1. IT’S ALWAYS TOUGHER IN RUSSIA By:Janice Chen, Corrine Hartford, Jenny Shi

2. Mountains Ranges  The Ural Mountains in Russia make traveling harder to go from the Asian side of Russia to the European side of Russia. The Ural Mountains also divide Russia into two time zones.  The mountains in the Kamchatka Peninsula are part of the Ring of Fire. This area still has a lot of volcanic activity. When you least expect it, you could get covered by ash and lava.

3. Mountain Ranges (cont.)  The Caucasus Mountains separate south-western Russia from south-western Asia. This makes travel difficult.

4. Plateaus  The Central Siberian Plateau are even higher than the mountain ranges in the south. It make the climate colder for Russia.

5. Rivers  There are many rivers in Russia. Even so, many of them are frozen in the winter so people can not use the rivers for hydroelectric power, trading, or transportation. Some of the major rivers include the Vogla River, Ob River, and the Yenisey River.  Most rivers begin in the mountains of southern Siberia and then flow into the Arctic Ocean. It is too cold for usage.

6. Plains  The West Siberian Plain is marshy. This land cannot be used to farm or grow crops. In the northern part of the plain, it is too cold and wet for civilization.

7. Bodies of Water  The Arctic Ocean cannot be used for shipping or traveling, because in the winter months the ice is too thick. However, global warming may open up this passage.  The Caspian Sea does not help south-western Russia, because it is landlocked.

8. Bodies of Water (Cont.)  The Caspian Sea is actually the largest inland body of water, but it contains salt water. It’s like the Great Lake in Utah.

9. It’s Always Tougher in Russia (Physical Features)  As you can see, physical features in Russia makes living tougher. When you are planning to move to Russia, be prepared to face tougher life styles. If it’s either involving icy weather to active volcanoes or occurring earthquake, it is ALWAYS tougher in Russia.