1. Russia and the Republics
Landforms and Resources

2. Essential Question
How is Russia impacted by its physical geography?

4. Overview
Russia and the Republics occupy an amount of land equal to 3 times the size of the United States.
Russia and the Republics span two continents
(Asia and Europe)
Russia and the Republics span 11 time zones
Russia and the Republics cover over 8.5 million square miles
Russia and the Republics cover nearly one-sixth of the Earth’s surface

5. Northern Landforms Northern European Plain
Lowland area from western border of Russia to the Ural Mountains
Home to chernozem, or black earth, which is very fertile. Because of this, many of the region’s agricultural areas are located here.
Home to nearly 75% of the region’s population
2 largest cities are located there

7. Northern Landforms West Siberian Plain
Western boundary at Ural Mountains
Eastern boundary at Yenisey River
Because the plain tilts northward, its rivers flow toward the Arctic Ocean

9. The huge Vasyugan Bog covers the 53 thousand sq. km.
Altogether there are 573 rivers and 35 lakes in this area.
1/5 of the Region’s territory is part of a river valley.

13. Northern Landforms Central Siberian Plateau Russian Far East
Made up of high plateaus with average heights of 1,000 to 2,000 feet
Russian Far East
Made up of a system of volcanic ranges, with many active volcanoes

16. Southern Landforms Turan Plain
Caucasus and other mountains
Caucasus - stretch across land between the Black and Caspian Seas
Tian Shan - along the southern border of Russia and the Republics
Turan Plain
Lies between the Caspian Sea and Central Asia

21. Kara Kum Desert
These two deserts (the Kara Kum in Turkmenistan and the Kyzyl Kum in Uzbekistan) cover about 230,000 square miles.
Kyzyl Kum Desert

22. Rivers and Lakes Rivers
Volga, Ob, Yenisey, Lena Rivers are largest in the region
Lakes
Caspian Sea - actually a saltwater lake. It stretches for nearly 750 miles from North to South
Aral Sea - has lost about 80% of its water in the past 40 years
Lake Baikal - the deepest lake in the world. At its deepest point, it is more than a mile from the surface to the bottom. It holds 20% of the world’s fresh water

24. Aral Sea

25. Lake Baikal

26. Natural Resources
Huge reserves of coal, iron ore, oil, and natural gas, and timber
Mismanagement of resources , harsh climates, rugged terrain, and vast distances make it difficult for Russia and the Republics to remove resources from the ground and transport them to market.

29. Human-Environment Interaction
The Trans-Siberian Railroad covers more than 5,700 miles and 7 time zones.
Its completion aided in the migration of many European Russians to Siberia, helping develop natural resources.

32. Major climate regions:
1. Humid continental- variety in temperature and precipitation, 4 seasons
2. Subarctic- huge temperature variations, usually freezing or below 5-8 months a year. Short cool summers, harsh winters.
3. Semiarid- low precipitation, interior of continents
4. Desert-less than 10 inches rain per year extreme temperature changes

33. Continentality = The greater the distance from the sea, the more extreme the climate.
(rain, moisture, temperature, etc)
Russia’s extremely cold climate is a result of this!

36. Vegetation 1. Tundra- flat, treeless land with permafrost
2. Boreal Forest- lands with coniferous trees
3. Steppe- temperate grasslands or prairie
4. Desert- plants that conserve water, (cactus or shrubs)