Articles in Russia, Ukraine, and Caucasus
Introduction to Yakutia (Sakha)—and Russia’s Grandiose Plans for the Region
Yakutia, officially the Sakha Republic of the Russian Federation, is a land of extremes. To begin with, it is by far the world’s largest “stateoid,” or political unit below the level of the sovereign state, covering 3,103,200 square kilometers (1,198,000 square miles), as opposed to second-place Western Australia’s 2,527,621 square kilometers (975,919 square miles). More than twice the size of …
Divided Russia: Nationalistic Maps
Most hyper-nationalistic fantasy maps greatly enlarge the group’s home country at the expense of the neighbors. However, most fantasy maps from Russia are quite different in nature, as they subdivide the country rather than extend it.
Border Disputes over Damansky Island and the Troubled Relations between Russia and China
In March 1969 Damansky/Zhenbao island became the site of a bloodbath which left several hundred Soviet and Chinese military and border guards dead. And even today this speck of land, together with two bigger islands near Khabarovsk, remains the focal point of simmering Russian-Chinese tensions.
Russian-Based Pidgins in Siberia
The contact situation that obtained in Siberia was a perfect breeding ground for a creation and development of Russian-based Siberian pidgins. This post focuses on three Russian-based pidgins have been documented in some detail: Russenorsk (aka Russian-Norwegian pidgin), Govorka (aka Russian-Taymyr pidgin), and Kyakhta Russian-Chinese pidgin.
Anachronistic Toponyms and Name Changes: Where Am I From?
If a city or a country has changed its name, what is the best way to refer to it in the past: the contemporary name or the one that is historically correct?
Birobidzhan: Frustrated Dreams of a Jewish Homeland
An interesting anomaly on the map of the federal subjects of the Russian Federation (see the map on the left) is the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the Russian Far East, the only member of its category. Numerous Russian autonomous oblasts marked the map of the early Soviet Union. As recently as June 1991, five remained: Adyghe, Gorno-Altai, Karachay–Cherkess, Khakas, and …
Political Prisoners of Siberia, part 2: The Gulag Legacy
Siberia was widely used as place of exile and imprisonment by the Tsarist government of Russia from the late 1600s until the end of the regime. Once the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917, they quickly replaced the tsarist katorga (penal servitude) system with the one of their own, which has become known as the Gulag Archipelago
Political Prisoners of Siberia, part 1: Tsarist Russia
Any discussion of Siberia is incomplete without an examination of its role in the history of Russia as a penal colony.
Birobidzhan Will Host the “Many-Sided Russia” Cultural Festival
Birobidzhan, the capital of the Jewish autonomous oblast in the Russian Far East, will host a Russian cultural festival “Many-Sided Russia”.
Pollution Levels in Norilsk Will Be Brought Down to European Levels in Four Years, or Will They?
As GeoCurrents has reported recently, Norilsk is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Norilsk Nickel is now set to implement a massive project designed to bring the sulfur dioxide emissions to acceptable levels.
Terranova: The Black Petaltail - A Novel
Diversity Amid Globalization: World Regions, Environment, Development (5th Edition)
Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World (3rd Edition)
