Russia Landforms Russia largest country in the World

Russia

Landforms • Russia largest country in the World • 1/8 th of the earth's surface (6. 5 million sq. miles) • Eurasia – Landmass of Europe and Asia together What’s the dividing line? Ural Mountains West – Europe East - Asia

Ural Mountains

Regions • West – Flat plain, part of Northern European Plain (most population) • Urals – Rolling Hills, limited obstacle for travel • East – Volga River Basin, Siberia • Southwest – Aral Sea (Drying lake) • Southeast – Lake Baikal = world’s deepest lake

Disappearing Aral Sea

Lake Baikal, deepest lake in world Pollution has killed off wildlife here, including fresh water seals

Climate • • • Humid Continental – West Sub-Arctic – East Tundra – North Steppe – Semiarid – Southeast Desert – Arid – Southwest (Central Asia) • Siberia – Extremely cold, dry (little rainfall) • Arctic Northern Shores - Freeze

Vegetation Far North - Tundra – Low Shrubs, mosses Sub-arctic - Taiga – Forest of Evergreen trees Humid Continental – Mixed Forests Steppe - Rich Soil – Grasses, shrubs Little RAINFALL

Taiga - Sub-Arctic - Boreal Forest

TAIGA

Russian Steppe

Central Asian landscape

Siberia Wintertime

Trans-Siberian Railroad

History of the Railway Russia's longstanding desire for a Pacific port was realized with the foundation of Vladivostok in 1860. By 1880, Vladivostok had grown into a major port city, and the lack of adequate transportation links between European Russia and its Far Eastern provinces soon became an obvious problem. In 1891, Czar Alexander III drew up plans for the Trans-Siberian Railway and initiated its construction. Upon his death three years later, the work was continued by his son Nicholas. Despite the enormity of the project, a continuous route was completed in 1905. It successfully opened the far eastern parts of Russia to the world! Why was it built?

Longest railroad in the world! • The marker for kilometer 9, 288, at the end of the line in Vladivostok