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How much of the Earth's land surface does Russia and the Republics take up?
8.6 million square miles
What is the region's landmass in square miles?
Europe and Asia
Which continents does Russia and the Republics sprawl across?
11 time zones
How many time zones does Russia and the Republics cross through?
285 million people
What is Russia and the Republics approximate population?
the United States
Which country has a highler population: Russia and the Republics or the United States?
from the western border of Russia and the Republics to the Ural Mountains
Where does the Northern European Plain stretch from?
Chernozem
What is one of the world"s most fertile soil called?
The Northern European Plain
Where is Chernozem located?
75%
How much of Russia and the Republic's population lives on the Northern European Plain?
Moscow
What is Russia's capital city?
Kiev
What is the capital of Ukraine?
The Northern European Plain
Where is Moscow and Kiev located?
The Ural Mountains
What separates the Northern European Plain and the West Siberian Plain?
between the Ural Mountains and the Yenisey River
Where is the West Siberian Plain located?
West Siberian Plain
Which plain tilts northward?
The Arctic Ocean
Where do rivers on West Siberian Plain flow to?
high plateaus
What makes up the Central Siberian Plateau?
1000-2000 feet
What is the average height of the plateaus on the Central Siberian Plateau?
between the Yenisey and Lena Rivers
Where is the Central Siberian Plateau located?
The Russian Far East
What lies to the east of the Lena River?
its complex system of volcanic ranges
What is the Russian Far East known for?
120 volcanoes
How many volcanoes are on the Kamchatka Peninsula?
20 volcanoes
How many volcanoes are still active on the Kamchatka Peninsula?
The Russian Far East
Where is the Kamchatka Peninsula located?
The Caucasus Mountains
What stretches across the land that separates the Black and Caspian seas?
Russia and Transcaucasia
What countries does the Caucasus Moutains form a border between?
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
Which republics make up Transcaucasia?
the Arctic Basin which then delivers water to the Arctic Ocean
Where do the Ob, the Yenisey, and the Lena Rivers drain in to?
the Volga River
What is the longest river on the European continent?
the Caspian Sea
What is the largest inland sea in the world?
Lake Baikal
What is the deepest lake in the world?
20%
How much of the world's fresh water is in Lake Baikal?
coal, iron ore, oil & natural gas, forests, and hydroelectric power
What are the 5 abundant resources that are found in Russia and the Republics?
because of harsh climates, rugged terrain, and vast distances
Why is it difficult to remove resources from the ground and transport them to markets in Russia and the Republics?
Siberia
Where are most resources located in Russia and the Republics?
Siberia
What is a frigid and subarctic region of Russia?
Siberia
In Russia, where is it difficult to attract workers because of this severe region?
Humid continental and subarctic
What climates dominate much of Russia and the Republics?
climates
What reflects the influence of Russia and the Republics high latitude?
hundreds of miles; continentality
How far is Russia and the Republics from the moderating influence of the sea? What is this called?
subtropical
What climate is in Trancaucasia?
semiarid and desert
What climates are in Central Asia?
tundra, forest, steppe, and desert
What are the 4 major vegatation regions in Russia and the Republics?
tundra
What vegatation region falls mostly in the Arctic climate zone?
mosses and low shrubs
What types of vegatation grow in the tundra region?
forest
Which vegetation region includes the taiga?
south of the tundra
Where does the taiga (the largest forest in the world) lie?
steppe
What vegetation region is a large grassland area that is a major source of grain for the region?
desert
What vegetation region occupies the wide plains in the west and central areas of Central Asia?
Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum
What are the 2 main deserts?
Russia & the Western Republics, Trancaucasia, and Central Asia
What are the three subregions of Russia and the Republics?
in the region between the Baltic and Black seas
Where did the Russian state begin?
the Vikings settled in the region of Kiev along the Dnieper River
In the 9th century, what made the Russia and the Western Republics settlement begin to expand?
the Mongols
In the 1200's, who sacked Kiev and would control the region until the 1500's?
Russian leader, Ivan the Great
In the 1500's, who put an end to centuries of foreign rule?
after Ivan the Great put an end to foreign rule
After what event did Russia enter a period of explosive growth?
the Pacific Ocean
By the end of the 1600's, Russia had built an empire that extended to where?
population of people; many of the people belonged to different ethnic groups, spoke different languages, and practiced different religions
As more territory contunined to grow in Russia, what also grew? What was unique about this?
