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Russia and the Caucasus
Chapter 16
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Continents of Europe and Asia meet at the Ural mountains
Europe to the west Asia to the east Together they form the landmass of Eurasia Physical Geography
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Physical Geography Russia is the world’s largest country
Twice the size of the USA South of Russia is a region know as the Caucasus It lies in the Caucasus, the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea Region is named for the Caucasus mountains Includes three smaller countries Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan Physical Geography
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Russia’s capitol, Moscow, is located in the Northern European Plain, which stretches across western or European Russia To the east are the low-lying Ural Mountains Siberia, the vast area between the Urals and the Pacific Ocean Includes marshy West Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, and mountain ranges Landforms
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Landforms Eastern Siberia is part of the Ring of Fire
Caucasus countries consist mainly of rugged uplands and mountains South of the Caucasus Mountains is a plateau Lowlands lie along the Black and Caspian Seas Landforms
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Rivers Volga River Ob, Yenisy, and Lena rivers in Asia part of Russia
Located in western Russia Longest river in Europe Core of Russia’s river network Ob, Yenisy, and Lena rivers in Asia part of Russia Flow northward to the Arctic Ocean Rivers
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Lakes Russia has about 200,000 lakes
Lake Baikal, in south-central Siberia, is the world’s deepest lake Deep enough to hold all the water in all five of the Great Lakes Called the Jewel of Siberia Lakes
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Seas Black and Caspian Seas border Russia and the Caucasus
Black Sea connects to the Mediterranean Sea and is important for trade Caspian Sea holds salt water and is the world’s largest inland sea Seas
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Russia has short summers and long snowy winters due in part to its location along the Arctic Circle
Russia’s northern coast is tundra Much of the ground is permafrost, or permanently frozen soil Only small plants such as mosses grow there Climate
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Taiga, a vast forest of evergreen trees, covers about half of Russia
South of the Taiga is a flat grassland called the steppe Rich black soil and a warmer climate make this an important farming area Caucasus countries are warmer than Russia Warm and wet along the Black Sea Hot and dry in much of Azerbaijan Climate and Plant Life
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Fertile soil in the Northern European Plain and steppe
Wood from taiga for building and paper products Metals and precious gems Natural Resources
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Energy Resources Coal Hydroelectricity Natural gas Oil
Russian and Azerbaijan have large oil and gas fields Energy Resources
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Resource Management Poorly managed for a long time
Many remaining resources are only in remote Siberia Resource Management
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The Russian empire grew under powerful leaders, but unrest and war led to its end
The Slavs settled in Eastern Europe, including what is now Ukraine and western Russia Russian Empire
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Slavs developed towns and began trading with other areas
AD 800s – Viking, or Rus, traders from Scandinavia invaded the Slavs Shaped the first Russian state, Kievan Rus, centered around the city of Kiev Russian Empire
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Missionaries introduced the Orthodox Christian faith and Cyrillic, a form of the Greek alphabet
In the 1200s Mongol invaders called Tatars came from Central Asia and conquered Kiev Allowed Russian princes to rule over local states Muscovy became the strongest state Russian Empire
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After about 200 years Muscovy’s prince, Ivan III seized control from the Mongols
In the 1540s Ivan IV crowned himself a czar, or emperor, and became known as Ivan the Terrible for his cruel leadership Over time Muscovy developed into the country of Russia Empire
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Empire Strong czars built Russia into a huge empire and world power
Russia remained largely a country of poor farmers, while the czars and nobles had most of the wealth and power In the early 1900s Russians began demanding improvements and unrest grew Empire
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World War One Russia entered WWI in 1914
Suffered huge losses and severe food shortages When the czar seemed to ignore the people’s hardship, they rose up against him The czar was forced to give up his throne in 1917 World War One
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Later that year the Bolsheviks, a radical Russian Communist group, seized power in the Russian Revolution Russian Revolution
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In 1922 the Bolsheviks formed a new country the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or the Soviet Union Soon included 15 republics, the strongest of which was Russia First leader was Vladimir Lenin Russian Revolution
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Soviet Union: Communist Superpower
Soviet Union led by Lenin became a communist country Josef Stalin took power after Lenin’s death Command economy, in which the government owns all businesses and farms and makes all decisions, was established Soviet Union: Communist Superpower
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Stalin was a brutal and paranoid dictator and punished anyone who spoke out about the government
Millions were sent to gulags, harsh Soviet labor camps Josef Stalin
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Cold War During World War II the Soviet Union fought with the Allies
Stalin set up communist governments in Eastern Europe Opposition between the Soviet Union and the United States led to the Cold War Cold War
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Collapse of the Soviet Union
In the 1980s Mikhail Gorbachev began introducing some democracy to help save the Soviet economy In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed and broke into 15 independent countries, including Russia Collapse of the Soviet Union
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People and Religion Population: more than 140 million
About 80 percent are ethnic Russians Revival of religious worship after the fall of the Soviet government Main faith is Russian Orthodox Christian Other religions include Islam, Buddism, and other forms of Christianity People and Religion
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Customs Russian history has shaped its customs
Religious holidays are popular New Year’s Eve is the main family holiday June 12 is Russian Independence Day, the day marking the end of the Soviet Union Customs
