central and eastern europe & russia
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Central and eastern europe & Russia. 18 Countries. Former Soviet Union, broke apart in 1991, each region became its own country. . Central and eastern europe. Physical Characteristics: Mostly covered by the European Plain. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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