Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. The country is washed by 11 seas and 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic. Russia borders on many countries, e.g., China, Mongolia, Norway, Finland and many others. It also has a sea-border on the USA.

There is hardly a county in the world with such a variety of scenery and vegetation. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east. There are 2 great plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

There are over 2 million rivers in Russia. Europe’s biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers, the Ob, the Lena, the Yenisei, flow from the south to the north. Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world’s deepest lake is Lake Baikal. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom. Our country has one-sixth of the world’s forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.

On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate: arctic, temperate, continental, subtropical. Russia is very rich in natural gas, oil, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russian Federation is a parliamentary republic. The Head of the state is the President. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

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