Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR or Soviet Union). USSR square. republics, cities, population

It occupied one sixth of the planet. The area of \u200b\u200bthe USSR is forty percent of Eurasia. The Soviet Union was 2.3 times larger than the United States and very little less continent North America. The area of \u200b\u200bthe USSR is a large part of the north of Asia and the east of Europe. About a quarter of the territory was in the European part of the world, the remaining three quarters lay in Asia. The main area of \u200b\u200bthe USSR was occupied by Russia: three quarters of the entire country.

The largest lakes

In the USSR, and now in Russia, there is the deepest and cleanest lake in the world - Baikal. This is the largest freshwater reservoir created by nature, with unique fauna and flora. It is not for nothing that people have long called this lake the sea. It is located in the center of Asia, where the border of the Republic of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region passes, and stretches for six hundred and twenty kilometers like a giant crescent. The bottom of Lake Baikal is 1167 meters below sea level, and its mirror is 456 meters higher. Depth - 1642 meters.

Another lake in Russia - Ladoga - is the largest in Europe. It belongs to the basin of the Baltic (sea) and Atlantic (ocean), the northern and eastern shores are in the Republic of Karelia, and the western, southern and southeastern coasts are in the Leningrad Region. The area of \u200b\u200bLake Ladoga in Europe, like the area of \u200b\u200bthe USSR in the world, has no equal - 18,300 square kilometers.

The largest rivers

The longest river in Europe is the Volga. It is so long that the peoples who inhabited its shores gave it different names. It flows in the European part of the country. It is one of the largest waterways on earth. In Russia, a huge part of the territory adjacent to it is called the Volga region. Its length was 3,690 kilometers, and the catchment area was 1,360,000 square kilometers. On the Volga there are four cities with a population of more than a million people - Volgograd, Samara (in the USSR - Kuibyshev), Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod (in the USSR - Gorky).

In the period from the 30s to the 80s of the twentieth century, eight huge hydroelectric power plants were built on the Volga - part of the Volga-Kama cascade. The river flowing in Western Siberia, - The Ob is even more full-flowing, although a little shorter. Starting from Altai, it runs across the country to the Kara Sea 3650 kilometers, and its drainage basin is 2 990 000 square kilometers. In the southern part of the river, there is the man-made Ob Sea, formed during the construction of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power station, the place is amazingly beautiful.

Territory of the USSR

The western part of the USSR occupied more than half of all Europe. But if we take into account the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe USSR before the collapse of the country, then the territory of the western part was barely only a quarter of the entire country. The population, however, was much higher: only twenty-eight percent of the country's inhabitants settled in the entire vast eastern territory.

In the west, between the Ural and the Dnieper rivers, the Russian Empire was born and it was here that all the prerequisites for the emergence and prosperity of the Soviet Union appeared. Before the collapse of the country, the area of \u200b\u200bthe USSR changed several times: some territories were joined, for example, Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, the Baltic states. Gradually, the largest agricultural and industrial enterprises were organized in the eastern part, thanks to the presence there of various and richest minerals.

Borderland in length

The borders of the USSR, since our country is even now, after the separation of fourteen republics from it, the largest in the world, extremely long - 62,710 kilometers. From the west, the Soviet Union stretched to the east for ten thousand kilometers - ten time zones from the Kaliningrad region (Curonian Spit) to Ratmanov Island in the Bering Strait.

From south to north the USSR ran for five thousand kilometers - from Kushka to Cape Chelyuskin. It had to border on land with twelve countries - six of them in Asia (Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China and the DPRK), six in Europe (Finland, Norway, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania). The territory of the USSR had sea borders only with Japan and the USA.

Borderland wide

From the north to the south, the USSR stretches for 5000 km from Cape Chelyuskin in the Taimyr Autonomous District of the Krasnoyarsk Territory to the Central Asian city of Kushka, Mary Region of the Turkmen SSR. The USSR bordered on land with 12 countries: 6 in Asia (DPRK, PRC, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey) and 6 in Europe (Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway and Finland).

By sea, the USSR bordered on two countries - the United States and Japan. The country was washed by twelve seas of the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The thirteenth sea is the Caspian, although in all respects it is a lake. That is why two-thirds of the borders were located along the seas, because the area of \u200b\u200bthe former USSR had the longest coastline in the world.

Republics of the USSR: unification

In 1922, at the time of the formation of the USSR, it included four republics - the Russian SFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, the Byelorussian SSR and the Transcaucasian SFSR. Further delimitation and replenishment took place. In Central Asia, the Turkmen and Uzbek SSRs were formed (1924), there were six republics within the USSR. In 1929, the autonomous republic in the RSFSR was transformed into the Tajik SSR, of which there were already seven. In 1936, Transcaucasia was divided: three union republics were separated from the federation: the Azerbaijan, Armenian and Georgian SSR.

At the same time, two more Central Asian autonomous republics, which were part of the RSFSR, were separated as the Kazakh and Kyrgyz SSR. In total, there are eleven republics. In 1940, several more republics were adopted in the USSR, and there were sixteen of them: the Moldavian SSR, the Lithuanian SSR, the Latvian SSR and the Estonian SSR joined the country. In 1944, Tuva joined, but the Tuva Autonomous Region did not become the SSR. The Karelo-Finnish SSR (ASSR) changed its status several times, so there were fifteen republics in the 60s. In addition, there are documents according to which Bulgaria asked to join the ranks of the union republics in the 60s, but the request of comrade Todor Zhivkov was not satisfied.

Republic of the USSR: collapse

From 1989 to 1991, the so-called parade of sovereignties was held in the USSR. Six of the fifteen republics refused to join a new federation - the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics and declared independence (Lithuanian SSR, Latvian, Estonian, Armenian and Georgian), and also the Moldavian SSR declared its transition to independence. With all this, a number of autonomous republics decided to remain part of the union. These are Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen-Ingush (all - Russia), South Ossetia and Abkhazia (Georgia), Transnistria and Gagauzia (Moldova), Crimea (Ukraine).

Collapse

But the collapse of the USSR took on a landslide character, and in 1991 almost all union republics proclaimed independence. The creation of a confederation also failed, although Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus decided to conclude such an agreement.

Then Ukraine held a referendum on independence and the three founding republics signed the Belavezha agreements on the dissolution of the confederation, creating the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) at the level of an interstate organization. The RSFSR, Kazakhstan and Belarus did not declare independence and did not hold referendums. Kazakhstan, however, did it later.

Georgian SSR

It was formed in February 1921 under the name of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Since 1922, it was part of the Transcaucasian SFSR as a part of the USSR, and only in December 1936 it directly became one of the republics of the Soviet Union. The Georgian SSR included the South Ossetian Autonomous Region, the Abkhazian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and the Adjara Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In the 70s, the dissident movement under the leadership of Zviad Gamsakhurdia and Mirab Kostava intensified in Georgia. Perestroika brought new leaders to the Communist Party of Georgia, they lost the elections.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia proclaimed independence, but Georgia was not satisfied, the invasion began. Russia took part in this conflict on the side of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In 2000, the visa-free regime was canceled between Russia and Georgia. In 2008 (August 8), the "five-day war" took place, as a result of which the Russian president signed decrees recognizing the republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign and independent states.

