Chapter 04 *Lecture Outline Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display. *See separate Image PowerPoint slides for all figures and tables pre-inserted into PowerPoint without notes.

Chapter 4 Russia and Neighboring Countries

New Relationships Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) Commonwealth of Independent States Organization of cooperation between of 12 of 15 former Soviet republics Subregions Slavic countries: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova Southern Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbiajan Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

Natural Environment Northerly location and continentality Plateaus, Plains, and Major River Valleys Desert, Grassland, Forest, and Tundra Steppe grasslands Black earth soils (chernozems) Brown earth soils Northern coniferous forest (taiga) Podzol soils Tundra Permafrost

Natural Environment Environmental Problems Oil Pollution Pollution at Norilsk Nuclear pollution Aral Sea Contraction Threatened Fisheries Global Environmental Policies

Crossroads, Imperialism, and Cultural Diversity Political evolution of Russia up to World War I Eastern Slavs Rus Muscovy The Russian Empire Russification The Soviet Union Competing for Control Five-Year Plans World War II

Global Changes and Local Responses Post-World War II emergence as a superpower Communism at an Economic Standstill Perestroika & Glasnost Human Rights Gulags & the Great Terror Solzhenitsyn & Sakharov War in Chechnya Status of women

Global Changes and Local Responses Population Distribution and Patterns Greatest concentration in western Russia East of Urals: along Transportation-Siberian Railroad to Lake Baikal Ethnic Russians in the “Near Abroad” Most Armenians & Azerbaijanis do not live in their respective countries

Global Changes and Local Responses Population Dynamics Slavic countries: stable or declining populations Virgin & Idle Lands Campaign Urbanization Areas that lack good agricultural land Areas that emphasize urban-industrial development Urban landscapes Secret cities

The Slavic Countries Countries Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus Moldova included as well Not entirely Slavic but many Slavs live there and it is tied closely to the Slavic countries Economic hardship Transition from Communism to capitalism Foreign Investment and Trade

The Slavic Countries Political Divisions Republics, krays, oblasts, federal cities, okrugs Autonomous political units North European and Middle Volga-Urals North Caucasus Siberia and the Far East Territories of the Far North Heartland and Hinterland in Russia Science, Sports, and Society

The Southern Caucasus Countries Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan Rugged, mountainous region Oil resources Culture Very diverse Christianity: Georgians & Armenians Islam: Azerbaijanis (Shia)

The Southern Caucasus Ethnic Peace and Conflict Georgia: Ossetians & Abkhaz Persecution of Armenians & the Armenian genocide Armenia & Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh

Central Asia Countries Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan The countries occupy strategic geopolitical positions Turkestan Landlocked Arid & semiarid climates dominate Islam Silk Road

Central Asia Resistance to Russification People: Ethnic Conflict Soviet definition of boundaries Fergana Valley Titular groups & ethnic minorities

Central Asia Economic issues Historical orientation toward Russia Drop in GDP following independence Oil Natural gas Cotton Water