Chapter 9(Russia)

Addressing the Environmental Crisis:

Chernobyl nuclear reactor site and Lake Baikal represent two different examples of massive projects. Dramatic political and economic change since the end of the U.S.S.R. has relegated environmental planning and action.

suggest how climate change might impact high-latitude areas.

Climate Change in the Russian Domain: given northerly location, global warming may benefit region; in actuality, climate change will have positive and negative impacts. Potential Benefits: agricultural zones may increase, leading to increased productivity; less severe winters may facilitate increased energy exploration and development; warmer temperatures and less ice in the Arctic Ocean may translate into better commercial fishing, easier navigation, and overall improvements in commerce. Potential Hazards: rising sea level may inundate low-lying cities, including St. Petersburg; indigenous people, flora, and fauna may be negatively impacted by environmental changes; potential thawing of Siberian permafrost (and thus release of carbon) may accelerate global warming.

Identify the region's major migration patterns, in both the Soviet and post-Sovieteras.

-region has witnessed numerous migrations over past 150 years, both voluntary and forced. -Eastward Movement: movement fueled by search for natural resources; pace increased in late 19th century with completion of Trans-Siberian Railroad; some settlers attracted by agricultural opportunities and greater political freedoms; indigenous peoples displaced. -Political Motives: leaders during imperial and Soviet eras forcibly relocated people to new locations (1) to extend Russia's political and economic power and (2) as part of vast security-prison complex—the Gulag Archipelago; Russification—the Soviet policy of resettling Russians into non-Russian regions to increase Russian dominance. -New International Movements: in post-Soviet era, Russification has been reversed and ethnic Russians return from newly independent non- Russia countries; many immigrants also arriving from non-Slavic regions, including Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and China; "brain-drain" becoming an issue for Russia, as many young, well-educated, and upwardly mobile Russians are moving to other European countries and the United States

Identify key regional patterns of linguistic and religious diversity.

Geographies of Language: Slavic languages dominate the region; Belarus is more or less nation-state; eastern Ukraine composed mostly of Russian speakers, while in western Ukraine, most speak no Russia; in Russia, approximately 80 percent claim Russian linguistic identity; Russia also exhibits pockets of indigenous peoples and non-Russian speakers, including Finno-Ugric and Altaic; dozens of different languages in Transcaucasia. Geographies of Religion: most Russians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians are Eastern Orthodox Christians; following downfall of Soviet Union, a religious revival is underway; pockets of Catholicism and Protestantism found throughout Russia; most non-Christians located in Caucuses; a growing Islamic political consciousness is present throughout the region.

Explain major urban land-use patterns in a large city such as Moscow.

Inside the Russian City: larger cities include core area, often with extensive public spaces and monumental architecture; usually circular land-use zones, with older areas further out; many older buildings converted or demolished; farther out are mikrorayons—large, Soviet-era housing projects; rapid urban growth now occurring throughout metropolitan peripheries; causes of suburban growth include lower land prices and tax rates, less cumbersome bureaucracy, and relatively new transportation and telecommunications infrastructure.

Population Distribution:

region is home to over 200 million people; widely dispersed, but most live in cities; distribution of population influenced by distribution of natural resources and governmental policies. -with better agriculture and milder climate, western sub- region is more heavily populated; European Russia has population of 100 million, compared to only 35 million in Siberia. Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine, also in the west, have a combined population of 60 million.

Describe the major environmental issues affecting the region and suggest how climate change might impact high-latitude areas.

the region faces many environmental challenges; the region exhibits some of the world's worst environmental degradation; there are signs of a growing environmental awareness. Air and Water Pollution: poor air quality, resultant from industrialization, is pervasive throughout many cities; growth in private automobile ownership is compounding problems; urban water supplies are vulnerable to industrial pollution and raw sewage; oil spills have negatively affected many rivers, lakes, and seas. The Nuclear Threat: the Soviet Union's nuclear programs ignored issues of environmental safety; as a result, many environments have been poisoned by unregulated dumping of nuclear wastes; aging nuclear reactors also continue to contaminate rivers with plutonium leaks.

Explain the close connection among latitude, regional climates, and agricultural production in Russia.

the region's northern latitude location is an important factor in shaping its climate, vegetation, and agriculture. -European Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova; intricate river-and-canal system provides regional integration; most of region experiences cold winters and cool summers ; three distinctive sub-environments—poor soils, cold temperatures in north, longer growing seasons but acidic soils in central, and expansive grasslands and fertile soils to the south. The Ural Mountains and Siberia: Ural Mountains separate European Russia from Siberia; Ural Mountains are relatively low and contain valuable mineral resources; Siberia has very cold climate, little precipitation; three keys rivers (Ob, Yenisey, and Lena) that flow northward into the Arctic; Siberia's vegetation is dominated in the north by permafrost and tundra, to the south with taiga (a coniferous forest zone). The Russian Far East: southerly latitude and situated close to the Pacific Ocean, thus milder climates and longer growing seasons; fertile river valleys (e.g., the Amur and the Ussuri); ecologically diverse with conifers and hardwoods. The Caucasus and Transcaucasia: located in region's extreme south and situated between Black and Caspian Seas; diverse topography including flat terrain, low hills, and Caucasus Mountains; complex weather and climate patterns; agriculture is generally good.