Armenia

The Armenian SSR was formed in November 1920, at first it was also a member of the Transcaucasian Federation, and in 1936 it was separated and directly became part of the USSR. Armenia is located in the south of the Transcaucasus, bordering Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. Armenia has an area of \u200b\u200b29,800 square kilometers, population 2,493,000 (1970 census). The capital of the republic is Yerevan, the largest city among twenty-three (comparing with 1913, when there were only three cities in Armenia, one can imagine the volume of construction and the scale of development of the republic during its Soviet period).

In addition to cities, twenty-eight new urban-type settlements were built in thirty-four districts. The terrain is mostly mountainous, harsh, so almost half of the population lived in the Ararat Valley, which is only six percent of the total territory. The population density is very high everywhere - 83.7 people per square kilometer, and in the Ararat valley - up to four hundred people. In the USSR, only Moldavia was very crowded. Also, favorable climatic and geographical conditions attracted people to the shores of Lake Sevan and to the Shirak valley. Sixteen percent of the territory of the republic is not covered by a permanent population at all, because it is impossible to live long at altitudes above 2500 above sea level. After the collapse of the country, the Armenian SSR, being a free Armenia, experienced several very difficult ("dark") years of blockade by Azerbaijan and Turkey, the confrontation with which has a long history.

Belarus

The Byelorussian SSR was located in the west of the European part of the USSR, bordered by Poland. The area of \u200b\u200bthe republic is 207,600 square kilometers, the population is 9,371,000 as of January 1976. National composition according to the 1970 census: 7,290,000 Belarusians, the rest was divided by Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Jews and a very small number of people of other nationalities.

The density is 45.1 people per square kilometer. Most big cities: capital - Minsk (1 189 000 inhabitants), Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Grodno, Bobruisk, Baranovichi, Brest, Borisov, Orsha. IN soviet time new cities appeared: Soligorsk, Zhodino, Novopolotsk, Svetlogorsk and many others. In total, there are ninety-six cities and one hundred and nine urban-type settlements in the republic.

The nature is mainly of a flat type, in the north-west there are moraine hills (Belorussian ridge), in the south under the swamps of the Belarusian Polesie. There are many rivers, the main ones are the Dnieper with Pripyat and Sozh, Neman, Western Dvina. In addition, there are more than eleven thousand lakes in the republic. The forest occupies a third of the territory, mostly coniferous.

History of the Byelorussian SSR

It was established in Belarus almost immediately after the October Revolution, after which the occupation followed: first by the German (1918), then by the Polish (1919-1920). In 1922, the BSSR was already a part of the USSR, and in 1939 it was reunited with Western Belarus, which was torn away by Poland in connection with the treaty. In 1941, the socialist society of the republic fully rose to fight the Nazi-German invaders: partisan detachments were operating throughout the territory (there were 1,255 of them, almost four hundred thousand people participated in them). Since 1945 Belarus has been a member of the UN.

Communist construction after the war was very successful. The BSSR was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Orders of Friendship of Peoples and the October Revolution. From an agrarian poor country, Belarus turned into a prosperous and industrial one, which has established close ties with the rest of the Union republics. In 1975, the level of industrial production exceeded the level of 1940 twenty-one times, and the level of 1913 - one hundred and sixty-six. Heavy industry and mechanical engineering developed. Power plants have been built: Berezovskaya, Lukomlskaya, Vasilevichskaya, Smolevichskaya. Peat (the oldest in the industry) has grown in oil production and processing.

Industry and living standards of the population of the BSSR

Mechanical engineering by the seventies of the twentieth century was represented by machine-tool building, tractor building (the well-known tractor "Belarus"), auto building (giant "Belaz", for example), radio electronics. The chemical, food, and light industries developed and grew stronger. The standard of living in the republic has risen steadily, over the ten years from 1966 the national income has grown two and a half times, and the real income per capita almost doubled. The retail turnover of cooperative and state trade (with public catering) has increased tenfold.

In 1975, the amount of deposits reached almost three and a half billion rubles (in 1940 there were seventeen million). The republic became educated, moreover, education has not changed to this day, since it has not departed from the Soviet standard. The world highly appreciated this loyalty to the principles: colleges and universities of the republic attract a huge number of foreign students. They use two languages \u200b\u200bequally: Belarusian and Russian.

Not for over a quarter of a century. How has life changed after the collapse of the country? Which countries of the former USSR are flourishing today? We will briefly try to answer this question. We will also list: which countries of the former USSR are on the world map today, which blocs and unions they are part of.

Union state

Two countries that wanted to preserve economic and political connections, - Belarus and Russia. After the collapse of the USSR, the presidents of the two countries signed an agreement on the creation of a union state.

Initially, it included full integration into a certain confederation with broad autonomy within each. They even created a draft of a single flag, coat of arms and anthem. However, the project "stalled". The reason is different economic views on internal transformations. The Russian side accused Belarus of total state control over the economy, refusal to privatize many objects.

President Lukashenko did not want "thieves' privatization". He believes that selling the public sector for a penny is a crime against the state. Currently, both countries are integrating into new economic associations - the Customs Union (CU), and the Eurasian Union (EAEU).

Eurasian Union (EAEU)

After the collapse of the USSR, it was understood that it was wrong to destroy all economic ties between countries. This thought led to the creation of the EAEU. In addition to Russia and Belarus, it includes Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan.

Not only the countries of the former USSR can enter it, but others as well. There was information in the media that Turkey would join him, but then all talk about this stopped. Today Tajikistan is a candidate from the former USSR.

Baltic countries

Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia are the three Baltic countries that have traditionally been drawn to the West. Today they are all members of the European Union. After the collapse of the USSR, they had one of the most developed economies: electrical engineering, perfumery, the maritime industry, mechanical engineering, shipping, etc. produced colossal volumes of production.

One of the favorite topics in the Russian media is to discuss how "bad" things have become in these countries. However, if we look at the level of GDP per capita, we will see that after the collapse of the USSR, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are among the top three leaders among all participating countries. Until 1996, the leadership was still retained by Russia, after - the Baltic countries did not concede it.

However, the trend of population decline in these countries is still there. The reason is that the rest of the EU members live better, much more developed. This leads to the migration of young people from the Baltics to Western Europe.

Countries of the former USSR that aspire to the EU and NATO

Other countries that want to join the EU and NATO are Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova. There is also Azerbaijan. But he does not stretch in the EU in the literal sense of the word, since geographically it will hardly be able to do this. However, Azerbaijan is a reliable friend and ally of Turkey, which, in turn, is a NATO member and a candidate for EU membership.

As for Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova - all of them want to join the EU, but the level of their socio-economic development does not yet allow this. The question of NATO is even more difficult: all countries have territorial disputes directly or indirectly related to Russia. Ukraine makes claims on Crimea and Donbass, which our country, in their opinion, has occupied. Georgia lost South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Moldova does not have control in Transnistria, which is also supported by Russia.

