Chapter 16

Section 1

1. Agriculture, industry, communications and transportation have changed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Agriculture in Russia used to be based on state-controlled kolkhozes and sovkhozes - farms owned by either the farmers, or the government - but since the decline of the soviet union, and the growing market economy, the stability of agriculture depended on crop imports from other countries. Industry is slowly increasing its GDP in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. The main focus of Russia's industries is the extraction and processing of crude oil, and the import of minerals and metals. Communications post-Soviet era have recognized new view points, and is not as restricted of criticizing the government as it was under soviet rule. the use of cell phones has doubled, and the use of the Internet is above the world's average of 12%. Finally, transportation is difficult, at best, in Russia. Often, snow-fall and -melts often make roads unsafe, and unusable. Russia depends on waterways and rail systems to transport goods and people all across the country.



The Trans-Siberian railroad is the largest
contributor of transportation across Russia.



2. Russia is developing into a full part of the global trading community. Its major trading companions are the Japan, the EU, China, and other former Soviet republics.

creative writing: Russia, under Soviet rule, started with a control economy. The government controlled what products were made, where they were sold, and how much they cost. many working consumers could not afford day-to-day things, and therefor, both the economy and the working population suffered. Mikhail Gorbachev, who ruled starting in 1985, began changing the economy over to a market one in order to save the economy, which was failing. he allowed businesses to become privately owned, and he reduced the government's control on consumer products. The next ruler, Boris Yeltsin, further removed price controls and encouraged investing profits in foreign reinvestment's. Eventually, Russia's economy became a fully market economy.


Section 2
1. Russia manages its natural resources by forcing companies in mining, fishing and timber industries to take environmentally aware actions, by replanting trees, increasing private investments to protect forests, and meeting strict environmental standards.

2. The future environmental challenges that Russia faces are the shrinking fish populations in Russia's oceans and rivers, the use of super trawlers in the fishing industry - which unnecessarily kills millions of sea mammals and fish every year. Pipelines that transport gas and oil across the country threaten the environment with leaks and busts, which can kill the surrounding areas for miles. Also, the thawing of peat bogs in Siberia could release millions of metric tons of greenhouse gasses into the air.

creative writing: Pollution is a global issue, but it affects some people more than others, and in places like Russia, with lots of lands and forests to care for, the impact is greater. The Soviet's disregard for environmental preservation did not help maters. The soviets tested the effects of nuclear bombs and explosions. Nuclear wastes and radioactive materials, if not properly contained, can cause severe cancer, destroy the environment in a large area, and contaminate water for generations. One example of a severely disasterous exposure of the effects of radiation was in the fire in the nuclear plant in the Russian town of Chernobyl. The fire set off an explosion releasing tons of radioactive particles into the air. This disaster still affects people today.


The nuclear power plant after the explosion in Chrnobyl.