Splash Screen

1. Splash Screen

2. Chapter Introduction Section 1:Physical Features Section 2:Climate and the Environment Visual Summary Chapter Menu

3. Human-Environment Interaction Russia’s vast, cold landscapes include mountain ranges, plains, and evergreen forests. The country is also rich in natural resources, especially those used to create energy. To take advantage of these resources, however, Russia’s people must overcome problems created by the country’s landforms and climate. How do Russia’s location and landforms affect its population and its use of resources? Chapter Intro 1

4. Section 1: Physical Features Changes occur in the use and importance of natural resources. Russians have used their soil, water, and timber for their own needs. As global demand for energy rises, Russia’s rich supply of energy resources will be increasingly important. Chapter Intro 2

5. Section 2: Climate and the Environment People’s actions change the physical environment.Because much of Russia has a harsh climate, most Russians live where the climate is milder. The Russian people have adapted to their surroundings, but some of their actions have damaged the environment. Planning is necessary to take advantage of the country’s great resources while preserving the environment. Chapter Intro 2

6. Chapter Intro-End

7. Changes occur in the use and importance of natural resources. Section 1-Main Idea

8. Content Vocabulary • fossil fuel • softwood • infrastructure Academic Vocabulary • benefit • inhibit Section 1-Key Terms

9. The bubbling goo in this volcanic pool is like a pot of boiling soup. Here in far eastern Russia, a huge volcano exploded tens of thousands of years ago. The area now contains cold, rushing rivers, hot springs, and pools filled with steaming, toxic mud. As volcanic gases push their way up through the thick ooze, they create bubbles. The bubbles are evidence that forces under Earth’s crust are always in motion. Read this section to learn more about the different types of physical features found in Russia. Section 1-Picture This

10. A B Do you think a cold climate can affect a country’s economy? A. Yes B. No Section 1-Polling Question

11. The Western Caucasus, designated one of the United Nation’s World Heritage Sites, is a vast wilderness in European Russia, near the Black Sea. It is a protected place for many unique plants, animals, and geological features. Here is Russia’s deepest and longest cave. This territory is larger in size than the state of Rhode Island but is one of the few large mountain areas left in Europe that has not experienced damaging human interference. There is virtually no measurable human population now nor has there been in recent history. Section 1

12. Landforms in Russia Russia is a huge country with a location and landforms that greatly affect how people live. Section 1

13. Landforms in Russia (cont.) • Russia is the world’s largest country, measuring 6,200 miles (9,980 km) and straddling both Europe and Asia. • Because of its northern location, Russia does not benefit from its closeness to the sea. • Most of the country’s long coast lies along waters that are frozen for much of the year. Section 1

14. Landforms in Russia (cont.) • The Black Sea, in the southwestern part of the country, is one of Russia’s water routes that is not frequently frozen. • It provides a route to the Mediterranean Sea. • Russia’s varied landforms include rugged mountains, plateaus, and vast lowland plains. • About 75 percent of Russians live in the mild climate of the Northern European Plain. Section 1

15. Landforms in Russia (cont.) • Moscow, the capital, and St. Petersburg, a large port city near the Baltic Sea, are in this region. • The Ural Mountains divide Europe from Asian Russia. • Asian Russia is east of the Ural Mountains and includes Northern Siberia, a vast, treeless plain with one of the coldest climates in the world. Section 1

16. Landforms in Russia (cont.) • The few people who live here make their living fishing, hunting seals and walruses, or herding reindeer. • Further south in Siberia is a region of dense forests where people make their living by lumbering or hunting. • Plains, plateaus, and mountain ranges cover this area. Section 1

17. Landforms in Russia (cont.) • Mountains rise in the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. • These mountains are part of the Ring of Fire, a region along the rim of the Pacific Ocean where tectonic plates meet and cause the Earth’s crust to be unstable. • As a result, Kamchatka has many volcanoes. • The Volga is European Russia’s major river. The Lena, Yenisey, and Ob΄ are among the longest rivers in the world. Section 1

18. Landforms in Russia (cont.) • Russia’s Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water in the world. • It is a saltwater lake and an important resource for fishing. • Major oil and gas deposits are found near or under the Caspian Sea. • Lake Baikal lies in southern Siberia and is the world’s deepest freshwater lake. Section 1

19. Landforms in Russia (cont.) • It holds one-fifth of the world’s supply of unfrozen freshwater. • Baikal is home to many kinds of aquatic life, including Baikal seals, or nerpa, the only seals that live in freshwater. Section 1

