Many people think of maps in terms of their basic purpose: showing a countrys geography and topography. But maps can speak to all dimensionspolitical, military, and economic.In fact, they are the first place to start thinking about a countrys strategy, which can reveal factors that are otherwise not obvious.The 10 maps below show Russias difficult position since the Soviet Union collapsed and explain Putins long-term intentions in Europe.Russia is almost landlockedSometimes a single map can reveal the most important thing about a country. In the case of Russia, it is this map.One of the keys to understanding Russias strategy is to look at its position relative to the rest of Europe.The European Peninsula is surrounded on three sides by the Baltic and North Seas, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The easternmost limit of the peninsula extends from the eastern tip of the Baltic Sea south to the Black Sea.In thismap, this division is indicated by the line from St. Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don. This line also roughly defines the eastern boundaries of the Baltic states, Belarus and Ukraine. These countries are the eastern edge of the European Peninsula.Hardly any part of Europe is more than 400 miles from the sea, and most of Europe is less than 300 miles away. Much of Russia, on the other hand, is effectively landlocked. The Arctic Ocean is far away from Russias population centers, and the few ports that do exist are mostly unusable in the winter.Europe controls Russia's access to the oceansRussias access to the worlds oceans, aside from the Arctic, is also limited. What access it does have is blocked by other countries, which can be seen through this map.European Russia has three potential points from which to access global maritime trade. One is through the Black Sea and the Bosporus, a narrow waterway controlled by Turkey that can easily be closed to Russia.Another is from St. Petersburg, where ships can sail through Danish waters, but this passageway can also be easily blocked. The third is the long Arctic Ocean route, starting from Murmansk and then extending through the gaps between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom.During the Cold War, air bases in Norway, Scotland, and Iceland, coupled with carrier battle groups, worked to deny Russia access to the sea. This demonstrates the vulnerability Russia faces due to its lack of access to oceans and waterways.It also reveals why Russia is, for all intents and purposes, a landlocked country.A countrys access to the sea can greatly influence its economic and political strength.Most of Russia's population lives along the western borderRussias population clusters along its western border with Europe and its southern border with the Caucasus (the area between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea to the south). Siberia is lightly populated. Rivers and infrastructure flow west.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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