| WG.4 |
The student will locate and analyze physical, economic, and cultural characteristics of world regions: . . .Russia and Central Asia, . . .. |
| WG.12 |
The student will apply geography to interpret the past, understand the present, and plan for the future by |
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a) |
using geographic knowledge, skills, and perspectives to analyze problems and make decisions; |
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b) |
relating current events to the physical and human characteristics of places and regions. |
Describe how physical, economic, and cultural characteristics influence regional development. Use the regional information provided below.
Countries
Location of countries with particular emphasis on countries listed (determined by their per capita GDP, land size, and population)
• GDP
- Kazakhstan
- Russia
- Turkmenistan
• Land size
- Russia
- Kazakhstan
- Turkmenistan
• Population
- Russia
- Kazakhstan
- Uzbekistan
Physical Characteristics
• Vast land area — spans two continents (Europe, and Asia) and covers 11 time zones
• Vast areas of tundra, permafrost, taiga, and steppe
• Varied climate regions
• Black-earth belt (rich chernozem soil)
• Mountains
- Caucasus Mountains
- Ural Mountains (divide Europe from Asia)
• Siberia (the sleeping land), located east of the Urals
• Major oil, natural gas, and mineral resources
• Water features
- Volga River
- Ob River
- Amur River
- Lake Baikal
- Caspian Sea
- Aral Sea
- Bering Strait
- Pacific Ocean
- Arctic Ocean
• Some rivers flow northward to the Arctic Ocean
Economic Characteristics
• Transition from communist to free market economy
• Farming and industry concentrated in the Fertile Triangle region, rich, chernozem soils (wheat farming)
• Infrastructure — Trans-Siberian Railroad, systems of rivers, canals, and railroads
• Energy resources — Hydroelectric power, oil, and natural gas
• Russian natural resources not fully developed due to climate, limited transportation links, and vastness of the country
• Foreign competition for investment in the region (oil pipelines)
• Widespread pollution
• Shrinking of the Aral Sea
• Political and economic difficulties after the breakup of the Soviet Union
• Cotton production in Central Asia
Cultural Characteristics
• Diverse ethnic groups, customs, and traditions (many of Turkic and Mongol heritage)
• Cultural heritage
- Ballet
- Fabergé eggs
- Music
- Icons
- Matrioshka dolls
- Oriental carpets
- Samovars
• Cultural landscape
- Russian Orthodox churches
- St. Basil’s Cathedral
- Red Square
- Kremlin
- Mosques, minarets
- Siberian villages
- Soviet-style apartment blocks
• Cities as centers of culture and trade
- Moscow
- St. Petersburg
- Novosibirsk
Explain the following practical applications of how geography enables students to be informed, active citizens in their communities:
• Recycling programs
• Conversion of land from agricultural use
• Water sources (e.g., dams, reservoirs, wells, pipelines, ocean)
• Airport expansion
• Air quality
• Boundaries (e.g., school zones)
• Bicycle paths
• Mass transit
• City planning and zoning laws
• Energy use
• Location and size of public buildings (e.g., schools, recreation centers, hospitals, and libraries)
• Selection of locations for new stores and businesses
Explain that current events are shaped by the physical and human characteristics of the places and regions where they occur.
Use the following examples to explain how physical and human characteristics influence current events of places and regions:
• How physical characteristics influence current events:
- Natural hazards (e.g., flooding, earthquakes, volcanoes, drought)
- Climate, vegetation
• How human characteristics influence current events:
- Population distribution
- Geographic patterns of ethnic diversity
- A sense of place (emotional attachment to specific locations)
- Geographic patterns of trade and interdependence (e.g., oil)
- Geographic patterns of wealth and poverty (developed and developing nations)
Below is an annotated list of Internet resources recommended for this organizing topic. Copyright restrictions may exist for the material on some Web sites. Please note and abide by any such restrictions.
A Chronology of Russian History. Bucknell University. < http://www.bucknell.edu/x20136.xml>. This page dates the major (and some not so major) events in Russian history and links them with explanatory and related materials on the Web.
“Astronomy Picture of the Day: Earth at Night.” NASA. <http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html>. This site offers a map that shows the lights of the world at night.
Cyrillic Alphabet. Berlitz Russian Phrase Book and Dictionary, 1993. <http://www.friends-partners.org/oldfriends/language/russian-alphabet.html>. This Web site provides transliterations of all letters in the Russian alphabet, plus the opportunity to hear each letter pronounced.
The Face of Russia. Public Broadcasting Service. <http://www.pbs.org/weta/faceofrussia/>. This site offers information about the TV series The Face of Russia, together with a timeline of Russian history and references.
“Historical Backdrop: Timeline of Selected Events.” Turner Learning. <http://www.turnerlearning.com/tntlearning/animalfarm/aftimeline.html>. This site provides a timeline of world events from 1825 through 1999.
Justice for Everybody: Human Rights in the Russian Federation. Amnesty International. <http://www.amnesty.org/russia/>. This site highlights the discrepancy between the human rights protections that those living in the Russian Federation have in international and national law, and the reality of widespread human rights abuses committed in a climate of impunity.
“Letter to Bolshevik.” The Library of Congress. <http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/d2presid.html>. This site shows a translation of a real letter written in 1926 to the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolshevik) by prisoners who are returning from the Solovetsky concentration camp because of our poor health. (Reprinted in part on Attachment G.)
Map Machine. National Geographic. <http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/> National Geographic's redesigned online atlas provides access to National Geographic maps of the entire world.
The Moscow Kremlin: An Historic Tour. The University of Texas at Austin. <http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~powellm/kremlin.html>. This site provides historical information about and pictures of the Kremlin.
Outline Maps — Education Place. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. <http://www.eduplace.com/ss/ssmaps/>. This site permits visitors to print a variety of maps related to this organizing topic.
Owl and Mouse Educational Software. <http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm>. This site provides activities to promote geographic knowledge.
Rare Antique Imperial Russian Samovars. The Lower East Side Restoration Project. <http://www.russiansamovars.com/samovars1.htm>. This site provides information about and pictures of antique samovars that are for sale, allowing buyers to own a piece of Jewish cultural history.
Schulman, Bruce R. “The Fabergé Experience: Fabergé Eggs.” <http://users.vnet.net/schulman/Faberge/eggs.html#TOP>. This site provides historical information as well as pictures of Fabergé eggs.
“Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr (Isayevich).” The Nobel Prize Internet Archive. <http://www.almaz.com/nobel/literature/Solzhenitsyn.html>. This site offers a biography of the famous Russian author.
“Timeline: Early Russian History from Legendary Warrior Rurik to Ivan the Great.” Infoplease.com. <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/russiatime1.html>. This site provides a timeline of Russian history from 862 until today.
Where, Oh Where Will We Go? Guilford County Schools, North Carolina. <http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/russia/russia.htm>. In this Webquest, students prepare a trip to St. Petersburg for four people and take on different roles to learn about Russia.
The World Factbook 2002. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. <https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html>. This site contains searchable information on all countries.
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning: History and Social Science Released Items for Virginia and United States History. Virginia Department of Education 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/Release2003/History/VA-RIBs_g11wgeo-1.pdf>.
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning: World Geography Test Blueprint. Virginia Department of Education, 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/HistoryBlueprints03/2002Blueprint9WG.pdf>. This site provides assessment information for the course in World Geography. |
