Odessa: A City Born Again and Again
As the third largest city in Ukraine, Odessa has a rich and eclectic history. Located on the Black Sea, about 450 km south of Kiev,…
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.
Turkmenistan: A Rich, Desert Land
Turkmenistan consists mostly of sparsely-inhabited desert, but has still found itself contested between civilizations throughout history. Over the past century, it has been particularly associated…
South Ossetia: Old Territory, New Problems
South Ossetia is one of the world’s newest independent states according to Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and the microstates of Tuvalu and Nauru. According to all…
Tbilisi: The Immortal City
These days, a visitor to Tbilisi might be struck by the calm, southern European atmosphere that pervades this hilly capital. The old city of Tbilisi,…
Georgia: New State, Deep Roots
The Republic of Georgia, a small nation in the South Caucasus, covers territory which has seen the rise and fall of many empires and kingdoms…
Bishkek: “A Place Below the Mountains”
Bishkek is capital of one of Central Asia’s poorest countries. However, it is also a modern, dynamic, and constantly evolving city with a rich history…
Abkhazia: Grandeur to Ruin… and Back Again?
Abkhazia: Grandeur to Ruin… and Back Again? With its precipitous mountains, subtropical climate, and pristine beaches, one would expect Abkhazia to be the Black Sea…
Kazakhstan’s Capitals: Two Cities of History and Modern Business
I. Almaty – The Old Capital Almaty is a beautiful city perched among the mountains in Southern Kazakhstan. Its name comes from the Kazakh word “alma” which…
Kyrgyzstan: A Small Country with a Big Stick
Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked, economically poor, and highly mountainous country in Central Asia, keeps an unassuming profile. It lacks the oil and gas wealth of Uzbekistan,…
Sochi: Russia’s Summer Capital
Nestled between the Black Sea and the steep Caucasus mountain slopes, the city of Sochi and its surrounding area occupies a critical part 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…
Moscow: Modern and historic challenges
Moscow’s official population of 10.5 million makes it the world’s seventh most populous city. In addition, the city also contains nearly two million official “guests,”…
Lake Baikal
Often called the Pearl of Siberia, Lake Baikal is a natural wonder that almost defies description. Its 1600 meter (almost 1 mile) depth holds 20%…
Irkutsk: A Fragile Jewel of Siberia
The land of Siberia brims with mystery and silence. Nearly incomprehensible size, it brims with natural resources, diverse ecologies and a myriad of peoples. Near…
Vladivostok: A Short History of Russian Rule in the East
The construction of Vladivostok was the culmination of Russia’s long drive to establish a major naval presence in the Pacific Ocean and help solidify its…
Chukotka: A US Neighbor at the End of the Earth
Writers call Russia’s Chukotka Region “the shore of two oceans.” Indeed, Chukotka stretches from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Pacific Oñean in…