Daily Focus 11/29

• 1) Turn your map into the basket if you have it.

• Take out your notebook.

• Answer the following…

– What does mean in Russian?Россия

РоссияAn Introduction to

Russia & the Republics

Geography of Russia

Includes several regional groups:

1. Russia

2. Baltic Republics

3. Western Republics

4. Transcaucasia

5. Central Asia

• Massive Eurasian continent– large land area

• approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

Russia

Central Asia

Transcaucasia

Baltic Republics

Western Republics

Russia

Spans the continents of BOTH Europe & Asia

• Rich cultural heritage

• Unique historical past

Baltic Republics

• The countries of Estonia, Latvia, & Lithuania

• Former Soviet Republics

• Sit along the Baltic Sea in Eastern Europe

Western Republics

• Ukraine• Belarus ( meaning “White

Russia”)• Moldova

All former Soviet Republics

Famous today for arms trafficking: the selling of weapons to the highest bidder

• Ukraine & Moldova in particular stockpiled Soviet arms (weapons) after the fall of the Soviet Union

Trans-Caucasus

Georgia, Armenia, & Azerbaijan

• A gateway between Europe & Asia

• A variety of cultures, ethnic groups, religions, & language groups

• Ethnic conflicts erupted in the area after the fall of the Soviet Union

• Conflicts over resources, like oil, located in the Caspian Sea

Central Asia (The “stans”)…• Kazakhstan (the home of Borat)• Kyrgyzstan• Tajikistan• Turkmenistan• Uzbekistan

Also former Soviet Republics

Critical region to the historic Silk Road that ran directly through Central Asia

• Silk Road: A route carrying precious silk and other goods from China

Land Area• Russia & the Republics spans about 8.5 million

square miles, or 1/6th of the earth’s surface.

Physical Features• A vast landscape leads to a wide variety in

physical features

Ural Mountains

Has been a natural barrier separating ethnic groups from Europe & Asia

• Those in European Russia look more European

• Those in Asian Russia look more Asian

Rich in mineral wealth, including gems such as

topaz

The official geographic dividing line between Europe

& Asia

Siberia• Vast land east of

the Ural Mts.• Spans 77% of

Russia’s land area, but only 30% of its population

Home to most of Russia’s natural resources

Caspian Sea• Actually a saltwater lake• Largest inland sea in the

world (no outlet to ocean)• Large oil deposits

Aral Sea• Sits to the east of the

Caspian Sea• Also a saltwater lake• Has lost about 80% of its

water volume since 1960s• Could vanish completely

within 20-30 years if drastic measures are not taken soon

Why is it shrinking?

The Aral Sea is SHRINKING at an unprecedented rate.

Caused by over irrigation & bad policies of the former Soviet Union

Rich Natural Resources

• Coal, Iron Ore, Oil, Natural Gas

Oil in the Caspian Sea among largest deposits

in the world.

Rich Natural ResourcesHome to 20% ofworld’s timber

resources

Trouble with Resources…

Problem: Rugged terrain & harsh climate makes it difficult for Russia to extract & transport

resources

Trans-Siberian Railroad

• Ordered by Czar Alexander II to link the capital in St. Petersburg to Vladivostok in the far east

• Designed to increase the transportation across Siberia

Environmental damage• Bad policies & decisions have cause unprecedented

damage to Russia & the Republics• For example, hydroelectric plants have emitted thermal

pollution (hot water), causing damage to surrounding plant & animal life

Chernobyl• Nuclear power plant

explosion in Soviet Union in 1986

• Due to lack of safety standards in at the plant

Physical Features

Mountains surround Siberia on the East, West, & South, blocking warm air masses.

No large mountains in the north to block cold air masses, causing a

frigid temperature throughout Siberia.

Continentality

• Continentality refers to the differences in maritime (coastal) & continental temperatures

– Larger range of temperatures throughout the year the farther away from the coast you are

– Leading to harsher winters, seen in Siberia

Climate Tundra: Treeless plain, where soil is permanently frozen or “permafrost”

Taiga: largest biome in the world with harsh continental climate & wide variation between summer & winter temperatures

Broadleaf Forest: Temperature & humid biome with lots of trees

The Russian Winter…

The harsh Russian winter helped cause the demise of Napolean’s army as he

tried to invade Moscow.

Historical Legacy…

Czarist Russia• Vast Russian Empire ruled by often tyrannical Czars (meaning Caesar).• Romanov Dynasty lasted from 1613 - 1917 when Nicholas II was forced to

abdicate the thrown by revolutionaries

Ivan the Terrible

or more accurately, Ivan the Awesome!

Peter the Great

Nicholas II

The LAST Czar of Russia

killed his son, and expanded Russia.

Catherine the Great

6’ 8” tall, and Westernized Russia.Founded St. Petersburg.

Continued Russia’sexpansion.

Rule ended with the Revolution of 1917.

Soviet Union• Began with the Bolshevik Revolution

in Oct. 1917, led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

• Came to control much of Eastern Europe in the years following WWII

• Competed in the Cold War again the democratic West until its collapse in

1990Joseph Stalin

Nikita Khrushchev

Mikhail Gorbachev

Lenin

Unique Architecture• Onion-shaped domes were uniquely designed to withstand

the weight of snow

• Snow would simply fall off because of the unique shape

Famous Russians

• Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Author (Crime and Punishment)

• Kazimir Malevich: Artist

• Alexander Pushkin: Poet (Eugene Onegin)

• Leo Tolstoy: Author (War and Peace)

• Pyotr Tchaikivsky: Composer

His famous “Black Square” painting

Famous Russians

Anna Kournikova Maria Sharapova

Vladimir Putin

In closing…• Russia & the Republics have left a rich cultural and

historical imprint on the world

Red Square

St. Basil’s Cathedral

Moscow

St. Petersburg

Winter Palace/Hermitage