The Western World Daily Readings on Geography Chapter 81 Russian Domain Regional Example

CHAPTER 81 Russian Domain Regional Example Siberia Cold , vast , and unpopulated except for convicts and reindeer herders . This popular conception of Siberia has elements of truth to it , but begs for a more complete understanding . Siberia is the enormous Russian landmass east of the Ural Mountains . Larger than any country in the world ( except obviously Russia ) Siberia covers five million square miles . In popular terminology and from its earliest noted history , Siberia refers to all of the land east of the Urals , stretching to the Pacific Ocean . In this essay the use of the term Siberia will be in this broadest sense , unless otherwise noted . In Russia , however , this territory often is for practicality . During the Soviet Northern Above Photo by Klaus period , Siberia was divided into West Siberia , East Siberia , and the Far East . Currently , under the Russian Federation format of federal districts , Siberia consists of the Urals federal district , the Siberian federal district , and Far Eastern federal district . Yet another geographic delineation of Siberia marks the eastern boundary as the watershed between Pacific and Arctic drainage , thus leaving Siberia to fall short of the Pacific Ocean . In its broadest sense Siberia represents over of Russia area . For all its vast territory Siberia remains sparsely populated . A major cause of this low population density is the challenging climate , that of northern cold . Overall , Siberia holds about eight people per square mile , though many of the farther northern lands average only one or two people per square mile . Southern lands linked by the Siberian Railway have the highest population density . Population trends for areas not privy either to rail or river transportation are subject to a negative feedback loop . Due to the lack of transportation , these locations do not increase in population however , due to the lack of population , they do not become connected to the network of transportation . Although Siberia is this vast natural landmass , over of the population of Siberia lives in urban settings . Siberia has long been Russian territory , though the precise origin ofits name has been muddled or lost over the centuries . While many accept the word for sleeping land as the historical and logically appropriate origin for the toponym , others maintain that the region is named for one or another tribe native to the region . The earliest settlement of Siberia came from small ethnic groups that progressively found themselves displaced by more numerous more powerful nations . By migrating to the Siberian frontier , clearly a less desirable 397

398 JOEL QUAM AND SCOTT CAMPBELL location with much lower agricultural production , these ethnic groups escaped confrontation . Although these nationalities are multiple , their populations are small . The majority population in virtually every is Russian ( or Russian Ukrainian ) This minority status for natives is the result of Russian exploration , exile , and migration . Russian traders and Cossacks entered Siberia in the century , eventually prompting the construction of Russian forts progressively eastward , with Russian settlers reaching the Pacific Ocean by the end of the century . Siberia isolation made it an attractive setting for Russian and later for Soviet authorities to exile political opposition or to imprison criminals . And then , the completion ofthe Railroad in 1916 linked laborers and raw materials with European Russia . The dominant landscape of Siberia is taiga , the predominantly coniferous forest . Northern locations feature tundra , while much ofthe region contains permafrost soils . The West Siberian Lowland is the world largest section of continuous lowland , whereas mixed elevations and occasional mountain ranges are found in the rest of Siberia . The key importance of Siberia is its vast diversity and rich quantities of minerals and energy resources . Oil and natural gas reserves are immense in West Siberia , particularly in the region . Considerable development of these energy deposits was accomplished during the Soviet era , including an area of pipelines directed to Russian cities as well as far beyond Russia into Western Europe . Lower Lake , Siberia Photo by Extraction of raw materials nickel , gold , coal , diamonds , timber , water power , and much more was begun in the tsa rist yea , but was greatly birch at , Russia . Photo by accelerated Drake on . during Stalinist industrialization and propelled by vast numbers of prison laborers . Even fisheries off the eastern edges of Siberia in the Sea of produce large returns . While the great storehouses of resources remain in Siberia , the demise of the Soviet subsidies and the elimination of prison and directed laborers have diminished the rates of resource utilization . Issues of labor and of pollution , but most prominently of profit , have closed mines and factories in various Siberian locations . Overall , Siberia is abundant in land area , natural resources , permafrost , and cold in contrast , it is short on people and roads .

DOMAIN REGIONAL EXAMPLE 399 CITED AND ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY , Klaus . Northern Siberia from Above . Accessed May 27 , Generic ( Lake , Siberia . Accessed May 27 , Attribution Generic ( BY )