%0 Dataset
%T Physical Geography of the Soviet Union: Asian Part
%J Arid Land Ecology and Resources Science Data Center
%I Arid Land Ecology and Resources Science Data Center(data.dcxjegi.cn)
%U https://data.dcxjegi.cn/portal/metadata/18d595ec-d148-49e8-bdd0-5de3b1eb2b65
%W NCDC
%R 10.12389/ariddc.02393
%A Documentation Information Center
%K ;
%X The course Physical Geography of the USSR, in terms of its scope, content, and method of presentation, was designed for senior students of geography departments at state universities and teacher-training institutes. The rich factual material included in the course is presented in accordance with the principal methodological principles and approaches of Soviet landscape geography.The fundamental regional unit is the geographical region, defined by the unity of its historical development and the distinctive combination of its modern geographical landscapes. The geological history of each geographical region prior to the Tertiary Period is outlined in broad terms, whereas the later periods, especially the Quaternary, are examined in greater detail from a paleogeographical perspective, describing ancient landscapes, their succession, and the ways in which different stages of historical development are reflected in the modern landscape.Each geographical region is considered both as a component of a larger whole, such as Western Siberia, Eastern Siberia, the Far East, or Central Asia, and as a unified geographical organism composed of a series of coordinated elements, including zones, subzones, districts, and landscapes.The author substantiates the boundaries of the various geographical regions and the principal patterns governing the distribution of their smaller taxonomic units. Since landscapes represent the most recent stage in the development of life within a particular area of the Earth's surface, the geographical description does not begin with the landscape but culminates in it. Landscapes are examined in terms of their development, geographical distribution, modern structure, seasonal dynamics, and their transformation for the purposes of the socialist economy.In describing flora and fauna, the author seeks to provide more detailed accounts of a limited number of landscape plants and animals that are particularly characteristic of the region under consideration a