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?