Objectives
Upon completion of Section 4,
students should be able to:
◆
describe how location has affected
the history and economies of the
Baltic states;
◆
explain why many Ukrainians
were eager to break free of foreign
domination;
◆
describe the link between Belarus
and Russia and the link between
Moldova and Romania.
National Geography
Standards
The following National Geography
Standards are highlighted in this
section: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14,
16, 17, 18
Bellringer
Ask students to think about the
ad-vantages and disadad-vantages that
would result if their state decided to
become an independent, separate
nation. Have students share their
ideas with the class. Point out that
the nations included in this section
broke away from the former Soviet
Union in 1991.
L E S S O N P L A N
1.
Focus
Ask students to locate
the Baltic states, Ukraine, Belarus,
and Moldova on the map on the
opposite page. Ask students to
speculate about similarities and
differences among these nations.
2.
Instruct
Begin a chart on
the board with the following
headings: Baltic States
and Border
Nations.
Ask volunteers to write
the names of the republics under
the appropriate headings. Based
on this chapter, ask students to
add information about each of
the republics, including location
and concerns for the future.
3.
Close/Reteach
Ask each
student to list the republics in the
order of his or her preference for
visiting them. Ask volunteers to
explain their lists.
S
S
o far in this chapter, you have learned about countries of Central and Eastern Europe that were dominated by the Soviet Union from the late 1940s through the 1980s. Technically, however, these countries were independent. In contrast, to their east lay Euro-pean states that officially were republics within the Soviet Union until that nation broke apart in 1991. Three of these states are the Baltic Sea nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. To the south of these three countries are Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova, which together form a border re-gion between European Russia and the rest of Europe.The Baltic States
The small nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Esto-nia are tucked along the eastern edge of the Baltic Sea. The three Baltic states share a similar
flat terrain, covered with marshy lowlands and fertile low plains. In Estonia, the average eleva-tion is only 164 feet (50 m). The region’s humid continental climate is influenced by the air that comes off the Baltic Sea. Generally, the region experiences wet, moderate winters and summers. The combined populations of the three Baltic states total only about 8 million. Lithuanians and Latvians speak similar languages. Estonians, however, speak a distinctive non–Indo-European tongue closely related to Finnish. Most Estoni-ans and LatviEstoni-ans are Lutheran, whereas the ma-jority of Lithuanians are Roman Catholic. Russians make up a significant percentage of the popula-tions of both Latvia and Estonia.
Effects of Location Historically, loca-tion has had an important effect on all three Baltic nations. They have benefited from their access to the sea and their location along major
Reading Focus
• How has location affected the history and economies of the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia?
• Why were many Ukrainians eager to break free of foreign domination?
• How is Belarus closely linked with Russia, and how is Moldova closely linked with Romania?
Key Terms
Baltic States and
Border Nations
4
4
Main
Idea
The Baltic states and border nations have established new international relations in the years since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Understanding the Past
Riga, the capital of Latvia, has been an important port since the 1100s. annexdiversify
Chapter 19 ■Central and Eastern Europe
406
RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Teaching Resources
Unit 5, Chapter 19
• Section 4 Guided Reading and Review, p. 17
Guide to the Essentials (English/Spanish)
• Section Summary, Chapter 19, Section 4
Mental Mapping booklet
• Outline Map 19, p. 72
• Unit 5 Checklist, p. 67
Technology
Guided Reading Audiotapes (English/Spanish),
Chapter 19, Section 4
Section Reading Support Transparencies,
Chapter 19, Section 4
World Geography Map and Photo Transparencies
• Central Europe and Northern Eurasia: Maps and
Photos
Book on CD,
Chapter 19
Social Studies Skills Tutor CD-ROM
Companion Web site, www.phschool.com
• Chapter 19 Activities
Chapter 19
406
S
ection
4
pp. 406–411
Enrichment
Radio Tour
Ask students to choose
one nation from this section. Have
them use tape recorders to prepare a
three-minute radio segment
describ-ing the government, economy,
par-ticular problems, and daily lives of
citizens in that nation. Programs
should include “interviews” with
officials and ordinary citizens.
Pro-grams may also include music and
sound effects. (Verbal/Linguistic)
Summarizing Main Ideas
Tell students to read the subsection
Soviet Republics. As they read, have
them list three important facts from
the text. Then ask students to use
their lists to help determine the main
idea of this section. Call on
volun-teers to read their lists and main ideas
to the class. If main ideas vary, lead
a class discussion to identify the
correct main idea.
trade routes. However, at various times, they have suffered from their location between pow-erful states such as Sweden, Austria, Germany, and Russia. For centuries, invading armies bat-tled for control of the region. As a result, the Baltic states have been subject to frequent con-quests by other powers.
