Geography and History of Russia and Eastern Europe

Things To Look For In The Unit • Severe climates, ethnic diversity,

and the absence of natural barriers affected Russia’s development

• Early Russia absorbed Byzantine influences. Much later, western ideas had a major impact on Russia

• In the 1800’s Russia experienced unrest as it tried to become a modern world power

• Powerful empires competed for control of Eastern Europe, while the peoples of the region sought to maintain their independence.

Geographic Setting • Russia has many different geographic regions

that make the country diverse• Steppe- huge, open plain that stretches across

the Ukraine and Russia – “The whole of the country was a vast green

wilderness. Never a plow has passed over its measureless waves of wild grass…”• Nicholas Gogol (Russian Writer) describing the Russian

Steppe

• Question: What are the good things and bad things about an area like this?

How would you describe this picture ?

Russia: A Vast Country • Formally called the USSR (Union of Soviet

Socialist Republics) or simply the Soviet Union– Made up of 15 Republics that were all controlled by

Moscow (Capital)

• Covered 6,000 miles over both Europe and Asia– Twice the size of the United States

• Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991 after the Republics declared independence

• Russia was the largest republic and has most of the people living there

Landforms• Huge plain that stretches from Europe to

Central Asia • The Ural Mountains mark the border between

Europe and Asia– Not tall enough to be a real barrier

• Throughout history invaders and conquerors have travelled across the plain

• Besides warfare and death the invaders also brought new ideas and technology

Plateaus and Mountains • Caucasus Mountains– Between the Black and Caspian Seas– In the republics of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan – They also separate Russia from Turkey and Iran

• Pamir Mountains– Separate Russia and other Central Asian from

Afghanistan and China – Tall enough to block moisture from rain clouds– Creates desert areas on one side of mountain

Caucasus and Pamir Mountains

Seas, Lakes and Rivers • Large inland seas and lakes provided people with water and

transportation• Seas

– Caspian Sea- worlds largest inland sea– Aral Sea- slowly shrinking in size

• Lakes– Lake Baikal- holds more water than all the Great Lakes in the

United States• Rivers

– Dnieper– Don– Volga– Ob– Yenisei– Lena

Question To Ponder:

How would large amounts of waterways and freshwater be

beneficial to the people, both past and present of Russia?

Climate in Russia • Most parts of Russia (Former Soviet Union) are

above 49 Degrees North Latitude– The same line that divides America and Canada

• Harsh, cold winters and short, hot summers• Permafrost- layer of soil below the surface that

remains permanently frozen• Makes it hard to build homes and factories • Historically Russians have sought warm weather

ports along the Black Sea• Winter helped beat both the French and the

Germans during war times

Vegetation and Resources • Six different climate zones

in Russia:– Tundra Zone- Arctic North

Region– Taiga Zone- large evergreen

forests (larger than the US)– Forest Zone- leafy trees (like

PA)– Steppe- large, open land,

great for farming– Desert Zone- Central Asia– Caucasus Zone- moist and

sub-tropical are • Different zones provide for

different weather and climates

• Diverse areas and peoples

• Great variety of Natural Resources– Huge forests (lumber)– Fertile soil (farming)– Oil– Coal– Iron Ore– Natural Gas– Gold – Uranium – Platinum– Chromium

• Problems with Environment and accessing the Natural Resources

Peoples • While the Societ Union was in power there were

100 different nationalities living in the area– All with their own language, culture and way of life

• Slavic People- Russians, Ukrainians and Belorussians

• Caucasus People- Armenians, Georgians and Azeri

• Central Asian People- Kazakhs, Kyrgyzis, Mongols, Turkmen and Uzbeks

• Many different cultures (Cultural Diversity)

Peoples• Multiple religions abound in the are and have for

many years• Christianity– Russian Orthodox– Armenian Orthodox– Protestant – Roman Catholic

• Jewish Peoples• Muslim Peoples• Multiple ethnicities have led to problems

throughout the area