Physical Geography of Russia &

the CIS

Commonwealth of Independent States

Russia and the CISPhysical Geography

Russia is about twice the size of the continental U.S.

Russian Plains

NORTH EUROPEAN PLAINS

Agricultural Zone- most of Russia’s farming is here

Chernozem = black earth called the “Black Earth Belt”

75% of population lives in plains & 3 largest cities- Moscow, St. Petersburg & Kiev

Ukraine= “The Bread Basket” of the region

NORTH EUROPEAN PLAINS

WEST SIBERIAN PLAINS World’s largest flat area-Covers an area of

about 1.2 million square miles Formed by glacial deposits after the last Ice

Age.

TURAN PLAINSDesert Region Kara Kum (black

sand) Kyzyl Kum (red

sand desert)

CENTRAL SIBERIAN PLATEAU high plateaus

highlands & mountains are the dominate landform.

Mountains of

Russia

URAL MOUNTAINS Divides Europe and Asia

CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS Between the Black

& Caspian Seas and forms border between Russia and Transcaucasia (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia)

Mount Elbrus (extinct volcano that

is Russia’s highest point)

Mt. Elbrus18,510

ft

Russian Seas and

Lakes

BLACK SEA Only warm water sea found in

Russia Outlet to the Mediterranean-

IMPORTANT in Russian’s History!

CASPIAN SEA World’s largest

inland sea (actually a lake) Rivers run into the lake

but no outlet to the Ocean

It is a saltwater lake

Lake is shrinking from evaporation

How does this effect the salt content?

This picture is taken in March- notice there is still ICE covering part of the Caspian Sea, lake divide equally, sea depends on length of coastline.

ARAL SEA Rivers that drain into Aral Sea are

being used for irrigation for cotton fields which causes Aral to shrink

Aral Sea Video

LAKE BAIKAL World’s oldest & deepest

freshwater lake Holds 1/5 of earth’s fresh water (as

much as all the Great Lakes combined)Lake Baikal is:40 miles wide 400 miles long 1 mile deep

Houston to Dallas = 226 miles

Over

1200

species

of plants

& animals

unique

to the

lake

Russian Rivers

RIVERS IN RUSSIA

Long & navigable Frozen most of the year= Makes

trade difficultRivers used for irrigation,

transportation routes or hydroelectric power for densely populated urban areas

VOLGA RIVER

Called “Mother Volga”- provides the needs for the people

longest river in Europe / 4th longest in Russia

provides essential trade, communication, energy & water

Carries about 60% of Russia’s river traffic

Natural Resources of Russia

NATURAL RESOURCES

gold – world’s 2nd largest producer

oil – soon to rival Saudi Arabia in production

natural gas – world’s leading exporter

hydroelectric power 1/5th of the world’s timber

supply Coal and Iron

SIBERIA

Many natural resources are found here

Difficult to remove resources because of its harsh climate & rugged terrain (landscape)

Most of Russia’s longest rivers—which supply 84% of the country’s water—are located in Siberia (only 25% of the population lives)

Temperature fluctuates from about 50F to

-90F

SIBERIA

Trans Siberian Rail Road

Russian Climate

RUSSIA’S CLIMATE ZONES

Climates are effected by high latitude and the mountains to the southeast

Continentality: Distance from the sea which effects climate and precipitation

RUSSIA’S CLIMATE ZONES

Humid Continental & Subarctic climates dominate the northern & eastern region

Semiarid & Desert climate around Transcaucasia region

Russian Vegetation

Regions

VEGETATION REGIONS

steppe – wide, temperate grasslands in central Russia

taiga – vast woodland of evergreen forests

tundra – flat, treeless plains near Arctic Ocean