The former Soviet Union was the most recent foreign power to rule the Baltic states. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia had gained their independ-ence after World War I. However, Soviet forces invaded the three states in 1939; and those states were soon annexed,or formally added, to the Soviet Union.
Soviet Republics Under Soviet rule, life in the Baltic republics was harsh. The Soviet Union
took advantage of their strategic location on the Baltic Sea by establishing naval bases in all three Baltic nations. Tens of thousands of people were expelled from their homelands. Nationalist symbols were removed from public view. Resis-tance, whether violent or not, was forcefully put down.
The breakup of the Soviet Union brought in-dependence to the Baltic nations in 1991. A num-ber of challenges and opportunities came with that independence.
Challenges and Oppor tunities Ethnic diversity is one of the key challenges for the Baltic states. In Estonia and Latvia there are large Russian minorities. In fact, Latvians constitute little more than half the population of Latvia. As
407
Chapter 19 ■Section 4
APPLYING THE GEOGRAPHIC THEMES
쎲Location The Baltic states and border nations stretch from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
• What advantage does Ukraine have over Moldova and Belarus in terms of trade?
Dniester R.
Dnieper R.
D on R.
S. Bug R .
Vistula
R.
Tisz
aR.
W. Dvina R .
Kremenchuk Res. Gulf
of Riga
L. Peipus
Black Sea
Sea of Azov Balt
ic
Sea
Hora Hoverla 6,762 ft. (2,061 m)
Pripet Marsh
es
CRIMEAN PENNINSULA CARPAT
HIAN MO
UNTAIN S
BLA CKSEA
LOWLAND
N ORTH EURO
PEAN
PLAI
N Tallinn
Riga
Vilnius
Minsk
Kiev
Odessa Chisinau
ESTONIA
LATVIA
LITHUANIA
MOLDOVA
BELARUS
UKRAINE
RUSSIA
ROMANIA POLAND
SLOVAKIA
HUNGARY
20°E
40°E 30°E
20°E
50°N
50°N
10°E 30°E 40°E
0
0 100 200 km
100 200 mi
KEY
Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area Projection Elevation
14,000 7,000 1,500 700 (sea level) 0
4,270 2,135 457 213 0 (sea level) Feet Meters
National capital Major city Mountain Marshlands
N
S
W E
Baltic States and Border Nations:
PHYSICAL-POLITICAL
Answer to Map Caption
Ukraine has access to the Black Sea,
while Moldova and Belarus are
landlocked.
407
Chapter 19
■Section 4
A C T I V I T Y
R E A D I N G S T R A T E G Y
Vocabulary
Diversify
Ask students to look up
the term
diversify
in the Glossary.
Then ask a volunteer to paraphrase
the definition. Ask:
How can
di-versifying industries help a
country’s economy?
(Having a
wide variety of industries provides
different products to sell and
pro-tects the economy from collapsing
if one industry fails.)
Connecting With . . .
History
Ask students to conduct
research on the early history of trade
in the Ukrainian city of Kiev. Tell
stu-dents that they may choose between
writing a report about the early traders
or drawing an illustrated map of the
early trade routes from Kiev to
Con-stantinople. Have volunteers share
their completed projects with the class.
a result, many Latvians favor measures that would limit the extent of Russian influence in the country. Such measures include policies that would restrict the use of the Russian language and make it difficult for Russians to become citi-zens of Latvia.
All three Baltic states have transformed their economies since achieving independence from the Soviet Union. They privatized industries that formerly were operated by the government. They encouraged foreign investment and sought increased trade with nations other than Russia. All three were admitted to the European Union in 2004. Estonia has been especially active in de-veloping its telecommunication industry.
Despite their small size and limited natural resources, the Baltic states have taken successful steps to expand and diversify,or increase the va-riety of, their industries. In Estonia, the majority of the people are involved in services and industries such as mining, shipbuilding, and manufacturing. Primarily agricultural before 1940, Lithuania has developed considerable industry, including food processing, shipbuilding, and the manufacture of machinery. Latvia’s industries are extremely diver-sified. They include the production of motor ve-hicles, pharmaceuticals, and electrical equipment.