Countries that aspire to the EAEU and the CU

There are also countries of the former USSR that want to become members of the EAEU and the CU, but they are not yet. Among them are Tajikistan (official candidate), Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The territory of the former USSR

The territory of the former USSR was about 22,400,000 square kilometers in area.

In total, it included 15 republics:

1. RSFSR.
2. Ukrainian SSR.
3. Uzbek SSR.
4. Kazakh SSR.
5. Belarusian SSR.
6. Lithuanian SSR.
7. Latvian SSR.
8. Estonian SSR.
9. Armenian SSR.
10. Georgian SSR.
11. Turkmen SSR.
12. Tajik SSR.
13. Azerbaijan SSR.
14. Moldavian SSR.
15. Kirghiz SSR.

In addition to them, the Union included 20 autonomous republics, 18 autonomous regions and districts.

Such a division of the state with internal national autonomies would inevitably lead to numerous conflicts after the collapse of the USSR. This ultimately happened. We still hear echoes in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and Armenia.

The first world War 1914-1918, the February and October revolutions of 1917 in Russia led to a change in the political map of Europe. The II All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies on October 25 (November 7) 1917 announced the transfer of power in Russia into the hands of the Soviets. The III United All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies on January 10-18 (23-31), 1918, proclaimed the creation of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (RSFSR), which was legally enshrined in the Constitution (Basic Law) of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, adopted by the V All-Russian Congress of Soviets on July 10, 1918. On March 12, 1918, after the government of the RSFSR moved from Petrograd, Moscow became the capital of the RSFSR. As a result of the conclusion of a peace treaty by Russia on March 3, 1918 ( Brest Peace) with Germany and its allies (Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey) in the city of Brest-Litovsk annexed Poland, the Baltic States, part of Belarus; Part of the Transcaucasus (districts of Ardahan, Kars and Batum) was ceded to Turkey. According to the terms of the agreement, the RSFSR recognized the independence of Finland and Ukraine. During the civil war that broke out soon in the territory of the former Russian Empire independent Poland, Transcaucasian (Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan) and Baltic (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) republics were formed. On December 12 (25), 1917, the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic was proclaimed (actually formed in March 1919). On January 1, 1919, the Byelorussian SSR was formed (in February it became part of the Lithuanian-Byelorussian SSR, which existed until August 1919, the Byelorussian SSR was restored in July 1920). Bessarabia in 1918 was occupied by Romania, and Western Ukraine and Western Belarus were part of Poland.

During the civil war and foreign intervention (1918-1920), several dozen national-state formations were proclaimed on the territory of Russia, most of which existed from several months to a year.

On the territory of the former western outskirts of Russia, new states were formed, the borders with which were soon secured by the peace treaties of the RSFSR with Estonia (February 2, 1920), Lithuania (July 12, 1920), Latvia (August 11, 1920), Finland ( October 14, 1920), Poland (March 18, 1921). The position of the border of the RSFSR with Romania remained unsettled, since it did not recognize the violent capture of Bessarabia by Romania in 1918.

On April 22, 1918, the Transcaucasian Democratic Republic was proclaimed. However, under the influence of factors of internal and foreign policy it soon disintegrated into the Armenian, Azerbaijan and Georgian bourgeois republics. In 1920-1921. on their territories, respectively, the Armenian, Azerbaijan and Georgian SSRs were created. In Central Asia, the Khorezm People's Soviet Republic (Khorezm NSR) (April 26, 1920) and the Bukhara NSR (October 8, 1920) were created.

Changes have also taken place in eastern Russia. After the landing in the city of Aleksandrovsk on April 22, 1920, the Japanese troops occupied the northern part of Sakhalin Island, where power passed into the hands of the Japanese military administration. The Uryankhai Territory departed from Russia, on the territory of which the People's Republic of Tannu-Tuva was proclaimed. In Transbaikalia and the Far East on April 6, 1920, the Far Eastern Republic was formed.

As a result of the changes, by the beginning of 1922, most of the territory of the former Russian Empire was occupied by the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (RSFSR). Formally independent were the Ukrainian SSR, the Byelorussian SSR, the Armenian SSR, the Georgian SSR, the Azerbaijan SSR, the Khorezm NSR, the Bukhara NSR and the Far Eastern Republic. On March 12, 1922, the Azerbaijan, Armenian and Georgian SSR united into the federal Union of the Socialist Soviet Republics of the Transcaucasus, on December 13, 1922, transformed into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic. On November 15, 1922, the Far Eastern Republic merged with the RSFSR.

On December 30, 1922, the I Congress of Soviets of the USSR proclaimed the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) as part of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic of the RSFSR, the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic (Ukrainian SSR), the Belarusian Socialist Soviet Republic (BSSR) and the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (ZSFSR) - Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia). The largest in area of \u200b\u200bthe RSFSR included, in addition to the European part of the RSFSR, Siberia, the Far East, Kazakhstan and Central Asia, except for the Bukhara and Khorezm NSR.

The II Congress of Soviets of the USSR approved on January 31, 1924 the Basic Law (Constitution) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The Bukhara and Khorezm NSR were transformed into the Bukhara and Khorezm SSRs on September 19, 1924 and October 20, 1923, respectively.

In 1924 and 1926. from the RSFSR to the Byelorussian SSR, parts of the territories of the Vitebsk, Gomel and Smolensk provinces inhabited by Belarusians were transferred. During the same period, there were minor changes in the border between the RSFSR and the Ukrainian SSR.

In 1924, the national-state demarcation of Central Asia was carried out. The Bukhara and Khorezm SSRs were liquidated. On their territory and adjacent territories of the Turkestan ASSR, which was part of the RSFSR, on October 27, 1924, the Turkmen SSR and the Uzbek SSR were formed (the latter included the Tajik ASSR, which was formed on October 14, 1924). At the III Congress of Soviets of the USSR (May 13-20, 1925), these republics were admitted to the USSR. The Tajik ASSR on October 16, 1929 was transformed into the Tajik SSR and on December 5 of this year it became part of the USSR. The Kazakh (until April 19, 1925 - Kyrgyz) ASSR remained in the RSFSR. This autonomous republic, in turn, included the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (until May 25, 1925 - the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous District, until February 1, 1926 - the Kyrgyz Autonomous Region) and the Karakalpak Autonomous Region.

According to the "Convention on Basic Principles of Relations between the USSR and Japan" signed on January 20, 1925 in Beijing, the 1905 Portsmouth Peace Treaty was restored, and Japan returned the northern part of Sakhalin Island to the USSR.

The XII All-Russian Congress of Soviets approved on May 11, 1925 the Constitution (Basic Law) of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.

On May 20, 1926, the Council of People's Commissars of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics adopted a resolution "On the declaration of the territory of the USSR of lands and islands located in the Arctic Ocean", according to which all the Arctic islands between the meridians 32 ° 4'35 "east longitude and 168 ° 49 '30 "west longitude were declared the territory of the USSR. In the summer of 1929, a permanent Soviet colony and the world's northernmost research station were organized on Franz Josef Land (Hooker Island). On July 29, 1929, Soviet polar explorers hoisted the USSR flag on the Nile Cape of the Georg Land.

