GEOGRAPHY OF RUSSIAGEOGRAPHY OF RUSSIAAND EASTERN EUROPEAND EASTERN EUROPE

Geography 308Geography 308Professor Zoltán GrossmanProfessor Zoltán Grossman

OfficeOffice: Phillips 258: Phillips 258HoursHours: 10:00-10:50 MWF: 10:00-10:50 MWF

PhonePhone: 836-4471: 836-4471E-mailE-mail: grossmzc@uwec.edu: grossmzc@uwec.edu

WebWeb: www.uwec.edu/grossmzc: www.uwec.edu/grossmzc

Geography is about “place”

Physical (natural)

HumanEconomicCultural/ethnicPopulationPoliticalUrban/rural

Nature-human interactionEnvironmentalRegional

Changes in Europe, 1990-93

Geographical implications

•End of Cold War stand-off

•Transition from State Socialism to Capitalism

•Some states break up along ethnic lines

•Decolonization of Russian Empire after four centuries

Northeastern Europe

•Poland•Ex-GDR (East Germany)•Czech Republic•Slovakia•Hungary

Baltic States:•Estonia•Latvia•Lithuania

Southeastern Europe (“Balkans”)

•Romania•Bulgaria•Albania

Former Yugoslavia: •Slovenia•Croatia•Bosnia & Hercegovina•Macedonia•Serbia & Montenegro

(Yugoslavia until 2003; includes Kosovo)

Russian/Soviet “Heartland”

European Russia•Southern Russia

Including Chechnya

•Eastern Russia (Siberia)

•Ukraine•Belarus•Moldova•Mongolia

MONGOLIA

Caucasus and Central AsiaTranscaucasia:

•Georgia•Armenia•Azerbaijan

Central Asia:•Kazakstan•Kyrgyzstan•Uzbekistan•Turkmenistan•Tajikistan

My Homies: The Magyars (Hungarians)

Zoltán

“Zoltan Hound of Dracula”

Zoltarin “Big”

Zoltan, ImperialCommander of the Space Nerds

Hungarian for “Sultan”(from the Ottoman Turkish

occupation of Hungary, 1526-1686)

(Hungarians have lost every war since then.)

Poltar, Slovakia Kondorfa, Hungary

Mom’s Hungarian Relies