Russia’s Physical Geography (Unit 6, Chapter 11, Section 1.1)
Huge Landmass
Russia is the ______country in the world in total ______. Its ______(continuous extent of land) stretches almost 6,000 miles from East to West.
Russia’s physical landforms include the Caucasus Mountains in the southwest and the ______in the northwest. The relatively low Ural Mountains separate the Northern ______Plain from the West ______Plain. These plains (large areas of level ground) cover much of the region. In Southwestern Russia, ______(very large plains) are used for ______and livestock ______.
Natural Barriers
Russia has oceans on its northern and eastern borders along with the mountainous area of its southern border. These ______separated from its neighbors. Some areas are ______(cut off from other countries) due to the mountains and deserts.
Much of Russia’s coastline lies in the ______, meaning ports cannot stay open for trade all year long.
Land of Extreme Climates (Unit 6, Chapter 11, Section 1.2)
About half the land in Russia is so cold that it has ______(permanently frozen ground). Other areas can reach over 100*F in summer.
Cold, Dark Winters
______is an important factor in the climate of a region. The northern boundary is a coastal plain along the Arctic Ocean. The high latitudes of ______and areas north bring the region long, dark and snowy winters. St. Petersburg has a latitude of almost 60*N. For about one month there is hardly any ______in the city.
Climate and Vegetation
Climate affects the types of ______(plants)that grow in an area. ______(flat land found in arctic and subarctic regions) exist in ______, which lies in central and eastern Russia. Here only ______plants can grow. Permafrost ______trees from growing.
South of the tundra is the ______(forest area) which provides valuable ______resources.
______is concentrated in the fertile soils of the
______and ______along the Black Sea and Caspian Sea.
Natural Resources (Unit 6, Chapter 11, Section 1.3)
This region is among the world’s richest in natural resources. These resources are important to the countries’ economy.
Energy Resources
Russia has plentiful ______resources especially oil and gas. Russia is also a leading ______producer. These resources are ______(they cannot reproduce quickly enough to keep pace with their use). Russia also has large amounts of ______(very old decayed plant material) which is burned like coal. Also, some rivers provide ______power (using the force of water to generate electricity).
Mineral Resources
______resources provide ______materials for factories and support industrial development. These resources include metallic ores such as: ______, aluminum, ______, copper, platinum, ______, manganese and chrome.
Almost ______of the world’s iron ore is located in Russia and Kazakhstan. Iron ore is used to produce iron and steel to build roads, railways and buildings.
The Challenge of Location
Much of Russia’s resources are in ______(hard to reach) locations. Siberia contains oil fields, ______resources and minerals, such as nickel and ______. The ______makes it difficult to drill or mine these resources and ______them to market. As a result the resources in Siberia remain mostly ______.