Transcript Geography and History of Russia and Eastern Europe Things To

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
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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
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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