1World Regional World Regional GeographyGeographyDavid SalleeDavid SalleeLesson 3Lesson 3RUSSIA RUSSIA MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIESQUALITIESzzIMMENSE TERRITORIAL STATEIMMENSE TERRITORIAL STATEzzNORTHERNMOST LARGE AND POPULOUS NORTHERNMOST LARGE AND POPULOUS COUNTRY IN THE WORLDCOUNTRY IN THE WORLDzzA FORMER WORLD COLONIAL POWERA FORMER WORLD COLONIAL POWERzzA COMPARITIVELY SMALL (<150 MILLION) A COMPARITIVELY SMALL (<150 MILLION) AND CONCENTRATED POPULATIONAND CONCENTRATED POPULATIONzzCONCENTRATED DEVELOPMENTCONCENTRATED DEVELOPMENTzzMULTICULTURAL STATEMULTICULTURAL STATEzzMINIMAL PORTSMINIMAL PORTSRUSSIARUSSIA’’S DIMENSIONSS DIMENSIONSzzSPANS 11 TIME ZONESSPANS 11 TIME ZONESzzGULF OF FINLAND TO ALASKA GULF OF FINLAND TO ALASKA (WEST TO EAST), AND WELL (WEST TO EAST), AND WELL ABOVE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE TO ABOVE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE TO SALT LAKE CITY (NORTH TO SALT LAKE CITY (NORTH TO SOUTH)SOUTH)zzTWICE THE SIZE OF THE US OR TWICE THE SIZE OF THE US OR CHINACHINAzzSIBERIA: SIBERIA: ““SLEEPING LANDSLEEPING LAND””RUSSIA-US SIZE COMPARISONSIZE, LOCATION AND SPACE SIZE, LOCATION AND SPACE RELATIONSHIPSRELATIONSHIPSzzLATITUDINAL EXTENTLATITUDINAL EXTENT––Northernmost point: Rudolf Island in Northernmost point: Rudolf Island in Franz Joseph Land (82Franz Joseph Land (82oo))––Southernmost point: Grozny in west and Southernmost point: Grozny in west and Vladivostok in east (44Vladivostok in east (44oo))zzLONGITUDINAL EXTENTLONGITUDINAL EXTENT––More than twice its maximum northMore than twice its maximum north--south south extent and extends through 11 time zonesextent and extends through 11 time zoneszzRussia makes up 76.6% of the total territory Russia makes up 76.6% of the total territory of the former USSR (17,075,400 kmof the former USSR (17,075,400 km----almost almost twice the size of the US).twice the size of the US).220º40º60º80ºGROWTH OF THE GROWTH OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRERUSSIAN EMPIREGROWTH OF THE GROWTH OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRERUSSIAN EMPIREFORWARD CAPITALCapital city positioned in actually or Capital city positioned in actually or potentially contested territory, usually potentially contested territory, usually near an international border, confirms near an international border, confirms the statethe state’’s determination to maintain s determination to maintain its presence in the regionits presence in the region80o60o40oLOCATIONAL IMPACT ON RUSSIALOCATIONAL IMPACT ON RUSSIA’’S CLIMATES CLIMATEHawaiiArctic CircleAlaskaCLIMATOLOGYCLIMATOLOGYzzCLIMATECLIMATE––AVERAGE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR A GIVEN AVERAGE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR A GIVEN AREA OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIMEAREA OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIMEzzWEATHERWEATHER––REFERS TO THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS AT REFERS TO THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS AT A SPECIFIC PLACE AND TIMEA SPECIFIC PLACE AND TIMEzzCLIMATOLOGYCLIMATOLOGY––A BRANCH OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHYA BRANCH OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY––CONCERNED WITH:CONCERNED WITH:zzSPATIAL ARRANGEMENT OF CLIMATE OVER THE SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT OF CLIMATE OVER THE SURFACE OF THE EARHSURFACE OF THE EARHzzPROCESSES WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROCESSES WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISTRIBUTIONDISTRIBUTION3RUSSIAN CLIMATERUSSIAN CLIMATEzzAffected by 3 natural Affected by 3 natural conditions:conditions:----Latitudinal PositionLatitudinal Position----Continental PositionContinental Position----Location of major mountainsLocation of major mountainsCLIMATECLIMATEVEGETATIONCLIMATE AS A CLIMATE AS A RESTRICTIVE ELEMENTRESTRICTIVE ELEMENTzzAGRICULTUREAGRICULTURE––Short growing seasonsShort growing seasons––Drought proneDrought prone––Erosion (accelerated via snow melt)Erosion (accelerated via snow melt)zzSETTLEMENT PATTERNS & TRANSPORTATIONSETTLEMENT PATTERNS & TRANSPORTATIONzzINDUSTRYINDUSTRY––High energy consumptionHigh energy consumption––Specialized equipment and facilitiesSpecialized equipment and facilities––ExtractiveExtractivezzpermafrostpermafrostzzspring and fall mudspring and fall mudzzspecial equipment and facilities special equipment and facilities --$$$$$$AGRICULTURAL PATTERNSSETTLEMENT / TRANSPORTATION PATTERNS4RUSSIA’S PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONSPHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONSPHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONSzzRUSSIAN PLAINRUSSIAN PLAIN––EASTWARD CONTINUATION OF NORTH EASTWARD CONTINUATION OF NORTH EUROPEAN LOWLANDEUROPEAN LOWLAND––CORE AREA (MOSCOW BASIN)CORE AREA (MOSCOW BASIN)zzURAL MOUNTAINSURAL MOUNTAINS––2,000 MILES LONG (NORTH2,000 MILES LONG (NORTH--SOUTH)SOUTH)––YIELD A VARIETY OF MINERALSYIELD A VARIETY OF MINERALSzzWEST SIBERIAN PLAINWEST SIBERIAN PLAIN––WORLDWORLD’’S LARGEST UNBROKEN LOWLANDSS LARGEST UNBROKEN LOWLANDS––PERMAFROSTPERMAFROSTPHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONSPHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONSzzCENTRAL SIBERIAN PLATEAUCENTRAL SIBERIAN PLATEAU––SPARSELY POPULATED, TEMPERATURE SPARSELY POPULATED, TEMPERATURE EXTREMES, PERMAFROSTEXTREMES, PERMAFROSTzzYAKUTSK BASINYAKUTSK BASIN––MOUNTAINOUS, HIGH RELIEFMOUNTAINOUS, HIGH RELIEFzzEASTERN HIGHLANDSEASTERN HIGHLANDS––RANGES, RIDGES, PRECIPITOUS VALLEYS, RANGES, RIDGES, PRECIPITOUS VALLEYS, VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS, LAKE BAYKALVOLCANIC MOUNTAINS, LAKE BAYKALzzCENTRAL ASIAN RANGESCENTRAL ASIAN RANGES––RISE ABOVE THE SNOW LINE, GLACIATEDRISE ABOVE THE SNOW LINE, GLACIATEDzzCAUCASUS MOUNTAINSCAUCASUS MOUNTAINS––EXTENSIONS OF THE ALPINESEXTENSIONS OF THE ALPINESRUSSIANPLAINTHE URAL MOUNTAINS•The north-south length covers 2500 kms.•The highest points are in the Northern Urals-2000 meters in places.•The Central Uralsare the lowest section and include several key crossing places.•The Southern Uralsare wider and consist of a number of parallel north-south ridges and intervening valleys.•Ural forests and minerals have been the basis for industrialization and boast at least twenty different commercially usable minerals.WEST SIBERIAN PLAIN•The world’s largest unbroken lowland•Includes the Ob and Irtysh River Basin•Permafrost•Major Cities:•Omsk•Novosibirsk5CENTRAL SIBERIANPLATEAU•Sparsely settled•Inaccessible•Restrictive climate•Permafrost•Natural resourcesEASTERN HIGHLANDSCENTRAL ASIAN RANGESCAUCASUSMOUNTAINSPOLITICAL FRAMEWORKPOLITICAL FRAMEWORKzzSOVIET LEGACYSOVIET LEGACY––Revolution (1905Revolution (1905--1917)1917)––Bolsheviks Bolsheviks versusversusMensheviksMensheviks––V.I. Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov)V.I. Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov)––Capital: Petrograd to Moscow (1918)Capital: Petrograd to Moscow