Ukraine
According to an old proverb, “Moscow is the heart of Russia; St. Petersburg, its head; but Kiev, its mother.” Kiev, the current capital of Ukraine (yoo KRAYN), was where the first Russian state began more than 1,000 years ago. Kievan traders carried fur, honey, and farm products to the busy markets of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
Foreign Domination By the 1200s, Russian power moved northeast to Moscow and foreign powers fought for control of the region. For nearly five centuries, the region was con-trolled by foreign powers—the Mongols, then Lithuania, then Poland. The Poles tried to estab-lish Roman Catholicism, but Ukrainians re-mained Orthodox.
By the 1700s, Russian rulers established au-thority over the region. The Russians called the region Ukraine,meaning “the border.” Attempts to impose the Russian language on Ukrainians were unsuccessful, but nearly four centuries of Russian rule developed strong links between the nations. Historically, Ukrainians sometimes called their country Malaya Russiya,or “Little Russia.”
Chapter 19 ICentral and Eastern Europe
408
New Leader
in Ukraine
Government and Citizenship Viktor Yushchenko, shown on the right, was formally declared the third president of an inde-pendent Ukraine in January 2005. He was the pro-Western candidate, defeating the pro-Moscow candidate in a rerun vote in late December 2004.RegionsHow might the victory of a pro-Western candidate in Ukraine affect the country’s relationship with Russia?
Chapter 19
408
Answer to Photo Caption
The election of a pro-Western candidate
may strain the Ukraine’s relationship
with Russia if policies conflict.
A C T I V I T Y
A C T I V I T Y
B A C K G R O U N D
Environmental Issues
Chernobyl Delay
The Soviet
Union did not acknowledge the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant
dis-aster until two days after it occurred
in April 1986 and even then was
slow to inform the public about the
effects of the accident. In Ukraine,
Belarus, and other parts of the
re-gion, many people bitterly blame
the Soviet officials who allowed
residents to eat and drink
nated food and remain in
contami-nated areas for additional deaths and
illness caused by radiation exposure.
Geography on Video
Back to Chernobyl
This film
(
NOVA
series, Vestron Video, 1989)
follows Harvard physicist Richard
Wilson to Chernobyl three years
af-ter the nuclear power plant disasaf-ter
there. Wilson explains the human
error that caused the explosion as
well as the painstaking cleanup
ef-forts. The film also explores ways of
making nuclear energy safer.
Under Soviet Rule After Russia became
the Communist Soviet Union, Ukrainians often
suffered from harsh government policies.
Begin-ning in the 1920s, Soviet rulers forced farmers to
give up their land and work on large state-run
collective farms. Many people resisted by bu
rn-ing crops. In response, the government seized all
grain, leaving the people to starve. Between five
and eight million Ukrainians died in the resulting
famine. During World War II, many Ukrainians
welcomed the invading Germans as liberators and
collaborated with them against the Soviet Union.
Parts of Ukraine suffered serious
environ-mental damage in 1986 when an accidental ex
-plosion destroyed a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl
(CHAYR noh bul), sending a cloud of radiation
into the air. At least 26 people were killed, hu
n-dreds more injured, and millions exposed to
radiation. Some 12.3 million acres (5 million
hectares) of land were polluted by radiation from
the damaged plant. Ukrainians still must deal
with the long-term effects of Chernobyl, inclu
d-ing water pollution, birth defects, and various
kinds of cancer. The land surrounding Chernobyl
is not likely to be fit for human occupation for a
long time.
Since Independence Since the breakup
of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine has
reaf-firmed itself as an independent nation. With more
than 50 million people, vast fertile plains, and
huge coal resources, Ukraine has great potential
for development.
Slightly smaller than the state of Texas,
Ukraine is the “breadbasket” of Eastern Europe.
On the warm, fertile steppe, farmers produce
wheat, rye, barley, and potatoes that are ex
-ported to Russia and other nearby nations.
Farm-ers also benefit from rich, black-earth soil called
chernozem that forms beneathlush grasses.
Ukraine’s economy has had difficulty since
the nation regained independence. For a decade,
industrial production declined, but inflation
flourished. Reforms in the early 2000s helped
start a recovery, but the economy still is subject
to external forces. Ukraine must import large
quantities of oil and natural gas. A dispute with
Russia in 2005 and 2006 led to a temporary cu
t-off of natural gas imports.
