OUR MOTHERLAND

Our Motherland is Russia, the full name is Russian Federation. Russia is the world’s largest country, stretching over eastern Europe and northern Asia. It occupies about one-seventh of the earth’s surface. The total area of our country is about 17000000 square kilometers. The population is about 148000000 people.

Russia is a multinational state. People of different nationalities live in it.

One part of Russia lies in Europe, the other in Asia. The Ural mountains, traditional boundary between Europe and Asia, run for over 2000 kilometers from north to south.

The surface of the country is varied. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east. The relief of Russia is mostly flat. There are two great plains in Russia-The Great Russian Plain in the eastern Europe and the West Siberian Plain in the Asiatic part.

Russia is a land of long rivers and deep lakes. There are over two million rivers and 250 000 lakes in Russia. The Volga, the Dnieper, the Don and Ural are among the longest rivers in the European part of our country. Lake Baikal, in Eastern Siberia, is the deepest lake in the world.

The northern boundary of Russia is washed by the Arctic Ocean and the Barents, Chukchee, East Siberian and White seas. In the west it borders on Finland, the Baltic countries, Belarus and Ukraine. In the south it borders on Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea. In the east Russia is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its seas: the Bering Sea, the Sea of Japan and Okhotsk Sea. This Far East area also includes the Kamchatka and Chukchee peninsulas and the Kuril and Sakhalin islands.

The climate of our country is mainly continental, with cold winters and mild or warm summers depending on latitude. The country’s vegetation reflects its different climatic regimes.

Russia is among the world’s richest countries in mineral resources. It is the biggest producer of coal, petroleum and natural gas, as well as iron, ore, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, aluminum, and tin. Russia’s chemical industry is well developed. The largest forest areas are in Asiatic part of the country.

Russia has always played an important role in the world. The history of Russia is very rich. Under the tsars the government of Russia was in Saint Petersburg. In the spring of 1918 the seat of the government removed from Petrograd to Moscow. Since that Moscow has been the capital of our country. Russia is one of the leading Powers in the world.