On December 5, 1936, at the VIII Extraordinary Congress of Soviets of the USSR, a new Constitution (Basic Law) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was adopted, according to which all Union republics that existed at that time, as well as the Kazakh and Kyrgyz SSRs transformed from the ASSR, were included in the USSR. The Karakalpak ASSR was transferred from the RSFSR to the Uzbek SSR. The Azerbaijan, Armenian and Georgian SSRs, which had previously been part of the TSFSR, became independent members of the USSR. Thus, by the end of 1936, there were 11 republics in the USSR: the RSFSR, the Azerbaijan, Armenian, Belarusian, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek and Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republics.

On January 21, 1937, at the Extraordinary XVII All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the Constitution (Basic Law) of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was adopted.

In early November 1939, according to the decisions of the people's assemblies of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine, these regions were included in the USSR and reunited with the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR.

After the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. according to the peace treaty between the USSR and Finland, signed on March 12, 1940, the state border between the countries was established along a new line: the entire Karelian Isthmus with the city of Vyborg, the Vyborg Bay and islands, the western and northern shores of Lake Ladoga with the cities of Kexholm were included in the USSR (now Priozersk), Sortavala and Suoyarvi, islands in the Gulf of Finland and other territories. The Karelian ASSR, together with the part of the former regions of Finland that entered it, was transformed on March 31, 1940 into the Karelo-Finnish SSR and thus seceded from the RSFSR. The rest of the districts seceded from Finland became part of the Leningrad and Murmansk regions.

According to an agreement of June 28, 1940, the Romanian government peacefully transferred Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the USSR, and on August 2, the Moldavian SSR was formed by uniting six counties of Bessarabia (Beltsy, Bendery, Cahulsky, Orhei, Soroca and Chisinau) and the Moldavian ASSR, before that which was part of the Ukrainian SSR. Northern Bukovina and three districts of Bessarabia (Khotinsky, Akkerman and Izmail) were included in the Ukrainian SSR.

At the beginning of August 1940 Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia became part of the USSR as union republics.

As a result, 16 union republics were included in the USSR in August 1940.

During the Great Patriotic War and after its end, there were subsequent major changes in the territory of the USSR. The Tuva People's Republic (as the People's Republic of Tannu-Tuva was called since 1926) entered the USSR on October 11, 1944 as an autonomous region within the RSFSR (on October 10, 1961, it was transformed into the Tuva ASSR). At the end of the war, the USSR signed a number of agreements and treaties with Finland, Czechoslovakia, Poland, which included the solution of territorial issues.

Finland, under the armistice agreement of September 19, 1944 and the peace treaty of February 10, 1947, transferred the Petsamo (Pechenga) region to the USSR. Under the Soviet-Czechoslovak agreement of June 29, 1945, the Transcarpathian Ukraine became part of the USSR and was reunited with the Ukrainian SSR.

During the Great Patriotic War, there were minor changes in the borders between the Union republics. So, in 1944, Zanarovye and Pechora from the Estonian SSR, the Pytalovsky region from the Latvian SSR were transferred to the RSFSR, and some territories of the North Caucasus were transferred from the RSFSR to the Georgian SSR (in 1957 they were returned to the RSFSR).

According to the decision of the Crimean () conference on February 4-12, 1945 and in accordance with the Soviet-Polish agreement of August 16, 1945, the border between the USSR and Poland was established along the so-called "Curzon line", but with a deviation from it by 5-8 km to the east, that is, in favor of Poland. Additionally, Poland was assigned the territory south of the city of Krylov with a deviation to the east of up to 30 km in favor of Poland, part of the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, including the settlements of Nemyriv, Yalovka, Bialowieza, with a maximum deviation in favor of Poland 17 km east of the Curzon line ”. Thus, the Bialystok region of Belarus and the Przemysl (Przemysl) region in Western Ukraine were transferred to Poland.

By the decision of the Berlin (Potsdam) Conference on July 17-August 2, 1945, the territory of the USSR was expanded at the expense of East Prussia, which became the Königsberg, then the Kaliningrad region as part of the RSFSR.

The Kuril Islands and the south of Sakhalin Island were recognized as the property of the USSR by the decision of the Crimean Conference, but were held by Japan. After the USSR declared war on Japan by the beginning of September 1945, the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands were liberated from Japanese troops, and on February 2, 1946, by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands were declared the property of the Soviet state.

Exploration and mapping of the territory

By 1917, there were many “white spots” on the map of Russia, especially in Eastern Siberia, Central Asia and the Arctic. In addition, the development of the country's productive forces required detailed study and mapping. natural conditions and resources. Therefore, expeditions to little-explored regions of the country were organized already in the first years of Soviet power.

Comprehensive studies of the nature of a number of remote regions of the country, aimed at creating new mineral and raw material bases, were carried out by expeditions organized by the Commission for the Study of the Natural Productive Forces of Russia, created back in 1915 on the initiative of V.I. Vernadsky, and then (since 1930 .) Council for the study of the productive forces of the country. They led to the discovery of new deposits - copper and iron ores in the Urals, potash salts in the Urals, apatites on the Kola Peninsula, new gold-bearing areas in Siberia, the Volga-Ural oil and gas region. Studies in the mountains of the northeastern USSR and other regions of the country have significantly changed the previous ideas about the relief and the hydrographic network of the country.

In 1926, the Indigirskaya expedition under the leadership of geologist S. V. Obruchev discovered the mountain system “Chersky ridge” with heights of more than 3000 m (earlier, the lowlands were depicted on the domestic ones). Geodetic and topographic work in the expedition was carried out by K. A. Salishchev, later a famous Soviet cartographer, in 1968-1972 - President of the International Cartographic Association. Through the efforts of the expedition in 1926 and 1929-1930. the first detailed cartographic image of the mountain systems of the Chukotka Peninsula and the basins of the Indigirka, Kolyma, Anadyr rivers was obtained, the Alazey plateau was highlighted.

The Soil, Geomorphological, Geological, Botanical Institutes, created at the USSR Academy of Sciences (USSR Academy of Sciences) in the mid-1920s and early 1930s, took over most of the work on the development of new thematic maps - soil, geomorphological, tectonic, geobotanical, etc.

In the 1920s, large studies began in the Arctic, which made it possible to significantly refine the map of this region. As a result of the work of a number of expeditions (1921, 1923-1924, etc.), the outlines of Novaya Zemlya were determined. An expedition of the Arctic Institute under the leadership of G. A. Ushakov and N. N. Urvantsev in 1930-1932 found out the location of the islands of Severnaya Zemlya. It turned out that Severnaya Zemlya is not a single island, but an archipelago of five large (Bolshevik, October Revolution, Komsomolets, Pioner, Schmidta) and many small islands, straits between the islands are open.