Russian science and technology
What lagged behind other European rivals?
emporer
What does Czar mean?
Czar of Russia, Peter the Great
Who tried to modernize Russia from 1682-1725?
St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea to provide direct access to Western Europe
Where did Peter move Russia's capital (orginally in Moscow) to? Why?
in the 1800's
When was the Industrial Revolution?
czars
Who did people blame for Russia's lagging behind?
the Russian Revolution
What even occured which ended the rule of the czars in 1917?
the Russian Communist Party, led by V.I. Lenin
Who contolled the Russian government after the czars?
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
In 1922, what did the communists rename Russia to?
Joseph Stalin
Who took over the Soviet Union after Lenin died ?
during World War II
When did Jospeh Stalin led the Soviet Union?
pro-Soviet governments were set up in the Eastern European countries
What happened after World War II?
tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States
What led to the conflict known as the Cold War?
Mikhail Gorbachev
In the 1980's, who started to give more economic and political freedom to the Soviet people?
the region was divided into 15 independent republics
What happened after the Soviet Union collapsed?
the Russian Federation
What is Russia formally known as today?
popularly elected president
What kind of president does Russia have today?
a legislature made up of 2 chambers
What kind of legislature does Russia have today?
Estonia, Lativa, and Lithuania
What republics make up the Baltic republics?
The Baltic Republics, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine
The 6 republics formed from the western regions of the former Soviet Union include:
German philosopher, Karl Marx
Who were the Communists inspired by?
command economy; central government
Soviet leader adopted a _____________ - one in which the __________ makes all important economic systems.
Stalin
Who do historians think was responsible for the death of 14 million people?
14 million people
How many people did historians estimate Stalin was responsible for the death of?
the Russians
Who are the largest ethnic group in the region?
Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism
What are 4 religious groups in Russia and the Western Republics?
in the West
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the region is more open to the influence of other countries, especially those where?
Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
What countries make up Transcaucasia?
a migration route especially between Europe and Asia
What have people used Transcaucasia as?
Transcaucasia because of so many trade routes
What has been affected by many different peoples and cultures? Why?
more than 50 different peoples
How many different peoples live in Transcaucasia?
Jabal Al-Alsum which means "Mountain of Language
What did Arab geographers called the region of Transcaucasia? What does this mean?
Christian or Muslim
What are the main religions in Transcaucasia?
Russian empire
Transcaucasia became part of the ________ in the late 1800's.
after the Russian Revolution
When did Transcaucasia enjoy a brief period of independence?
the Red Army
What was the name of the Soviet military?
the Red Army
Who took over Transcausia by the early 1920's?
after the fall of the Soviet Union
When did the republics regain their independence?
agriculture and oil production
What are the major economic activites in Transcaucasia?
Azerbaijan
What is the most dominant economic country in the region?
land of flames" because of the fires that erupted from the oil and gas deposits of the Caspian Sea
What does the name Azerbaijan mean? Why?
literacy rate
What among the Transcausian people is the highest in the world?
100 BC
When did travelers first begin to make their way across Central Asia in large numbers?
China; the Mediterranean Sea; the Silk Road because of the costly silk bought in China
Many of the travelers to Central Asia joined caravans making the 4,000 mile journey between _______ & _______. What did trader call this route and why?
ideas, technology, and religion
What did the Silk Road become a route of spreading?
Great Britain and Russia; the Great Game
In the 19th century, who began to struggle for control of Central Asia? What did this struggle become known as?
the Russian Empire
By the end of the 19th century, who had won control over Central Asia?
the Soviet Union
Who took control of Central Asia in the 1920's and governed the region until 1921?
nuclear industry
What was the main economic activity in northeastern Kazakhstan?
oil
What is a more hopeful potential natural resource in Kazakhstann?
political and legal
For Central Asia's resources to benefit its people, leader must establish stable ________ and _______ institutions.
Islam
What religion is most people in Central Asia?
Turkish
What language do most people speak in Central Asia?
Nomads
Who are the expansive grasslands of Central Asia ideal for?
Yurt (a tent)
What is one of the Nomads most valuable possessions?