World Geography: 5.1, 5.2, & 5.3

Approximately how many major ethnic groups comprise Russia & the Near Abroad? How many languages?

30 major ethnic groups; more than 100 languages spoken

What are the four religions that Russia recognizes today?

Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism

taiga

a northern coniferous trees forest; largest continuous area of forest on earth

stans

central Asia occupied by the five countries with large Muslim populations immediately east & north of the caspian sea; (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan); non-Russian, but Russian influenced

Russian cross

chart that represents increasing death rates & falling birth rates; this population loss is the highest in the world

What are the five main climate belts of Russia the Near Abroad?

1.) tundra 2.) subarctic 3.) humid continental 4.) steppe 5.) desert

How many time zones are there in Russia?

11

Russian Revolution

1917-set the stage for the formation of the Soviet Union; protest against sacrifice of Russian forces during WWI; overthrew Nicholas II, last of the Romanov tsars

Bolshevik Revolution

1917; led by Vladamir IIyich Lenin (1870-1924); Bolshevik faction of Communist Party seized control; establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922

humus

decomposed organic soil material; grasslands characteristically provide more of this than forests do

Why has Russia's economic health plummeted since the breakup of the Soviet Union?

economic downturn & rising unemployment; decline in health & other services; increasing crime rates; a growing sense of despair at the individual level

land empire

establishing colonies within the continent instead of overseas

Tartars (tatars)

group of people from central Asia; under leadership of Genghis Khan; conquered Asia & Eastern Europe in the 13th century

Cossacks

peasant soldiers in the steppes originally consisting of runaway serfs & others fleeing from tsardom

Mongols

people from Mongolia; combined with Tartars to conquer Asia & Eastern Europe

serfs

people who weren't slaves, but weren't free

permafrost

permanently frozen subsoil (ground)

Russification

the effort (particularly under the Soviets) to implant Russian culture in non-Russian regions of the former Soviet Union & its Eastern European neighbors

scorched earth strategy

the wartime practice of destroying one's own assets to prevent them from falling into enemies' hands (Napoleon)

Rus

viking adventurers from Scandinavia; conquered areas between Baltic & Black Seas; intermixed with Slavic people & provided a foundation for Russian, Ukranian, & Belarusian cultures

Third Rome

what Moscow came to be known as for its importance in Christian affairs

Golden Horde

what Russians called the Kazan Tatars because of their brightly colored tents