Chapter 14
The Russian Core
Lesson 1
Lesson 1 Physical Geography of the Russian Core
1. Russia has two main mountain ranges, the ___Ural___ Mountains and the ______Caucasus___ Mountains.
2. The __Ural____ Mountains form a natural north-south barrier between ____European__________ Russia and ____Siberian_______ Russia.
3. Russia’s highest peak, _____Mt. Elbus____________, is in the _Caucasus____Mountains.
4. The southern part of the Northern European Plain has waterways and rich soil called ________chernozem____________.
5. The ______West Siberian Plain_______ is a huge, low-lying flatland that has a harsh continental climate.
6. The ______Volga___________ River system is an important __commercial____, __transportation____, and ____hydroelectic_____ resource for millions of people.
7. The ___Dnieper_______ River in ____Ukraine__________ is the longest river in that country.
8. At 25 million years old and 5,715 feet deep, Siberia’s Lake __Baikal________ is the world’s oldest and deepest.
9. Because all of Russia is located in the same high latitude, the entire region experiences weather characterized by ___cold_______ and ___snowy______ winters.
10. Most Russians live in the milder ___midlatitude_____ climates of the western region, where much of the country’s ___agriculural production___takes place.
11. The ___steppe_______ is a broad, open grassland with rich soil.
12. Much of Russia’s abundant ____natural resources___are in places that are remote and climatically difficult to reach.
13. What do the Volga River and the Volga River Basin provide for the people of Russia that earns the river the name Volga Matushka, or “Mother Volga”?
fresh water, fertile fields, and rich mineral deposits that supports industry and populations
Lesson 2
1. How did the Trans-Siberian Railroad change Russia?
It connects Moscow to Vladivostok and opened Russia’s Asian eastern region to settlement
2. What events led to the formation of the USSR?
The Russian Revolution in 1917 and the execution of Czar Nicholas and his family
3. What was the Cold War?
political and ideological war with the West (U.S.) that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war
4. How did the Soviet Union fall in 1991?
the new leader Gorbachev set in motion political reform; Satellite nations began to replace communist governments; a failed coup led to the collapse fo the Soviet government
5. What physical features make the area west of the Ural Mountains most suitable for living and establishing industry?
rich soils, waterways, and milder climate
6. What trend describes Russia’s population today, and what are the reasons for this trend?
the overall population has been decreasing and growing older; death rates are increasing and births are decreasing
7. How did the Soviet Union influence religion?
they discouraged religion and promoted atheism
8. Categorize these artists as painters, composers, and authors: Anna Akhmatova, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Boris Pasternak, Aleksandr Pushkin, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Lev Tolstoy, Viktor Vasnetsov.
Painters: Viktor Vasnetsov
Composers: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Authors: Pushkin, Pasternak, Akhmatova, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky
9. What was the economic system of the Soviet Union under communism and how did it work?
command economy; the government made key economic decisions; they owned banks, factories, farms, mines, and transportation
10. What has been the economic trend since 1998, and why has this happened?
steady economic growth; increases in productivity, wages, consumption, and a growing middle class
11. What is the role of petroleum in Russia’s economy?
most important industry; is one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil
12. Why does Russia still depend on railroads and waterways for much of its transportation needs?
Because of its size and climate extremes
13. What is the significance of these dates in the history of the Russian Core: 1917, 1945, 1985, and 1991?
1917: Russian Revolution; 1945: Russian is part of winning Allies, gives them control over Eastern and SE Europe; 1985: Gorbachev comes to power; 1991: USSR dissolves
Russia’s Shrinking Population