The former Soviet empire spanned eleven time zones and contained half the world\'s forests; vast deposits of oil, gas, and coal; various ores; major rivers such as the Volga, Don, and Angara; and extensive biodiversity.
This Environmental History of.
These resources and animals, as well as the people who lived in the former Soviet Union - Slavs, Armenians, Georgians, Azeris, Kazakhs and Tajiks, indigenous Nenets and Chukchi - were threatened by Environmental degradation and extensive pollution.
The former Soviet empire spanned eleven time zones and contained half the world\'s forests; vast deposits of oil, gas, and coal; various ores; major rivers such as the Volga, Don, and Angara; and extensive biodiversity