Chapter 14

Section 1.

1. The land area of Russia is 6.6 million square miles.

2. Russia's natural resources are fossil fuels, such as petroleum and coal, and minerals such as nickel, aluminum, gemstones, and platinum-group metals.

Creative Writing: While Russia is one of the major producers of fossil fuels and minerals in the world, many people may not care what else may lie in its soil. Russian land holds about one fifth of the worlds forests and thus is second only to the Amazon in terms of how much oxygen is released back into the atmosphere. In addition to the amounts of oxygen that the forests put back, they also create a home for millions of living creatures, from single-celled bacteria to woodland creatures. For not only the good of these creatures, but for the good of humanity, the Russian forests must be preserved.

Section 2.

1. Russia's major climate region include steppe, humid continental, subarctic, and tundra.

2. In the tundra, only small plants, such as moss, shrubs, and algae can survive. Softwood timber and other coniferous trees are the major vegetation supported in the subarctic region. In the humid continental regions, there are grasslands, several crops, like wheat and sunflowers, and coniferous-deciduous forests. The steppe climate allows sunflowers, mint, and beans to flourish.

Creative Writing: I have marched with my brothers, sometimes running, in order to try to enter a burning house so that I might find some scraps of food. The moral of my superiors is fading just as quickly as the rest of the men as they see their men fall into the snow from starvation, freezing, and exhaustion. We lose a man with every step towards the fleeing Russians and yet, I have not seen a frozen Russian, most likely due to the fact that they are much more prepared and have adapted to the inhospitable freezing wasteland. While I may not be able to see a few meters in front of me, the outcome of the war is quite clear: not one third of the men will ever see the border of Russia again.