1. Section 1: Natural Environments Section 2: History and Culture
CHAPTER 17
Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus
Section 1: Natural Environments
Section 2: History and Culture
Section 3: The Region Today

2. SECTION 1
Natural Environments
Question:
What are the region’s landforms, rivers, climate and vegetation types, and resources?

3. Russia Ukraine Belarus
SECTION 1
Natural Environments
Russia Ukraine Belarus
Landforms
Ural Mountains
Caucasus Mountains
Pripet Marshes
Carpathian Mountains
Crimean Peninsula
Siberian Plains
Kamchatka Peninsula
Rivers
Dnieper River
Don River
Yenisey River
Angara River
Lena River
Ob River
Volga River
Climates/Vegetation
humid continental
subarctic
tundra in the north
taiga forest in the south
deciduous-coniferous forest in the far south
steppe farthest south
Natural Resources
wood from forests
gold and diamonds
coal, hydroelectricity, oil, and gas
copper, iron ore, manganese, nickel, and platinum

4. SECTION 2
History and Culture
Question:
What are some of the major events in the growth of the Russian Empire?

5. History and Culture SECTION 2 800 1400 1600 1900 1100 1500 1800
1547 Ivan the Terrible crowns himself czar of all Russia—north of Kiev to the Arctic Ocean and east to the Urals.
1100s Eastern, or Orthodox, Christianity is the main religion of Kiev.
1800s Russians spread into the Caucasus and Central Asia.
800
1400
1600
1900
1100
1500
1800
800s Kiev becomes an important trade center for the Mediterranean and Baltic Sea areas.
Late 1400s Prince Ivan III, of Moscow, wins control over parts of Russia from the Mongols.
1637 Explorers reach the Pacific coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
1905 Russia retreats to its present-day boundaries with China after losing a war to Japan.
1917 The czar resigns and the Bolsheviks overthrow the government in the Russian Revolution.

6. SECTION 3
The Region Today
Question:
What factors contribute to the economic development of the region?

7. Trans-Siberian Railroad; lumber, mining, and oil; small labor force
SECTION 3
The Region Today
Volga and Urals
heavy industry, abundant hydroelectricity, refineries and petrochemicals, mineral resources and smelters
St. Petersburg Region
Westernized, good transportation, trade with European cities, draws tourists and high-tech industries
Siberia
Trans-Siberian Railroad; lumber, mining, and oil; small labor force
Moscow Region
economic center, transportation hub, access to raw materials, millions of Russian workers
The Russian Far East
factories, forest and mineral resources, naval bases, commercial fishing
Economic Development
Ukraine and Kiev
centrally located; rich agricultural energy; human resources; agriculture; heavy industry; metalworking
Belarus and Minsk
few resources, educated labor force, wood product industries, outdated plants

8. Chapter Wrap-Up CHAPTER 17
1. What are the main physical characteristics of the two huge areas west and east of the Ural Mountains?
2. What are some resources that Russia has in large quantities?
3. Across what physical region did early migrants come to Russia and its neighbors? How did those newcomers shape the region’s culture?
4. Where do most of the region’s people live?
5. What environmental problems remain from the Soviet era?