unit 8 - geography
1. Georgia 2. Armenia 3. Azerbaijan 4. Ukraine 5. Siberia
Name at least 5 of the Russian Republics.
huge size; different cultures throughout, making it very diverse; different parts develop differently; although the central government was powerful, it was also strict; certain regions may have different ideas than the central government, so these regions may not want to follow what the bigger central government does; in some parts, the oil production has not benefited the people, leaving them in poverty; resources are difficult to transport bc it is so big + found in areas that are not overly populated; violence among different parts; hard to trade + have tax policies; some may not agree with others on what to set prices at
Describe some facts about the different Russian republics that could have caused them to split apart.
command economy - helped to keep the economy aspect of Russia more organized bc it is so big + eliminate conflict since everyone followed the same government + government was powerful; production of oil allowed them to trade with countries + use it for themselves in different types of industries; secret police allowed for a culture of fear, so it prohibited people from doing anything wrong bc of fear and it gave people and incentive to work with the giverment
Describe some facts about the different Russian republics that could have made them join together.
chernozem - rich, fertile soil, founded in this plain, dark (translated from black earth), founded in large quantities (topsoil can be 6-12 feet); even though Russia is cold, this part has the best agriculture; heavily populated bc of best agriculture (75% lives in this part - western 1/5 of Russia); this is the european part of russia bc it gives it its european connection, borders many european countries
What are some facts about the northern european plain?
northern european plains (far west of Russia); west siberian plain; central siberian plateau, far eastern russia
What are the northern landforms in Russia?
southern plains - mildly arid grasslands, dry, some deserts (nomadic lifestyle - more open grasslands for grazing); Siberia + northeast - tundra + more in arctic circle - rivers frozen over and use as roads + permafrost (this is helpful for transportation economically (move mining from siberia to more populated areas; northern (Siberia + Russia) - cities built with harsh winters + conditions; harsh climates make it harder for human life to occur; lots of diversity with climate - tundra; temperate zones; forestlands; arid in the south (steryotype of it always being cold is not true)
describe climate in russia and its republics.
has lots of coal, iron, + other metals (helps the economy + shapes them into manufacturing company; russia is still industrialized - not fully transitioned to tertiary society, but still successful (more secondary); issues with extracting natural resources + difficult to transport bc it is so big + found in areas that are not overly populated; building of dams causes thermal pollution; industrialisation/urbanization - still developing today, so causes pollution; powerful rivers (Volga) can produce hydroelectric energy; Russia has access to oil, but we have conflicts with them, and we need oil, so how can we work with them (if we help them with technology, they may work with us)
describe natural resources in russia and its republics.
The region's rivers flow through large drainage basins (mouths): Arctic Ocean, Caspian Sea, Pacific Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and the Aral Sea; rivers are long + provide trade + travel + lots of rivers provides irrigation; largest lakes (Caspian and Aral Seas): Caspian is long, making large inland seas, can make dams; Volga River - carries 60% of river traffic; lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world - holds 20% of the world's freshwater, mainly clean, lots of species of plants/animals; thousands of unique species, can create diversity; lots of unique natural habitats; Aral sea lost water, so Russia had to undergo massive governmental irrigation projects (very expensive)
describe water resources in russia and its republics.
this is a proper name for russia being so large, but trying to create economic and political unity over such a large area is nearly impossible; hard to trade + have political policies (taxes) + hard to figure out what to set prices at (economic) + regional government structures are not always willing to work with their central government
how is russia going to address distance decay in the future?
many conflicts - damage credibility of russia internationally 1. crimea - took a land of ukraine, and called it theirs 2. Syria (say they have good relationship with them) ~ they only do this to stand out ~ no freedom of press - more state (creates leadership issues) ~ concerns with alliances with countries like Iran, China, and North Korea)
how is russia going to address leadership in the future?
if government is not strong, then a state government rises up, and often becomes more powerful (like in latin america with the drug cartels), but this allows for exploitation (the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work) + no regulations of laws (no limitations); sub government is russia is the Mafia (Mob) - non-governmental organization that has power and does drug smuggling + slavery (black market) + many other illegal things + the Mafia has no incentive to not break the law
how is russia going to address organized crime in the future?
they rapidly tried to move from communism (state owned) to ownership by private citizens, but people didn't know how to do this, so inflation occurred - people didn't know what a reasonable price was the sell something, so would set prices way too high, and no one would be able to afford anything. also, bad businesses and inefficient businesses occurred, creating a lagging economy
how is russia going to address privatization in the future?
most mountainous/elevated part of russia; made mostly of mountains + little valley/plains; only coastal part; islands + peninsulas off of coast (industries like fishing/drilling for natural resources - oil + natural gas; trading and shipping too); most Asian part - more interaction + shares border; has the pacific ring of fire - mountains are volvanic (active)
what are some facts about far eastern russia?
Central Asia is made of 5 countries: 1. Uzbekistan 2. Turkmenistan 3. Kazakhstan 4. Kyrgyzstan 5. Tajikistan (below Tian Shan Mts. - below Russia) dry/arid climate bc Tian Shan Mts. block moist air from going down; makes up Central Asia; has 2 major deserts
what are some facts about the Turan Plain (Central Asia)?
raised land; most western part that is mountainous with raised land; uplands; region you think of, when you think of Siberia (prison works camps + mining); cold climate; Siberia plains + pretty good soil
what are some facts about the central siberian plateau?
