central and eastern europe & russia

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE & RUSSIA

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE 18 Countries. Former Soviet Union, broke apart in 1991, each region became its own country.

POLAND Physical Characteristics:

Mostly covered by the European Plain. Used to be covered by thick forests, now

cut down for farmland. Today, more than 2/3 is open fields. Poor and sandy fertile soil, hard to farm.

CLIMATE AND INDUSTIRES OF POLAND: Industries:

In the South large deposits of coal, sulfur, and copper.

Poland depends on other countries for iron and petroleum.

Climate: Severe winters Mild summers which are often rainy

HISTORY AND CULTURE OF POLAND During WWII Nazi Germany took over

Poland. Nazi’s built 6 concentration camps in

Poland, about 6 million Poland people were killed in camps.

Under Soviet control, Poland was communist. Except Polish people never supported the Soviets.Auschwitz, Poland

BECOME AN INDEPENDENT NATION After WWI Czechoslovakia was formed

with Czech and Slovakia lands that were controlled by Hungary.

Czechoslovakia was a democratic government until Germans took control in the late 1930’s. In 1945 Soviets took over Germans in Czechoslovakia. Was Communist until 1989.

THE CZECH AND SLOVAK REPUBLICS, AND HUNGARY

Used to be considered part of the former Soviet Union.

In the late 1980’s when the Soviet Union split Czech’s, Slovaks, and Hungarians reaffirmed themselves as separate countries.

INDEPENDENT AT LAST… In 1993 Czech and Slovak leaders

worked together under a velvet revolution and created two separate countries, Czech and Slovak.

Velvet Revolution = a revolution without bloodshed.

THE CZECH REPUBLIC Czech Republic did not exist as an

independent nation until 1993. Physical Characteristics:

More than 10 million people Flat areas, except the plains that lie beside

the Elbe River. Plateaus and mountains.

CZECH REPUBLIC: 2 regions: Eastern Region = Moravia

Old coal and steel industries. However, now inefficient in the world market.

Western Half = Bohemia Mines and industries. Coal, iron ore, copper, and lead all

mined in the North. Also deposits of quartz which is used to make glass.

Prague is the capital of Czech, located in central Bohemia. Challenges:

air and water pollution from acid rain and industrial pollution.

SLOVAKIA: Became an independent nation in

1993. More than 5 million people live in

Slovakia. Physical Characteristics:

Rugged peaks in the north to the plains of the Danube in the South.

Carpathian Mountains

HUNGARY: Physical Characteristics:

About the size of Indiana. Danube River divides the country into two

parts. Western half = Transdanubia

Hills, plateaus, and valleys. Known as land across the Danube.

The Eastern half = Great Alfold Known as “Breadbasket of Europe”

BALKAN PENINSULA Romania:

Economy: Recently western investments have

brought small improvement Poor even though there are lots of natural

resources Ineffective government

Physical Characteristics: Plains, fertile soil, foothills

BALKAN PENINSULA: Bulgaria:

Climate: Summers = warm Winters = mild

Democratic Government Physical Characteristics:

Fertile soil Known as “garden of eastern Europe”

BALKAN PENINSULA Albania:

Economy: Italian and Greek manufacturers built

factories because of cheap labor. Physical Characteristics:

Mountainous 3.5 million people

BALTIC STATES & BORDER NATIONS: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia

Physical characteristics: Flat terrain, marshy lowlands, and fertile

plains Combined population of 8 million people All three countries gained independence

after WWI

BALTIC STATES & BORDER NATIONS: Ukraine

Capital – Kiev Economy:

Grow crops like wheat, barley, and potatoes

Physical Characteristics: Smaller than the state of Texas Fertile soil Known as “Breadbasket of eastern Europe”

BALTIC STATES & BORDER NATIONS: Belarus and Moldova

Belarus Economy:

Industries and services Physical Characteristics:

Size of Kansas – 10 million people Moldova

Economy: Wine, sugar beets, and seed oils

Physical Characteristics: Landlocked, Hilly - 4 million people

RUSSIA Fun Facts:

Russia is the largest country in the world.

Twice the size of the U.S. Russia spans across Europe and Asia.

Russia stretches across 11 time zones. The coldest temperature ever recorded

outside of Antarctica was in far Eastern Russia at -94 degrees Fahrenheit

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RUSSIA: Varied Most of the land is flat, rolling plains. Mountains in the southern and eastern parts. Several rivers flow into the Arctic Ocean and the

Caspian Sea. The Ural Mountains divide Russia between Asia

and Europe. Mountains are at a low elevation

Very important because they contain valuable minerals.

ECOSYSTEMS OF RUSSIA: Winters are long and very cold. Summers are short. Russia is mostly subarctic. Biomes:

Tundra = few plants and animals, very cold. North Russia.

Taiga = thinly scattered forests. Forests cover half of Russia. Great source of paper and other forest products.

Steppes = Broad open stretches that were once a grassland.

Taiga Forest

GEOGRAPHIC ISSUES IN RUSSIA: Rural Life:

Many Russians escape city life and enjoy hiking and camping in the mountains and forests.

Traditional ways of life continue in villages and other rural areas.

Urban Life: ¾ of Russia’s population live in large cities During Soviet control there were a lot of

housing shortages, so government built huge apartment blocks.

CULTURE AND ETHNICITY OF RUSSIA: Ethnicity:

25 million residents of Russia belong to non-Russian ethnic groups.

Culture: Artistic Creativity Concerts, operas, and ballets.

TRANSPORTATION IN RUSSIA: Railroads:

93,000 miles of track in Russia. Greatest mover of people and goods. Inexpensive

Rivers: Important trade route since most rivers are

frozen during many months of the year. Dangerous.

ECONOMIC & ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS:

Environment: Soviets were wasteful and inefficient = depleted

resources and hurt the environment. Today, Russia is very concerned regarding

environmental problems. When Soviet Union fell, Russia suffered from

inflation. Inflation = wide spread increase in prices. Because of inflation, black market developed.

Black Market = goods and services are sold unofficially