ABSTRACT
The Soviet Union disappeared from the world political maps almost 20 years ago. However, we considered that the soil classification of the Soviet Union should be included in this volume, for several reasons. First, the new Russian soil classification (Shishov et al, 2004), discussed in the next chapter, is still not officially approved in the Russian Federation and the book Classification and Diagnostics of Soils of USSR (Egorov et al, 1977) remains the main document, regulating soil classification for soil survey. A review conducted by Moscow State University also showed that the majority of pedologists still use the older classification in their scientific work. Second, this classification served as a source system for the new independent states, formed after the fall of the Soviet Union. Basically, the classifications of the Baltic States and Caucasian republics use the same archetypes and terms as the older Soviet classification. In some states, like in Belorussia or in Kazakhstan, the older classification is still used officially. Third, the Soviet school generated many maps and publications that cannot be understood without understanding the system of soil classification that was used during that time.
