Editing Soviet Union (section)

== Geography ==
{{main|Geography of the Soviet Union}}
{{see also|Geography of Russia}}
[[File:The Soviet Union 1964 CPA 3139 stamp (Development of mountaineering in Russia. Mountain Khan Tengri (6,995 m) of the Tian Shan mountain range).jpg|upright|thumb|left|Mountain [[Khan Tengri]] (6,995 m) of the [[Tian Shan]] mountain range]]
[[File:Karabash mountain.jpg|thumb|Landscape near [[Karabash, Chelyabinsk Oblast]], an area that was previously covered with forests until acid rainfall from a nearby copper smelter killed all vegetation]]
[[File:AralSea1989 2014.jpg|thumb|right|One of the many impacts of the approach to the environment in the USSR and post-Soviet states is the [[Aral Sea]]. (See status in 1989 and 2014)<ref>{{Cite news |title=How Soviet pollution destroyed the Aral Sea |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-34586135 |access-date=19 November 2023}}</ref>]]
With an area of {{convert|22402200|km2}}, the Soviet Union was the world's largest country,<ref>Television documentary from CC&C Ideacom Production, "Apocalypse Never-Ending War 1918–1926", part 2, aired at Danish DR K on 22 October 2018.</ref> a status that is retained by the [[Russian Federation]].<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/513251/Russia "Russia" – Encyclopædia Britannica]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080426065826/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/513251/Russia |date=26 April 2008 }}. Retrieved on 29 July 2013.</ref> Covering a sixth of Earth's land surface, its size was comparable to that of [[North America]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pages.towson.edu/thompson/courses/regional/reference/sovietphysical.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915090942/http://pages.towson.edu/thompson/Courses/Regional/Reference/SovietPhysical.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 September 2012 |title=The Former Soviet Union: Physical Geography |first=Virginia |last=Thompson |publisher=Towson University: Department of Geography & Environmental Planning |access-date=24 March 2016}}</ref> Two other successor states, [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Ukraine]], rank among the top 10 countries by land area, and the largest country entirely in Europe, respectively. The [[Europe]]an portion accounted for a quarter of the country's area and was the cultural and economic center. The eastern part in [[Asia]] extended to the [[Pacific Ocean]] to the east and [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]] to the south, and, except some areas in [[Central Asia]], was much less populous. It spanned over {{Convert|10000|km}} east to west across 11 [[time zone]]s, and over {{convert|7200|km}} north to south. It had five climate zones: [[tundra]], [[taiga]], [[steppe]]s, [[desert]] and [[mountain]]s.

The USSR, like [[Russia]], had the world's longest [[border]], measuring over {{convert|60000|km}}, or {{frac|1|1|2}} circumferences of Earth. Two-thirds of it was a [[coast]]line. The country bordered [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]], the [[History of the People's Republic of China (1976–1989)|People's Republic of China]], [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|Czechoslovakia]], [[Finland]], [[Hungarian People's Republic|Hungary]], [[Pahlavi Iran|Iran]], [[Mongolian People's Republic|Mongolia]], [[North Korea]], [[Norway]], [[Polish People's Republic|Poland]], [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romania]], and [[Turkey]] from 1945 to 1991. The [[Bering Strait]] separated the USSR from the United States.

The country's highest mountain was Communism Peak (now [[Ismoil Somoni Peak]]) in [[Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic|Tajikistan]], at {{Convert|7495|m}}. The USSR also included most of the world's largest lakes; the [[Caspian Sea]] (shared with [[Iran]]), and [[Lake Baikal]], the world's largest (by volume) and deepest freshwater lake that is also an internal body of water in Russia.

