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Soviet Union Physical Geography

Soviet Union Physical Geography. Temps, Precip., Vegetation, Land Use Natural regions Effects on human settlement. Temperatures. High summer-winter contrast. Russia. Russia. Why Russia is cold. Northern location (Moscow N of Edmonton) Moderating oceans far away (“continentality”)

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Soviet Union Physical Geography

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  1. Soviet Union Physical Geography • Temps, Precip., Vegetation, Land Use • Natural regions • Effects on human settlement

  2. Temperatures High summer-winter contrast

  3. Russia

  4. Russia

  5. Why Russia is cold • Northern location (Moscow N of Edmonton) • Moderating oceans far away (“continentality”) • Low relief open to Arctic cold winds • Ranges block warm air

  6. Why Russia is cold

  7. Precipitation • Mainly from Atlantic, favors west • Rains in mid-Summer • Lack of snow cover • Interior drought-vulnerable

  8. Russia

  9. In east-west bands, affecting settlement Russia Oil

  10. Russia

  11. Russia

  12. Less productive to east Russia

  13. Russia

  14. Land Use

  15. Russia

  16. 85% of Soviet population lived on 25% of land POPULATION Agricultural lands more densely populated ( >10 persons km2 ) LAND

  17. “Triangle” of settlement in agricultural zones

  18. Ethnic Russian expansion

  19. Trans-Siberian railroadsin eastern Russia Omsk

  20. Russia

  21. Mixed forest zone • West of Urals • Grey-brown soils ideal for agriculture • Slavic, Baltic states (including Russian heartland)

  22. Russia

  23. Steppe/Forest-steppe • Grasslands or mixed (former nomad regions) • Rich black earth good for farming • Drought-vulnerable • Ukraine/S. Russia bands, SW Siberia, N. Kazakstan

  24. Semi-arid/Desert • S. Kazakstan, rest of Central Asia • Alkaline poor soils • Fertile river valleys, oases, mountain flanks • Slavs extracted resources

  25. Russia

  26. Mediterranean type • Semi-arid but arable • Parts of Caucasus, Crimea • Drought-vulnerable • Can grow some subtropical crops (Georgian wines, etc.)

  27. Taiga/Boreal forest • North Russia/Siberia • Acidic podzol soils poor for farming • Conifers • Half of Former USSR (all in Russia)

  28. Tundra (treeless) zone • Permafrost (frozen subsoil) • Indigenous herders • Slavs extract resources

  29. Russia

  30. Russia

  31. Minerals • Exhausted in earlier-conquered western regions • Plentiful in Interior, Siberia, Central Asia • Opposite of agriculture

  32. Coal, Metals

  33. Oil

  34. South Rivers Lakes Ranges • Caspian Sea • Aral Sea • Lake Balqash • Ural • Amu • Syr • Caucasus • Tien Shan • Pamirs

  35. West Ranges • Carpathians • Dinaric Alps (Ex-Yugoslavia) • Transylvanian Alps Rivers • Volga • Don • Dniester • Dnieper • Danube • Elbe • Vistula Seas • Baltic • Black • Adriatic (Ex-Yugoslavia)

  36. Rivers East/North • Ob’-Irtysh • Yenisei-Angara • Lena-Aldan • Amur-Ussuri • Kolyma • Lake Baikal Ranges • Kolyma • Aldan • Syan • Altai • Yablonovy • White Japan • Barents Bering • Kara Okhotsk • E. Siberian Laptev Seas

  37. Tour of “Wild Russia” Bioregions National Parks and Zapovednik (Reserves) From Russian Conservation News www.russianconservation.org

  38. Arctic

  39. Kola/Karelia Eastern European Forest

  40. Eastern European Steppe/ Forest-steppe

  41. Ural Mountains

  42. Caucasus Mountains

  43. Western Siberian Forest

  44. Western Siberian Steppe/ Forest-steppe

  45. Central Siberia

  46. Altai- Sayansky

  47. Lake Baikal

  48. Zabaikal (Transbaikal)

  49. Yano- Kolymsky

  50. Amur River- Sakhalin Island

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