what is the largest country in the world?...

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What is the largest country in the world?

Russia

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Russia and the Republics Dimensions

Spans 11 Time Zones

From East to West: Gulf of Finland to Alaska

From North to South: Above the Arctic Circle to Salt Lake

2x the size of the United States

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RUSSIA

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MAIN PHYSICAL REGIONS

North European Plain– Eastward continuation from Western Europe

– Core of Russia’s population is located here

Ural Mountains– 2,000 miles long (north-south)

– Source of minerals

Central Siberian Plateau– Area widely experiences permafrost

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CLIMATE AS A RESTRICTIVE CHARACTERISTIC

Agriculture

– Short growing seasons

– Erosion accelerated via snow melt

Continentality- the effects of the sea on precipitation and temperature lessen further inland.

Humid continental and subarctic climate

– -95F in Oymyakon

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RussianCore

URALS

• Population and Industrial Center• Volga River is key waterway• Ural mountains are eastern barrier• Major Cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg

and Kiev, Ukraine

RUSSIANCORE

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NORTHERN EUROPEAN PLAIN

Stretches over 1,000 miles from the Republics to the Ural Mountains

Chernozem- world’s most fertile soil and abundant on this plain

Western Russia’s agricultural center

About 75% of the region’s 290 million people live on this plain

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THE URAL MOUNTAINS

North-South length covers 2000 miles

Central Urals are the lowest section and include several key crossing places

Ural forests and minerals have been the source for Russia’s industrialization

Urals are the source of at least 20 different commercially usable minerals

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VOLGA RIVER

Longest river on the European continent

Flows southward 2,300 miles to the Caspian Sea

– From Moscow to the Caspian Sea

Volga carries about 60% of Russia’s river traffic

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THE CASPIAN SEA

Actually a saltwater lake

Largest inland sea in the world

Located in Central Asia

Stretches nearly 750 miles from north to south

Petroleum deposits located here are among the world’s largest.

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ARAL SEA

Also a saltwater lake

Since the 1960’s, the Aral sea has lost 80% of its water volume– Extensive irrigation projects have diverted

rivers meant to drain into the lake

– Aral Sea could vanish within 20-30 years

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Aral Sea from space, August 1964

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Aral Sea from space, August 1985

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The Aral Sea, in 2003, had shrunk to well under half of the area it had

covered fifty years before.

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Abandoned ship near Aral, Kazakhstan

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A former harbor in the city of Aral, Kazakhstan

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SIBERIA

•Lowlands•Harsh climate•Sparsely settled

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SIBERIA Larger than the continental U.S., but…less that 15

million people live here Challenging Environment

– Distance– Average temperatures: Summer 50F, Winter -90F– Arctic winds– Poor soils

Resource Potential– Precious metals– Metallic ores– Oil and natural gas– Timber

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WEST SIBERIAN PLAIN The world’s largest continuous lowland

Includes several major river basins

Permafrost ground conditions

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CENTRAL SIBERIAN PLATEAU

Sparsely settled Limited access- 1,000-2,000 ft. elevation Restrictive climate and permafrost Resources include:

– Coal– Iron ore– Gold– Diamonds– Natural gas

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THE ARTIC BASIN

Region’s largest drainage basin– Drains an area larger that 1 million square

miles

Include three power rivers:– Ob River– Yenisei River– Lena River

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LAKE BAIKAL

Deepest lake in the world- 5,715 ft.

– At deepest point, it is more than a mile from the surface to the bottom

Holds 20% of the world’s fresh water

Holds 1,200 species of animals

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Rwandan Genocide

Where/Locations

Outcome/Effects

1. Read p. 355-356.2. Use what you

read to fill in the fingers.

Trans-SiberianRailroad

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