And its neighboring countries once formed most of the old soviet union, or u. S. S. R. Many of these old soviet republics differ from one another on the basis of ethnicity and religion. But within the Russian Federation itself, there are republics that could still fragment along cultural and political lines. One of these is dagestan. Dagestans historical and economic geographies help explain opposing centripetal and centrifugal forces within russia. As a largely Islamic Republic adjacent to warring chechnya dagestan now receives new scrutiny in the war on terrorism. To help explain the differences between chechnya and dagestan, we explore the relationship between diverse cultures d the physical geography of the Caucasus Mountains. Dagestan the name means land of mountains. Part of the Russian Federation dagestan lies in the Caucasus Mountains on russias southern border. Most people here live in small villages that are often very isolated. In the 19th century, when science still believe
And a look at the city of st. Petersburg. Once russias capital, st. Petersburg is located far the north. Its relative location to European Economic markets and Cultural Centers provides clues to its unusual setting. This region continues to grapple with the challenges of new political and economic structures. As privatization forces cause housing problems for some residents, others, called new russians, find the future filled wi opportunity. As s not always beenransition to a fa smooth ridey for this russian city and its people. 1917 st. Petersburg is where the Russian Revolution began. Inflamed by leaders like vladimir lenin, the russian working class revolted against the czarissystem. This marked the beginning of 70 years of soviet communist government. Under the czars, st. Petersburg was russias capital. It was an Industrial City and a trading port, with strong links to weste europe. For a city with such a significant role in both russia and the world, st. Petersburgs location was,
inflamed by leaders like vladimir lenin, the russian working class revolted against the czarissystem. this marked the beginning of 70 years of soviet communist government. under the czars, st. petersburg was russia s capital. it was an industrial city and a trading port, with strong links to western europe. for a city with such a significant role in both russia and the world, st. petersburg s location was, and still is, exceptional. it lies almost as far north as anchorage in alaska. yet it is actually the fourth largest city in europe after moscow, london and paris. the reason st. petersburg is here is because of one man czar peter the great. 300 years ago, he chose this location on the neva river delta to build an entire new city. palaces and churches, boulevards, a shipyard rose out of the swamp. st. petersburg is a remarkable and amazing city. when peter the great selected this isolated site, it didn t seem to have a chance of surviving. but he wanted to find a place and