ukraine, belarus, and moldova between russia and the eu
TRANSCRIPT
Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova
Between Russia and the EU
Objectives
• Identify Ukraine, Belarus, and the Black Sea on a blank map.
• Describe the physical geography of these countries.
• Explain why strong divisions exist within these three countries.
• Relate the disaster that occurred at Chernobyl.
• Explain the nickname of Ukraine.
Black Sea is the largest sea in Europe.
Collectives are large government-controlled farms.
Terms and Places
Crimea is a peninsula in the Black Sea.
Steppes are wide plains.
Chernobyl is a nuclear power plant that burned.
Breadbasket is a term used for areas that grow huge amounts of grain.
None of these countries are part of the EU or Eurozone.
Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova have several things in common that set them apart from most of Europe.
All of these countries have been invaded by Russia and have large Russian-speaking sections.
Ukraine
Belarus
Moldova
Cyrillic Alphabet
Ukraine and Belarus are the
two largest countries outside Russia that use
the Cyrillic Alphabet.
Latin Alphabet
Both
(The other two are Bulgaria and
Macedonia.)
Ukraine
Belarus
Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine follow
Orthodox Christianity.
Orthodox Christians use
icons – pictures or statues – to
help them worship.
The Orthodox church is similar to the Catholic
Church, but Orthodox
Christians do not recognize the
authority of the Pope.
Russia
Ukraine
Ukraine is called the “breadbasket of Europe” because it grows so much grain.
Ukraine is the largest country entirely inside
Europe.
Ukraine is mostly a fertile plain, called a steppe.
The western edge of its border overlaps the Carpathian Mountains.
This is where they grow the grain that gives Ukraine the nickname “Breadbasket of Europe.”
The Dnieper River crosses Ukraine and empties into the Black Sea.
On the Black Sea, Ukraine has a large Peninsula, called the Crimea.
The capital city, Kiev, and other large cities are along the Dnieper.
It’s subtropical and has been a summer vacation spot for many years.
The population of Ukraine is lower where the grain is grown.
Watch just the first few
minutes.
In the Middle Ages, Mongols, Tartars, and Huns invaded Europe through Ukraine.
Ukraine has suffered many tragedies.
Both Stalin and Hitler wanted to possess Ukraine because it was the breadbasket of Europe.
When they resisted, Stalin deliberately starved them.
Stalin tried to take over the farms of Ukrainian people.
A propaganda poster
The Starvation
In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine exploded.
28 workers at the station died within two months from acute radiation sickness. 135,000 were evacuated.
Chernobyl
Thyroid cancer among children is now 10 times higher than normal - in some areas, more than 80 times higher than normal.
Birth defects have doubled in Ukraine
since 1986.
The authorities didn’t inform the people for two days. Many people went sunbathing and swimming and so were exposed to more radiation.
Today, the area is a
ghost town, fenced off.
Wild animals born in Chernobyl are often deformed.
Unemployment The fall of Communism has brought about considerable personal freedom, but a bad economy.
High levels of poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, and other problems contribute to parents abandoning thousands of children.
If one is lucky enough to find work, the average monthly wage is $401.
Approximately 50,000 children live in the street. Once on the streets, many become victims of drug and solvent abuse.
Street Children
After President Yanukovych rejected a deal to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union, which areas had demonstrations?
Which areas voted for their last President, pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych?
Which areas voted for the pro-European party?
Compare the map of people’s political beliefs to a map of the language they speak.
This map shows the current situation. Russia has taken the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and is threatening its eastern third.
Belarus faces a similar problem. Many Russians live in Belarus; they want all the people Belarus
to speak Russian and Russian only.
Poland Ukraine
Russia
Lithuania
Latvia
Ukraine
The people of Belarus are mostly poor farmers.
Baltic States
Belarus is mostly farmland, with scattered forests and swamps.
BelarusPoland
What is the nickname of Ukraine?
Breadbasket of Eastern Europe
How many people currently live in Chernobyl?
none
What a type of disaster occurred at Chernobyl?
Flood Nuclear Earthquake Riots
What part of Ukraine is the most popular tourist destination?
Carpathians Steppes Kiev Crimea
On what body of water is the Crimean?
Baltic SeaBlack Sea Caspian SeaAdriatic Sea
The economies of Ukraine and Belarus make these countries:
Wealthier than most of Eastern Europe.
About the same as most of Eastern Europe
Much poorer than most of Eastern Europe
Ukrainian Borscht soup, made from beets other vegetables, and meat.
Paska: traditional rich Easter bread
'kremzliki are potato pancakes,
Pirogues
Which is the Black Sea?
Bla
ck S
ea
Black Sea
Black Sea
Black SeaBlack Sea
Which country is Ukraine?
Ukraine
Which country is Belarus?
Belarus
What is the major dividing factor in both Ukraine and Belarus right now?
Religion Race Language Education level
How is communication in Belarus and Ukraine more like Russian than like other countries in Europe?
Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian are written in the Cyrillic Alphabet. Most of Europe uses the Latin Alphabet.
How is language division causing a political division in these countries right now?
Most of Europe is moving toward the EU, but both Belarus and Ukraine have Russian-speaking populations that want to be friendlier with Russia instead.
What religion is the most popular in both Ukraine and Belarus?
Protestant Christian Judaism Orthodox ChristianCatholic Christian
One of the tallest statues in the
world is in Ukraine.
Here’s a privately made film that offers a quite revealing insight into ordinary life in Belarus.
Ukraine
Baltic States
BelarusPoland
MoldovaMoldova is the
poorest country in Europe.
Moldova also has a Russian-speaking section, but it has revolted and separated.
After a civil war, the Russian-speaking part formed their own country.
This country has its own government, currency, and army, but no other country has recognized it.
Please read “Ukraine.” World Studies: Europe and Russia. Pearson-Prentice-Hall, 2005. pgs. 189-194. About 4 pages
the strategic resource that binds Ukraine to both Moscow and Berlin is not food but natural gas. Ukraine’s major source of geopolitical significance is the Soviet-era pipelines that transport natural gas from Siberia to Europe. The terms of the gas trade are a major issue in Russian-Ukrainian relations
http://youtu.be/F621EvRd4BU