningall of its Chernobyl-typenuclear plants
5.6.4 Farming in the Fertile Triangle
Most of the Fertile Triangle is within Russia Russia still faces difficulties in transforming state-run
into free-market farming Russia has been slow to privatize farming Russia remains a net food importer
Global-scale production of wheat, barley, oats, rye, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, sunflower seeds, cotton, milk, butter, and mutton
5.6.5 Russia’s Far East & Northern Lands
The Far East Russia’s mountainous Pacific edge Mostly thinly populated wilderness Economy driven by ports, fisheries, and forest industries Most people live along two transportation arteries
The Trans-Siberian Railroad The lower Amur River
Island of Sakhalin Geopolitics involving Russia and Japan over its control Important for its off-shore petroleum and natural gas Contains about 1 percent of global oil reserves
5.6.5 Russia’s Far East & Northern Lands
The Wild North Subregion lying north and east of the Fertile Triangle,
and west of the Pacific coast Taiga (coniferous forest) Tundra
Northern Sea Route Waterway developed by the Soviets to provide a connection
with the Pacific via the Arctic Ocean Ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk Navigation of full route was only possible for about 4 months
per year with the help of icebreakers, but global warming is now allowing navigability a greater proportion of the year
Possibility of constructing a rail link between Siberia and North America (Alaska)
Russian Icebreaker brings Tourists to the North Pole
5.6.5 Russia’s Far East & Northern Lands
Lake Baikal Deepest body of freshwater in the world More than 1 mile deep in places Contains one-fifth of the world’s unfrozen freshwater Oldest lake in the world at 30 million years of age Contains 1,800 endemic plant and animal species
5.6.6 The Caucasus: Cauldron of Conflict
Caucasian isthmus has been an important north-south passageway for thousands of years Dozens of ethnic groups have migrated into this region Mostly small ethnic populations confined to mountain areas Different nationalities have maintained their ethnic
characteristics and cultural traditions (e.g., language, religion, etc.)
History of animosity between Armenians and Azeri Turks Armenian genocide resulted in deaths of around 1.5 million
Armenians between 1915 and 1918 Twice as many Armenians live outside Armenia than live in it Armenian-Azeri dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh enclave Turkey and Armenia established diplomatic relations in 2009,
which helps Turkey’s application to the EU
5.6.7 Central Asia
Central Asia almost entirely a region of interior drainage With exception of the Irtysh, all other streams drain into
enclosed lakes and seas, or gradually lose water and disappear Historically, peoples in this region were pastoral nomads
Over time they drifted away from nomadism, with the Soviet government forcibly collectivizing the remaining nomads into permanent villages
Most people today live in heavily irrigated valleys Irrigation is essential for farming Causing water shortages in some areas
Shrinking of the Aral Sea