RUSSIA First Lecture Geography of Russia Mr Howard

RUSSIA First Lecture – Geography of Russia Mr. Howard – 5 th Block Russian History

Facts… n n n With a land area of 6. 5 million sq. miles, Russia is the largest country in the world Population estimates – 148 million people Russia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world The population is predominantly urban Russia is so large, that the climate varies greatly throughout the country Russia has 11 time zones

Cont. . n n n At it’s largest (1970 -1991) Russia encompassed 8, 600, 870 square miles – the equivalent to 3 times the U. S. It is larger than all of North America and South America 26, 700 miles of coastline – 4 x that of the US

Location n Russia is bounded by the Arctic and Pacific Oceans Ural mountains divide Eurasian continent – and Russia - to Europe and Asia (78% live west of Urals) Boundaries with 13 countries

Weather n Central Russia has a continental climate n n Summers are hot and short, while the winters are cold and long. A Russian winter is famous for its frigid temperatures. Much of Russia is covered by snow six months of year. It has to be lived through to be really appreciated. Winter starts in October and continues through March (November-January are the darkest months) n n - Interesting fact: Russia’s most southern port, Novorossiysk is on the same latitude as Minneapolis.

(very) Brief History Summary n n n 862 – founding of Kievan Rus by Viking Rurik, the birth of what became the Russian state Mid-13 th century – Mongol Horde invasion 1480 – Moscow liberated from Tatar (Mongol) yoke 1613 – Rurik dynasty ended, Romanov dynasty begins (ends 1917) 1812 – Napoleon failed in his attempt to conquer Russia (after occupying Moscow)

History Summary, cont’d. n n n n October 1917 – Bolsheviks seized control (led by Lenin) 1922 – USSR established 1941 -1945 – WWII (Great Patriotic War), Russia loses 1/6 of its population (~ 30 mln) Stalin’s purges – an additional 20 to 40 mln 1985 – Gorbachev introduced political and economical reforms 1991 – USSR is formally dissolved, Yeltsin became the new president; CIS is formed 2000 – Putin is elected president of Russia

MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES n n n n IMMENSE TERRITORIAL STATE NORTHERNMOST LARGE AND POPULOUS COUNTRY IN THE WORLD A FORMER WORLD COLONIAL POWER A COMPARITIVELY SMALL (<150 MILLION) AND CONCENTRATED POPULATION CONCENTRATED DEVELOPMENT MULTICULTURAL STATE MINIMAL PORTS

SIZE, LOCATION AND SPACE RELATIONSHIPS n LATITUDINAL EXTENT n Northernmost point: Rudolf Island in Franz Joseph Land (82 o) n Southernmost point: Grozny in west and Vladivostok in east (44 o) n n n Monmouth is 44. 7727 o. N LONGITUDINAL EXTENT n More than twice its maximum north-south extent and extends through 11 time zones Russia makes up 76. 6% of the total territory of the former USSR

REGIONS OF THE RUSSIAN REALM

Wild weather n n n n Lack of mountains gives zero protection from cold. WINTERS Yakutsk – 94 degrees below zero Moscow – 35 degrees below zero SUMMERS Yakutsk – 102 degrees Moscow – 99 degrees

Rivers n n 200, 000 miles of rivers You can get from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok with nothing more than a canoe Volga, Dvina, Dnieper & Ural Ob, Yenisey, Irtysh, Amur

Ethnicities n n n Slavic – ‘Great Russians’ and original inhabitants Baltic, Scandinavian, Finno-Urgic, Turkic, Mongols, Iranian Russia is the most ethnically diverse country on the planet

EARLY 16 TH CENTURY (IVAN THE TERRIBLE- 1547 -1584)

END OF THE 17 TH CENTURY (PETER THE GREAT- 1682 -1725)

EARLY 20 TH CENTURY

FORWARD CAPITAL Capital city positioned in actually or potentially contested territory, usually near an international border, confirms the state’s determination to maintain its presence in the region

RUSSIAN CLIMATE n Affected by 3 natural conditions: -- Latitudinal Position -- Continental Position -- Location of major mountains

CLIMATE

VEGETATION

Vegetation. . . terms n Tundra n Treeless plain along the Arctic n n Taiga n n Moss, lichen, grass Coniferous forests south of the Tundra, extending over Siberia (“sleeping land”) Steppe n n Like our Prairie semi-arid grasslands with short grasses that are found in dry areas that have hot summers and cold winters

