by Max Barry

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The United Socialist States of
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Geography of Tulov

Lake Ytkyi in winter
Topography

With the land area of the USST estimated to be around 1,663,867.72 km² (642,422.92 mile²), Tulov has a very diverse landscape and is covered in many coniferous forests, with much of Tulov being either mountainous or highlands, though there are also many plains. In western Tulov, the Ravlo mountain range spans much of Tulov's western border and continues down into the Lvov-Rovne confederacy, while the northern areas of Tulov tend to be more mountainous, the southern regions of Tulov are predominantly highlands and plains, with some forests to be found, while southeastern Tulov is flat steppe and the Krim peninsula is mostly mountainous. There are many rivers running through Tulov and a large number of lakes scattered throughout the country, though there are no lakes of significant size. There are multiple swamps and marshlands in Tulov, namely in the southwest beyond the city of Edessa and along the southeastern coasts.

Forest fires and landslides are somewhat common throughout northern Tulov, though are rarely of a disastrous scale. Tulov has had few disasters in it's history, with most being flooding in it's southern territories. A few volcanoes exist within Tulov, along it's western and northeastern borders, but are currently dormant and have not erupted in several hundred years. The worst disaster in the history of Tulov was the Klayalak eruption of 1791, which destroyed the city of Telvis. The volcano is currently dormant, though now located within the territory of the Sheksna Federation. The highest point in Tulov is Mount Glasha at 8,169.5 m (26,802.82 ft), and the lowest point is along the Voronin River at 10 m (32 ft).

Climate

Mountains and forests of central Tulov

The climate of Tulov is infamous for it's severe winters and mild summers, with northern and much of central Tulov having a subarctic climate. Tulov's southern regions are known for being much warmer, though still having harsh winters, in part from the strong icy winds that come down from the north. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Tulov was 42°C (108°F) in the city of Voroningrad, while the coldest temperature ever recorded was -58°C(-72°F) in the settlement of Evlovsk, north of Petrovsk.

Environment

Pollution in Tulov is predominantly around it's larger cities and in the form of air pollution from the nations heavy industry, though the cities themselves rarely suffer the effects due to state-planned construction of factories in accordance with wind currents, as to help blow the smog out of the city rather than into it. Though the wilderness, rivers and lakes of Tulov remain mostly unpolluted and extremely crisp, many areas in the south and southeast suffer from contamination from the days of the Tulovian Monarchy, heavy use of pesticides, and the dumping of toxic chemicals and heavy metals into the water ways leading into Krasnodaria. The current government of Tulov has been working since the early 2000s to clean up the leftover contaminants.

Rivers and Lakes

Eastern Tulov in winter

Tulov's longest river is the Zarik, which flows from the northern seas and down to the marshes of the Yuzovsk, effectively cutting the nation in half between west and east. Other major rivers in Tulov are the Rurich, Voronin and Moskva rivers. The largest body of standing water in Tulov is Lake Ytkyi, in the nation's far north. Formed by runoff from the melting snow in the mountains, with the surface area of the lake being 17,700 square kilometers (6,800 square miles), its average depth being 123m (404ft) and its deepest is 307 m (1007ft)

Natural resources and land use

Tulov is abundant in mineral fuels, having many coal mines all throughout it's territory, though predominantly in central and northern Tulov. The major petroleum and natural gas deposits of Tulov are located in the southwest, the east and the southeast, with a few smaller deposits found in other regions of the nation. Major iron ore deposits are located predominantly in the northwest of the nation, with a few smaller deposits in other regions. Tulov's major deposits of copper are found in the north-west of the nation, with little to no deposits throughout the rest of the nation. Deposits of lead, silver and gold can also be found throughout the nation, but not in the quantity of either coal nor iron. In the region's southeast can be found numerous deposits of mercury and salt, and sulfur can be found in the western regions.

Twenty six percent of the land is used for arable farming, five percent for permanent crops, four percent for permanent pastures, thirty six percent of the land is forests and woodland and twenty nine percent is used for other purposes.

Natural hazards

Flooding in the south, avalanches and landslides in the north and central regions.

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