Russian Kafe » geography

Chelyabinsk Region

jim — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:16:56 +0000

The Chelyabinsk region of Russia is located in both Europe and Asia. It is a place where East meats West. The region’s capital is traditionally known for its industry which grew rapidly in the Soviet era. However, there are still vast parts of the Chelyabinsk region that are still very far from the industrialized world. In some areas of Chelyabinsk there is a new tourism industry trying to get started. Here’s a fascinating report from Russia Today about the Chelyabinsk region and the beauties you can see there.

Video on YouTube

Link: Chelyabinsk Region (Oblast) at Wikipedia
Link: Chelyabinsk (capital city) at Wikipedia

A Tunnel From Russia to Alaska

jim — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:58:03 +0000

Last week in Russia, backers of a plan to build a massive transportation network connecting Siberia to North America once again floated an age old idea of building a tunnel under the Bering Strait. The plan was apparently first conceived more than 100 years ago by officials of Russian tsar Nicholas II. Supporters of the plan said it would cost about $65 billion to build the system.

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

jim — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:00:52 +0000

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is located in eastern Siberia. Sakha is a rather large republic and occupies one-fifth of Russian territory, 40% of which is above the arctic circle. About 980,000 people live in this vast republic where the population density is about 10 times lower than in European Russia. Sakha is rich in natural resources, history, and culture. It’s also one of the coldest places in Russia with average air temperatures in January of -43.2°C (-45.8°F).

Yakut New Year Festival. By Evgenia Arbugaeva.

The Verkhoyansk Range. By Alexei Zuev.

To find out more about The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), visit YakutiaToday.com. This site is dedicated to sharing news and information about Sakha with the English speaking world.

Link: YakutiaToday.com

The Shrinking Aral Sea

jim — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:00:55 +0000

The Aral Sea, located between the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once the world’s forth-largest lake. The Soviet government diverted the two main rivers that feed the sea in order to irrigate desert land and grow cotton. As a result, the sea’s surface area has shrunk by approximately 60%, and its volume by 80%. This change has greatly effected the ecology of the surrounding area. The shrinking Aral Sea has even been blamed for recent orange colored snowfall in Siberia.

Here are some interesting photos and satellite views of the Aral Sea.

The Aral Sea from space, August 1964.

Satalite views from 1973, 1987 and 2000 of the shrinking Aral Sea. Photo by NASA.

Dust Storm over the Aral Sea on June 13, 2006. Photo by NASA.

The Shipwreck of the Aral Sea. By Elena Senao.

Abandoned Fishing Boats. By Christopher Herwig.

Link: Wikipedia article on the Aral Sea
Link: The Aral Sea on Wikimapia

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