A number of unknown islands have been discovered in the Kara Sea. In 1930, an expedition on the icebreaking steamer “Georgy Sedov” under the command of O. Yu. Schmidt discovered the islands of Vize, Isachenko and Voronin; an expedition on the icebreaking steamer "Rusanov" in 1932 - Izvestia TsIK Islands; expeditions on the icebreaking steamer "Sibiryakov" in 1932 and 1933 - the islands of the Arctic Institute (Sidorov and Bolshoi). In 1935, a high-latitude expedition aboard the icebreaker "Sadko" under the command of GA Ushakov discovered Ushakov's island, completely covered with an ice sheet.

Arctic expeditions discovered new islands and “closed” nonexistent ones. So, the issue with “Sannikov Land” and “Andreev Land” was finally resolved. If the first one (“seen” by the Russian industrialist Y. Sannikov in 1811) simply did not exist, then the land seen by S. Andreev in 1764 turned out to be the island of New Siberia, discovered in 1806.

Soviet polar expeditions clarified the depths and boundaries of the continental shelf, and discovered a depth of 5180 m in the central depression of the Arctic Ocean. The drifting expedition "North Pole-1" headed by ID Papanin in 1937 finally established the absence of land in the area of \u200b\u200bthe pole, got an idea of \u200b\u200bthe depths in this area.

For the study and development of the northern seas and their coasts, the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route was founded in 1932. The navigation of the Sibiryakov icebreaker (1932-1933) marked the beginning of the development of the Northern Sea Route.

The outlines of the northern coast of Siberia have noticeably changed on the maps, in particular, the outlines of the Gydan Peninsula, the Olenek Bay and the Lena Delta, the Taimyr Peninsula. On the Taimyr Peninsula in 1928-1944 mountains with a height of more than 1000 m were discovered, vegetation and animal world, Lake Taimyr has been comprehensively studied (Taimyr expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR under the leadership of A. I. Tolmachev, 1928, etc.).

In Eastern Siberia, large mountain ranges were identified (Yablonovy, Stanovoy, Dzhugdzhur, Suntar-Khayata), Kolymskoe (Gydan), Chukotka, Koryaksky highlands and Anadyr plateau.

In 1941, geysers were discovered in Kamchatka south of Kronotskoye Lake.

Geologist S.V. Obruchev in 1917-1924. the Tunguska coal-bearing basin was discovered and the map of the region was significantly updated; Glaciologists M.V. Tronov and other researchers discovered unknown lakes and numerous glaciers in the south of Siberia, in the Sayan and Altai.

In the Polar Urals, a new mountain range was discovered by the Severodvinsk-Pechora expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences under the leadership of geologist, academician A.D. Arkhangelsky.

In the north of the Russian Plain, the geologist M.N. Karbasnikov discovered in 1928 the Windy Belt Ridge 200 km long.

On the Kola Peninsula, under the leadership of A.E. Fersman, huge reserves of apatite and copper-nickel ores were discovered.

During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), intensive work was carried out in the field of geology of minerals in the Urals, Siberia and the North-East of the USSR. Research on the study of the geological structure, patterns of formation and location of oil and gas fields contributed to the discovery and development of the West Siberian oil and gas region of the Timan-Pechora basin.

In 1932-1933, large glaciological expeditions were carried out, covering many glaciers of the Caucasus, Novaya Zemlya, Ural, Altai.

Topographic and geodetic works

In the first years of Soviet power, topographic and geodetic work in the country was carried out mainly by the Corps of Military Topographers (CMT) of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA). In August-November 1918, during the civil war, KVT specialists carried out surveys and created topographic maps for the strip of the Volga River (from Kamyshin to Kazan) up to 60 versts wide. Topographic surveys on a scale of one verst in an inch were also deployed in other parts of Russia - in the south of the European part, the Urals, along the state borders with Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Poland. This period is characterized by the beginning of metric mapping. The cartographic department of the KVT compiled the first maps in the metric system: a survey-topographic map of a scale of 1: 1,000,000 (with the participation of the Russian Geographical Society), a four-sheet “Administrative map of the RSFSR. European part ”scale 1: 3,000,000, etc. Since 1923, the Corps of Military Topographers became known as the Military Topographic Service (MTS), which in 1923-1927 compiled and updated about 2,000 nomenclature sheets of topographic maps of different scales.

The creation and formation of the state cartographic and geodetic service of Russia is usually counted from the moment of the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR (Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR) dated March 15, 1919 on the establishment of the Supreme Geodetic Administration (VSU) under the Scientific and Technical Department of the Supreme Council of National Economy (VSNKh). The main task VSU was - the unification of all geodetic and cartographic works in the country; study of the country's territory in topographic terms in order to raise and develop productive forces, save technical and money and time; organization of cartographic works and publication of maps; organization scientific works in the field of geodesy, astronomy, optics, cartography; systematization and storage of maps and filming materials; coordination of geodetic activities with geodetic organizations of foreign states, etc. S.M.Soloviev was appointed chairman of the VSU collegium, and since August 1919, the prominent scientist-geodesist M.D.Bonch-Bruevich became the head of the VSU. From the very beginning of its activity, the State Cartographic and Geodetic Service inextricably linked the nationwide tasks of mapping the country with the solution of specific national economic problems - energy, land reclamation, the search for minerals, accounting for land and forest resources, etc.

Since 1919, the state cartographic and geodetic service began to carry out geodetic and survey work, including in the Moscow region coal basin and Kuzbass, in the areas of construction of the Volkhovskaya hydroelectric power station, Dneproges, Turksib, in the Volga region, Central Asia, in the North Caucasus, as well as in Moscow , Leningrad and other cities. From 1920 to 1923 topographic surveys of the area were carried out on a scale of 1:25 000. In 1923, for the state topographic survey of the territories of the central, southern and southeastern regions of the European part of the USSR, a scale of 1:50 000 was determined, for the territories of the northern, northeastern and other regions of the country - 1: 100,000. During the first five years of existence (1919-1924) of the State Cartographic and Geodetic Service, topographic surveys at a scale of 1: 50,000 covered 23 thousand square meters. km. the territory of the USSR.

Since 1924, the systematic implementation of astronomical and geodetic works began in the USSR.

With the establishment in 1924 of the State Technical Bureau "Gosaerophotoshooting", aerial photography began for the needs of the national economy of the USSR and in order to create maps. One of the initiators of its implementation was M.D.Bonch-Bruevich. The first experimental aerial survey was carried out in 1925 in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Mozhaisk on an area of \u200b\u200b400 sq. km.

By 1925, the State Cartographic and Geodetic Service had completed 76 thousand square meters. km. topographic surveys, identified 58 points of triangulation of the 1st class, 263 points of filling triangulation networks, 52 astronomical points, paved 2.2 thousand km. accurate leveling.

