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Year 9 - Geography

The population of Russia

Russia: How does geography shape the country?

Unit Summary

This unit teaches pupils about Russia's climate and biomes and how this affects its population. Pupils will also learn about Russia's natural resources and how this affects its relations with other countries around the world.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to give reasons for Russia's uneven population distribution and describe and explain major changes to Russia's population since 1950.

Key Notes

  • Russia has the ninth largest population in the world and more people live in the west than the east.
  • Population densities vary and reasons include climate and infrastructure.
  • Since 1990, birth rates have been declining and Russia's total population has started to fall.
  • Russia's population is ageing with increasing numbers of people aged 65+ due to improvements in life expectancy.
  • Migration within Russia is significant, with urban populations growing while rural populations are declining.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • population density: the average number of people that live within a square kilometre
  • choropleth: a type of map which uses different shades of colours to show the amount of something
  • natural increase: a calculation involving birth and death rates to understand population growth rates
  • ageing population: a large and growing part of a country's people are elderly
  • urbanisation: process by which more people move from rural areas to cities

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils often get the command language of describe and explain mixed up, most often causing them to explain something when just a description has been asked for.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.

Russia has the ninth largest population in the world and more people live in the west than the east. Population densities vary and reasons include climate and infrastructure.

2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'population density'

the average number of people that live within a square kilometre.

3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils often get the command language of describe and explain mixed up, most often causing them to explain something when just a description has been asked for. Correction: A description gives details of what something is like. It should contain as much detail as possible. An explanation gives reasons for the features and should use langauge such as 'because', 'as a result of', 'due to'.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 9 Geography guide library.