Russia

Question 1

Countries that border Russia (there are 14)

Answer 1

Norway, Finland, Estonia’s, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, North Korea

Question 2

Mountains

Answer 2

The Ural Mountains form a natural border between Asia and Europe. Asian Russia – to the east of them – is usually called Siberia.
Now look for the Caucasus Mountains in the SW. Their highest peak is Mount Elbrus. At 5642 metres. It is Europe’s highest mountain.
As you can see, the Asian part of Russia has more high land, overall.

Question 3

Plains and plateaux

Answer 3

The East European Plain is where most of Russia’s population lives. It has the best farmland, and a less harsh climate overall.

The west Siberian Plain is low and flat. It has lots of boggy land, and coniferous forests, and frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle. Under this plain lies the world’s largest basin of oil and gas reserves.

The Central Siberian Plateau is an upland area, flat in places. Most of it is covered in coniferous forest. It is rich in resources: coal, oil and gas, nickel, iron, copper, gold, silver, platinum, diamonds and more.

Question 4

Lakes and seas

Answer 4

Look at Lake Baikal. It is the world’s oldest and deepest lake. It holds about one-fifth of the Earth’s liquid fresh water.
The Caspian Sea is called a sea and is a bit salty. It lies below sea level. Over 130 rivers flow into it – The Volga is the biggest. But none flow out – it does not overflow because it loses water by evaporation.
Next, the Baltic Sea. It is bordered by Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave. It joins the North Sea.
The Black Sea flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The climate around the Black Sea is mild, with warm, sunny summers. This is where you find Russia’s seaside resorts.

Question 5

Rivers

Answer 5

Look at the Volga. It is the longest river in Europe. It has a special place in Russian history and culture.
Now look at the great rivers of Asian Russian which flow north for thousands of km, to the Arctic Ocean. From left to right:
The Ob; the Irtysh is its main tributary
The Yenisey
The Lena
Another long one is the Amur. It forms a natural barrier
between Russia and China.

Question 6

Volcanoes

Answer 6

The Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands have lots of active volcanoes. That’s because they lie near the edge of the Pacific tectonic plate. They are part of the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean.
Mount Elbrus is also a volcano. It last erupted about 2000 years ago. It too lies near a plate boundary.

Question 7

Biome

Answer 7

A very large area, with similar climate, plants and animals.

Question 8

Permafrost

Answer 8

Froze s soil below the ground, which stays frozen even in the summer. In parts of Siberia, the permafrost is up to 1km thick

Question 9

Russia’s climate

Answer 9

Much of Russia is under snow for up to eight months of the year. The tundra and sub-Arctic climate zones have permafrost – frozen soil below the ground, which stays frozen even in summer. In parts of Siberia, the permafrost is over 1km thick.

Question 10

How latitude affects climate

Answer 10

Latitude affects climate by influencing the intensity of the sun in a region. The angle and duration of the sun’s energy determine surface temperature so that higher latitudes receive less heat, but lower latitudes closer to the equator receive significantly more heat. Therefore, northern regions of Russia are generally colder than the regions in the south.

Question 11

How altitude affects climate

Answer 11

Altitude affects climate in that the higher up you get, the more the temperature drops. The temperature goes down roughly 1 degree Celsius for every 100-165 metres you climb.

Question 12

How distance from sea affects climate

Answer 12

The sea affects the climate of a place. Coastal areas are generally wetter than inland areas. In the summer, the sea cools down coastal areas and the further inland you get, the warmer it gets. However, in the winter, the sea insulates the coast and warms it up, while inland areas reach colder temperatures. The temperature range is therefore bigger in inland areas of Russia. This is called the continental effect (or continentality).

