Guide to Russia’s Administrative and Geographic Divisions
Russia today is more politically, legally, and fiscally centralized than perhaps at any point in its history. At the same time, Russia remains complex, diverse,…
Read MoreGeoHistories
GeoHistories seek to understand the history of locations from the basis of geography. Geography plays a foundational role in a location’s development by providing the foundations of weather, soil, trade and invasion routes, and demographics. From the basis of these perceivable, quantifiable facts, we can build a solidly practical understanding of a location, its people, government, economy, and culture.
Origins of Russia: Moscow Becomes an Empire (Prehistory to 1584)
Moscow is not just a city. It was a fort that became a city, that became a state, that became an empire, that became a…
Europe: Divisions and Unifications
The European continent is diverse. Many of its countries, though smaller than many US states, can be further broken into regions that differ from each…
Crimea: Prosperity in Unity or Separatism?
“Prosperity in Unity” is the official motto of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a parliamentary republic that exists within Ukraine and occupies most of the…
Chechnya: A Difficult Cornerstone in Russian Security
Chechnya is a predominantly Muslim region nestled among many turbulent republics in the Caucasian Mountains. Though the deep ethnic, tribal, and religious divisions of the…
The Russian Far East: Gateway to Asia
Constituting over one-third of Russia’s territory, home to major natural resource deposits, and essential to maintaining increasingly valuable Asian trade routes, the Far East Federal…
Tatarstan: Semiautonomous and Thriving
Tatarstan is a semiautonomous republic within Russia, located about 500 miles east of Moscow. Roughly the size of West Virginia, but with nearly twice the…
Volgograd: History and Myth
A solemn but reverent air of respect hangs over Volgograd. Long a small military garrison, then a rapidly growing center of commerce and transport, Volgograd…
Eastern Siberia: Vast Potential
If Eastern Siberia declared independence, it would be the world’s seventh largest country – just below Australia. Yet, it would be only half as populous…