Russia and Central Asia

Economic Geography

Natural Resources

Russia and Central Asia have many different types of natural resources, both renewable and nonrenewable.

Renewable Resources

A. Russia has timber in Siberia. Most of Siberia is covered in Taiga.

B. Russia has a lot of arable land, but most of it is in Western Russia.

C. Russia has fish in the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and Pacific Ocean.

Agriculture

Cotton is grown in Central Asia around the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea has been shrinking because of over irrigation of the rivers that flow into it.

Nonrenewable Resources

Russia has fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas. There is oil on the bottom of the Caspian Sea. The natural gas in Russia is in Siberia on the Arctic coast.

Russia consumes less oil than it extracts so it is able to export crude oil on the world market.

Nonrenewable Resources

Russia has many minerals such as aluminum, copper, lead, iron, zinc, gold, and silver.

Energy Resources

Russia has abundant sources of natural gas, coal, and oil. Russia also produces energy with nuclear power and hydroelectric power.

Chernobyl

In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant located in the Ukraine exploded. The explosion released massive amounts of radiation and the entire city of over 300,000 people had to be evacuated.

Oil Pipelines

The Russian economy has been expanding because of increased investment in the oil industry. After the fall of communism many foreign companies invested in the Russian oil industry.

Capital Resources

A. Western Russia has a well developed infrastructure to include a system of railroads, roads, and canals.

B. Siberia has a poor infrastructure. The Trans-Siberian railroad runs through Siberia but there are not many roads or railroads.

Trans-Siberian Railroad

A. Novosibirsk became an important city after the Trans-Siberian Railroad was completed. (Remember site and situation!)

B. Site = The physical location of a cityC. Situation = The geographic, political,

or economic factors around a city that make it important

Economic System

From 1917 to 1990 Russia was communist and it had a command economy. In a command economy the government controls all means of production. People cannot own land or businesses.

Economic System

Before 1917, Russia was ruled by a Tsar. He was an emperor and had absolute power.

After 1917, Russia was ruled by the Soviets. The Soviet Union refers to Russia, the countries of Central Asia, and some countries in Eastern Europe.

Warsaw Pact Countries

Warsaw Pact

The Warsaw Pact was a group of countries led by the Soviet Union that were communist. In order to combat the Warsaw Pact the United States created NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

Economic Challenges

The transition from a command to free market economy has been difficult but recently the economy of Russia has shown steady growth and standards of living are increasing.

Economic Challenges

There is widespread pollution in Russia. A few examples are:

A. Oil spills from poorly maintained pipelines.

B. Radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and nuclear submarines.

C. Air pollution from factories with poor air quality standards.

Economic Challenges

The resources in Siberia are difficult to develop due to climate, limited transportation links, and vastness of the country.