18. Drainage
The longest of Russia's waterways, most of which are predominantly snow-fed
and only utilised in spring and summer.
• Three Great Siberian Rivers of Russia: Ob, Yenisei, and Lena. Fed by the great water
reservoirs of the country's southern mountains, and flow parallel to one another from south to
north toward the frozen Arctic Ocean.
• Arctic Ocean also receives water from northeastern Siberia (Indigirka and Kolyma Rivers),
and from north European Russia (Northern Dvina and Pechora Rivers.
• Don flows to the Black Sea.
• Lastly, a huge area of European Russia is interior drainage. since it drains— especially by
means of the Volga, its principal river, which is also the longest in Europe—into the Caspian
Sea, the largest lake on earth, now subdivided among Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan,
Iran, and Azerbaijan.
Lakes of Russia
Baikal in southern Siberia—a classic tectonic lake with its elongated shape and
great depth
19. Lakes of Russia
• Baikal in southern Siberia — a classic tectonic lake ( formed due
to Plate movement) with its elongated shape and great depth
• Lakes Ladoga and Onega, in European Russia themselves the
largest in Europe.
21. Vegetation Belts
Regional differences in climate result in a natural distribution of
vegetation, which are cut across by a series of major west-to-east belts
marked by distinctive kinds. Different vegetation belts from north to
south are
1. Tundra Vegetation : from the Norwegian frontier (Europe to the Pacific).
2. Taiga: South of Tundra, lies the world's largest forest, the Soviet taiga or
coniferous forest.
3. Mixed deciduous: Still farther south, parallel belts of mixed forest.
4. Steppe: To the south of mixed deciduous, lies the temperate grassland
steppe which stretch across the western Soviet Union and deep into
Siberia.
Together the mixed forest and steppe comprise a 'Fertile Triangle’
24. Agricultural crops
Wheat - spring wheat in the Don basin, the middle Volga, and above all in
the formerly virgin lands of Siberia.
Barley - Suitable for the more northerly and mountainous area. Found in
northern European Russia up to 65°N latitude and in Siberia in certain
proportion used as making beer, it is used as an animal feed, also
growing rye, because both can tolerate acid soil.
Potato, Sugar beets - Occupies an important position among Russian
root crops . Traditionally used for food but also for the production of
alcohol. It is at home in the cold, wet terrain between 50° and 60° N
latitude.
Sunflowers in the northern Caucasus and Soyabeans in the Far East
Fruits and vegetables are grown in small privately owned fields.
26. Forests
About half of Russia's territory is occupied by immense forests,
representing roughly one fifth of the world's forest cover. The great
majority consists of conifers, which occupy almost all of Siberia from
the southern borders to 70° latitude.
Animal Rearing
Cattle are found almost everywhere, at least wherever useable farmland
is located, as the lower Volga ( sheep and goats) or wherever labour is
scarce cattle are rearing (many parts of Siberia).
Other animals worth mentioning are the yaks of the Altai, polar-region
dogs (such as the Siberian), furbearing animals, and especially
reindeer, extremely important to human survival in the tundra and
northern taiga, where they provide meat, clothing, and transport.
27. Fishing
• Despite the problems presented by long periods of freezing in coastal
waters, fishing in Russia is of considerable and one of the world's most
important producers of ocean fish.
• World leader in the production of freshwater fish (extracted from the
Volga, Don, Ob, Yennesey, Lena and a number of natural and artificial
lakes), and also one of the world's most important producers of ocean
fish,
• Dried, salted, smoked, frozen, or canned, fish is a fundamental element
of the Russian diet, and is the basis for a small but lucrative export
trade.
29. Iron ore
Iron ore
“Magnitogorsk" in the Central Russian Upland contain
one sixth of all world reserves of iron, and at a very
high concentration (55-70%) & Kuzbass
Other regions with iron ore deposits are Kola
Peninsula .