In 1926-1932, topographic surveys were carried out on a scale of 1:25 000-1: 100 000 on an area of \u200b\u200b325.8 thousand square meters. km. In 1928, a decision was made to switch to a system of plane rectangular coordinates in the Gauss-Kruger projection on the Bessel ellipsoid. Since 1928, when creating topographic maps at a scale of 1: 100,000, the contour-combined method began to be used, and since 1936 - the stereotopographic method. The topographic stereometer created in 1932 by Professor F.V.Drobyshev made it possible to provide most of the work on mapping the country on a scale of 1: 100,000, completed in the early 1950s.

Astronomer-geodesist, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences FN Krasovsky developed the scientific foundations of a new triangulation scheme for classes 1 and 2, together with AA Izotov, he determined the parameters of the reference ellipsoid in relation to the territory of the USSR. Since 1942, the parameters of the reference ellipsoid, called the Krasovsky ellipsoid, have been used to create all maps in our country. In 1932, systematic gravimetric studies began to solve geodetic problems, provide exploration for minerals and study the internal structure of the Earth. By 1935, the degree measurements were completed in the form of a class 1 triangulation from Orsha to Khabarovsk.

Since 1935, aerial photography has become the main method of state mapping of the country's territory.

The State Cartographic and Geodetic Service continued to increase the volume of topographic and geodetic works of national importance. For 1930-1935. 31.1 thousand rows of triangulation of classes 1 and 2 were laid, 21 thousand km of leveling passages, aerial photography was carried out on an area of \u200b\u200b482 thousand square meters. km, the triangulation and leveling polygons were equalized in the European part of the USSR. At the same time, the annual volume of topographic and geodetic works did not correspond to the rapid pace of development of the country. In 1932 and 1933. The Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted decisions aimed at creating conditions “ensuring the use of topographic-geodetic, aerial survey, cartographic and gravimetric materials for the purpose of nationwide cartography”, and establishing the procedure for financing topographic-geodetic, aerial survey, cartographic and gravimetric work. These solutions ensured an increase in the rate of development of topographic, geodetic and cartographic works. From 1935 to 1938, 3184 points of triangulation of classes 1 and 2 were identified, 26,800 km of leveling passes were laid, aerial photography was carried out on an area of \u200b\u200b1,788 thousand square meters. km, 1082 sheets of topographic maps were prepared for publication, topographic and geodetic works were carried out at the most important construction sites of the country.

September 14, 1938 By a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Main Directorate of Geodesy and Cartography (GUGK) was created under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. On February 5, 1939, A. N. Baranov was appointed head of the GUGK, who headed the GUGK for 28 years. The main tasks of the GUGK included the creation of a state geodetic base and a state topographic map of the USSR; meeting the needs of the national economy, science, cultural and educational needs of the USSR with modern general and special, political, administrative, physical and geographical, economic and educational maps and atlases; state geodetic supervision and control of departmental topographic-geodetic and cartographic works. A. N. Baranov made a huge contribution to the development of the state cartographic and geodetic service of the USSR. Under his leadership, scientific, technical and production programs for topographic, geodetic and cartographic support of the state territory were carried out.

In the pre-war years (1939-1941), all topographic and geodetic units of the Military Topographic Service General Staff (MTC General Staff) of the Red Army under the leadership of M.K.Kudryavtsev, located in the European part of the USSR, carried out geodetic works and topographic surveys in the territories newly annexed to the USSR: Bessarabia, Western Ukraine, Western Belarus, the Baltic States, on the Karelian Isthmus. As a result of these works, topographic maps were created on a scale of 1:25 000 and smaller for the entire border strip.

To serve the multifaceted needs of the national economy, the country's defense and create a full-fledged topographic base for the development of small-scale and special maps for the country's territory, the State Cartographic and Geodetic Service (GUGK and VTS General Staff of the RKKA) began in 1940 to compile a new survey topographic map at a scale of 1: 1 000 000. The first sheets of a topographic map at a scale of 1: 1 000 000 were compiled in 1918, by 1939 80 sheets were published, but they could not satisfy the requirements of the national economy due to the heterogeneity of the fundamental principles, content and design.

The Great Patriotic War, which began in June 1941, set the country's state cartographic and geodetic service to urgently provide the Red Army with topographic maps of 1: 100,000 scale for the inner regions of the European part of the USSR - from the country's western borders to the Volga. In just six months (July-December 1941), the Cartographic and Geodetic Service completed this task.

During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), created at the Academy of Sciences, the Commission for Geographic and Geological Services of the Red Army was engaged in providing troops with military-geographical descriptions and integrated military-geographical maps. From 1941 to 1944, multi-sheet, comprehensive military-geographical and thematic maps of the European and Far Eastern theaters of military operations were created.

At the end of 1941, work began on the creation of a new topographic map at a scale of 1: 200,000, which in July 1942 began to be supplied to the Red Army. In the following years of the Great Patriotic War soviet troops were provided with topographic maps of 1: 25,000 and 1: 200,000 scales. During the Great Patriotic War, the Cartographic and Geodetic Service performed surveys and reconnaissance on an area of \u200b\u200b5 million square meters. km. By 1945, a new map of 1: 1,000,000 scale (232 nomenclature sheets) was created on the territory of the USSR in uniform symbols and projections. The map in many ways expanded the understanding and knowledge of the territory of the Soviet Union, summarizing the numerous survey, cartographic and literary materials of various departments and institutions of the country on the geographical and cartographic study of the USSR. In 1947, this map was awarded the Great Gold Medal of the Geographical Society of the USSR.

General geographic, complex and thematic mapping

In the early years of its development, the mapping of the territory of Russia by the state cartographic and geodetic service was limited by the lack of publishing equipment, financial resources and personnel. Despite this, in the 1920s, the maps necessary for the country were published - "Schematic Map of the Electrification of Russia" (the first Soviet economic map), compiled by the GOELRO Commission; maps - the European part of the RSFSR (scale 1:10 000 000) and the Asian part of the RSFSR (scale 1:30 000 000). From 1921 to 1923 The State Cartographic and Geodetic Service published 65 cartographic works, among which were the complex atlas “Nature and Economy of Russia” in 2 issues (1923), “Administrative Map of the RSFSR. European part ”scale 1: 3,000,000. At the same time, general geographic maps of the European part of the USSR were published on a scale of 1: 1,500,000 (1927) and the Asian part of the USSR on a scale of 1: 5,000,000 (1929).

Among the important cartographic works of this period should be attributed the "Hypsometric map of the middle and southern strip of the European part of the USSR with the adjacent parts of the Western states" published in 1926 by the Military Topographic Service at a scale of 1: 1,500,000. This map was used for the first time in the transition to metric measures.

The creation of thematic and complex cartographic works required the efforts of teams from various branches of science and industry.

In 1928, the State Cartographic and Geodetic Service began compiling the "Atlas of Industry of the USSR" (in five issues), the first Soviet comprehensive economic and geographical atlas, which was published in 1931.

Meeting the needs educational institutions educational maps and atlases has become an important task of the state cartographic and geodetic service.

During this period, work is underway to compile and publish educational, administrative and thematic maps.