Neighbouring countries were aware of the high levels of pollution in the Soviet Union<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=6 December 1982 |title=Study Says Pollution in Arctic Could Originate From Soviet |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/06/world/study-says-pollution-in-arctic-could-originate-from-soviet.html |access-date=19 November 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119114918/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/06/world/study-says-pollution-in-arctic-could-originate-from-soviet.html |archive-date=19 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mathews |first=Jessica |date=22 March 1991 |title=The Union of Soviet Socialist Pollution |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1991/03/22/the-union-of-soviet-socialist-pollution/b6af0952-f32b-4fba-89f1-776c54b069fb/ |access-date=19 November 2023 |issn=0190-8286 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115195207/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1991/03/22/the-union-of-soviet-socialist-pollution/b6af0952-f32b-4fba-89f1-776c54b069fb/ |archive-date=15 January 2024}}</ref> but after the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] it was discovered that its environmental problems were greater than what the Soviet authorities admitted.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 February 2016 |title=The Grim Pollution Picture in the Former Soviet Union |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-grim-pollution-pictur_b_9266764 |first1=Armine |last1=Sahakyan |access-date=19 November 2023 |work=[[HuffPost]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811123024/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-grim-pollution-pictur_b_9266764 |archive-date=11 August 2024}}</ref> The Soviet Union was the world's second largest producer of harmful emissions. In 1988, total emissions in the Soviet Union were about 79% of those in the United States. But since the Soviet [[GNP]] was only 54% of that of the United States, this means that the Soviet Union generated 1.5 times more pollution than the United States per unit of GNP.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Shahgedanova |first1=Maria |last2=Burt |first2=Timothy P. |date=1 September 1994 |title=New data on air pollution in the former Soviet Union |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0959-3780%2894%2990003-5 |journal=[[Global Environmental Change]] |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=201–227 |doi=10.1016/0959-3780(94)90003-5 |bibcode=1994GEC.....4..201S |issn=0959-3780|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The Soviet [[Chernobyl disaster]] in 1986 was the first major accident at a civilian [[nuclear power plant]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 May 2019 |title=Chernobyl disaster facts and information |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/chernobyl-disaster |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220033148/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/chernobyl-disaster |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 February 2021 |access-date=19 November 2023 |website=Culture |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chernobyl {{!}} Chernobyl Accident {{!}} Chernobyl Disaster - World Nuclear Association |url=https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx |access-date=19 November 2023 |website=world-nuclear.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2021 |title=Unsealed Soviet archives reveal cover-ups at Chernobyl plant before disaster |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/unsealed-soviet-archives-reveal-cover-ups-chernobyl-plant-before-disaster-2021-04-26/ |access-date=19 November 2023}}</ref> Unparalleled in the world, it resulted in a large number of radioactive isotopes being released into the atmosphere. Radioactive doses were scattered relatively far.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Simmons |first=Michael |date=3 May 2021 |title=Radiation high over Europe after Chernobyl disaster – archive, 1986 |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/03/radiation-high-over-europe-after-chernobyl-disaster-1986 |access-date=19 November 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Although long-term effects of the accident were unknown, 4,000 new cases of thyroid cancer which resulted from the accident's contamination were reported at the time of the accident, but this led to a relatively low number of deaths (WHO data, 2005).<ref>{{cite web |title=Chernobyl: the true scale of the accident |url=https://www.who.int/news/item/05-09-2005-chernobyl-the-true-scale-of-the-accident |website=World Health Organization |date=5 September 2005 |access-date=7 October 2021 |language=en |archive-date=25 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225095828/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr38/en/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Another major radioactive accident was the [[Kyshtym disaster]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baverstock |first1=Keith |last2=Williams |first2=Dillwyn |title=The Chernobyl Accident 20 Years on: An Assessment of the Health Consequences and the International Response |doi-access=free |journal=[[Environmental Health Perspectives]] |date=2006 |volume=114 |issue=9 |pages=1312–1317 |doi=10.1289/ehp.9113 |pmid=16966081 |pmc=1570049 |bibcode=2006EnvHP.114.1312B}}</ref>