20. A B C D What is Russia’s deepest body of water? A.Caspian Sea B.Volga River C.Lake Baikal D.Lena River Section 1

21. Natural Resources Although Russia has plentiful resources, many of them are in remote Siberia and are difficult to obtain. Section 1

22. Natural Resources (cont.) • Russia is a leader in reserves of the fossil fuels—oil, natural gas, and coal. • The country also has large deposits of iron ore, copper, and gold. • Another major resource for Russia is timber. • Trees cover much of Siberia, and Russia produces about a fifth of the world’s softwood. Reserves of Energy Resources Section 1

23. Natural Resources (cont.) • This wood from evergreen trees is used in buildings and for making furniture. • Russia’s large size and cold climate inhibit 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. Section 1

24. A B C D Russian fossil fuels include all of the following EXCEPT A.Coal B.Oil C.Wood D.Natural gas Section 1

25. Section 1-End

26. People’s actions change the physical environment. Section 2-Main Idea

27. Content Vocabulary • permafrost • taiga • smog • pollutant Academic Vocabulary • period • decline Section 2-Key Terms

28. For many Russians, ice fishing is a favorite pastime. In this photo, an ice fisher is shielded from the cold winds blowing along the Tom River in Siberia. The fisher must often reach into the icy water and remove slush from the hole to keep it from freezing over. Read this section to learn how Russia’s many climate zones have influenced its people. Section 2-Picture This

29. A B Do you think you would like to have just two seasons—winter and summer? A. Yes B. No Section 2-Polling Question

30. Vladivostok, in the far eastern portion of Russia, is overwhelmed by pollution from untreated sewage, contaminated run-off from dumps, and oil spills from industries. Lack of funding and government support has stopped programs to clean the nearby bay. Half a century ago, people enjoyed the Vladivostok beaches, but now they even refuse to eat the fish caught in home waters. Section 2

31. A Cold Climate Russia has a generally cool to cold climate because of its northern location. Section 2

32. A Cold Climate (cont.) • Russia, located in the high latitudes, receives little of the sun’s heat even during summer. • Much of Russia also lies inland, far from the moist, warm currents of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that help moderate temperature in other parts of the world. Russia: Climate Zones Section 2

33. A Cold Climate (cont.) • In Russia’s far north, elevations are generally too low to prevent the southerly flow of icy Arctic air, and in the country’s south and east, tall mountains stop the warm air coming from the lower latitudes. • Russia has a generally cool to cold climate, and large areas of the country experience only winter- and summer-like conditions. Section 2

34. A Cold Climate (cont.) • Spring and autumn are simply brief periods of changing weather. • The northern and eastern areas of Russia have short, cool summers and long, snowy winters. • The northern tundra climate zone is so cold that moisture in the soil cannot evaporate. Section 2

35. A Cold Climate (cont.) • Cold temperatures and lack of precipitation result in permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface. • South of the tundra lies the subarctic zone, Russia’s largest climate area. • The taiga, the world’s largest coniferous forest, stretches about 4,000 miles (6,436 km) across this zone. Section 2

36. A B C D The majority of Russians experience how many seasons? A.1 B.2 C.3 D.4 Section 2

37. Russia’s Environment As Russia’s economy expanded, the country’s environment was poorly cared for. Section 2

38. Russia’s Environment(cont.) • For most of the 1900s, Russia’s leaders stressed economic growth and ignored the damage this growth caused to the environment. • Today, smog—a thick haze of fog and chemicals—blankets many of Russia’s cities. • Factories pour pollutants, chemicals and smoke particles that cause pollution, into the air. Section 2

39. Russia’s Environment (cont.) • Russia’s water pollution is caused by poor sewer systems and by agricultural and industrial chemicals ending up in the rivers and lakes. • Pollution entering Lake Baikal may be causing a decline in the populations of some animal species in the area. Section 2

40. A B C D Which of the following has caused a decline in animal population in the area surrounding Lake Baikal? A.Smog B.Water pollution C.Pollutants D.All of the above Section 2

41. Section 2-End

42. A Vast Northern Land • 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. VS 1

43. Russia’s Landforms • 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. VS 2

44. Natural Resources • 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. VS 3

45. Climate • 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 Russiais so cold that moisture in the soil cannot evaporate. • The country’s cold winters helped the Russians defeat German forces during World War II. VS 3

46. Environment • 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. VS 4

47. VS-End

48. Figure 1

49. Figure 2

50. PP Trans