The 1930s are characterized by the beginning of comprehensive regional mapping of the country. The Atlas of the Moscow Region (1933) and the Atlas of the Leningrad Region and the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1934) were created, characterized by the completeness and versatility of the content, a variety of ways of displaying natural conditions and phenomena, economics and culture.

An outstanding event in the mapping of the territory of the country of the XX century was the release in 1937 of the "Great Soviet Atlas of the World", the publication of which was carried out in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. The atlas reflects the elements of physical, economic and political geography the world and the USSR. Atlas was highly appreciated in our country and abroad and was awarded the “Grand Prix” at the international exhibition in Paris in 1937.

Since 1936, cartographic work has been carried out at a rapid pace. By 1938, the output of cartographic products in comparison with 1935 had increased six times. The total circulation of maps and atlases published by the Cartographic and Geodetic Service for two years (1937, 1938) was 6,886 thousand copies.

In 1938, the first atlas created by the Military Topographic Service, the Atlas of the Commander of the Red Army, was published.

In 1940 and 1941. The State Cartographic and Geodetic Service issued a “Hypsometric map of the USSR” at a scale of 1: 5,000,000 and a “Hypsometric map of the European part of the USSR” at a scale of 1: 1,500,000. The latter map served as the basis for the domestic hypsometric scale and methods for displaying morphological features of various types of relief.

An important event in the mapping of the country was the publication of maps and atlases of mass demand by the State Cartographic Service. For example: "Pocket Atlas of the USSR" (1934, 1936, 1939), maps of regions and regions of the country, which have become widespread and highly appreciated by consumers.

Since 1934, the restructuring of the teaching of geography and history at schools has required the State Cartographic and Geodetic Service to provide educational process in schools with educational atlases and wall maps. In 1938, the first “Geographic Atlas for 3rd and 4th grades was published. primary school”, And in 1940 -“ Geographical Atlas for the 5th and 6th grades of secondary school ”, which were reprinted annually for almost two decades. For 1938-1945. 40 educational wall historical maps were compiled (20 of them - on the history of the USSR), which laid the foundation for Soviet educational historical cartography.

Simultaneously with the publication of numerous maps, work was carried out on new original maps and atlases, the publication of which was carried out in subsequent years. In 1947, the first map of the USSR was issued on a scale of 1: 2,500,000.

A variety of thematic maps were needed for successful exploration in the country. In this regard, since 1920, geological and hydrogeological surveys began on a scale of 1: 200,000 - 1: 1,000,000; survey geological maps of the Asian part of the USSR were published on a scale of 1: 10,520,000 (1922) and 1: 4,200,000 (1925). In the 1930s, the first geological maps of the entire territory of the USSR were compiled on a scale of 1: 5,000,000 (1937) and 1: 2,500,000 (1940). The first "Tectonic scheme of the USSR" was compiled in 1933. At the same time, various regional geological maps were created for the territory of the Greater Donbass, the Moscow basin, Kamchatka, the region of the Northern Dvina and Pechora, the Urals, etc.

In 1938, the first sheets of the "State Geological Map of the USSR" at a scale of 1: 1,000,000 were published. By 1940, geological surveys covered two-thirds of the country's territory.

In 1939, the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR developed a "Geomorphological map of the European part of the USSR" at a scale of 1: 1,500,000, which, in addition to the land relief, for the first time in the world displays the morphology of the seabed, large lakes and their shores, and a "Map of geomorphological zoning of the USSR" 1:10 000 000.

In 1929, applied survey agroclimatic maps of the country at a scale of 1: 10,000,000 were created: "Map of agroclimatic zones of the USSR", "Map of actual and climatically possible northern and upper boundaries of agricultural crops". In 1933, the Institute of Climatology of the Main Geophysical Observatory developed the "Climatological Atlas of the USSR".

In 1927, the “Map of the mean river flow of the European part of the USSR” was created. In 1937, the “Map of river flow of the USSR” was published on a scale of 1: 15,000,000.

Since the 1920s, large-scale soil research and mapping of the soils of collective and state farms, as well as areas of proposed land reclamation (Zavolzhye, middle Asia, Transcaucasia). The Soil Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR compiled and published maps: "Soil Map of the Asian Part of the USSR" on a scale of 1: 4,200,000 (1926), "Soil Map of the USSR" (1929) in a scale of 1: 10,500,000, "Soil Map European part of the USSR ”(1930) on a scale of 1: 2,520,000. At the same time, cartometric work was carried out to calculate the areas of soils in the European part of the USSR, and the publication of a multi-sheet“ State soil map of the USSR ”at a scale of 1: 1,000,000 was started.

Geobotanical Department of the Main Botanical Garden, and then the Botanical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, in the mid-1920s. began work on the creation of a "Geobotanical Map of the European Part of the USSR" at a scale of 25 versts per inch (1: 1,050,000) on 18 sheets (a total of 8 sheets were published). Since 1920, work has begun on the study of forests in various regions of the country and the compilation of forest maps. In 1939, an overview “Map of Vegetation of the USSR” at a scale of 1: 5,000,000 was published.

In 1922-1925, the Academy of Sciences of the USSR with the participation of the State Geographical Society published a multi-sheet "Dazimetric map of European Russia" at a scale of 1: 420,000. It was based on the results of the All-Russian population census of 1897. Until 1926, 46 sheets of the map were published.

Based on the results of the 1926 All-Union Population Census in 1929, a new “Survey Map of Population Density of the USSR” was compiled on a scale of 1: 10,000,000.

In the same period, mapping of the ethnic composition of the population was developed in the country. The commission for the study of the ethnic composition of the population at the Academy of Sciences of the USSR compiled and published maps of the peoples of the Urals region, the Volga region, the Murmansk province, the Karelian ASSR. The multi-sheet “Ethnographic Map of Siberia” on a scale of 1: 4,200,000 (1927), compiled from the data of the 1897 census and local censuses of later years, was especially famous. More than 190 nations were shown on the map. Later, the “Ethnographic Map of the Caucasus” at a scale of 1: 840,000 (1930), “Map of the settlement of the peoples of the Far North of the USSR” at a scale of 1: 5,000,000 (1933) were published.

In 1926, the "Economic Map of the USSR" and "Economic Map of the European Part of the USSR" were published, in 1927 - "Map of Industry of the European Part of the USSR" on a scale of 1: 1,500,000, in 1929 - "Map of Industry of the Asian Part of the USSR" scale 1: 5,000,000. These maps show in greater detail the distribution of various industries by settlement. Industry maps and general economic maps were also issued for individual regions of the USSR.

A major step in economic mapping was the release in 1934 of the atlas “USSR Industry at the Beginning of the Second Five-Year Plan,” on 64 sheets of which the location of plants and factories is shown with large-scale icons. Outstanding cartographic works of this period include: "Atlas of energy resources of the USSR" (1934), economic atlases of the Middle Volga region (1932), Ivanovo industrial region (1933), Kursk region (1935).

Development of mapping agriculture demonstrates the "Map of agriculture of the USSR" published in 1926 on a scale of 1: 11,000,000. In 1928, the "Map of the location of wheat crops" developed by the All-Union Institute of Plant Industry was published. Agriculture maps during this period were developed mainly at the regional level.

