Ex.9. Match each set of geographical features to the countries below

Japan, Holland, Mexico, India, Nepal, Canada, Brazil, South Africa

1. a peninsula bounded bya large mountain range in the North - a wide
plateau extending tothe ocean in the South- unpredictable monsoon
climate - population(approximately 720,000,000) concentrated in the
northern plains -

2. enormous forest areasin the interior - coastal mountains in the West-
numerous islands off the north coast - lowlands in the North - continental
climate, severe inland, more moderate by the sea - total area:3,851,809
square miles -

3. a wide variety of land and climate -a huge river basin in the North -
thickly forested -a vast plateau in the South - densely populated in
coastal belt to the East -relatively underdeveloped in central areas
beyond the highlandsin the South-East - lies on the Equator -

4. consists of four main islands - mountainous and hilly- many active
volcanoes - subject to earthquakes, typhoons and tidal waves - extends
throughmany degrees of latitude - the climate,therefore, is very diverse -

5. locatedround the mouthof the Rhine and oppositethe Thames estuary- a
long coastline- most of the country flat and low-lying- large areas in the
West and North below sea level - subject to floods -complex network of
canals -

6. mountainouswith numerous lakes - varied climateaccording to altitude,
ranging from tropical to temperate to cold - highest point over 18,000 feet
(nearly 6,000 metres) - desert in the West- half of the country lies inside the
Tropic of Cancer -

7. to the North the southern slopesof a gigantic mountain chain - tropical
forests and jungle - highest peak8,845 metres - fertile valleys for
agriculturein central zone —

8. most highly developedcountry in its continent - rich in mineral deposits
and other natural resources - large industrialised urban areasround
coasts- rural in the interior - rich vegetation,good irrigation -

Ex.10. Read the texts about the geographical position of Russia.

Russia

Geographic Coordinates

Russia is one of the largest countries of the world. It occupies about one seventh part of dry land. Its total area is over 17 million square kilometers.

Relative Location Positioned in northern Asia, Russia is in both the northern and eastern hemispheres. The country is dissected by the Arctic Circle, and also separated into two recognized landmasses by the Ural Mountains; its land west of those mountains is referred to as European Russia, and includes the capital city of Moscow.

The country is bordered by the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, a dozen seas, and 14 countries, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, (Kaliningrad Oblast) and the Ukraine.

(http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/russia.html)

Land Statistics

Coastline : 23,396 miles (37,653 km)

Land Areas

(land) 6,562,112 sq miles (16,995,800 sq km)

(water) 30,657 sq miles (79,400 sq km)

(TOTAL) 6,592,769 sq miles (17,075,200 sq km)

Russia is approximately 5,592 miles, (9000km) from west to east.

Landforms: The broad European Plain, or Volga River Plain extends from the oldest and very rich in minerals Ural Mountains to its western borders with Europe. In the far southwest the Caucasus Mountains slice across the land. The country's highest point, Mt. Elbrus - 18,481 ft. (5,633 m), is located there.

The central and southern areas include large fertile areas, marsh, steppes (plains without trees) and massive coniferous forests.

Siberia is a combination of frozen tundra, with rolling hills rising to plateaus, and numerous rugged mountain ranges. The northeast, south-central and southeast areas are covered by a wide variety of mountain ranges. A few on the Kamchatka Peninsula contain active volcanoes.

Russia has more than 100,000 rivers with a length of 7 miles, or greater. Significant rivers include the Volga, the Dnieper and the Dvina (west), the Lena, the Ob, and the Yenisey (central) and the Amur in the Far East. Lake Baikal is the deepest and the purest lake in the world, at 5,310 ft. (1,620m).

There are different types of climate in various regions of Russia. It is very cold in Yakutia even in summer. Central Russia has mild climate: winters are quite cold, springs and autumns are cool and wet, summers are hot. In Krasnodarsky Krai (region) the temperature is above zero all year round, even in winter. Summer is really hot there. In some locations the climate is subtropical. The climate of Siberia is continental: summers are hot and dry and winters are cold and windy.

Land Divisions: there are 48 oblasts, 21 republics, 9 autonomous okrugs, 2 federal, 9 autonomous okrugs, 2 federal cities and 1 autonomous oblast.

Russia is very rich in mineral resources such as oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, gold and diamonds.

Ex.12. Use the map of Russia and the text to answer the questions:

1. What oceans is Russia washed by?

2. What part of dry land does it occupy?

3. What land masses is it separated into by the Urals?

4. How long is the territory from east to west and from north to south?

5. What are the main rivers of Russia?

6. What is the total length of Russian rivers?

7. Are there any active volcanoes in Russia? Where are they?

8. What countries does Russia border on?

9. What are the greatest lakes of Russia? What is Lake Baikal famous for?

10. Where are large fertile areas situated in Russia?

Ex. 13. Put questions to the italicized parts of the sentences.

1. The shores of Russia are washed by the waters of the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans.

2. The territories of Russia lie both in Europe and in Asia.

3. The border line between Europe and Asia lies along the Urals.

4. In the north-west Russia borders on the Baltic States and Finland.

5. In the West Russia borders on Byelorussia and Ukraine, in the south-west it borders on the Caucasianrepublics,in the south—onKazakhstanand Mongolia,and inthe Far East — onChina.

6. Russia is rich in mineral resources.