Special Sub-Topic: Former Soviet Republics Click Here To Play: Former Soviet Republics

USSR annexed this area from Czechoslovakia in 1945 and added it to the Ukrainian SSR. Which area was it?

Ruthenia. In Russian the area is called Zakarpatska. The capital is Uzhgorod.

USSR was a founding member of the UN in 1945. Along with the USSR, three Soviet republics were founding members as well. Which republics were they?

Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. Today the Russian Federation represent the former USSR republics, along with the 14 other independent ex-Soviet republics.

Ethnic Russians claimed this Moldovan region in the early 1990s and still control it.

Trans-Dniestr. The capital is Tiraspol.

Konstantin Päts overthrew parliamentary democracy in a quasi-fascist coup in in 1934 in this country?

Estonia. Estonia was occupied by USSR in 1940 and then by Germany 1941-44.

Democracy was overthrown and an autocratic regime under Karlis Ulmanis was established in this country in 1934.

Latvia. Latvia was occupied by USSR in 1940 and then by Germany 1941-44.

Democracy was overthrown in an authoritarian coup led by Antanas Smetona in 1926 in this country?

Lithuania. Lithuania was occupied by USSR in 1940, and then by Germany 1941-44.

A civil war in Georgia in 1993-94 and 1998-2000 concerned this area?

Abkhazia. Abkhasia is still governed by the separatists and a great part of the Georgian population has fled the area.

A war between Armenia and Azerbaijan which ended in 1994 resulted in Armenian occupation of more than 1/5 of Azerbaijan, including most of the autonomous region ___________?

Nagorno-Karabakh. The war was ended by a cease fire in 1994. In 1995 Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed that the OSSE should contribute to a peaceful solution.

This region of Azerbaijan is an enclave bordering Armenia, Iran and Turkey.

Nakhichevan. Nakhichevan declared independence in 1990, but is still an autonomous republic within Azerbaijan.

The present capital of this country was taken by Russia in 1865-67 and made the capital of Governor-Generalship of Turkestan.

Uzbekistan. The capital is Tashkent.

The northern part of this country came under tsarist Russian rule in the 1860s, while the south was annexed by the Emirate of Bukhara, later to be a Russian protectorate.

Tajikistan. The capital is Dushanbe.

The capital of Kazakhstan was moved from Almaty (Alma-Ata) to which newly built city in 1998?

Astana. Astana formerly existed as a small city under the names of Akmolinsk, Tselinograd and Akmola.

Almost 1/3 of the population in this country migrated temporarily to China after Russian suppression of a rebellion in Central Asia in 1916-17.

Kyrgyzstan. The capital is Bishkek.

The Lenin Kara-Kum Canal (built 1960-67) led to dramatic expansion of cotton production in this country.

Turkmenistan. The capital is Ashkabad.

In 1940 USSR seized the northern part of this region from Romania and added it to the Ukrainian SSR. What region was it?

Bukhovina. North Bukovina is now a part of Chernivtsy region, Ukraine. Chief town: Chernivtsy.

This former region in south east Europe bordering the Black Sea and situated between the Prut and Dniester rivers is now divided between Moldova (main part) and Ukraine.

Bessarabia. Bessarabia was proclaimed an independent republic in 1918. The same year a popular vote decided that Bessarabia should be a part of Romania. However, the USSR did not allow this to happen and closed the border until 1933. In 1940 Romania had to cede the area to USSR.

In Russia (as in several other former USSR republics) several cities have changed names after the dissolution of the USSR. In Russia for example Leningrad became St.Petersburg, Gorky became Nizhniy Novgorod, Kuibyshev became Samara, Kalinin became Tver, Sverdlovsk became Yekaterinburg. What is the new name of Kirov?

Vyatka. Vyatka is named after a river with the same name. It also had this name 1147-1934.

In Ukraine several cities have also changed names. For example Lvov became Lviv, Zhdanov became Mariupol. But what is the new name of Voroshilovgrad?

Lugansk & Luhansk. Lugansk (or now rather: Luhansk) was also called Lugansk 1791-1935 and 1958-1970.

As of 2003 what is the largest city in the former USSR republics outside the Russian Federation and Ukraine?

Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Tashkent had about 2,3 million inhabitants in 2003.

In 2003 what was the most populated ex-USSR state after the Russian Federation and Ukraine?

Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan had about 25 million inhabitants in 2003.