RUSSIA and eurasian republics: Physical geography

1. RUSSIA andeurasianrepublics:Physicalgeography The Land, Climate and Vegetation

2. The Land Classwork: Geography Book--- Page 295: 1-4 Answers: • chernozern—rich, black topsoil; kums—deserts • North European Plain, West Siberian Plain, Turan Lowland • Long and navigable • Minerals and energy, soils, forests, wildlife and fish

3. The Land Standards: H.S. 14 – Create and use maps, technology, imagery, and other geographical representations to extrapolate and interpret geographic data. H.S. 63 – Engage in informed and respectful deliberation and discussion of issues, events and ideas. Objectives—At the end of this section students will be able to: • Define terms related to the physical geography of Russia. • Use maps of Russia to identify, locate and compare regions, locations, places, movements, and physical features • Compare and contrast the physical features of Russia and the Eurasian republics with the U.S. • Research and discuss current issues/events related to physical features of Russia

4. The Land: Introduction The Ural Mountains—Describe where they are located in relation to Europe and Siberia Siberia iberiUrals Europe

5. Plains Areas • The North European Plain • Center of economic life • Rich, black topsoil called chernuzem • Ukraine, once a former Soviet Republic and now an independent country, is one of Europe’s best farming areas • Label the following places on your map: North European Plain, Ukraine, Kiev, Moscow, Volga River, St. Petersburg, Dniester River, Dnieper River, and the Don River (Use the map on page 293)

6. Plains Areas • The West Siberian Plain • East of the Ural Mountains • World’s largest area of flat land • Mostly swamps, marshes, evergreen forests and tundra • Label the following places on your map: West Siberian Plain, Ural Mountains • Turn to the neighbor on your right and complete “Focus on Geographic Themes” questions under the map on page 293

7. Plains Areas • Answers to map questions: 1. Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan 2. Kiev 3. The Black Sea 4. Kara-Kum • The Turan Lowland • Some areas irrigated for agriculture • Consists mostly of the Kara-Kum, or black sand desert (Turkmenistan) and the Kyzylkum, or red sand desert (Uzbekistan) • Locate the following places on your map: Kara-Kum, Kyzylkum, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Turan Lowland, Caspian Sea, TianShan Mountains

8. Mountains and Plateaus • Mountains • The Carpathian Mountains are extensions of the Alps • The Caucasus Mountains are covered with pine and deciduous forests and form the Russian frontier with Azerbaijan and Georgia • Communism Peak in the Pamir Range is the regions highest peak at 24,590 feet

9. Mountains • The Tian Shan Mountains, or heavenly mountains, have some of the world’s largest glaciers • The Ural mountains are mineral rich; they divide European Russia from Asian Russia

10. Mountains • East Siberian uplands—largest area of Siberia made up of forests, mountains and plateaus it runs to the Pacific • The Central Siberian Plateau rises in elevation as you go north, creating fast moving rivers that cut large canyons • Label your map: Carpathians, Caucasus, Communism Peak, East Siberian uplands, Central Siberian Plateau, Kyrgyz steppe

11. Other Land Forms • Kyrgyz Steppe • The largest steppe, or savannah, in the world • Flat, dry grasslands that connect the end of the Urals and the Kara Kum • Sparsely populated • Similar to Great Plains in the US

12. The Land The Ural Mountains: Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know Fill in the blanks as you watch the film.

13. Seas and Lakes On Your Map (Use page 293): • Locate and label these seas, which are in the north of Russia and are ice locked in winter: White, Barents, Kara, Laptev, Ease Siberian, Chukchi • In the northeast, the sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea

14. Seas and Lakes • The Black Sea is a warm-water sea that connects Russia to the Mediterranean • Many wars have been fought to control the straits and keep Russia land-locked • Locate and label the Black Sea on your map

15. Seas and Lakes Black Sea: List things that indicate this is not America Answer the Geographic theme question on page 294

16. Seas and Lakes • The Caspian Sea • Largest inland body of water in the world • Shrinking due to reduced flow of rivers • The Aral Sea • Shrinking due to so much water being used for irrigation Answer the three questions in your notes. Answer: both are shrinking; Aral is fresh water Locate the Caspian and Aral Seas on your map

17. Seas and Lakes • Lake Baikal • Oldest and deepest lake in the world • Holds 1/5 of the world’s fresh water • Locate and label Lake Baikal on your map

18. Rivers • Long • Navigable • Connected to seas and each other by canals • Important for trade • Volga is called the “Mother Volga” • Longest in European Russia • Frozen 4-6 months of year • Provides hydroelectric power and water for cities, industry and irrigation

19. Rivers • Locate and label these rivers: Volga, Amur, Ural, Lena, Ob, Yenisey, Dnieper, Don • Indicate with a N, S, W, or E the direction of flow Tver, Russia, in winter Catherine’s Palace

20. Natural Resources of the Eurasian Area • Leads the world in production of manganese, chromium, coal, copper, silver, and natural gas • Second in the world in gold, lead, salt, tin, tungsten, and zinc • Produces 20% of the world’s coal and lignite Siberian diamond

21. Natural Resources of the Eurasian Area • Abounds in iron ore, nickel, asbestos, bauxite, antimony, and precious stones • Third in the world in oil production • Leader in hydro- • electric power

22. Natural Resources of the Eurasian Area • Ukraine is the breadbasket of Eurasia with rich, black chernozem soil • Produces rye, wheat, barley and sugar beets • About 1/3 of Eurasia is forest, mostly pine Siberian taiga forest

23. Natural Resources of the Eurasian Area • Wildlife includes the Siberian tiger, bear, reindeer, elk, deer, wolf and boar • Fish are an important regional resource including salmon from the Pacific coast

24. Russian Life Russian Fun And You Thought American Drivers Were Bad

25. Section 1: The Land Assignment Complete the table and article assignment located on the Library Web Site, Teacher Pages. • Select the assignment, open it and save it to your H drive. • Use the World Book and your notes to complete the table. • Click on the link to the article on the online document to open it. • Type the answers in on the Word document you saved.

26. Bibliography • Images courtesy of Wikipedia Commons