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CHAPTER 17. Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Section 1: Natural Environments Section 2: History and Culture Section 3: The Region Today. Section 1 Natural Environments. *. *. Landforms. *. *. *. *. Ural Mountains—divide Eurasia Caucasus Mountains—between Black and Caspian Seas
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CHAPTER 17 Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus Section 1: Natural Environments Section 2: History and Culture Section 3: The Region Today
Section 1 Natural Environments * * Landforms * * * * • Ural Mountains—divide Eurasia • Caucasus Mountains—between Black and Caspian Seas • Northern European Plain—covers most of European area • Crimean Peninsula—southeastern Ukraine • West Siberian Plain • Siberian mountains—include volcanoes of Kamchatka Peninsula *
BERING STRAIT • Separates the United States from Russia • Only 53 miles wide
Russia’s Southern Boundary Black sea, Caucasus Mountains, Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia
SIBERIA • Means “STEPPING LAND” • All land located east of the Ural Mountains • Known for its brutally cold winters and WWII prison camp, but also known for timber, oil, and coal mining
SIBERIA • West Siberian Plain – is flat frozen tundra and woodlands • Central Siberian Plateau – located in mid-Asia (high flat peaks)
Section 1 Natural Environments Rivers • Dnieper, Don, and Volga—key south-flowing rivers • Ob, Yenisey, and Lena—flow into Arctic Ocean
VOLGA RIVER • Largest River in Russia • Eleven out of Russia’s 20 largest cities are located on the Volga (Including Moscow)
LAKE BAIKAL • Largest fresh water lake in the world in volume. Second only to the Caspian Sea in size. • 5370 feet deep. • Contains 20% of all the worlds fresh water • 1,085 species of plants and 1,550 species and varieties of animals – many are found only here. • Scientist believe there are still many species left to find, but water is too dark and deep to explore
Section 1 Natural Environments Climate and vegetation Russia’s climate and vegetation are influenced by latitude, winds and ocean currents, and the size of the land mass.
Section 1 Natural Environments Climate and vegetation (continued) • Location in northern latitudes produces cold, harsh weather. • Siberian interior is too large to receive mild ocean winds, making it very dry and cold. • Moist winds from the Atlantic Ocean produce milder climate in European portion. • Coastal areas of Russian Far East receive rain-bearing winds from Pacific Ocean. • Climate affects vegetation, north to south—tundra, taiga, mixed forest, steppe grasslands.
Section 1 Natural Environments Natural resources: rich in forest, energy, and mineral resources • lumber and paper pulp from the taiga forests • gold and diamonds in eastern Siberia • key oil and gas reserves in Caspian Sea area, Volga basin, Ob basin • geothermal power in Far East • mines in Russia and Ukraine—coal, copper, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, platinum