Political reforms were implemented foll
ow-ing a controversial presidential election late in
2004. Peaceful protests by supporters of
op-position leader Viktor Yushchenko challenged
results that declared pro-Russian candidate
Viktor Yanukovych the winner. Yushchenko
won in a new election. The politicalfuture of
Ukraine was clouded when Yanukovych’s party
409
Chapter 19 ■Section 4
Central Europe, Eastern Europe,
and the United States
Central Europe, Eastern Europe,
and the United States
Country GDP per Capita (U.S. dollars) GDP Growth Rate (percentage) Unemployment (percentage) Albania Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Estonia Hungary Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Moldova Montenegro Poland Romania Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine United States
Economic Data
5,300 7,100 5,200 9,600 12,400 20,000 17,500 16,300 13,700 14,100 7,800 1,900 3,800 13,100 8,100 4,400 16,300 21,500 7,000 41,600 5.5 9.2 5.0 5.5 4.3 6.1 10.5 4.1 10.2 7.5 4.0 7.1 NA 3.4 4.1 5.9 6.0 4.0 2.6 3.2 14.3 1.6 45.5 9.9 18.0 7.9 7.8 7.2 7.5 8.2 37.3 8.0 27.7 18.2 7.7 31.6 16.4 6.3 3.1 5.1Economic Data
Source: The World Factbook
CHART SKILLS
쎲Economic ActivitiesWhich country has the lowest GDP growth rate?
쎲Planning for the FutureHow would you expect a low GDP growth rate to affect the unemployment rate in that country?
B A C K G R O U N D
Answers to Chart Skills
Ukraine
A low GDP growth rate may keep
unemployment levels high or cause
them to increase.
40
9
C
h
apter 19
■Section 4
TEST PREPARATION
Have students read t
h
e subsection Under
Soviet Rule on t
h
is page and complete t
h
e
following sentence.
The Ukrainians suffered a human-made
famine during the early 1900s because they
protested against —
A
World War II
B
the Germans
C
Chernobyl
D
Soviet rule
The following article may be used to extend the
content in this section.
Suchy, Lida, and
M
iso Suchy, photographer.
“Portrait of a Village: The Hutsuls of Ukraine.”
National Geographic,
Vol. 192, No. 5 (Nov.
1997), pp. 78–93.
The Hutsul people of Ukraine’s Carpathian
M
ountains revive a traditional culture that had
been suppressed by the former Soviet Union.
N A T I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C
Articles From
Religion
Widespread Faith
Orthodox
Christianity is named for the Greek
word
orthodox,
meaning
“right-believing.” Followers of this faith
be-lieve that its teachings were handed
down directly from the disciples of
Jesus. This religion is not only
com-mon acom-mong the Slavic people of
Be-larus but among many other nations
as well. The Orthodox Church has
over 174 million followers, with
prac-ticing communities in Western
Eu-rope, the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
The Global Economy
Fuel in Belarus
Now that it has
to buy expensive oil from Russia,
Be-larus has worked to build up its own
energy reserves. In western Belarus,
geothermal plants use heated
under-ground water to drive generators.
Most Belarussian industries run on
peat (densely compressed
vegeta-tion), which is burned for fuel.
Chapter 19 ■Central and Eastern Europe
410
gained the upper hand in parliamentary el ec-tions, and he was named prime minister.
Belarus and Moldova
Together withUkraine, Belarus andMoldova form the border region between Russia and the rest of Europe. Belarus and Moldova share another ch ar-acteristic. The two countries are similar in that they bothhave very close ties withlarger nations.
Belarus Belarus (byel ah ROOS), whichlies
to the north of Ukraine, is a nation of more than 10 million people in an area about the size of Kansas. Like Russians and Ukrainians, the peo-ple of Belarus are mainly Slavic and have prac-ticed Orthodox Christianity. Unlike people in most of the other new nations that formed when the Soviet Union dissolved, many Belarussians favored reestablishing close political and eco-nomic ties with Russia.
In 1996, Belarus and Russia signed a pact to form a “union state” that would strengthen
po-litical, cultural, and economic ties. In subsequent years, additional treaties called for the devel op-ment of a single currency, a joint defense policy, and other measures to integrate the two nations. However, real integration progressed slowly.
Today, Belarus’s economy depends mainly on industry and services. The nation,however, must import most of the raw materials needed to produce the finished goods. Belarus has oil re-serves as well as large deposits of potash, which
is used to make fertilizer.
Belarus suffered severely from the Chernobyl
disaster. Winds blew the radioactive cloud north -ward from Ukraine. More than one fifth of the country’s farmland was contaminated. As a re-sult, people had to stop using this land to pro-duce food.
