Physical Characteristics of Russia and Central Asia Francisci WG.4 Climate Regions Climate regions include: Tundra: treeless Arctic region with permafrost (frozen soil); extreme northern regions. Taiga: Frozen forest of coniferous trees mostly in Siberia. Steppe: Semi-arid and found in Central Asia. Time Zones Russia and Central Asia sit on two continents: Europe and Asia and cover 11 different time zones. Mountain Areas The Ural Mountains divide Europe and Asia Mountain Areas The area west of the Ural Mountains has rich soil called chernozem: very black and rich soil filled with nutrients. Because of this black soil, this region is commonly referred to as the black earth belt. Mountain Areas The land east of the Ural Mountains is called Siberia: Sleeping Land. Siberia extends from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in the east. This region is rich in natural gas, mineral resources and oil. Rivers Many of the rivers in this region flow northward and empty into the Arctic Ocean. Example: Ob River