Transcript Chapter16

Physical Geography
The Big Idea
Russia is big and cold with vast plains and forests; whereas
the Caucasus countries are small, mountainous, and
warmer.
Main Ideas
• The physical features of Russia and the Caucasus include
plains, mountains, and rivers.
• Climate and plant life change from north to south in
Russia and vary in the Caucasus.
• Russia and the Caucasus have a wealth of resources, but
many are hard to access.
Holt McDougal,
Main Idea 1:
The physical features of Russia and the
Caucasus include plains, mountains,
and rivers.
• Continents of Europe and Asia meet at the Ural Mountains.
– Europe to the west
– Asia to the east
– Together, they form the landmass of Eurasia.
• Russia is the world’s largest country.
– Twice the size of the United States
• South of Russia is a region known as the Caucasus.
– It lies in the Caucasus, the area between the Black Sea and the
Caspian Sea.
– Region named for the Caucasus Mountains.
– Includes three smaller countries—Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
Holt McDougal,
Landforms
Russia’s capital, Moscow, is located in the Northern European
Plain, which stretches across western, or European, Russia.
To the east are the low-lying Ural Mountains, which are worn
down and rounded from erosion.
Siberia, the vast area between the Urals and the Pacific Ocean,
includes the marshy West Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian
Plateau, and mountain ranges.
Russian Far East, in Eastern Siberia, is part of the Ring of Fire.
Caucasus countries consist mainly of rugged uplands and
mountains, including Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe.
South of the Caucasus Mountains is a plateau.
Lowlands lie along the Black and Caspian Seas.
Holt McDougal,
Bodies of Water
Rivers
Lakes
• Volga River, in western
Russia
• Russia has some 200,000
lakes.
– Longest river in Europe
• Lake Baikal, in south-central
Siberia, is world’s deepest
lake.
– Core of Russia’s river
network
• Ob, Yenisey, and Lena rivers
in Asian part of Russia
– Flow northward to Arctic
Ocean
– Deep enough to hold all
the water in all five of the
Great Lakes
– Called the Jewel of Siberia
Seas
• Black and Caspian seas border Russia and the Caucasus.
– Black Sea connects to the Mediterranean Sea and is important
for trade.
– Caspian Sea holds saltwater and is the world’s largest
inland sea.
Holt McDougal,
Main Idea 2:
Climate and plant life change from north to
south in Russia and vary in the Caucasus.
• Russia has short summers and long, snowy winters due in part
to its location along Arctic Circle.
• Russia’s northern coast is tundra.
– Much of the ground is permafrost, or permanently frozen soil.
– Only small plants such as mosses grow there.
• Taiga, a vast forest of evergreen trees, covers about half of
Russia.
• South of the taiga is a flat grassland called the steppe.
– Rich, black soil and a warmer climate make this an important
farming area.
• Caucasus countries are warmer than Russia.
– Warm and wet along Black Sea
– Hot and Dry in much of Azerbaijan
Holt McDougal,
Main Idea 3:
Russia and the Caucasus have a wealth of
resources, but many are hard to access.
Natural
Resources
Energy
Resources
Resource
Management
•
Fertile soil for farming in Northern European plain
and steppe
•
Wood from taiga for building and paper products
•
Metals and precious gems
•
Main energy resources include coal, hydroelectricity,
natural gas, and oil.
•
Russia and Azerbaijan have large oil and gas fields.
•
Poorly managed for a long time
•
Many remaining resources are only in remote
Siberia.
Holt McDougal,
History and Culture of Russia
The Big Idea
Strict rule, unrest, and ethnic diversity have shaped Russia’s
history and culture.
Main Ideas
• The Russian Empire grew under powerful leaders, but
unrest and war led to its end.
• The Soviet Union emerged as a Communist superpower
with rigid government control.
• Russia’s history and diversity have influenced its culture.
Holt McDougal,
Main Idea 1:
The Russian Empire grew under powerful
leaders, but unrest and war led to its end.
• The Slavs settled in Eastern Europe, including what is now
Ukraine and western Russia.
– Developed towns and began trading with other areas
• AD 800s—Viking, or Rus, traders from Scandinavia invaded the
Slavs.
– Shaped the first Russian state, Kievan Rus, centered around the city
of Kiev
• Missionaries introduced the Orthodox Christian faith and Cyrillic,
a form of the Greek alphabet.
• In the 1200s Mongol invaders called Tatars came from Central
Asia and conquered Kiev.
– Allowed Russian princes to rule over local states
– Muscovy became the strongest state
Holt McDougal,
Empire
After about 200 years Muscovy’s prince, Ivan III seized control
from the Mongols.