Moldova Landlocked between the states of
Ukraine and Romania, Moldova is the second
Agricultural
Workers
Economic Systems The economy of Belarus com-bines elements of market and socialist economies. Nearly one quarter of the nation’s GDP comes from agriculture.
Regions How have Be-larus and Russia worked to strengthen economic ties?
RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Teaching Resources
Unit 5, Chapter 19
• Section 4 Quiz, p. 18
• Reviewing Main Ideas, p. 19
• Test Forms A and B, pp. 22–27
Spanish Resources
• Section 4 Quiz, p. 49
Guide to the Essentials (English/Spanish)
• Chapter 19 Test
Mental Mapping booklet
• Chapter 19 Map Test, p. 74
Simulations, Games, and Lab Activities
• Place Location Review Games, pp. 58–63
Social Studies Skills Handbook
• Study and Research Skills, pp. 94–108
Assessment
Assessment Rubrics
• Class Discussion Evaluation Form, p. 23
Technology
ExamView Test Bank CD-ROM,
Chapter 19 Test
Companion Web site, www.phschool.com
• Chapter 19 Self-Test
C
h
apter 19
410
Answer to Photo Caption
Bel
aru
s
an
d R
u
ssi
a
sig
n
ed
a
p
a
ct i
n
1996 th
a
t st
r
e
n
gthe
n
ed eco
n
o
m
ic ties
bet
w
ee
n
the t
w
o
na
tio
n
s. They h
a
ve
a
lso
a
g
r
eed to develop
a
si
n
gle c
urr
e
n
cy.
G L O B A L C O N N E C T I O N S
B A C K G R O U N D
Answers to
Section 4 Assessment
1. (a)
annex, p. 407
(b)
diversify,
p. 408
2.
The Soviet Union wanted to take
advantage of the states’ strategic
location on the Baltic Sea.
3. (a)
Natural resources such as the
rich, black-earth soils help increase
farm productivity.
(b)
Ukraine is
forced to import large quantities of
natural gas and oil, which limits its
industrial growth.
4.
The orange-clad supporters of
Yushchenko demonstrated in large
enough numbers to help force a new
election, which resulted in a
Yushchenko victory.
5.
Baltic states; they have expanded
and diversified their economies to
include the export of food products,
textiles, and machinery.
Activity Rubrics
Share rubrics
with students before they create
their maps.
Attempted
The map is incomplete.
Minimal
The map includes some
information but is not drawn
accu-rately and contains factual errors.
Adequate
The map accurately
identifies environmental changes in
the Baltic states and border nations
and is easy to read.
Exemplary
The map provides an
accurate and comprehensive
over-view of environmental change in
the Baltic states and border nations,
and it is attractively done.
smallest of the former Soviet republics. It also is the most densely populated, with more than 4 million people living in an area about the same size as the states of Maryland and Delaware, combined.
Moldova was once a Romanian principality, and most of its residents are of Romanian de-scent. With the end of the Soviet Union, Roman-ian again became the language used in schools. Despite these strong ties, however, Moldova’s
residents rejected a proposal to unify this new nation with Romania in 1994.
Moldova’s hilly terrain slopes gradually in a southerly direction toward the Black Sea. Its lo-cation and inviting terrain have made it a his-toric route between Asia and Southern Europe. It has also been subject to frequent invasions. Al-though Soviet planners built up Moldova’s fac-tories, the economy still depends on exports of wine, sugar beets, and seed oils.
1. Key Terms Define (a)annex, (b)diversify.
2. Understanding the Past Why did the Soviet
Union establish naval bases in the Baltic states?
3. Natural Resources (a)How do natural
re-sources benefit Ukrainian agriculture? (b)How does the lack of certain natural resources limit industrial growth in Ukraine?
4. Government and Citizenship How did the
demonstrations of Ukrainian citizens affect the outcome of the 2004 presidential election?
5. Critical Thinking Making Comparisons
Would you expect to find a higher standard of living in the Baltic states or in the border nations? Explain.
SECTION 4
ASSESSMENT
411 Chapter 19 ISection 4
Gravel Quarry
Natural Resources Both agriculture and industry are vital to the Moldovan economy. Here, a gravel quarry lies next to a plowed field.
Human-Environment Interaction Does this photograph show primary, secondary, or tertiary eco-nomic activities?
Making a Map Draw a sketch map of the Baltic states and border nations. Using symbols and shading, indi-cate how different types of environmental change have affected this region. Include human and natural alterations to the environment.
