Question | Answer |
taiga | Earth's and Russia's largest forest made up of coniferous trees |
tundra | vast, treeless plain north of Arctic Circle with average temps below freezing |
permafrost | permanently frozen layer of soil beneath surface of ground |
Ural Mountains | Range/boundary between Europe & Asia rich in iron ore, oil, natural gas; separates developed from developing Russia; physical barrier between Eurasia & Asia |
Lake Baikal | Earth's and Russia's oldest, deepest lake; holds 1/5th of world's freshwater |
radioactive waste | contamination of water and air causing pollution from nuclear waste and weapons of mass destruction residue |
steppe | wide, grassy plain with dry summers & long cold winters, rich chernozem soil, located in SW/SE Russia, Eastern Europe, parts of Mongolia |
pesticides | pollution causing chemicals which run off into lakes & rivers, used to kill crop-destroying rodents & insects |
chernozem | rich black soil good for agriculture in Northern European Plain where 75% of Russia's population lives |
3 characteristics of Russia | 1-largest country in world
2-formerly U.S.S.R. [Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; now a unified country
3-formerly communist with command economy; now an independent republic with market economy |
Soviet-Era | period from 1922-1991 when Russia was part of U.S.S.R. and communist |
nationality | people who share feelings of pride and common language, religion, customs, beliefs |
satellite nations | Eastern European countries formerly controlled by U.S.S.R. superpower after World War II |
communism | belief based on Karl Marx's ideas; called for overthrow of government and wealthy ruling class and creation of new society of workers |
sovereignty | "self rule"; an independent nation has sovereignty but Russia's satellite nations did not have sovereignty |
command economy | government run, communistic economy where resources [jobs, housing, businesses, production] are controlled by a central authoritative government |
market economy | based on "free enterprise" with private ownership by individuals/companies, and production is based on "supply and demand" |
privatization | when government owned companies change over to privately owned companies |
Russification | government policy that encouraged people to speak Russian & practice Eastern Russian Orthodox Christianity to exclude non-natives from living in Russia [such as Jews & Muslims] |
socialism | belief in economic equality [all land is public and wealth is shared equally] in society proposed by Karl Marx |
Bolshevik Party | Revolutionary group led by Vladimir Lenin to overthrow the czars in 1917-1922 and create the U.S.S.R. communist government |
intelligentsia | Soviet-era government officials educated in technology & politics, considered the "intellectual elite" in U.S.S.R. |
Shatter Belt | Region marked by conflict & aggression due to location "stuck" between opposing [cultural/political] groups |
glasnost | means "openness" in Russian; allowed free exchange of ideas in post-Cold War period |
perestroika | policy of economic reforms ["restructuring"] by Pres. Gorbachev in order to move Russia toward a democratic, free enterprise economy |
Moscow | Capital city of Republic of Russia and country's industrial center; home to Kremlin |
Kremlin | home of government in Russia, located in Moscow, official name is "Russian Federation" |
czar | leader and "supreme ruler" in pre-Soviet-Era Russia |
kolkhozes | Soviet-Era farms worked by farmers who shared some of the profits |
sovkhozes | Soviet-Era farms that were run like factories with farmers who were paid wages only for work done and no profits |
serf | peasant-type worker who is bound to the land and controlled by nobility landowners |
Chernobyl Disaster | Fire in nuclear reactor in 1986 killed & displaced thousands of Russians causing international pressure to shut down dangerous reactors |
Trans-Siberian Railway | 6,000 miles long connecting Moscow to Vladivostok in interior of Russia |
cyrillic | Slavic type of writing used primarily in Russia with unique lettering and symbols |
westernization | movement proposed by czar Peter I [Peter the Great] creating stronger military, education & trading to bring Russia into the modern age |