EURASIA- Europe and Asia Three Regions 1.Russia and Western Republics 2. Transcaucasia Republics 3. Central Asia Republics

• Russian state began in the region between the Baltic, Black and Caspian seas.

•

Czar

= Emperor; Ivan the Great 1 st Czar of USSR • 1917 Russian Revolution •

Command Economy

helped to establish a

communist

government • Late 1940’s tensions between U.S. and Soviet Union lead to the

Cold War

lasted through the 1980’s • USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) falls in 1991 •

Kremlin

- Government building; president lives there • Christian Orthodox

Two Types of Economies



Capitalism (Free Market Economy)

--Production of goods is based on consumer demand --Government interferes as little as possible in the economy --Individuals create businesses to gain profits 

Command Economy

--Government owns all resources (means of production) --Government makes al economic decisions --Individuals can not own property or go into business for themselves

Totalitarian Political System

 Two types of totalitarian political systems: Government holds all political power; individual rights and freedoms are limited; No political elections or voting takes place

1.

2.

Communist: example, former USSR Dictatorship: examples, North Korea, Cuba and Afghanistan

Freedom Based Government System

 Democracy: People (citizens) hold political power, either directly or through elected representatives  Citizens have individual rights and freedoms such as the right to vote, freedom of speech and freedom to choose religion  Example: the United States, Canada and Sweden

Russia is the biggest country in the world, twice as big as the USA

Ural Mountains

 The Ural Mountains (also known as the Urals) are a mountain range that runs north-south through western Russia. They are considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia.

Siberia -large area in central Russia -almost always cold -most people live in western Russia

Lacks Mt. barriers to keep cold Arctic winds out

Siberia

Siberia

 Siberia is the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and makes up about 77 percent of Russia’s territory  Siberia’s Biome (groups of

ecosystems with similar climates

and organisms) is mostly a frozen tundra; a belt on the northern fringe  Vegetation is taiga (largest coniferous forest on earth) in the temperate southern zone.

Lake Baikal

 Lake Baikal, meaning "the rich lake” is the world's second most voluminous lake, after the Caspian Sea  Lake Baikal is the deepest, and among the clearest of all lakes in the world. At more than 25 million years old, Baikal is also the world's oldest lake

Human-Environment Interaction

 The Trans-Siberian Railroad is a network of railways that connect East and Western Eurasia  Links Moscow with Russia’s far east provinces, Mongolia, China and the Sea of Japan (Port of Vladivostok)  Today, the railroad is part of the Eurasian Land Bridge.

• Baltic Republics- Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

• Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine together with the Baltic Republics form the Western Republics.

• Today Moldova faces warfare • The majority of the violence is due to attempts of

secession

(the act of withdrawing from an organization, union especially a political entity )

• One of the largest countries in eastern Europe • The Food Basket of eastern Europe a major source of dairies , meat and vegetables.

• Chernobyl Legacy

Food Producing Region

 Russian Steppes- temperate grasslands  Chernozem(black soil) world’s most fertile soil  Major grain producers (wheat)  Extends from Ukraine to Siberia

Human Environment Interaction

 The Aral Sea has lost 80% of its water  Aral Sea no longer gets water from Amu Darya or Syr Darya rivers; water diverted to irrigate cotton crops in Central Asia  All 24 fish species are extinct  Sharp rise in throat cancer, respiratory diseases due to run off from heavy use of pesticides

H.E.I Technology Innovations

 Standard of living can be improved for communities surrounding the Aral Sea.

 Drying of Aral Sea can be slowed down or stopped by 

1 solution; introduce drought resistant cotton plants that need less water

Human-Environment Interaction

 Chernobyl disaster; a nuclear reactor accident that occurred on April 26 th , 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (during this time it was part of the U.S.S.R.).  Worst nuclear power plant disaster in history  Resulted in a severe release of radioactivity following a massive power explosion that destroyed the reactor. Most deaths from the accident were caused by radiation

poisoning.

• Gate way of migration between Europe & Asia brought many cultures & languages; people kept their languages • Ja bail Al - Alsun or Mountain of Languages • Religion-Christian and Islamic

Five independent Republics

The Silk Road

Runs from China through Siberia, Central Asia to Eastern Europe (Turkey)

The Silk Road

 Transportation of Chinese Silk  Gold, wine, porcelain, and perfumes  Silver, and spices were other goods transported

Key Content

 Yurts – houses of Central Asian nomads  Nomads – people who have no permanent home  Polygon – testing site of 470 nuclear devices in Kazakhstan  Transcaucasia major industry (money maker ) – Oil, tourism and wine making