The [[Kola Peninsula]] was one of the places with major problems.<ref>{{Cite web |translator-last=Digges |translator-first=Charles |first1=Anna |last1=Kireeva |date=4 January 2021 |title=One of the Murmansk Region's most polluting facilities shuts down after more than seven decades |url=https://bellona.org/news/industrial-pollution/2021-01-one-of-the-murmansk-regions-most-polluting-facilities-shuts-down-after-more-than-seven-decades |access-date=19 November 2023 |website=Bellona.org |language=en-US}}</ref> Around the industrial cities of [[Monchegorsk]] and [[Norilsk]], where [[nickel]], for example, is mined, all forests have been destroyed by contamination, while the northern and other parts of Russia have been affected by emissions.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 December 2021 |title=How Norilsk, in the Russian Arctic, became one of the most polluted places on Earth |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/norilsk-russian-arctic-became-one-polluted-places-earth-rcna6481 |first1=Marianne |last1=Lavelle |access-date=19 November 2023 |work=[[NBC News]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612134836/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/norilsk-russian-arctic-became-one-polluted-places-earth-rcna6481 |archive-date=12 June 2024}}</ref> During the 1990s, people in the West were also interested in the radioactive hazards of nuclear facilities, decommissioned [[nuclear submarine]]s, and the processing of [[nuclear waste]] or [[spent nuclear fuel]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Broad |first=William J. |date=27 April 1993 |title=Russians describe extensive dumping of nuclear waste |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/27/science/russians-describe-extensive-dumping-of-nuclear-waste.html |access-date=19 November 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119114918/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/27/science/russians-describe-extensive-dumping-of-nuclear-waste.html |archive-date=19 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Raymer |first=Steve |date=15 March 1992 |title=Nuclear Pollution Plagues Former Soviet Union : Environment: A map marking non-military explosions shows scope of 'national disaster.' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-15-mn-6700-story.html |access-date=19 November 2023 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119115140/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-15-mn-6700-story.html |archive-date=19 November 2023}}</ref> It was also known in the early 1990s that the USSR had transported radioactive material to the [[Barents Sea]] and [[Kara Sea]], which was later confirmed by the Russian parliament. The crash of the [[K-141 Kursk]] submarine in 2000 in the west further raised concerns.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hønneland |first1=Geir |last2=Jørgensen |first2=Anne-Kristin |title=Implementing Russia's International Environmental Commitments: Federal Prerogative or Regional Concern? |journal=[[Europe-Asia Studies]] |date=December 2002 |volume=54 |issue=8 |pages=1223–1240 |doi=10.1080/0966813022000025862 |jstor=826384 |s2cid=156340249}}</ref> In the past, there were accidents involving submarines [[Soviet submarine K-19|K-19]], [[Soviet submarine K-8|K-8]], a [[K-129]], [[Soviet submarine K-27|K-27]], [[Soviet submarine K-219|K-219]] and [[K-278 Komsomolets]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Luhn |first=Alec |title=Russia's 'slow-motion Chernobyl' at sea |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200901-the-radioactive-risk-of-sunken-nuclear-soviet-submarines |date=1 September 2020 |access-date=19 November 2023 |website=[[BBC]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tiwari |first=Sakshi |date=10 October 2023 |title=Armed With Nuke Payload, How Dangerous Is Russia's Nuclear-Armed Submarine Resting In Arctic Ocean? |url=https://www.eurasiantimes.com/resting-with-nuke-payload-russias-sunken-nuclear-armed-submarine/ |access-date=19 November 2023 |website=EurAsian Times |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119114918/https://www.eurasiantimes.com/resting-with-nuke-payload-russias-sunken-nuclear-armed-submarine/ |archive-date=19 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Wastes of War: Rotting Nuclear Subs Pose Threat |first1=David |last1=Hoffman |date=16 November 1998 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/coldwar/russia111698.htm |access-date=19 November 2023 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 January 2021 |title=The Terrifying History of Russia's Nuclear Submarine Graveyard |first1=Cory |last1=Graff |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a34976195/russias-nuclear-submarine-graveyard/ |access-date=19 November 2023 |website=[[Popular Mechanics]] |language=en-US}}</ref>