In the 1540s Ivan IV crowned himself czar, or emperor, and
became known as Ivan the Terrible for his cruel leadership.
Over time Muscovy developed into the country of Russia.
Strong czars built Russia into a huge empire and world power.
Russia remained largely a country of poor farmers, while the
czars and nobles had most of the wealth.
In the early 1900s Russians began demanding improvements
and unrest grew.
Holt McDougal,
War and Revolution
World War I
• Russia entered World War I in 1914.
– Suffered huge losses and severe food shortages
• When the czar seemed to ignore the people’s hardship, they
rose against him.
• The czar was forced to give up his throne in 1917.
Russian Revolution
• Later that year the Bolsheviks, a radical Russian Communist
group, seized power in the Russian Revolution.
• In 1922 the Bolsheviks formed a new country, the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or the Soviet Union.
– Soon included 15 republics, the strongest of which was Russia
– First leader was Vladimir Lenin
Holt McDougal,
Main Idea 2:
The Soviet Union emerged as a Communist
superpower with rigid government control.
Soviet Union under Stalin
Cold War and Collapse
• Soviet Union led by Lenin
became a Communist country.
• During World War II the Soviet
Union fought with the Allies.
• Joseph Stalin took power after
Lenin’s death in 1924.
• Stalin set up Communist
governments in Eastern Europe.
• Command economy, in which the
government owns all businesses
and farms and makes all
decisions, was established.
• Opposition between the Soviet
Union and the United States led
to the Cold War.
• Stalin was a brutal and paranoid
dictator and punished anyone
who spoke out against the
government.
– Millions sent to gulags,
harsh Soviet labor camps.
Holt McDougal,
• In the 1980s Mikhail Gorbachev
began introducing some
democracy to help save the
Soviet economy.
• In 1991 the Soviet Union
collapsed and broke into 15
independent countries, including
Russia.
Main Idea 3:
Russia’s history and diversity have
influenced its culture.
People and Religion
Customs
• Population: more
than 140 million
• Russian history has
shaped its customs.
• About 80 percent
are ethnic
Russians.
• Religious holidays
are popular.
• Revival of religious
worship after fall of
Soviet government
• Main faith is
Russian Orthadox
Christian.
• Other religions
include Islam,
Buddhism, and
other forms of
Christianity.
• New Year’s Eve is
the main family
holiday.
• June 12 is Russian
Independence Day,
the day marking
the end of the
Soviet Union.
Holt McDougal,
Arts and Sciences
• Russia’s ballet
companies are
world famous.
• Peter Tchaikovsky is
Russia’s most
famous composer.
• Fabergé eggs,
made of precious
metals and covered
with gems, are
priceless works of
art.
• Major contributions
to space research,
including the first
artificial satellite in
space, launched in
1957
Russia Today
The Big Idea
Russia is a federal republic with a growing market economy
but faces tough challenges.
Main Ideas
• The Russian Federation is working to develop democracy
and a market economy.
• Russia’s physical geography, cities, and economy define its
many culture regions.
• Russia faces a number of serious challenges.
Holt McDougal,
Main Idea 1:
The Russian Federation is working to
develop democracy and a market economy.
Government
Economy
• Russian leaders have struggled
to change from communism to
democracy.
• Russia is moving toward a
market economy, based on free
trade and competition.
• The Russian Federation is a
federal republic, a system in
which power is divided between
national and local governments.
• The Russian government has
greatly reduced its control of
the economy.
• Increased democracy has led to
more freedom for Russians.
• Problems such as government
corruption, or dishonesty, have
slowed the development of a
free society in Russia.
Holt McDougal,
• Russia produces and exports oil,
natural gas, timber, metals,
chemicals, and crops.
• Service industries now make up
the largest part of economy.
City and Rural Life
City Life
• About 75 percent of all Russians live in cities.
• Most live in small apartments in high-rise buildings.
• More restaurants and shopping centers are available with a
wider range of consumer goods.
• Cities often have large parks and wooded areas in and around
them.
Rural Life
• About 25 percent of all Russians live in rural areas.
• Many live in houses.
• Many richer Russians own dachas, or Russian country
houses.
Holt McDougal,
Main Idea 2:
Russia’s physical geography, cities, and
economy define its many culture regions.
• Russia has six main culture regions
– Differ in features such as population, natural resources, and
economic activity
• Four western culture regions make up Russia’s heartland.
