Russia – Chapter

13

Physical Geography

of Russia

Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

2

Russia Where is it?

Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

3

RUSSIA-US SIZE COMPARISON

Physical Features of Russia

4

Main Idea Russia is a huge country

with a location and landforms that

greatly affect how people live.

Geography and You If you have ever traveled across

the United States, you know that it takes a long time. It

would take twice as long to travel across Russia. Read to

learn about the landforms of Russia’s vast terrain.

Russian Seaports

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A Vast Northern Land

Because of its enormous size, Russia has

a long coastline. Russia does not benefit

from its closeness to the sea, though,

because of its northern location. Why?

>>>the Black Sea in the southwest,

though, Russian ships have a warm-water

route to the Mediterranean Sea.

European Russia

6

Most of European Russia lies on the

Northern European Plain. This fertile area

has Russia’s mildest climate, and about 75

percent of Russians live here. Moscow, the

capital, and St. Petersburg, a large port city

near the Baltic Sea, are located in this region.

Asian Russia

7

East of the Urals is Asian Russia, which

includes Siberia. Northern Siberia has one

of the coldest climates in the world. It is

a vast treeless plain that remains frozen

much of the year. The few people who live

here make their living fishing, hunting

seals and walruses, or herding reindeer.

8

Inland Waters

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Russia has many rivers. The Volga is

European Russia’s major river.

Russians have long relied on the Volga

for transportation.

Caspian Sea

10

Russia includes or borders many inland

bodies of water. Almost the size of

California, the Caspian Sea in

southwestern Russia is the largest inland

body of water in the world.

Natural Resources

11

Russia is rich in natural resources. As the graphs on the

previous page show, Russia is a leader in reserves of the

fossil fuels— oil, natural gas, and coal.

Russia’s other great resource is timber.

Trees cover much of Siberia, and Russia produces about a

fifth of the world’s softwood. This wood from evergreen trees

is used in buildings and for making furniture. Russia’s large

size and cold climate inhibit, or limit, humans’ ability to use its

many resources. Siberia is vast and remote, and its resources

are difficult to use because of the area’s lack of infrastructure.

Infrastructure is the system of roads and railroads for

transporting materials.

Russia: Climate and the Environment

12

Some info

13

Most of Russia lies in the high latitudes. As a result, Russia

receives very little of the sun’s heat even during summer.

In addition, much of Russia lies inland, far from the moist,

warm currents of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that help

moderate temperature in other parts of the world. In

Russia’s far north, elevations are generally too low to

prevent the southerly flow of icy Arctic air. In the country’s

south and east, tall mountains stop the warm air coming

from the lower latitudes. Consequently, Russia has a

generally cool to cold climate. Large areas of the country

experience only winter- and summerlike conditions. Spring

and autumn are simply brief periods of changing weather.

Why is Russia Cold?

14

General Winter

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Most of western Russia has a humid continental climate.

Summers are warm and rainy, and winters are cold and

snowy. Moscow’s average July temperature is just 66°F

(19°C), while its average January temperature can

plunge as low as 16°F (–9°C). The cold winters have

played an important role in Russia’s history. During

World War II, bitter cold halted the German army’s

advance into Russia. Better prepared Russian troops

soon forced the Germans to retreat.

Russia: Different Areas Different Weather

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Cold temperatures and lack of precipitation result

in permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the

surface. Only mosses, lichens, and small shrubs can survive

in the tundra.

South of the tundra lies the subarctic zone, Russia’s largest

climate area. Warmer temperatures support a greater variety

of vegetation than the tundra does. The taiga, the world’s

largest coniferous forest, stretches about 4,000 miles (6,436

km) across the subarctic zone. This forest is roughly the size

of the United States.

Today, smog—a thick haze of fog and chemicals—blankets

many of Russia’s

cities. Factories pour pollutants, which are chemicals and

smoke particles that cause pollution, into the air.

Water Pollution

17

Water pollution is also a problem.

Chemicals used in agriculture and

industry often end up in rivers and lakes.

Pollution entering Lake Baikal may be

causing a decline in the populations of

some animal species in the area. Another

source of water pollution is poor sewer

systems. Because of these problems,

more than half of Russia’s people do not

have safe drinking water.

Cleaning Up

18

Steps have been taken to

solve Russia’s pollution

problems. Other countries are

providing Russia with aid to

improve sewage systems and

clean up heavily polluted sites.

Summary A Vast Northern Land

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● Straddling Europe and Asia,

Russia is the world’s largest country.

● Most of Russia’s long coast lies

along waters that are frozen for

many months of the year

Summary Natural Resources

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● Russia is rich in natural resources,

including fossil fuels, metals, and

timber.

● Russia’s large size and generally

cold climate make it difficult for

Russians to use their resources.

Summary Russia’s Landforms

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● Northern and western parts of Russia are mostly

plains. Eastern and southern areas of the country

are covered with mountains and plateaus.

● Inland waterways are important for moving goods

through Russia. Many long rivers flow north,

however, into the cold Arctic Ocean and freeze in

winter.

● Russia has many inland bodies of water, including

the Caspian Sea and Lake Baikal.

Summary Climate

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● Most of western Russia has a humid

continental climate of warm, rainy summers

and cold, snowy winters.

● Northern and eastern parts of Russia have

cold high latitude climates. The far north of

Russia is so cold that moisture in the soil

cannot evaporate.

● The country’s cold winters helped the

Russians defeat German forces during World

War II.

Summary Environment

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● Communist leaders paid little attention to

the damage that economic growth was

causing to Russia’s environment.

● Other countries are providing Russia with

aid to clean up heavily polluted areas.