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Explore the physical geography of Russia and Central Asia, including the vastness of Russia, the Ural Mountains, the Siberian region, the Northern European Plain, arable land comparison, the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Urals and Caucasus Mountains, long rivers, Lake Baikal, the Caspian and Aral Seas, and the diverse climates and vegetation.
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Russia and Central Asia Physical Geography
The Land • Russia is a large country that is located in Europe and Asia. Russia is so long that it spans 11 time zones. • The dividing line between Europe and Asia is the Ural Mountains.
The Land The five countries in Central Asia are: A. Kazakhstan B. Uzbekistan C. Turkmenistan D. Tajikistan E. Krygyzstan
The Land • The part of Russia located in Asia is called Siberia. This area is isolated, sparsely populated, and extremely cold in the winter time.
The Land • The Northern European Plain extends into Western Russia. This area has a type of fertile soil called chernozem. Chernozem means black earth and the soil is dark in color.
The Land Comparison of arable land The United States 173,450 India 160,519 China 142,615 Russia 122,559 * unit in thousands of hectares Arable land is land that can be used for farming.
The Land • The Kamchatka Peninsula in Eastern Siberia is located on the Ring of Fire. This area has a high concentration of volcanoes, however, due to the low population density it doesn’t present a serious problem to people at the moment.
The Mountains • The Urals are the longest mountain range in Russia. • The Caucasus Mountains run from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea and they generally divide Russia from Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Bodies of Water • Russia has many long rivers such as the Volga, Ob, and Amur. • The Amur River forms part of the border between Russia and China. • Some rivers flow northward to the Arctic Ocean.
Bodies of Water • Lake Baikal is located in Siberia and it is the deepest fresh water lake in the world. • The Caspian Sea is divided between Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. It is the world’s largest body of enclosed water. Large reserves of oil have been found on the bottom of the lake.
Bodies of Water • The Aral Sea is located in Central Asia between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Since the 1960s it has been shrinking due to over irrigation. It is now 20% of its original size. The Soviets used the diverted water to irrigate cotton fields.
Bodies of Water The shrinking of the Aral Sea has caused: A. The collapse of the local fishing industry B. Increase in pollution due to fertilizer run off, pesticides, and industrial waste C. Increase in respiratory illnesses in the region
Climate and Vegetation • Russia is in the middle and high latitudes but it is not warmed by ocean currents and wind currents like Europe so it is much colder. Western Russia has a humid continental climate zone but most of Siberia has a subarctic climate zone. The northern part of Russia is tundra.
Climate and Vegetation • Tundra has short grasses, lichens, mosses, small shrubs, and flowers in the summer time but underneath the tundra there is permafrost (permanently frozen subsoil). • The subarctic region of Siberia has a large coniferous forest called Taiga. • Central Asia is covered in temperate grassland called steppe.
Tundra http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org
