russia and the former soviet republics ch. 15-1: physical geography objective: identify important...

Russia and the Former Soviet Republics

Ch. 15-1: Physical Geography

Objective: Identify important elements of the physical landscape of Russia

Western Republics Belarus Estonia Latvia Lithuania Moldova Ukraine

Central Asian

Republics Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan

Former Soviet RepublicsTranscaucasia Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

Physical Geography:

The Caspian Sea Ural Mountains Caucasus Mountains Turan Plain The Kara Kum Northern European Plain West Siberian Plain Black Sea Lake Baikal Aral Sea

Caspian Sea largest inland lake

covering 143,630 square miles

Bordered by Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan

Caspian Sea - Kazakhstan

Ural Mountains•run north-south separating Russia into a European section and an Asian section

•old range of rounded peaks

•contain rich mineral resources.

Caucasus Mountains Separate the

Caspian Sea from the Black Sea.

Ethnic and political conflict is common

Mt. Elbrus – tallest peak, 18,510 ft

Khinalug settlement in Azerbaijan has a history of 5,000 years and is among the most ancient places in the world.

View of a gorge in the Caucasus Mountains in Chechnya

The Turan Plain and Kara Kum Desert

The Kara Kum is one of central Asia’s largest deserts covering the country of Turkmenistan.

Turan Plain-lowland between Caspian Sea and mountains

The Northern European Plain: Black Earth Belt

Chernozem-black earth, abundant on this plain

Agricultural center

75% of people in the region live here

Northern European Plain

Ural Mountains

The West Siberian Plain The Urals separate The

West Siberian Plains from the Northern European Plain.

worlds largest flat region.

Covered with swamps and marshes, the area is too flat to drain well.

Black Sea Coast A mild climate and beautiful scenery make

the Black Sea coast a popular vacation spot.

Lake Baikal Deepest lake in the

world. The lake stretches

400 miles from north to south.

It holds nearly 20% of the world’s fresh water.

Aral Sea

Armenia In a seismic region earthquakes occur

often. Between Black

and Caspian Seas

Azerbaijan The capital,

Baku, lies in one of the world’s major producing areas.

The major source of wealth for the economy is oil.

Russia

largest country in the world

covers 1/3 of the continent of Europe and ½ of the continent of Asia.

Russia’s Famous Caviar Comes from sturgeon

caught in the Caspian Sea.

Caviar is salted sturgeon eggs!