Russia is considered the largest state in the world. The northern continental point is Cape Chelyuskin (in the Taimyr Peninsula), the island point is Cape Fligely (Rudolph Island). The extreme western is the site on the Sand Spit near Kaliningrad (in the Baltic Sea), the eastern - Cape Dezhneva (Chukotka).
Territory specifics
The length of the borders has a significant impact on the economic and transport-geographical position of Russia. Almost the entire territory of the state is located in the Eastern Hemisphere. The large length of the country causes a time difference of 10 hours. In sparsely populated areas and on the seas, time zone boundaries run along the meridians. In densely populated areas, they coincide with the administrative boundaries of the subjects. The total length of the border of the Russian Federation is 60 thousand km. Of these, 40 thousand km are considered marine. They pass 22.7 km from the coastline. 370 km from the mainland and islands are the borders of the country's economic marine zone. Within its borders, shipping is allowed to any countries. The extraction of natural water resources and subsurface resources is carried out exclusively by the Russian Federation.
Northern borders
They pass through the waters of the seas of the Arctic Ocean: Barents, Kara, East Siberian, Laptev Sea. All but the first are covered with drifting ice throughout the year. In this regard, the transportation of goods through them is significantly difficult. Within the Arctic Ocean is the Russian sector of the Arctic. All of its islands belong to the Russian Federation, with the exception of several from the Svalbard archipelago.
West and East
The eastern borders are drawn along the waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Sea of Japan. Sakhalin Island is separated from about. Hokkaido by the Strait of Laperouse. The Sea of Japan does not freeze, which provides transport links with its closest neighbors. By the waters of the Baltic Sea, the Russian Federation is connected with Germany, the Baltic countries, Poland, Sweden. The northern part of the water area freezes in some areas, but not in others. The Baltic Sea provides transport links with many Western European countries. In the south-west, the maritime border runs along the waters of the Black and Azov Seas. Short lines also go along the Caspian Sea.
Transport and geographical position of Russia (Grade 9)
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country had 4 main accesses to the oceans:
- Black Sea.
- North Sea.
- Pacific.
- Baltic.
After the collapse of the USSR, independent states were formed, the CIS was created. The transport-geographical position of Russia has substantially changed. In short, the collapse of the Union significantly limited the possibilities for the country to independently enter the main trade routes. This is especially noted in the Black and Baltic Seas. This, in turn, affected the geopolitical situation.
Ports
The transport and geographical position of Russia today is quite complicated. The country has become virtually divorced from the Baltic states. Today, St. Petersburg is the largest international port in the west. It is provided by a network of internal paths that fan out in different directions from it. The Kaliningrad and Vyborg ports are characterized by less capacity and congestion. There are also a number of problems in the Black Sea-Azov basin. Two ports operate in this area - Tuapse and Novorossiysk. Through them, oil is exported and grain is imported. But in these ports there are no berths for loading piece goods and containers. The transport and geographical position of Russia is also complicated by the fact that in the south and north-west there are no coastal sections suitable for the construction of port berths without limiting costs.
North way
The current transport and geographical position of Russia significantly limits maritime communication with Western countries through the Black and Baltic Seas. Along with this, the role of northern ports is increasing. This route is associated with high-latitude rather risky navigation. Nevertheless, at present, the issue of increasing the capacity of the northern ports is quite acute. Turning this path into a major thoroughfare took decades. So, in 1932 from Murmansk to the Bering Strait, and in 1935 to Vladivostok, the Sibiryakov icebreaker passed without wintering. Regular swimming began in 1937. Vessels needed about a month to cover distances. Navigation along the northern route lasts 4 months. This highway connects the Far Eastern and European ports, the mouth of the Siberian rivers. It should be noted that in the Siberian region there are practically no other transport routes. In this regard, the significance of the northern highway will only increase.
Far East
The transport and geographical position of Russia, which has changed since the days of the USSR , the pros and cons of which, upon a detailed examination of each region, become obvious, forces the government to reorient its efforts towards the development of remote areas. This, in particular, is associated with the weak development of the Far Eastern direction. And in this region there are advantages. One of the most important advantages of the Far East is the security of access to the Pacific. If you develop this area, you can significantly improve the transport and geographical position of Russia. The pros and cons of the current situation in the Far East are determined not only by internal, but also external factors. So, there are still claims from Japan regarding the islands.
