Most of this land lies in European Russia south of Leningrad, but some of it stretches to the Ob river beyond the southern Urals. Much land cannot be cultivated due to lack of rainfall. Annual precipitation is less than 20 inches in much of European Russia, the minimum for profitable forming. Around the Caspian it is less than ten inches. Rainfall accompanied by violent electrical storms is greatest in early summer.
Sudden downpours can ruin fields and cause erosion.
Dredging of rivers and harbors is a constant necessity. East of the Urals the rainfall is nowhere above 20 inches except on the Kamchatka peninsula and the maritime provinces along the Sea of Japan. In a country where the climate varies from Subtropical to Arctic, there is a great variety of vegetation. In the far north little but lichens and moss grow during the three months when the surface thaws. Farther south you will find heather, blackberries, cranberries and a profusion of wild flowers.