Chapter17CentralAsia,theCaucasus,&
SiberianRussiaPg.513-538
PhysicalGeographyoftheRegion• Labelonthemapinyournotes:• 3Regions• Siberia(EasternRussia),CentralAsia,theCaucasus
• Mountainsformbordersinthisregion• Caucasus,Ural,TianShanMtns
• ImportantWaterways• Arctic&PacificOceans,Black&CaspianSeas(world’slargestinlandsea),andLakeBaikal(world’slargest(byvolume)&deepestfreshwaterlake)
NorthSiberia’sEcosystem• Tundra – treelessw/tinyplants,reindeer,rabbits,fox,polarbears• Permafrost – permanentlyfrozensoilà
• Lotsofnaturalresources,butharshclimatemakesithardtoreachthem
CentralSiberia’sEcosystem
• Taiga – thickconiferousforestsw/brownbears,sableà• Fewpeoplelivethere
SouthSiberia’sEcosystem
• Steppe (drygrassland)plains,plateaus,&mountains• Siberiantigers,bear,reindeer,lynx,wolf,wildboar,elk
TheKamchatkaPeninsula
• Partofthe“RingofFire”• Mountains• Volcanoes• Earthquakes
CentralAsia’sEcosystem
• Arid(desert)&semiarid
TheCaucasus’sEcosystem• Mountains&deciduous forestsinlowlandareas
HistoryofSiberia&CentralAsia• 1000BCuntil1700s:
• Siberiawaspastoral (animalherders)
• CentralAsiawasinvadedoftenduetotheSilkRoadtraderoutetoEastAsiaà
• Georgia&Armeniawereearlyconvertsto(Orthodox)ChristianityinAD300s• ArabinvadersbroughtIslam,themostcommonreligioninCentralAsiatodayinA.D.700sà
HistoryofSiberia&CentralAsia
• 1700:Siberia&CentralAsiabecamepartofRussia• Builtrailroads&begantoirrigate drylandtogrowcotton
• 1905:Trans-SiberianRailroadwascompleted,allowing coalmines&farmstoexpandbecausetheycouldnowexporttheirproducts
GenocideintheCaucasus
• 1915:TheOttomanEmpirecontrolledArmeniaduringWWIandtheMuslimTurkscommittedgenocideagainst1.5millionArmenianChristians
HistoryofSiberia&CentralAsia
• 1917:WhenRussiabecamethecommunistUSSR farmlandwasplacedincollectives runbythegovernment,nomadicherdingwasbanned&gulags(prisoncamps)wereestablishedinSiberiao prisonerlaborexpandedmining&industryinSiberia
o Sovietsbuiltindustry,dams&moreirrigationandmanyRussiansmovedtoCentralAsia
• 1991:whentheSovietUnioncollapsed,theCentralAsianrepublicsdeclaredtheirindependenceandcurrentboundaries
PeopleintheRegionToday• Ethnicities:
• The“stans”populationsusedtobenomadictribes(Kazakhs,Turkmenis,Uzbeckis,Tajiks,Kyrgyz)
• TheCaucasus:primarilyhomogenous(similar)populationsofArmenians,Azeris,&Georgians
• Siberia:primarilyRussian,withsomeMongolorTurkicancestry• Culture&dailylifevaryinurban&ruralareas• Someruralfamiliesliveinyurts,whileurbanKazakhsliveanddresslikeEuropeans.
LastingImpactsoftheSovietUnionontheCaucasus&CentralAsia
1. “Recovering”fromcommunism:• Eachcountryhasstruggledtoestablishstable,democraticgovernments&free-enterpriseeconomies
2. Ethnicdiversity• causesconflictduetostrongnationalism(desireofanethnicgrouptorulethemselvesasaseparatenation)
LastingImpactsoftheSovietUniononCentralAsia3. Pollution:• ManyRussiansmovedthere,settingup hastily-builtfactoriesthathavecausedalotofpollution
4. Changesintraditionalnomadicculture:• Nomadictribeswereforcedtosettle&farmirrigatedlandthatwasnotsuitableforfarming• Overuse&over-irrigationhasdestroyedtheAralSea
EnvironmentalProblemsneartheAralSea• Pollutionbychemicalfertilizer• TheAralSeaisdryingup!Waterfrommajorrivershasbeendivertedtoirrigatecottonfields• Whateffectisthishavingonthisregion?
TheDisappearingAralSea
• TheSeamaybecompletelygoneby2030!• Whatcanbedone?