NAME ______DATE ______CLASS ______

Russia Lesson 1: of

ESSENTIAL QUESTION How does geography influence the way people live?

Terms to Know upland high land away from the coast of a country a flat, treeless with permanently frozen ground a -like organism that consists of an algae and a the permanently frozen lower layers of found in the tundra and zones a large coniferous

Where in the World: Russia

ARCTIC

0° East 60°N Siberian 80°N 180° 20°E

Laptev PACIFIC Barents E Sea L Sea C OCEAN IR Kara C IC a T Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. Se Sea C Baltic AR . L e R n a a 160°E

St. Petersburg n

i R Y

v . e

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Moscow s

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a i National boundary p 0 1,000 miles (East Sea) s a National capital C 0 1,000 kilometers N City Two-Point Equidistant projection W E S 60°E 80°E 100°E 120°E

182 Reading Essentials and Study Guide NAME ______DATE ______CLASS ______

Russia Lesson 1: Physical , continued

Landforms Guiding Question In what ways have the landforms and Marking the waterways in Russia shaped the ? Text Russia is the largest country in the world. It covers 11 time zones. 1. Highlight the names of The western part of Russia lies within Europe. The eastern part of the in Russia, Russia, called , is in Asia. underline the Western Russia is mostly plains. The largest plain is the Russian ranges, and Plain. It rises to form the . An upland is an circle the name of the area of high elevation. Most of Russia’s people and cities are found vast . in this area. South of the Russian Plain are the . East of Identifying the plain are the Mountains. They stretch north and south 2. Where do most of and form a boundary between Europe and Asia. They are up to Russia’s people live? 250 million old and greatly eroded. The extends east from the

to the River. It is one of the world’s largest and flattest plains, with and marshes. Identifying In the heart of Siberia is the . This vast Cause and Effect upland area extends from the Yenisey River to the River. The eastern third of Siberia is a mountainous region that extends south 3. Why is the along the with . especially important to Russia? Russia has a long northern coastline along the Ocean, but most of its coastal waters are frozen for much of the . The Black Sea in southwest Russia gives Russian ships a warm-water route to the .

The , also in southwest Russia, is the largest inland body of water in the world. It is actually a saltwater lake. In southeastern Siberia lies , the world’s deepest freshwater lake. Reading Progress Check Rivers of Russia 4. Which river is Russia’s Flows south into Caspian Sea most important Most important waterway in Russia waterway, carrying more freight and Carries the most freight and passenger traffic passenger traffic than ’, Yenisey, Flow north across Siberia any other river and its , and Lena Empty into tributaries in Russia? Flood in spring Flows east, forming Russia- border Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. classroom for reproduce to is granted Permission Education. © McGraw-Hill Copyright Reading Essentials and Study Guide 183 NAME ______DATE ______CLASS ______

Russia Lesson 1: Physical Geography of Russia, continued

Climates Defining Guiding Question What are found in Russia? 5. What is permafrost? Russia has many different climates because of its large size. Farthest north the climate is polar. The land is covered in ice year-round.

In northern Russia, are very cold and very

short and cool. in the tundra—a treeless zone—lasts only two months. This is a harsh environment of bare, rocky ground with patches of small shrubs, , and . A layer Marking the of permanently frozen ground called permafrost lies beneath the Text surface soil and rocks. 6. Read the text on the Much of Siberia has a . Summers are short and right. Highlight the cool. Eastern and central Siberia have some of the coldest winters names and definitions on . Heavy snows fall on the West Siberian Plain, but elsewhere of two zones of snowfall is light. A vast taiga—a zone of coniferous forest—covers in Russia. much of Siberia. It is swampy because it, too, has permafrost. Western Russia has mostly a humid . Drawing Summers are warm and rainy; winters are cold and snowy. Conclusions Parts of have dry called . 7. In general, what happens Winters are shorter than in the north but are cold. Summer is hot to temperatures as you and dry. The region around the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea has move from north to cooler summers and warmer winters. south in Russia? Natural Resources Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. Guiding Question What natural resources are found in Russia? Russia has abundant natural resources. Siberia holds some of the Reading greatest wealth in natural resources on Earth, but its land and Progress Check climate can make it difficult to obtain them. 8. Why is Siberia the least densely populated region of Russia? oil

Russia’s Resource s

soil fish

Only about one-sixth of Russia’s land has soil suitable for . Most is in western Russia. 184 Reading Essentials and Study Guide NAME ______DATE ______CLASS ______

Russia Lesson 1: Physical Geography of Russia, continued

However, more than one-fifth of the world’s forests are in Russia. Lumber, paper, and cardboard are important products of Marking the the forestry industry. Text Most of Russia’s vast coal, oil, and natural gas are in Siberia. Read the text on the Russia’s coal and rich deposits of iron fuel the country’s 9. left. Highlight nine fuel steel industry. Steel is used to make machines that build and resources Russia’s automobiles, railroads, ships, and many other in Russia. consumer products. Fields in the tundra and taiga of Siberia’s Ob’ River basin make Reading Russia a major provider of oil and natural gas. These two fuels are Progress Check also found in the Caspian Sea region. Why are Russia’s mineral The Urals hold important minerals, such as , , , 10. industries so important and , but eastern Siberia holds most of Russia’s gold, lead, to its economy? and . The tundra region near the mouth of the Yenisey River is a leading producer of nickel and . Russia’s long coastlines and access to the Atlantic and Pacific make its fishing industry an important part of the country’s economy. Russia produces about one-third of the world’s canned fish and about one-fourth of the world’s fresh and frozen fish.

Writing Check for Understanding 1. Narrative Suppose you are traveling from west to east in Russia. Describe the landforms and vegetation that you see.

2. Expository In what ways is Siberia important to Russia?

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. classroom for reproduce to is granted Permission Education. © McGraw-Hill Copyright Reading Essentials and Study Guide 185