Russia
Vocabulary
Area-Площадь
Length, extent-Протяженность
Mainland, continent-Материк
The Arctic circle-Северный полярный круг
Eurasia-Евразия
Extreme point-Крайняя точка
Boundary, border-Граница
Cape-Мыс
To wash (to be washed)-Омывать (ся)
Strait-Пролив
The Atlantic ocean-Атлантический океан
Island-Остров
The Pacific ocean-Тихий океан
Spit-Коса
The Arctic ocean-Северный Ледовитый океан
Peninsula-Полуостров
Size-размер
Coast-берег
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)-ВВП (Внутренний Валовый Продукт)
population-население
Russia is the largest country in the world with 9 time zones. The landscape varies from the taiga and tundra of Siberia to mountains in the south. The main industries include agriculture, forestry and extraction of energy and minerals.
The main communications across the country are by air, and the Trans-Siberian railway. The road system is not well developed countrywide. Russia's great rivers also play an important part in transportation as well as in hydroelectric power generation. The Ural regions split Russia into the Asian and the European parts.
Area: 17,075,400 square kilometers
Population density (плотность населения): 8-9 people per square kilometer
Population: 142.4 million
Capital city: Moscow (population 10.4 million)
People: 81.5% Russians; 3.8% Tatars; 3% Ukrainians (more than 100 nationalities in all)
Language (язык): Russian
Religions: Orthodox Christianity; Islam; Judaism; Buddhism
Currency (валюта): 1 Ruble = 100 Kopeks
Major political parties: United Russia, Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, A Just Russia
Government: Federation
Head of State/President: Vladimir Putin
Prime Minister/Premier: Dmitry Medvedev
The etymology (происхождение) of the name
The name Russia is derived from Rus, a medieval state populated by the East Slavs. The name Rus itself comes from Rus people, a group of Varangians (Swedish Vikings) who founded the state of Rus (Русь).
Politics
According to the Constitution of Russia, the country is a federation and semi-presidential republic, wherein the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. The Russian Federation is a multi-party representative democracy, with the federal government composed of three branches:
- Legislative (законодательная власть)
- Executive (исполнительная власть)
- Judiciary (судебная власть)
The president is elected by popular vote for a six-year.
Military (военное дело)
The Russian military is divided into the Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Force.
Federal subjects (федеральные субъекты)
The Russian Federation comprises 83 federal subjects: 46 oblasts (provinces) , 21 republics, 9 krais (territories), 4 autonomous okrugs (autonomous districts), 1 autonomous oblast (the Jewish Autonomous Oblast), 2 federal cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg): major cities that function as separate regions.
Extreme points (крайние точки)
· North: cape Chelyuskin
· South: Bazardyuzyu mountain
· East: Baltiyskaya spit
· West: cape Dezhnyova
Time zones (временные зоны)
9
Mountains
· the Caucasus (Mount Elbrus, 5,642 m, the highest point in both Russia and Europe)
· the Altai (Mount Belukha, 4,506 m, the highest point of Siberia outside of the Russian Far East);
· the Verkhoyansk Range
· the volcanoes of Kamchatka Peninsula (Klyuchevskaya Sopka, 4,750 m, the highest active volcano in Eurasia
· The Ural Mountains, divides Europe and Asia.
Rivers
The Irtysh
The Lena
The Ob’
The Yenisey
The Pechora
The Angara
The Yana
The Indigirka
The Don
The Volga.
Seas
1. the Baltic Sea
2. The Sea of Azov
3. The Black Sea
4. The Caspian Sea (море-озеро)
5. The Barents Sea
6. The White Sea
7. The Kara Sea
8. The Laptev Sea
9. The East Siberian Sea
10. The Chukchi Sea
11.The Bering Sea
12. The Sea of Okhotsk
13. The Sea of Japan
Major islands (острова) and archipelagos
the Kuril Islands
Lakes
Lake Baikal, the world's deepest, purest, oldest fresh water lake
Lake Ladoga
Lake Onega
Climate
dominance of the humid continental climate, because Russia has an enormous size and many areas are remote from the seas
Ethnic groups
160
Major (главные) Cities
Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Omsk, Samara, Kazan’, Chelyabinsk, Rostov-na-Donu, Ufa, Volgograd, and Perm.
Flag
Three equal-sized horizontal bands of white (top), red, and blue.
Land Boundaries (пограничные страны)
Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, and Ukraine.
Oceans
the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans.