Physical Geography of Russia Chapter 14 Unit 5

A Vast and Varied Land

• • • • • Russia stretches across parts of Europe and Asia.

Russia is a huge land of plains divided and bordered by mountains and plateaus.

Urals- old, worn-down mountains that mark the boundary between European and Asian parts of Russia.

Caucasus Mountains- southwest of Russia, reach their highest point at Mount Elbrus, 18,510 ft. Mountain ranges also form a rugged natural boundary between Russia and China.

http://coloradomountainclub.blogspot.com/2010/06/r ussia-climb-mount-elbrus.html

Vast and Varied Land

• North European Plain covers most of European Russia.

– 75 % of Russian population lives in the southern part of this plain.

– West Siberian Plain- covers almost 1 million square miles.

Russia has the longest continuous coastline of any country, at 23,400 miles. Most Russian ports are frozen for at least part of the year.

Lake Baikal- deepest freshwater lake in the world- located in southern Siberia. (20% of Earth’s freshwater) A. Black Sea- Russia’s warm water outlet to the Mediterranean Sea B. Caspian Sea- actually a saltwater lake with no outlet.

Lake Baikal

* It is 6,365 feet deep.

    It has characteristics common to both seas and lakes .

It is one of the world's smallest seas It is also one of the world’s largest lakes. It is 152,085 square feet.

Caspian Sea

http://www.ceoe.ud

el.edu/blacksea/che mistry/jellyfish.html

http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM5GYTLWFE_index_1.html

Rivers

• Most of Russia’s longest rivers are in sparsely populated Siberia. Siberians enjoy a surplus of freshwater, but European Russians often face water shortages or problems with water quality.

A. Volga River- 4 th longest river in Russia. Drains much of N. European Plain and links Moscow to the Caspian, Black, and Baltic Seas.

B. Siberian Rivers- flow north to the Arctic Ocean. Blocked by ice, meltwaters often flood the land and create vast swamps.

Siberian Rivers

Natural Resources

• • • • • • Huge mineral resources: mineral fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal.

Rivers make Russia a leading hydroelectric power.

Because of generally cold climate, only about 10% of Russia’s land is suitable for farming. “Black Earth Belt”- rich, fertile area stretches from Ukraine to southwestern Russia- supplies grains, sugar beets, and other produce.

1/5 of the world’s forested land is in Siberia. Russian forests supply much of the world’s timber. Fish is a staple food, and also an important export.

http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/top-five-russian-gold stocks/2709

Russia’s Climate and Vegetation

Most of Russia has a harsh climate with long, cold winters and short, relatively cool summers. A. Tundra- vast, treeless plain that covers about 10 % of Russia. Always cold, little growth.

B. Subarctic- south of the tundra. Snow for up to 250 days of the year. Taiga- forest belt in the subarctic that is the world’s largest coniferous forest. Contains ½ of the world’s softwood timber.

C. Russians are creative when living in an extremely cold climate. Builders plan for cold when they construct buildings, and cars are made from a special type of steel that will not crack in the cold. Large amounts of oil, gas, wood, and coal are used to keep warm

Climate and Vegetation

History- Russia’s cold climate was helpful in defeating Napoleon in 1812 and the Germans in WWII. (354-355) Humid Continental- most of the North European Plain and some of southern Siberia have a humid continental climate, with long, snowy, relatively mild winters. Ex: Moscow- 9 to 21 degrees in January and 56 to 75 degrees in July. Steppe- dry summers and long, cold, dry winters. Rich soil enables a variety of grasses and plants to flourish.