Geography 1600 Chapter 9 LO

9.7 Summarize the historical roots of the region's modern geopolitical system.

- Soviet Days=new cultural influence * Socialist realism - After the fall of the Soviet Union=turn to the West - Younger people have embraced popular music

9.6 Identify the 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.

9.9 Identify key ways in which natural resources. including energy, have shaped economic development in the region.

- A difficult economic future to predict - Russia is a major player in the global economy * Status is due to large supplies of oil and natural gas *Unpredictable world prices mean an uncertain future - Economic development has been uneven - Centralized economic planning - The Post Soviet economy - Privatization and state control - The challenge of corruption - Changing flows of foreign investment * Declining currency value * Economic sanctions

9.10 Describe key sectors of the region's economy in the Soviet and post-Soviet eras and discuss how recent geopolitical events affect prospects for future economic growth.

- Impatience with the Present, Nostalgia for the past - Problems of Health Care and Alcoholism *Health care expenditure are very low *Very high rates of alcoholism - Women * Violence against women is high * Human trafficking is a widespread problem * Tend to be better educated than men * "Double Day"

9.8 Provide examples of recent geopolitical conflicts in the region and indicate how these reflect persistent cultural differences.

- Legacy of the former Soviet Union -Post-2000 political resurgence * Regional geopolitical dominance * Recent events in Ukraine Isolation -Kaliningrad *Exclave - Ethnic nationalism following WWII - Cold War * Iron Curitan - Glasnost (Openness) -Perestroika (Economic and Political Reforms) - 15 independent states by 1991 *CIS

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

-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

9.4 Explain major urban land-use patterns in 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.

9.2 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.

9.1 Explain the close connection amount 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.