Transcript Russia and Central Asia

Russia and Central Asia
Economic Geography
Natural Resources

Russia and Central Asia have many
different types of natural resources,
both renewable and nonrenewable.
Renewable Resources
A.
B.
C.
Russia has timber in Siberia. Most of
Siberia is covered in Taiga.
Russia has a lot of arable land, but
most of it is in Western Russia.
Russia has fish in the Black Sea,
Caspian Sea, and Pacific Ocean.
Agriculture

Cotton is grown in Central Asia around
the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea has been
shrinking because of over irrigation of
the rivers that flow into it.
Nonrenewable Resources
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Russia has fossil fuels such as oil, coal,
and natural gas. There is oil on the
bottom of the Caspian Sea. The natural
gas in Russia is in Siberia on the Arctic
coast.
Russia consumes less oil than it
extracts so it is able to export crude oil
on the world market.
Nonrenewable Resources

Russia has many minerals such as
aluminum, copper, lead, iron, zinc, gold,
and silver.
Energy Resources

Russia has abundant sources of natural
gas, coal, and oil. Russia also produces
energy with nuclear power and
hydroelectric power.
Chernobyl

In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant located in the Ukraine exploded.
The explosion released massive
amounts of radiation and the entire city
of over 300,000 people had to be
evacuated.
Oil Pipelines
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The Russian economy has been expanding
because of increased investment in the oil
industry. After the fall of communism many
foreign companies invested in the Russian
oil industry.
Capital Resources
A.
B.
Western Russia has a well developed
infrastructure to include a system of
railroads, roads, and canals.
Siberia has a poor infrastructure. The
Trans-Siberian railroad runs through
Siberia but there are not many roads
or railroads.
Trans-Siberian Railroad
A.
B.
C.
Novosibirsk became an important city
after the Trans-Siberian Railroad was
completed. (Remember site and
situation!)
Site = The physical location of a city
Situation = The geographic, political,
or economic factors around a city that
make it important
Economic System

From 1917 to 1990 Russia was communist
and it had a command economy. In a
command economy the government
controls all means of production. People
cannot own land or businesses.
Economic System

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Before 1917, Russia was ruled by a
Tsar. He was an emperor and had
absolute power.
After 1917, Russia was ruled by the
Soviets. The Soviet Union refers to
Russia, the countries of Central Asia,
and some countries in Eastern Europe.
Warsaw Pact Countries
Warsaw Pact

The Warsaw Pact was a group of
countries led by the Soviet Union that
were communist. In order to combat
the Warsaw Pact the United States
created NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization).
Economic Challenges

The transition from a command to free
market economy has been difficult but
recently the economy of Russia has
shown steady growth and standards of
living are increasing.
Economic Challenges
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A.
B.
C.
There is widespread pollution in Russia.
A few examples are:
Oil spills from poorly maintained
pipelines.
Radioactive waste from nuclear power
plants and nuclear submarines.
Air pollution from factories with poor air
quality standards.
Economic Challenges

The resources in Siberia are difficult to
develop due to climate, limited
transportation links, and vastness of the
country.