What is the largest country in
the world?
Russia
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Russia and the Republics
Dimensions

Spans 11 Time Zones

From East to West: Gulf of Finland to Alaska

From North to South: Above the Arctic Circle
to Salt Lake

2x the size of the United States
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RUSSIA
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MAIN PHYSICAL REGIONS

North European Plain
– Eastward continuation from Western Europe
– Core of Russia’s population is located here

Ural Mountains
– 2,000 miles long (north-south)
– Source of minerals

Central Siberian Plateau
– Area widely experiences permafrost
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CLIMATE AS A RESTRICTIVE
CHARACTERISTIC

Agriculture
– Short growing seasons
– Erosion accelerated via snow melt

Continentality- the effects of the sea on
precipitation and temperature lessen further
inland.

Humid continental and subarctic climate
– -95F in Oymyakon
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•
•
•
•
Population and Industrial Center
Volga River is key waterway
Ural mountains are eastern barrier
Major Cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg
and Kiev, Ukraine
Russian
RUSSIAN
CORE
Core
URALS
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NORTHERN EUROPEAN PLAIN

Stretches over 1,000 miles from the
Republics to the Ural Mountains

Chernozem- world’s most fertile soil and
abundant on this plain

Western Russia’s agricultural center

About 75% of the region’s 290 million
people live on this plain
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THE URAL MOUNTAINS

North-South length covers 2000 miles

Central Urals are the lowest section and
include several key crossing places

Ural forests and minerals have been the
source for Russia’s industrialization

Urals are the source of at least 20
different commercially usable minerals
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VOLGA RIVER

Longest river on the European continent

Flows southward 2,300 miles to the
Caspian Sea
– From Moscow to the Caspian Sea

Volga carries about 60% of Russia’s river
traffic
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THE CASPIAN SEA

Actually a saltwater lake

Largest inland sea in the world

Located in Central Asia

Stretches nearly 750 miles from north to south

Petroleum deposits located here are among the
world’s largest.
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ARAL SEA

Also a saltwater lake

Since the 1960’s, the Aral sea has lost
80% of its water volume
– Extensive irrigation projects have diverted
rivers meant to drain into the lake
– Aral Sea could vanish within 20-30 years
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Aral Sea from space,
August 1964
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Aral Sea from space,
August 1985
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The Aral Sea, in 2003, had shrunk
to well under half of the area it had
covered fifty years before.
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Abandoned ship near Aral,
Kazakhstan
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A former harbor in the city of
Aral, Kazakhstan
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•Lowlands
•Harsh climate
•Sparsely settled
SIBERIA
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SIBERIA


Larger than the continental U.S., but…less that 15
million people live here
Challenging Environment
–
–
–
–

Distance
Average temperatures: Summer 50F, Winter -90F
Arctic winds
Poor soils
Resource Potential
–
–
–
–
Precious metals
Metallic ores
Oil and natural gas
Timber
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WEST SIBERIAN PLAIN

The world’s largest continuous lowland

Includes several major river basins

Permafrost ground
conditions
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CENTRAL SIBERIAN PLATEAU
Sparsely settled
 Limited access- 1,000-2,000 ft. elevation
 Restrictive climate and permafrost
 Resources include:

– Coal
– Iron ore
– Gold
– Diamonds
– Natural gas
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THE ARTIC BASIN

Region’s largest drainage basin
– Drains an area larger that 1 million square
miles

Include three power rivers:
– Ob River
– Yenisei River
– Lena River
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• Borders China, Mongolia,
Kazakhstan
• Lake Baikal is key area
EASTERN FRONTIER
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LAKE BAIKAL

Deepest lake in the world- 5,715 ft.
– At deepest point, it is more than a mile from
the surface to the bottom

Holds 20% of the world’s fresh water

Holds 1,200 species of animals
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Burkhan (Shamanka), holy site on
Olkhon Island
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Frozen waves of Lake Baikal
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Lake Baikal begins to melt
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• LIMITED ACCESSIBILITY
• ASIAN FRONTIER?
• FISHING – PRIMARY
INDUSTRY
FAR EAST
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Trans-Siberian
Railroad
1. Read p. 355-356.
2. Use what you
read to fill in the
fingers.
Outcome/Effects
Rwandan
Genocide
Where/Locations
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After the Notes

Finish Russia Political Map
– Textbook: 338-339
– DUE TODAY!
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