Railway
Features of the transport and geographical position of Russia are manifested not only in the development of sea routes. The existing difficulties today are associated with the operation of railway transport. Examples of the transport-geographical position of Russia in the Soviet and present times clearly testify to this. So, during the years of the USSR, 25 railway crossings were concentrated on the western borders. Today, the Russian Federation has only 3:
- From the Kaliningrad region to Poland and to Brest.
- With Finland.
- From St. Petersburg to Grodno.
The disadvantages of the transport and geographical position of Russia are obvious in the field of automobile communication. Moving along highways is quite expensive for the country. Today, there is a significant limited capacity of railways and roads, as well as sea and river ports.
EGP and the transport and geographical position of Russia
To determine the place that a country occupies in comparison with other states, its position is analyzed relative to large economic and cultural centers. According to these indicators, an assessment of the transport-geographical position of Russia is carried out. The analysis uses various scales:
- Macro level. It characterizes the country's position on a global, global scale in relation to the continents, key centers of the international economy and politics, and transport routes.
- Mesoscale. It characterizes the country with respect to groups of states that form historical regions (Asia-Pacific, South Asia).
- Micro level. On this scale, the transport-geographical position of Russia relative to the border countries is analyzed.
The geopolitical position shows the place of the state on the political map of the planet. According to EGP, the country's position at the economic level is characterized. For comparison, the key economic centers of the world are taken. EGP is determined by the transport and geographical location.
Mesoscale
In connection with the change in the geopolitical situation, migration flows arose. With the collapse of the USSR, redistribution of labor began in Russia. Intermediate migration flows began to settle in the Urals and Volga region. A sufficiently large percentage remained in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories. Along with migratory movements, the redeployment of the military to the border territories began. Significant changes are noted in the market position of the regions relative to trading partners, industrial centers, and transport routes.
District groups
Today, regions with favorable conditions for carrying out economic activities are distinguished. There are areas with some difficulties for the work of business entities. The first include those that are within the zones of influence of the main federal transport hubs: Moscow and the region, coastal areas, Sverdlovsk, Perm region. and so on. The second group includes regions located in the interior of the country: the Volga-Vyatka region, Western and Eastern Siberia, the Magadan region, the Komi Republic and other peripheral territories.
Geopolitical Priorities
According to historians, the USSR was in a biopolar world (America - NATO, the Soviet Union - the organization of the Warsaw Agreement). After the collapse, the geopolitical position of the Russian Federation changed . The world was gradually becoming multipolar. In its policy, Russia should not focus on any one group of countries. Currently, relations are important not only with the CIS countries. For Russia, the priority today is the establishment of interaction with all countries in whose markets you can profitably sell your products and purchase products that are relevant to yourself. The state has to focus on those powers that make it possible to get the maximum effect from external relations. Various priorities were previously associated with many circumstances that were then relevant. Today the situation has changed. Accordingly, priorities were reoriented. They are aimed at:
- Countries of Southern and Western Europe. Strong ties have been established with Germany.
- Eastern European states. Russia plans to renew and improve interaction with them.
- Asia-Pacific countries (India, China, Japan, Korea).
Changes in the geopolitical position caused a number of negative consequences. Currently, foreign trade with the states of the western and southern hemisphere is carried out through the CIS countries. This significantly complicates the transport operations and the operation of the fuel and energy complex of an international nature.
Conclusion
At present, Russia still acts as one of the largest exporters of raw materials. At the same time, the country is also an importer of investment and consumer products in world trade. However, the “resource model”, which brought a certain income, cannot fully ensure the rapid and sustainable development of the state. This is mainly due to the depletion of existing deposits, lack of sufficient funding for the development of new ones, depreciation of technological equipment, obsolescence of production and processing technologies. According to experts, one of the priority areas for the country today is participation in multilateral projects of an international scale. Russia is currently quite actively involved in the global division of labor. However, this process is accompanied by both positive and negative results. A plus is the fact that the state has the opportunity to buy the necessary goods and services on the international market at affordable prices. Along with this, the country is also an exporter. And if external prices are lower than internal, then the effect of this activity will be negative. Despite all the difficulties, the state is pursuing a qualitatively new policy. At the same time, the advantages of geographical location are actively used. Today, the country is in the top ten countries that have signed an agreement on cooperation at the international level with the Baltic powers. A similar agreement is valid with the Black Sea regions.