– Home to the vast majority of Russia’s people, the country’s
capital, and largest cities
– Most productive farming area
Holt McDougal,
Western Culture Regions
Moscow Region
• Moscow is Russia’s capital and
largest city.
• Center of government is housed
at the Kremlin, in the heart of
the city.
• Most important economic area
• Transportation center
Volga Region
• Volga River is a major shipping
route.
• Dams along its route form lakes
and provide hydroelectric power.
• Factories produce oil and gas.
• Caspian Sea provides sturgeon
and black caviar, a costly
delicacy.
Holt McDougal,
St. Petersburg Region
• St. Petersburg was once the
capital city and home to czars.
• Theaters and museums enrich
the city’s cultural life.
• Its location on the Gulf of Finland
has made it a major port and
trade center.
Urals Region
• Important mining region
• Produce nearly every major
mineral
• Smelters, factories that process
metal ores, process copper and
iron.
• Also known for gems and
semiprecious stones
Siberia and the Russian Far East
Siberia
Russian Far East
• Siberia means “Sleeping Land”
in Tatar language.
• Long coastline region along the
Pacific Ocean
• Winters long and severe
• Land is heavily forested
• Remote region with many
valuable, but difficult to
access, resources.
• In the few cities, factories
process forest and mineral
resources.
• Main industries are lumber,
mining, and oil production.
• Farming in the Amur River
valley
• Jobs there pay high wages, but
few people chose to live there.
• City of Vladivostok is a naval
base and the area’s main
seaport.
• Cities tend to follow the TransSiberian Railroad, the world’s
longest single rail line that runs
from Moscow to Vladivostok.
Holt McDougal,
• Islands off the coast provide
oil, minerals, and commercial
fishing.
Main Idea 3:
Russia faces a number of serious
challenges.
• Russia has made great progress since 1991, but challenges
remain.
• Shift to a market economy has brought problems.
– Prices and unemployment have risen.
– Gap between rich and poor has widened.
• Population is falling—more Russians are dying than are being
born.
• Soviet government did little to prevent pollution.
– Environment has been severely harmed.
– Government must repair damage.
• Ethnic conflicts have resulted in fighting and terrorism.
– One of the worst conflicts is in Chechnya in the Caucasus
Mountains.
Holt McDougal,
The Caucasus
The Big Idea
In an area long ruled by outside groups, the Caucasus
republics are struggling to strengthen their economies and
to deal with ethnic unrest.
Main Ideas
• Many groups have ruled and influenced the Caucasus
during its long history.
• Today the Caucasus republics are working to improve their
economies but struggle with ethnic unrest and conflict.
Holt McDougal,
Main Idea 1:
Many groups have ruled and influenced the
Caucasus during its long history.
• Located where Europe blends into Asia, the Caucasus reflects a
range of cultural influences.
– Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, and Mongols have all ruled
or invaded the area.
• Russians took control of much of the region in the early 1800s.
• After World War I Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia gained
independence—but not for long.
• By the early 1920s they were part of the vast Soviet Union.
• Finally in 1991 the Caucasus republics achieved true
independence when the Soviet Union fell.
Holt McDougal,
Main Idea 2:
Today the Caucasus republics are working to
improve their economies but struggle with
ethnic unrest and conflict.
• Caucasus region has a long history, but its countries do
not.
• Young countries
– Have had to create new governments and economies
since the fall of the Soviet Union
– Ethnic unrest and conflicts have slowed progress.
• Caucasus republics have similar governments.
– An elected president governs each nation.
– An appointed prime minister runs each government.
– An elected parliament, or legislature, makes the laws.
Holt McDougal,
Caucasus Today
Georgia
Armenia
• Lies in the
Caucasus
Mountains east of
the Black Sea
• Capital: Tbilisi
• About 70 percent
are ethnic
Georgians and
most belong to
Georgian Orthodox
Church.
• Struggles with
unrest and civil war
and ethnic conflict
• Economy based on
services, farming,
and mining
• Small, landlocked
country south of
Georgia
• Capital: Yerevan
• Almost all the
people are ethnic
Armenian and most
people belong to
the Armenian
Orthodox Church.
• Fought bitter
territorial war with
Azerbaijan in the
1990s, and the
issue remained
unsettled as of the
early 2000s
• Diamond
processing is a
growing industry.
Holt McDougal,
Azerbaijan
• East of Armenia
• Capital: Baku
• About 90 percent
are Azeri and most
are Muslim.
• Many refugees as a
result of its conflict
with Armenia
• Economy based on
oil, found along and
under the Caspian
Sea
• Corruption is high
and many people
are poor.