Russia/Central Asia Flashcards
(31 cards)
Near Abroad
Former states of the Soviet Union, particularly those with a lot of ethnic Russians.
Nomadic pastoralists
Herd animals from place to place, carefully and deliberately following rainfall and plant growth to maintain their flocks
Northwest Passage
An ice-choked waterway spanning the Arctic Sea between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, north of the the Canadian and Russian mainlands
Oligarchs
Business leaders who wield significant economic and political power
Permafrost
Permanently frozen subsoil
Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR)
Many different regional nationalities under one banner
Zone of alienation
Where only a handful of residents and scientific teams reside
In 2014, the Russian Federation annexed ?
What was the response of the International community?
Crimea
The international community condemned them
Describe the distribution of climates across the region and how climate change may influence the regions future
The climates range from semiarid and arid, to mile temperate, to continental, to polar
Climate change may result in increased power production and cross-border tensions
What physical, economic and political impacts may global warming have on the Arctic?
Cross-border tensions
less agricultural production in the North Caucasus
etc.
Describe the regions’s 5 major environmental zones and the primary economic/agricultural activities in each of these zones
Tundra (reindeer) Taiga (lumber) Mixed Forest (lumber) Steppe (Wheat) Semidesert and Desert (Nomadic pastoralism)
Describe the environmental challenges of the region
Decimation of the Aral Sea
Pollution of lakes and rivers
etc.
How did the policies of the Soviet Union contribute to environmental degradation in the region?
Mismanagement of natural resources and failure to control pollution destroyed the environment
Describe the incident at Chernobyl and the status of the region today.
Chernobyl power plant exploded relates tons of radioactive waste into the atmosphere and killing millions. Chernobyl to this day is still off limits
Describe the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States.
For over 50 years, the US and USSR fought a cold war that resulted in geopolitical crises in many regions of the world, and isolated the soviet union from the west
What are Russia’s major exports?
Crude petroleum, refined petroleum, petroleum gas, metals
What is the leading cause of tensions between Russia and the Transcaucasus and Russia and Central Asia?
Ethnonationalism
Describe the distribution of the major religions of the region.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Muslim (minorities)
Describe the distribution of the major language groups of the region.
Russian and Belarussian
Turkic (Central Asia/Transcaucusus)
Paleo-Siberian (East)
Describe the current status of women in Russia.
They have limited rights (can’t get some jobs), but have opportunities
Describe the population density and distribution of the region
Most people live in Eastern Russia
What factors explain Russia’s high death rate?
Less healthcare
poverty
stresses surrounding economic dislocation
What mountain range is considered the diving range between Europe and Asia?
Ural Mountains
How much annual precipitation does Siberia receive?
10 to 20 inches per year
