1. Landforms and Resources
a. Northern landforms
1. Takes up about 1/6th of the world’s land surface
2. The sub regions are: Northern European Plain, the west Siberian Plain, the central Siberian Plateau, and Russia Far East.
ii. The Northern European Plain
1. The Northenr European Plain stretches about 1,000 miles from the western border of Russia, to the Ural Mountains
2. One of the world’s most ferile soils is abundant in this area
3. Chernozem: Black earth, very fertile soil
4. More than 75% of Russia’s population live in this area
5. Three of the region’s biggest cities are in the area: Kiev, Ukraine’s capital; Moscow, Russia’s capital, and St. Petersburg
iii. West Siberian Plain
1. The Ural Mountains: Separate the west and east Siberian plains
2. Some define the mountain as the separator of asia and Europe
3. Eurasia: the idea of Asia and Europe as one continent
4. The west Siberian plain lies between the Ural mountains, the Yenisey River the Arctic Ocean, and the Altay Mountains
iv. Central Siberian Plateau and Russian far West
1. Extensive plains lie east of the Yenisey River
2. High plateaus averaging heights of 1,000 to 2,000 feet make up the Central Siberian Plateau
3. East of the Lean river lies the Russia far east and its volcano ranges
4. The Kamchatka peninsula contains 120 volcanoes and 20 are still active.
5. The reason Russia and Japan have not signed a treaty to end WWII is because Russia seized the Sakhalin and Kuril islands from the Japanese
b. Southern landforms
i. The Caucasus and other mountains
1. The Caucasus mountains stretch across the land that separates the Black and Caspian seas
2. They also form the border between Russia and Transcaucasia
3. Transcaucasia: a region that consists of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
4. Some mountains are located along the southeast border of Central asia
5. Central Asia: includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgztan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
6. The mountains are so hight they prevent moist air from the south, leading to the arid climate
c. Rivers and lakes
i. Drainage basins and rivers
1. The regions rivers flow through big drainage basins
2. The main drainage basins in Russia are the Arctic Ocean, Caspian Sea, Pacific Ocean, Black sea, and Aral Sea basins
3. The arctic basin is the largest in the area
4. The three most powerful rivers: the Ob, the Yenisey, and the Lena drain an area more than three million square miles
5. They deliver water at 1,750,000 cubic feet of water per second
6. The Volga River, the longest river on the European continent begins at Moscow and goes 2,300 miles until it hits the Caspian
ii. Lakes
1. Russia has some of the largest lakes on the planet
2. The Caspian sea is 750 miles across, making it the largest inland sea.
3. The aral sea has lost 87% of its water volume, which is the result of irrigation projects
4. A dam has been erected to separate the south aral from the north, because the south is saltier and more polluted
iii. Lake Baikal
1. Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest lake, and holds 20% of the world’s freshwater. It is home to 1,200 different species, including the only species of freshwater seal.
d. Regional Resources
i. Abundant resources
1. Huge reserves of coal, iron, and other metals
2. The region is a leading producer of oil and natural gas
3. Holder of 1/5 of the world’s timber
ii. Resource management
1. Bad weather and terrain make it hard to move resources through the area.
2. Most resources are in Siberia
3. Siberia: the part of Russia that is in Asia
4. Many regional resource exploits damge the environment
5. Dams and hydroelectric plants cause thermal pollution which damages the plants and animals
2. Summary
a. This section went over the subregions of Russia. It talked about the many rivers, lakes, and mountains of the area. It taught about the many environment issues that arise from exploiting resources.
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