Russia & the Eurasian Republics:

1. Russia & the Eurasian Republics: Physical Geography

2. North European Plain • Center of economic life for almost 3/4 of the people of Russia & the EAR • Chernozem = rich black topsoil • Makes Ukraine one of Europe’s best farming areas • Cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the Kiev • Rivers: Volga, Dniester, Dnieper, and the Don

3. Chernozem

4. West Siberian Plain • East of the Ural Mts. • World’s largest area of flat land (1 million square miles) • Swamps, marshes, and frozen land • Unsuitable for farming

5. Turan Lowland • Dune covered kums (deserts) • Kyzylkum = red sand desert • Uzbekistan • Kara kum = black sand desert • Turkmenistan

6. Mountains • Carpathian Mts. • Border Ukraine • Extension of the Alps • Caucasus Mts. • Extension of the Alps • Mt. Elbrus (18,510 ft) • Pamir Mts. • Communism Peak is Region’s highest elevation (24,590 feet) • Tian Shan • “heavenly mountains” • World’s largest glaciers • Ural Mts. • Rich in minerals • Divide European Russia & Siberia • eroded Mt. Elbrus Communism Peak

7. Tian Shan

9. Seas • Ice-covered seas in the north: • White, Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi • Sea of Okhotsk & Bering Sea • Border northeast Russia • Black Sea • warm • Caspian Sea • largest inland body of water in the world • saltwater • Aral Sea • shrinking

10. The Shrinking Aral Sea

11. Lake Baikal • Siberia • Oldest and deepest • 1/5 of earth’s total freshwater supply • “glorious and sacred sea”

12. Major Rivers • Ural • Dnieper, Dniester, Don • Volga • “mother Volga” • Longest river in European Russia • Frozen 4 - 6 months a year • Hydroelectric power, water for industries and irrigation, and major highway for trade and communications.