Question 13

Main type of biome in Russia

Answer 13

Taiga

Question 14

Population distribution

Answer 14

A description of how people are spread out within an area

Question 15

Population density

Answer 15

A measure of the average number of people per square kilometre in an area

Question 16

Densely populated

Answer 16

Lots of people living there

Question 17

Sparsely populated

Answer 17

Few people living there

Question 18

Population distribution in Russia

Answer 18

Russia’s population is distributed unevenly. The population density is highest in the west and lowest in the east. The most densely populated district is Central, and the most sparsely populated district is Far Eastern. The range of district population densities is 57.9 per km2. The most densely populated district has around 50 times as many people per square kilometre as the most sparsely populated district.

Question 18

Russia’s main physical features

Answer 18

East European plain - west
West Siberian plain- between Ural Mountains and the central Siberian plateau. To the west of of the east European plan, near on the west side of the middle line.
Ural Mountains- between east and west Siberian plains
GO TO PHOTOS, GEOGRAPHY FOLDER

Question 19

Why is the population distribution uneven

Answer 19

Central - densely populated, Much of the Central District is flat land (easy to build on) with fertile soil (good for farming). It is also closest to the major population centres of Europe, allowing for lots of trade opportunities. Moscow offers lots of job opportunities in government, finance and other services
Urals- The steep slopes of the Ural mountains are difficult to build on, and the thin soils are poor.
Volga- The Russian steppes are temperate grasslands with fertile soil. Some have been converted to productive farmland
North of the Far Eastern- The far north of Russia is tundra – low growing shrubs on top of permafrost (permanently frozen ground). The winters are very cold and dark, and snow covers the ground for 9 months a year. Summers are short.
West of the Far Eastern- South of the tundra is taiga – vast, dense coniferous forests that are very cold in winter
East of the Far Eastern -The Far East of Russia is huge and empty – a land of forests, steep mountains and volcanoes. It is very remote and a long way from anyone to trade with.

Question 20

Russia’s history

Answer 20

The Russian empire began around 1300 AD, as the state of Muscovy. About the size of wakes, it was centred on Moscow, ruled by princes.
The princes were ambitious and took over more and more land. Muscovy grew larger and more powerful.
The most ambitious prince of all was Ivan the terrible, he made himself Tsar (or emperor) of Russia, by the time he died in 1584, Muscovy was 270 times bigger than in 1300.
Later Tsars continued to expand the empire. People of faraway lands and different ethnic groups were taken over (it usually involved fighting)
The tsars and nobility grey more and more wealthy. Most other people were poor peasants, many were serfs, ‘owned’ by noble men. Nicholas II was the Tsar when World War I began, he brought Russia into the was on the side of the allies UK, France, and others. The allies won
But the Russian army suffered huge losses. And meanwhile, back home, people were short of food and fuel. They blamed the Tsar.
So in 1917, even before the war had ended, the was a revolution in Russia. Nicholas II was disposed. No more emperors, ever!
That revolution was soon followed by another, in 1919. The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, took over. The Bolsheviks were communists.
Lenin organised the Russian Empire to form the USSR: the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The republics were created along ethnic lines.
Lenin died in 1924. Stalin took over. He aimed to make the USSR a great industrial power. He achieved this very quickly- and often by brutal means.
Then came World War II. The USSR joined the allies (Uk, France, USA and others) in 1941, and played a big part in helping to defeat Germany.
But during the war, Stalin seized the chance to extend the USSR, and its influence, further into Europe. This made other countries very hostile.
Stalin died in 1953. Other leaders followed. In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev took over. He wanted people to have more freedom.
That led to an unexpected result. In 1991, the republicans which formed the USSR voted to leave it! The USSR broke up. Russia was alone.

Question 21

Factors that affect Russia’s influence on the world

Answer 21

Biggest country Bay Area, and 9th biggest by population
It shares borders with 14 countries
Rich in natural resources which other countries want, it has the world’s largest gas reserves, 8th largest oil reserves. It pumps oil and gas to China and into Europe.
Fast growing economy
Big army that has nuclear weapons
Has given us great scientists and mathematicians
Famous for its literature, classical music, and dance
It is attracting more and more tourists, it had 28 million in 2013