1. Landforms and
Resources
Chapter 15, Section 1

2. MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC
QUALITIES
 Largest country in the world.
 Former colonial power.
 Population and development concentrated
in the west (west of Ural Mountains).
 Culturally diverse, but dominated by the
Russian culture.
 Ports are limited due to climate/ice.

3. RUSSIA’S 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
 Twice the size of the United States

4. Northern European Plain
 Chernozem- black
earth is abundant in
the plain
 75% of population
lives in this plain

5. West Siberian Plain
 Plain tilts northward causing rivers to flow
into the Arctic Ocean

6. Central Siberian Plateau
 Between Yenisey and Lena Rivers
 Average height = 1000 to 2000 ft

7. Russia Far East
 Complex system of volcanic ranges
 Kamchatka Peninsula contains 120
volcanoes – 20 are still active

8. Caucasus Mountains
 Stretch across the land that separates the
Black and Caspian Seas
 form the border between Russia and
Transcaucasia

9. Drainage basins
 An area drained by a major river and
its tributaries (smaller rivers that flow
into the big river)
 Arctic Ocean is the region’s biggest
with the Ob, Yenisey, and Lena rivers
draining an area of more than 3
million sq. mi.

10.  The area where water runs off the land surface to
the stream is the drainage basin (or watershed)
for the stream. The larger the stream, the larger
its drainage basin.
 Small streams run downhill and feed larger
streams. These are tributaries to the larger
stream.
 The largest stream draining
an area is called the trunk
stream.
 A high-standing area
separates one drainage
basin from another.
That area is called the
divide.

11. Rivers
 Volga – Europe’s longest river flows
for 2,300 miles

12. Lakes
 Caspian Sea – actually a saltwater lake
– Stretches N to S 750 miles = longest inland
sea

13. Lakes
 Aral Sea – saltwater lake
 Has lost 80% of water volume since
1960s

14. Lake Baikal
 Located in Southern Russia,
north of Mongolia
 Deepest lake in the world at
more than a mile at its deepest
point
 400 miles N to S
 Holds 20% of the world’s fresh
water
 1200 unique species live there

15. Baikal seal - Nerpa

16. Resource Management
 Harsh climate, rugged terrain and
large area make removing and
transporting goods difficult
 Environmental damage
 Hydroelectric power plants discharge
hot water known as thermal pollution
which damages plant and animal life