32. 1. Copper- The Urals and the Kola peninsula
contain good reserves
2. Lead and Zinc - The Siberian mountains,
3. Bauxite - The Urals and in the Ladoga region.
34. Coal
• Donbas! Basin - Lies to the north of Black Sea and Sea of Azov,
yields both anthracite and high grade bituminous coal.
• Kuzbas Bassin - East of Ural on the upper Ob in Western
Siberia.
• The Moscow—Tula coalfields, low-grade lignite coal is
extracted.
• Other minor coalfields—Scattered deposits of bituminous and
lignite in the Ural region, Pechora in northern European Russia.
36. Petroleum and Natural Gas
• Deposits between the Volga and the Urals,
known as the “Second Baku”.
• Perm, Kuybyshev, Orenburg (Southern Urals),
Tyumen, Tomsk and the Sakhaline island
(eastern Siberia) are other important regions of
oil deposits.
• Natural gas comes from the Ukraine.
38. Hydroelectric Power
• Hydroelectric power is generated in substantial
• 80 per cent of the potential H.E.P. lies in the Asiatic Russia part.
• Volga and the Don have improved the navigability of the rivers to their
outlets at the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea respectively. There are
two huge dams on the River Volga at Volgograd and Kuvbyshev.
• Other large power stations include those of Irkutsk, Bratsk, the largest
single H.E.P. plant in the world, and Krasnoyarsk in Siberia.
39. Industrial Regions
Industrial Regions
There are six areas of prime industrial
significance:
(i)The Moscow Region, (ii) Leningrad region
(iii) The middle Volga Region (iv) The Urals region
(v) Kuznetsk region.
41. The Leningrad region
Leningrad (originally known as St. Petersburg) is the
second largest Soviet city and the country's principal
port.
Location
The location of Leningrad is a strategic one, at the
entrance of the Baltic Sea and it is the European
terminus of Trans-Siberian Railway (8960 km long).
43. The Moscow Region,
Surrounding Moscow - Moscow-Tula-Gorky Region.
Factors of Moscow Region
(i) Central location - western plains and it is the major focus centre.
(ii)Transportation - It lies at the centre of the Soviet rail and air
networks, which connect it to all parts of the country. Also well
connected by rivers, Volga and Ob draining it; and with the Baltic,
White. Azov, Black and Caspian Seas by canal transportation.
(iv)Power - Power from Volga power stations
(v)Oil and Gas - gas and oil pipelines from the Ukraine, north Caucasus,
the Volga-Urals fields, central Asia, and western Siberia supply the
Moscow region with important sources of energy.
(v) Densely populated region - provide large skilled labour pool, as well
45. The Middle-Volga Region
Major industrial cities of the region
Found scattered along the Volga River from Kazan southward, for
example, Kuybyshev, Volgograd and Saratov.
Factors for industrial development
Extensive energy resources - major petroleum-producing area like
Volga-Urals fields, but also has important gas fields and surplus HEP
generated chain of dams along the River Volga and its large tributary.
The largest units are found near Volgograd and Kuybyshev.
Transportation - The Volga River system forms the major water route of
the country, carrying more than 60 per cent of the total freight
transported by river. Water, rail and pipeline network has not only
stimulated development of mid Volga's energy resources but also
allowed the expansion of industrial activities in the surrounding areas.
47. The Urals
After Moscow Region the Urals rank 2nd in terms of overall industrial
production. This region extends from Magnitogorsk, through Perm to
Nizhni Tagil. The industrial development of this region is comparatively
recent, only after World War II.
Mineral Resources
Though the region is devoid of good quality coking coal for metallurgical
purposes, it is rich in other mineral deposits like copper in the central
Urals ; iron ore at Magnitogorsk and Nizhni-Tagil.
49. The Kuznetsk Region
East of the Urals is the Kuznetsk industrial region.
Factors for its industrial development
(i) enormous deposits of coal, much of it suitable for coking;
(ii)Power - oil deposits nearby at Tyumen, Surgui .
(iii) hydroelectric power availability;
(iv) location on the Trans-Siberian Railroad and the Ob River;
(v) availability of minerals iron ore at Kuznetskiy
