NCA - Physical Geography Lesson

Physical Geography

Russia

Spanning eight times zones, Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of its physical area. In fact, it is so large that a train journey from the furthest stations of its Trans-Siberian Railway would take about a week of constant travel. This massive country includes immense territories in the Arctic north, vast forests of Siberia, expansive grain farms, and mountain communities in the Caucasus. In addition, it is one of the few countries in the world that stretches across two continents: Asia and Europe. The Ural Mountains are considered the separation boundary between the two continents. Although much smaller than its Asian counterpart, European Russia is the dominant core area.

The Asian side of Russia borders Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and North Korea. Its largest borders with Eastern European countries are shared with the Ukraine and Belarus. Further north, Russia borders Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Norway. Its natural boundaries include the Amur River, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caucasus. The Amur River creates a natural boundary between a portion of Russia and China. The Pacific Ocean separates Russia from North America while the Arctic Ocean creates the entire northern boundary of Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, which are the tallest mountain chain in both Russia and Europe, form a natural border between Russia and Georgia and Azerbaijan to its south. Other natural borders include the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.

Terrain and Climate

The massive expanse of Russia exhibits a variety of physical environments and includes tundra, steppes, mountains, and birch forests. Type D (continental) climates dominate most of the country. Land in the center of a large continent, far from the moderating effects of oceans, tends to heat up rapidly in the summer and cool down rapidly in the winter. These areas are known for hot summers and cold, harsh winters. Northern Russia borders the Arctic Ocean, and frigid air masses from the Arctic swoop south across Russia each winter. Moreover, Russia's northerly latitude means that it experiences a short growing season and has never been an agricultural superpower; the country usually must import grain to feed its people. Mountain ranges to the south block summer rains and warm air masses that would otherwise come from South and Central Asia, thus creating deserts and steppes in southern Russia.

The Ural Mountains, the low-lying mountain chain (about 6,000 feet) separating Europe from Asia, contains deposits of coal, iron ore, and precious and semiprecious stones. To the south of the Russian Plain is another mountain range, the Caucasus Mountains, which bridges the gap between the   Caspian and Black Seas. East of the Urals are the West Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, the Yakutsk Basin, the Eastern Highlands, and the Central Asian Ranges. These areas provide Russia with an abundance of natural resources, such as: petroleum, natural gas, and forest products.

Central Asia

Central Asia is a region of six landlocked countries. Five of the six countries were part of the former Soviet Union until its breakup in 1991. Today, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan are all independent countries. Although it was never officially part of the Soviet Union, Afghanistan is also included as a part of Central Asia. The countries of the region are dominated by the religion of Islam, arid type B climates, and the export of oil and natural gas. Water is of particular importance, as most of the population has traditionally made a living from agriculture. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have vast regions of the desert with few if any inhabitants. The expansive desert regions reveal the importance of water as a valuable natural resource. In fact, most of the people in the realm are more dependent on the availability of water than on the availability of oil. Division, warfare, and conflict have been constant elements of the region.

Why do they end in stan?

Stan is a common ending for these countries because it means "land of." Uzbekistan, therefore, means land of the Uzbeks. Central Asia is also referred to as Turkestan because of the Turkish influence in the region. The Turkish language and heritage have had the most significant impact on the people of Central Asia. Turkmenistan's name is another reminder of the Turkish connection; it means "the land of the Turkmen."

Tajikistan

The eastern region of Central Asia has some of the highest mountain ranges in the world; about 90 percent of Tajikistan is mountainous, and more than half the country is 10,000 feet in elevation or higher. The ranges of the Himalayas extend from the south all the way to the western border with China. The Pamirs is a mountain range located where the Tian Shan, Karakorum, and Hindu Kush Mountain ranges meet in Tajikistan, an area referred to as the Pamir Knot or the roof of the world. Elevations in the Pamirs often exceed 24,500 feet. The Pamirs is the source of the Amu Darya River and is home to the longest glacier outside the polar regions (forty-eight miles long in 2009). There is enormous potential for hydroelectric power generation, and Tajikistan is developing the world's highest dam.

Afghanistan 

The high central mountain range of the Hindu Kush dominates the country and leaves a zone of well-watered fertile plains to the north and a dry desert region to the south. Afghanistan is a remote region without access to the sea and acts as a strategic link between the Middle East and the Far East.

Turkmenistan 

To the south of the Amu Darya River is the desert country of Turkmenistan, which extends from the Caspian Sea to Afghanistan in the east. Turkmenistan is slightly larger in physical area than the US state of California. 80 percent of the country is covered by the Kara Kum Desert, which is among the driest in the world. The southern mountains along the Iranian and Afghan border reach as high as 10,290 feet in elevation. Water from the Amu Darya River has been diverted by the seven-hundred-mile-long Kara Kum Canal through Turkmenistan to help grow cotton and other agricultural products.

Kyrgyzstan

The rugged landscape of this mountainous land includes the high ranges of the Tian Shan Mountains, which can reach elevations as high as 24,400 feet and cover about 80 percent of the country. Snowfall from the mountains provides freshwater for agriculture as well as hydroelectric energy. Food crops can be grown in the valleys and the few lowland areas. The mountains hold deposits of metals and minerals that have a strong potential for adding to the national wealth. Oil and natural gas reserves are also available for exploitation. The western boundary with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan is winding and creates various small enclaves and exclaves of people from one country surrounded by people of another country and separated from their home nations.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan, the world's largest landlocked nation, has a wide variety of physical landscapes and climates. Although it has colder type D climates in its northern regions and milder climates in the lowlands bordering the Caspian Sea, most of its land is a large grassland of semi-arid type B climate. In fact, Kazakhstan has one of the largest steppe regions in the world. Further south, a sizable portion of southern Kazakhstan is either semi-desert or desert.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, which physically borders all the countries of Central Asia, is one of the largest countries in the region. Geographers call Uzbekistan a doubly landlocked nation because all the countries that surround it are also landlocked. With arid desert climates, central and western regions of Uzbekistan must rely heavily on the freshwater that flows in from the mountains. The country's main source of freshwater comes from its Eastern Highland regions. Unfortunately, the main rivers have been heavily diverted for irrigation purposes and often no longer reach their natural destination, the Aral Sea.

 

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