Ural Mts. (on side); Yenisey River - largest river in this region/bc of the northern tilt, the rivers flow north into the Artic Ocean (don't usually see) + main source of water; flat land
what are some facts about the west siberian plain?
the caucus mts. cuts off russia from this region 1. Georgia 2. Armenia 3. Azerbaijan (all of these used to be part of the Soviet Union - between the Black and Caspian Sea) has dry/arid climate bc of mountain ranges blocking moist air from going down (some consider this region to be part of the middle east)
what are some facts about transcaucasia?
Caucasus Mts. - high + on southwestern part Tian Shan Mts. - longer + larger, still highly elevated (these mountain ranges cut countries from Russia that used to be part of the Soviet Union)
what are the 2 mountain ranges in the southern landforms?
1. Moscow 2. St. Petersburg 3. kiev (Ukraine)
what are the largest cities in the west of russia and its republics?
Transcaucasia + Turan Plain (Central Asia)
what are the southern landforms in russia?
rich, fertile soil, dark soil (translated to black earth), found in large quantities, topsoil can be 6-12 feet deep
what is chernozem?
1. nuclear tests were done so close to Semey, that citizens could see the mushroom clouds of the above ground explosions. also, underground explosions cracked walls in towns 50 miles away + they caused widespread health problems 2. winds spread nuclear fallout over 180,000 square miles area exposing millions to dangerous levels of radiation. this caused increases in leukemia, thyroid cancer, birth defects, and mental illness
what is negative about central asia and modern day russia's economy?
although this made the government powerful, it was extremely strict. russia is so big, and certain regions may have different ideas than the central government, so those regions may not want to follow what the central government does. this can create violence + chaos between the central government and the smaller regional governments
what is negative about the command economy and modern day russia's economy?
1. millions of citizens starved to death in famines caused, in part, by the creation of collective farms 2. many people tried to rebel about the issues with collective farms (that they caused deaths in famines), but under Stolin's rule, the police punished any form of protest, and some say that bc of this more than 14 million deaths occurred
what is negative about the soviet union and modern day russia's economy?
1. since the soviet union ended, Azerbaijan and the other 4 countries bordering the Caspian sea have argued about whether it is a sea or a lake. the result will decide how resources are divided among the 5 countries. this is negative bc no given country agrees with one another + it can create violence if a country does not get the result they want 2. the oil revenue has benefited few people, still leaving them in poverty
what is negative about transcaucasia and modern day russia's economy?
potential for oil to bring wealth. sees good promises with oil and gas in the Caspian Sea + engineers discovered oil fields in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan 2. traders used the silk road, a 4,000 mile route between China and the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to silk, traders carried other goods on their horses and camels, like gold, ivory, wine, spices, linen, grapes, and perfumes. This route became a route for spreading ideas, technology and religion
what is positive about central asia and modern day russia's economy?
government adopted a command economy, so they took control of the state's wealth with land, mines, factories, banks, and transportation systems. this helped to keep the country more organized + to help industrialization advance further. It also helped to eliminate conflict bc everyone followed the same government; decisions were made by one bodying group, so it was much more organized + created less chaos
what is positive about the command economy and modern day russia's economy?
1. government adopted a command economy, so they took control of the state's wealth with land, mines, factories, banks, and transportation systems. this helped to keep the country more organized + to help industrialization advance further. It also helped to eliminate conflict bc everyone followed the same government 2. secret police - created a culture of fear, which prohibited people from doing anything wrong bc of fear and it gave the common people and incentive to work with the government (this helped them get on their good side) 3. farming became an industry under Stolin (created enormous collective farms - had good agriculture)
what is positive about the soviet union and modern day russia's economy?
1. the humid, subtropical lowlands and foothills of the region are ideal for valuable crops such as tea and fruits that can be used for trading 2. industries continue to produce iron, steel, chemicals, + consumer goods, but oil is most important. It is an important good bc many countries lack oil, so they can make a huge profit off of it, especially with the U.S., and they can use it for themselves in industries
what is positive about transcaucasia and modern day russia's economy?
Ural Mts. - also thought to separate europe from asia (unofficial dividing line)
what is the landform that separates the northern european plain and the west siberian plain?
1. party (communist party) and state (the established structures of government) were combined, so if you were part of the government, you had to be in the communist party - had elections, but only had one decision (wanted to give off impression - monarchies and dictatorships didn't have elections 2. command economy - all/most of the decisions are made by government (opposite of market economy) - most severe, rarely mixed (mixed happened illegally) + strict (totalitarian - controls every other aspect of their life too) 3. secret police - extensive + sought to co-op average people as well (community); KGB was the official secret police of the Soviet Union (government agents) - the secret police created a culture of fear bc you didn't know if you can trust someone who was just average, so it prohibited people from doing anything wrong + there were so many people that you didn't know if they were bad or not; it also gave common people an incentive to work with the government rather than against them 4. cult of personality - formed around the government (Stolin - they worshipped him) - no religious/spiritual element to this, you follow the government + the leader will ban religion bc people devote more of their lives to this, than to their family (all bc of communist government)
what was the government like of the soviet union?
1. privatization 2. distance decay 3. organized crime 4. leadership
where is russia going, economically, in the future?
some say europe and asia are connected (eurasia) bc of cultural divide and inability to cross early on
why do some people say there are only 6 continents?