World Geography Chapter 15 Answers – Flashcards
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How does the landscape of the northern 2/3 of Russia change from west to east?
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West is flat and east is mountainous
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Which area has the richest agricultural land, most people, and largest cities?
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Northern European Plain
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What is chernozem and where is it located?
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super fertile soil, on the Northern European Plain
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What physical features characterize the southern 1/3 of Russia and the Republics?
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mountains, barren uplands, and grasslands (desert, too)
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What border do the Caucasus Mountains form?
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Between Russia and Transcaucasia
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Where is the Turan plain and what is it like?
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between the Caspian Sea and the mountains of Central Asia. It is very dry
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What is considered the dividing line betwen russia and Asia?
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Ural Mountains
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Why is the region sometimes called Eurasia?
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Some people say it is one continent
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Which republics make up Transcaucasia?
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Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
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What is the region's largest drainage basin and what three rivers drain into it?
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Largest = Arctic Basin Rivers = Ob, Yenisey, and Lena
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What are the two largest lakes in the region?
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Caspian Sea and Aral Sea
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Why is Lake Baikal unique?
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deepest lake in the world
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What are the Syr Darya and Amu Darya?
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Rivers that cross the Turan Plain
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What are the Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum?
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Deserts in the Turan Plain
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What are some of the resources that have been developed in Russia and the Republics?
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Coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydroelectric power
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Why might extracting and transporting the region's resources be difficult?
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because it's so cold
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What other challenges face regional leaders?
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have to balance economic growth with protecting the environment
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What is the longest river in the region?
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Volga River
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What is the oldest and deepest lake?
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Lake Baikal
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Describe Siberia.
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frozen, cold, flat
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What is thermal pollution?
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the discharge of unusually hot water?
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Why might a large part of the population live on the Northern European Plain?
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Because of the fertile soil and the three large cities
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Why is the Volga the region's most important river?
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Because the majority of river traffic goes down the Volga.
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What are the two main climates of this region?
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humid continental and subarctic
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What are the three influences on these two climates
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high latitude, mountains, enormous size
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What is the effect of continentality on the climate?
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less precipitation and more extreme temperatures
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How does long stretches of cold weather affect daily life?
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use frozen livers and lakes as roads, and there is a huge layer of permafrost.
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From north to south, what are the four main vegetation regions of Russia and the Republics?
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Tundra, Forest, Steppe, Desert
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What is the name of the largest forest on Earth?
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taiga
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What kind of vegetation does the steppe have?
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grassland
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what is the taiga?
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the largest forest in the world.
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Why has the Aral Sea lost about 80% of its water?
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dams and other irrigation projects took water from the rivers that drain into the lake
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What other environmental problems affected the area?
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runoff of chemicals, pesticides into rivers. Also pesticides were picked up by wind and carried to towns, etc.
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What would have to be done to keep the lake at its present levels?
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Would have to remove half of the acres of farming
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What is runoff?
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rainfall not absorbed by the soil that runs into streams and rivers
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What problems do Siberia residents face in winter and summer?
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Summer - mosquitoes and flies, Winter - everything freezes
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What contributes to the formation of swamps in Siberia and how do the swamps affect people living in the region?
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Warm weather melts ice and leaves pools of water that breed mosquitoes and flies. Black clouds of insects attack the residents.
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How does Siberia's climate affect construction
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Permafrost makes the ground hard, and warm buildings melt permafrost. Builders build off the ground.
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How did the Russians' harsh winter help the country in the early 1800s?
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Napoleon's troops died in the winter and could not take the country.
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What made the building of the TransSiberian Railroad an enormous undertaking?
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It was 5,700 miles long. It went through 7 time zones. Had to get rid of 100,000 acres of forest.
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Why did Russian officials want to build the Trans-Siberian Railroad?
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To populate Siberia to use the many resources.
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How did the railroad affect the development of the region?
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5 million people settled there, and resources poured out of the region
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How long did it take to complete the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad?
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12 years