Before the Great Patriotic War atlases devoted to fisheries were published: “Atlas of the USSR Fishing Industry” (1939) and “Atlas of Maps of the Distribution of Commercial Fish in the Northern Caspian” (1940).

Many economic maps of districts and administrative regions were issued, including a large series of schematic economic maps of the Moscow region. The annual publication of schematic maps of the density of the movement of goods on railways and the most important inland waterways (1926-1933) was resumed. Based on the results of expeditionary studies of the economy and communication routes of the Kolyma-Indigirsky Territory in 1931, a navigation atlas of the Kolyma River and its tributaries was compiled.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics covers an area of \u200b\u200b22,402 million. km 2,of which only 309 thous. km 2falls on the islands.

The territory of the world's first socialist state is located on the greatest continent - the continent of Eurasia and occupies more than 40% of its area. The population of the Soviet Union reaches 229.1 million people (according to 1965 data).

The area of \u200b\u200bthe USSR is 2.5 times the area of \u200b\u200bthe United States and 90 times the area of \u200b\u200bEngland (excluding colonies).

The northernmost point of the Soviet Union on the mainland - Cape Chelyuskin - is located far beyond the Arctic Circle, at 77 ° 43 "N. Cape Fligeli on Rudolf Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago is located even further north - 81 ° 50" N. sh. From Cape Fligeli to the North Pole - 900km.

The southernmost point of the Soviet Union lies on the border with Afghanistan, south of the village of Kushki, in the vicinity of the Childukhter village (35 ° 08 "N). The length of the territory from this point to the latitude of Cape Chelyuskin is more than 4500 km. Almost the entire territory of the country, with the exception of its extreme north and extreme south, is located in temperate latitudes.

From west to east, the Soviet Union stretches for 10,000 km.The westernmost point (19 ° 38 "E) is located on the border with Poland, not far from Kaliningrad, on the sandy spit of the Gdansk Bay of the Baltic Sea.

The easternmost point on the mainland is Cape Dezhnev (169 ° 6 "W) and Ratmanov Island in the Bering Strait (169 ° 40" W).

On the territory of the country, 11 time zones fit - from IIbefore XII; thus, the time difference between Moscow and Chukotka is 10 hours. The Soviet Union is located mainly in the eastern hemisphere, and only part of the territory enters the western hemisphere.

Most of The USSR is located in Asia, and only 25% of its area is located in Europe.

Length of state borders - 60,000 km, i.e.for 20,000 km greater than the circumference of the equator and three times greater than the distance from the North Pole to South Pole... At least 2/3 are sea borders. The northern and eastern borders of the Soviet Union are maritime throughout.

The Soviet Union is washed by the waters of three oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic; only the Indian Ocean does not border on Soviet soil. It should be noted that the proximity of vast bodies of water significantly affects the nature of the USSR.

Arctic coast of the ocean, almost everything low-lying "is slightly inclined towards the ocean, dissected by bays and estuaries of rivers that protrude far into the land. From the ocean side, a wide continental shelf adjoins the coast, just like the coast, slightly inclined, with depths rarely more than 200 m.In the coastal part of the ocean there are numerous islands belonging to the Soviet Union (Novosibirsk, Severnaya Zemlya, New earth and etc.).

The Soviet sector of the Arctic is bounded by conventional lines running in the east from Ratmanov Island and in the west from Rybachy Peninsula to the North Pole.

The coast of the Pacific Ocean within the USSR is mostly mountainous, the seas washing it are deep. The Soviet Union owns small islands, most of which are part of the Kuril Islands. The largest Soviet island in the Pacific Ocean is Sakhalin.

The border of the USSR runs over land and across the ocean, along low-lying plains and high mountains with snowy peaks, crosses forests and deserts, tundra and subtropics.

The natural conditions of the Soviet Union are surprisingly diverse. Within its limits, it is possible to trace in the meridional direction the change of all zones, except for the tropical and equatorial ones. Due to the nature of the surface of our country and its position in relation to the ocean, natural conditions also change significantly from west to east. This is especially evident in the south of the country: there are humid subtropics and deserts at the same latitude. At any time of the year in the USSR it is not difficult to find such a place where flowers bloom, and such a place where there is an unstable snow cover.

When spring begins in Moscow, it is already summer in the south, and winter is still in the north. It takes about six months to move spring from the southern borders of the USSR to the northern regions. In the Far East, spring begins 1.5-2 months later than at the same latitude in the west of the country.

This diversity and richness of natural conditions create the preconditions for the development of various branches of agriculture in the USSR. The activities of the people of socialist society aimed at transforming nature are increasingly expanding these possibilities. Huge reserves of natural resources predetermine the all-round development of industry, which in a socialist economy reaches unprecedented proportions.

USSR map

Map of the USSR in Russian. CCCP is the largest state in the world from 1922 to 1991. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was the most large country in the world and occupied a sixth of the entire land surface. The USSR consisted of 15 republics and had an area of \u200b\u200b22.4 million square kilometers. The length of the USSR border was more than 60 thousand kilometers.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) - the largest state of its time, the history of which dates back to December 30, 1922 and ends on December 26, 1991. It was the largest country in terms of area in the world (22402200 km2), with a population of 293047571 people. The territory of the USSR occupied approximately 1/6 of the entire developed land area of \u200b\u200bthe planet. For nearly 70 years, the Soviet Union was a powerful instrument of political and military influence on the world community.

The monetary unit of the USSR is the ruble, the state language is Russian, and the capital of the country is a city Moscow... The form of government, over the entire history of the state, was mainly one-party, and the head of the Soviet Union was general secretary party. In fact, all real power was in the hands of the secretary general.

The Soviet Union included such countries as: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan. The Union arose as a result of the de facto unification of the RSFSR, the ZSFSR, the Byelorussian and Ukrainian SSR. According to the Constitution, the Soviet Union was characterized as a multinational union of socialist republics, each of which had the right to freely secede from the Union.

After the protracted Second World War, the confident winner, the USSR, finally secured the status of a "superpower" and began to play one of the main, one might say, leading roles in the multifaceted world politics. During the period of its existence, the Soviet Union has made a huge contribution to world scientific progress in the field of medicine, astronautics, industry, and the cultural and educational sector.

The main occupation of the population of the Union was industry and agriculture. As for the life structure and political situation in the country, then the Soviet Union can be characterized as a disciplined, development-oriented state, sometimes not even paying attention to the interests of ordinary citizens.

The collapse of the USSR occurred on December 26, 1991 as a result of the change of political power to autonomous regions Union, which led to the adoption of declarations on the secession from the Union of individual republics. For a long time, the central government of the USSR tried to change the situation, but after the proclamation of the sovereignty of the Baltic countries, and the announcement of the results of the referendum on independence in the Ukrainian USSR, the Soviet Union finally collapsed, leaving behind the heir of political international rights - The Russian Federation, which took the place of the Union at the UN.