l6 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



stone. After several days in Leningrad one senses the magnitude of 

 the extensive reconstruction work in progress, and since Karelia is 

 the nearest source of essential material, it is only natural that this area 

 will continue to expand and develop its mineral resources. 



The general features of Karelia resemble those of Finland ; it is 

 essentially a lowland with many lakes, rivers, and marshes. In the 

 northern portion there are some hills 2,000 feet in elevation, but the 

 elevation of the larger portion of the district is less than half that 

 figure, and to the east along the White Sea the country flattens out to 

 a marshy lowland. There are thousands of small lakes and one very 

 large one, Lake Onega, which covers about 10,000 square miles. 



North of Karelia lies the Kola district, and although north of the 

 Arctic Circle, it has a comparatively moderate climate. Murmansk, 

 a city of over 100,000 people and the largest town in the Arctic, is 

 the only seaport of Russia on the north that is free from ice all the 

 year round. The water about Leningrad, over a thousand miles to 

 the south, is frozen solidly during the winter. The same warm ocean 

 current that furnishes England, Norway, and Sweden with a mild 

 climate spends almost the last of its warmth keeping ice from form- 

 ing on this northern shore. Murmansk, therefore, with rich resources 

 of lumber and minerals and with all-year-round access to the open 

 sea, will certainly become an important city. 



The mining industry centered around Kirovsk is one of the most 

 recent developments in Russia. There is one of the world's great 

 deposits of phosphate ore, apatite, which is closely connected with 

 the intrusion of the nepheline syenites, and in and around this peculiar 

 igneous complex are many rare minerals, some of them found in 

 rather large quantities. The Soviet geologists have done a large 

 amount of systematic prospecting to uncover these minerals, and the 

 area is a veritable paradise for mineralogists. 



Kola Peninsula also supports other important activities. Off shore 

 is a fine fishing ground, and every day trainloads of fish leave the 

 north for the larger cities farther south. The region is by no means 

 a barren, bleak waste as many suppose, but does have agricultural 

 possibilities. We ate potatoes, green vegetables, and strawberries that 

 had been raised on experimental farms and also saw a good herd of 

 dairy cattle grazing in the fields. The country looks promising, espe- 

 cially when visited during the period of 24-hour sunshine. What it 

 is like in winter may be a different story, but the Soviets are making 

 serious efforts to develop the entire area. 



Following the northern excursion, several days were spent in Mos- 

 cow, where the scientific meetings of the Congress were held, and a 