CLIMATE AS A RESTRICTIVE ELEMENT n n n AGRICULTURE n Short growing seasons n Drought prone n Erosion (accelerated via snow melt) SETTLEMENT PATTERNS & TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY n High energy consumption n Specialized equipment and facilities n Extractive n n n permafrost spring and fall mud special equipment and facilities - $$$

RUSSIA’S PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS

PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS n RUSSIAN PLAIN n n n URAL MOUNTAINS n n n EASTWARD CONTINUATION OF NORTH EUROPEAN LOWLAND CORE AREA (MOSCOW BASIN) 2, 000 MILES LONG (NORTH-SOUTH) YIELD A VARIETY OF MINERALS WEST SIBERIAN PLAIN n n WORLD’S LARGEST UNBROKEN LOWLANDS PERMAFROST

PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS (continued) n CENTRAL SIBERIAN PLATEAU n n YAKUTSK BASIN n n RANGES, RIDGES, PRECIPITOUS VALLEYS, VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS, LAKE BAYKAL CENTRAL ASIAN RANGES n n MOUNTAINOUS, HIGH RELIEF EASTERN HIGHLANDS n n SPARSELY POPULATED, TEMPERATURE EXTREMES, PERMAFROST RISE ABOVE THE SNOW LINE, GLACIATED CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS n EXTENSIONS OF THE ALPINES

RUSSIAN PLAIN

THE URAL MOUNTAINS • The north-south length covers 2500 kms. • The highest points are in the Northern Urals-2000 meters in places. • The Central Urals are the lowest section and include several key crossing places. • The Southern Urals are wider and consist of a number of parallel north-south ridges and intervening valleys. • Ural forests and minerals have been the basis for industrialization and boast at least twenty different commercially usable minerals.

WEST SIBERIAN PLAIN • The world’s largest unbroken lowland • Includes the Ob and Irtysh River Basin • Permafrost • Major Cities: • Omsk • Novosibirsk

CENTRAL SIBERIAN PLATEAU • Sparsely settled • Inaccessible • Restrictive climate • Permafrost • Natural resources

EASTERN HIGHLANDS

CENTRAL ASIAN RANGES

CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS

RUSSIAN ETHNICITY

RELIGIOUS GROUPS 10% 7% 5% 18% 55% 5%

FUEL RESOURCES

TRANSPORTATION LINKS

TRANSPORTATION n Rail n n Trans-Siberian Railroad (Baltic to Pacific) Baikal-Amur Line n n n Inland Waterways n n BAM railway line links central Siberian Russia with the Pacific. The BAM parallels the Trans-Siberian Railway but passes north rather than south of Lake Baikal. It is 1, 928 miles (3, 102 km) long, with 1, 987 bridges. Its eastern terminus is Sovetskaya Gavan on the Tatar Strait. Under-used, problematic flow and orientation Marine Links n n Baltic, Black, and Caspian Far East and Northern Sea

MANUFACTURING REGIONS

RUSSIA’S ECONOMIC/MANUFACTURING ZONES (RUSSIAN CORE)

ST PETERSBURG MOSCOW

RUSSIA’S ECONOMIC/MANUFACTURING ZONES (EASTERN FRONTIER)

• VAST • CHALLENGING • UNTAPPED

SIBERIA n n LARGER THAN THE CONTINENTAL US, BUT. . . LESS THAN 15 MILLION PEOPLE CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT n n n VAST DISTANCES COLD TEMPERATURES ARCTIC WINDS POOR SOILS RESOURCE POTENTIAL n n PRECIOUS MINERALS METALLIC ORES OIL AND NATURAL GAS TIMBER

FAR EAST

RUSSIAN FAR EAST TRANSPORTATION LINKS

RUSSIA’S ECONOMIC/MANUFACTURING ZONES (FAR EAST)

OIL AND GAS REGIONS

TRANSCAUCASIA Georgia Azerbaijan Armenia

CONTESTED AREAS

RUSSIA’S EXTERNAL CHALLENGES n n NATURAL RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION n Many natural resources now in former Soviet republics IRREDENTISM n Concern for Russians outside its borders NATIONAL PRIDE n Determination to remain the champion of Slavic interests n Desire to remain a power in international community CENTRIFUGAL FORCES n Separatist aims in the Caucasian periphery

RUSSIA’S PROSPECTS n ECONOMIC n n INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE MANUFACTURING CAPACITY POLITICAL n INTERNAL & EXTERNAL CHALLENGES