REGIONS PHYSICAL OF RUSSIA 1. Russian Plain (East European Plain) Eastward continuation of the North European Plain Extends to Ural Mountains Moscow Basin is located at the heart of the Plain North of the basin the country is covered by needle leaf forests South of the basin are the grain fields of Ukraine Major rivers: Volga, Dnepr, Dneistr, Ural Major cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novgorod 2. Ural Mountains Separates two extensive plains Not a high range--tallest peak 6,200 ft. No barrier to transportation Densely populated southern end Minerals: oil 3. Caspian-Aral Basin Area between the Caspian and Aral Seas Windswept plains of steppe and desert Kirghiz Steppe in north Oasis irrigation 4. West Siberian Plain (West Siberian Lowlands) World's largest unbroken lowland--flattest on earth Basin of Ob & Irtysh Rivers Northern area is permafrost-ridden Major center of oil and natural gas production heavily South settled Omsk & Novosibirsk--Trans-Siberian Railroad 5. East Siberian Highlands (Central Siberian Plateau or Uplands) Between the Yenisey and Lena Rivers Sparsely settled Remote Permafrost Extremely long & cold winters; short summers Some minerals: nickel, copper, platinum 6. Yakutsk Basin Mountains with high relief surround the basin 7. Eastern Highlands Volcanic mountains
Lake Baikal--5,000ft deep Mt Kluchevskaya--15,000ft North is most inhospitable zone South is less severe Lumbering; fur trade; gold, diamonds Newest Resource: Solid Gas: frozen fossil fuel 8. Central Asiatic Ranges Tashkent west to Lake Baikal Pamir Mts., Tien Shan, Altai Mts. From Caspian Sea to Sea of Oskhotsk Tallest mountain is Communist Peak--24,590ft 9. Caucasus Region Between Black and Caspian Seas Extension of the Alpine system of Europe Mostly volcanic-many high peaks greater than 15,000ft