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Arts Russia’s ballet companies are world famous
Peter Tchaikovsky is Russia’s most famous composer Arts
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Faberge eggs, made of precious metals and covered in gems, are priceless works of art
Starting in 1885, the Faberge egg became an Easter tradition in the Romanov family, each year, becoming ever larger and more elaborate. Art and Culture
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Major contributions to space research, including the first artificial satellite in space, launched in 1957 Science
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Russian leaders have struggled to change from communism to democracy
The Russian Federation is a federal republic, a system in which power is divided between national and local governments Government
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Government Increased democracy has led to more freedoms for Russians
Problems such as government corruption, or dishonesty, have slowed the government of a free society in Russia Government
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Russia is moving toward a market economy, based on free trade and competition
The Russian government has greatly reduced its control of the economy Service industries now make up the largest part of the economy Economy
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Exports Russia produces and exports Oil Natural gas Timber Metals
Chemicals And crops Exports
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City Life About 75 percent of all Russians live in cities
Most live in small apartments in high rise buildings Cities have large parks and wooded areas around them Wide variety of restaurants and shopping City Life
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Rural Life About 25 percent of all Russians live in rural areas
Many live in houses Many richer Russians own dachas, or country houses Rural Life
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Culture Regions Russia has 6 main culture regions
Differ in features such as population, natural resources, and economic activity Four western culture regions make up Russia’s heartland Home to the majority of Russia’s people, the country’s capital, and largest cities Most productive farming area Culture Regions
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Western Culture Regions
Moscow Region Russia’s capital and largest city Center of government is housed at the Kremlin Most important economic area Transportation center Western Culture Regions
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Western Culture Regions
St. Petersburg Region St. Petersburg was once the capital city and home to the czars Many theatres and museums add to the culture of the city Its location on the Gulf of Finland has made it a major port and trade center Western Culture Regions
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Western Culture Regions
Volga Region Volga River is a major shipping route Dams along its route form lakes and provide hydroelectric power Factories produce oil and gas Caspian Sea provides sturgeon and black caviar, a costly delicacy Western Culture Regions
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Western Culture Regions
Urals Region Important mining region Produce nearly every major mineral Smelters, factories that process metal ores, process copper and iron Also known for gems and semiprecious stones Western Culture Regions
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Siberia Siberia means “Sleeping Land” in Tatar language
Winters are long and severe Remote region with many valuable, but difficult to access, resources Main industries are lumber, mining, and oil production Wages are high, but few people choose to live there Siberia
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Cities tend to follow the Trans- Siberian Railroad, the world’s longest single rail line
It runs from Moscow to Vladivostok gQjls3EWyok Siberia
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Russian Far East Long coastline region along the Pacific
Land is heavily forested In the few cities, factories process forest and mineral resources Farming in the Amur River Valley City of Vladivostok is a naval base and the area’s main seaport Islands off the coast provide oil, minerals, and commercial fishing Russian Far East
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Russia’s shift to a market economy has brought problems
Prices and unemployment have risen Gap between rich and poor has widened Population is falling- more Russian’s are dying than are being born Russia’s Challenges
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Russia’s Challenges Russian government did little to prevent pollution
Environment has been severely harmed Governments must repair damage Ethnic conflicts have resulted in fighting and terrorism One of the worst conflicts is in Chechnya in the Caucasus Mountains Russia’s Challenges
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The Caucasus
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Located where Europe blends to Asia, the Caucasus reflect a range of cultural influences
Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, and Mongols have all ruled or invaded the area Russia took control of the area in the early 1800s The Caucasus
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After World War I Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia gained independence-but not for long
By the early 1920s they were part of the vast Soviet Union Finally in 1991 the Caucasus republics achieved true independence when the Soviet Union fell The Caucasus
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The Caucasus region has a long history but its countries do not
Young countries Have had to create new governments and economies since the fall of the Soviet Union Ethnic unrest and conflicts have slowed progress The Caucasus Today
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The Caucasus Today Caucasus republics have similar governments
An elected president governs each nation An appointed prime minister runs each government An elected parliament, or legislature, makes the laws The Caucasus Today
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Georgia Lies in the Caucasus Mountains east of the Black Sea
About 70 percent are ethnic Georgians and most belong to the Georgian Orthodox Church Struggles with unrest and civil war and ethnic conflict Economy based on services, farming, and mining Georgia
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Armenia Small, landlocked country south of Georgia
Almost all the people are ethnic Armenian and most people belong to the Armenian Orthodox Church Fought bitter territorial war with Azerbaijan in the 1990s, and issues remained unsettled as of the early 2000s Diamond processing is a growing industry Armenia
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Azerbaijan East of Armenia
About 90 percent are Azeri and most are Muslim Many refugees as a result of its conflict with Armenia Economy based on oil, found along and under the Caspian Sea Corruption is high and many people are poor Azerbaijan
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Visual Summary
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