1. Introduction to Northern Eurasia

2. Northern Eurasia is made up of those countries that were once part of the Soviet Union

3. Areal names of the Former Soviet Union
Czarist (Tsarist) Russia/ImperialRussia/Russian Empire
Soviet Union or USSR
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Russia and the Near Abroad
Regions-European Russia, Asiatic Russia, Transcaucasus, Siberia, The Baltic States, Central Asia
Czarist (Tsarist) Russia/Imperial Russia/Russian Empire
-Under czars grew from nation into Empire
-Czars had demand for wealth, territory, and power; they sent armies across plains of Siberia through deserts of Asia and into Mountains along Russia’s rim
Soviet Union or USSR
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republic
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
-Association of 12 former soviet republics (includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan)
-cooperate on an equal basis in foreign military and economic policy
Russia and the Near Abroad

4. Regions
European Russia Central Asian Republics Caucasus Siberia Baltic States Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine
European Russia
-Northern European plain rolls low and flat from the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine and Romania to the Ural Mountains
-Ural Mountains traditionally considered part of unclear border between Europe and Asia
-most densely populated area of region and is its industrial and agricultural core
-Volga River is its important river which flows to the Caspian Sea
Central Asian Republics
-Area from Caspian Sea to Central China, from southern Russia in North to Afghanistan in South
-The Stan States
Caucasus/Caucasian republics
-Mountainous area between the Black and Caspian Sea
-once the southernmost part of the Soviet Union
-50 ethnic groups competing for space, influence and independence
-includes Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
Siberia
-extends eastward from Ural Mountains to watershed between the Pacific and Arctic drainage basin
-Southward from the Arctic Ocean to North Central Kazakhstan
The Baltic States,
-Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Belarus/Moldova/Ukraine
-Belarus known as White Russia (Translated)
-Areas of Moldova were called Bessarabia

5. General Pattern of Landforms
Plains in the West
Mountains and
highlands in the East
Varies to the South
The Ural and Caucasus Mountains form a natural boundary between Europe and Asia
Plains to the West
Mountains and highlands to the East
Varies to the South

6. Major Physical Attributes:
Large size
Large size
-Russia is the largest country in the world; 2x larger then second largest (Canada)
-bears some resemblance to North America in size, topography, climate, and vegetation

7. Major Physical Attributes:
Northern Location
Northern Location
-Western Siberian plain (east of Urals) is largest plain in the world
-long bitter winters-layer of permafrost

8. Major Physical Attributes:
Restricted access to world’s seas
Restricted access to world’s seas
-Thus Kaliningrad is important

9. Major Physical Attributes:
Several large lakes and inland seas
Several large lakes and inland seas
-Aral Sea
-Lake Baikal

10. Climate Harsh in the north and in Siberia Humid continental in Europe
Arid/semiarid in Central Asia
Harsh in the north and in Siberia
Humid continental in Europe
Arid/semiarid in Central Asia
 Factors that affect climate of the region: high latitude, large size, continentiality, mountains in southeast

11. Four broad vegetation zones
Tundra
Forest/taiga
Grassland
Desert
Taiga is the forested area of Siberia

12. The physical geography of N. Eurasia has influenced its history
Western border links to Western ideas (language, culture, religion)
Huge border is difficult to protect.
Large land area and climate make it difficult to conquer
Many different ethnic groups widely dispersed
Large area is difficult to administer
Desire to gain and protect warm water ports
Vast natural resources, but difficult to exploit.

13. Many ethnic groups with different languages and religions

14. The core area and most of the population is located in the west--the European part of N. Eurasia

15. Period of Communist control lasted from 1917 to 1991
1917 Revolution: to overthrow Czar Nicholas II led by the Bolsheviks
Vladimir Lenin
917 Revolution:
-revolution to overthrow Czar Nicholas II led by the Bolsheviks who were inspired by the principle of Communism as explained by Karl Marx
-Marx idea that Europe flawed because of domination of capitalism. (Wrote communist manifesto)
 Vladimir Lenin: said that former soviet Russian Empire needed transition period to realize ideals of communism

16. Many challenges are being faced as this realm transitions away from communism.
Economic problems--high unemployment, poor economic decisions, inefficient and outdated industries
Social problems--ethnic clashes, loss of communist safety net, organized crime

17. Environmental degradation is one legacy of communism
Aral Sea at 60% capacity
Toxic waste
Industrial pollution

18. Environmental degradation is one legacy of communism
Aral Sea at 60% capacity

19. Environmental degradation is one legacy of communism
Aral Sea at 10% capacity

20. Environmental degradation is one legacy of communism
Aral Sea

21. Environmental degradation is one legacy of communism

22. Environmental degradation is one legacy of communism

23. Environmental degradation is one legacy of communism
Toxic waste
Sign warns of a radioactive river.

24. Environmental degradation is one legacy of communism
Industrial pollution

25. Contributions from this realm;
Peter Tchaikovski
Dostoyevsky
Leo Tolstoy
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Marc Chagall
Dmitry Mendeleyev
Igor Stravinsky
Ivan Pavlov
Sergei Prokofiev
Yuri Gagarian