Russia

Location
Russia is located in northeastern Europe and northern Asia.

It is the largest country in the world, with a total area of 17,075,200 sq km (6,592,771 sq mi).
Russia shares boundaries with the Arctic Ocean on the NORTH , northern Pacific Ocean on
the EAST , China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia on
the SOUTH , and the Black Sea, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Finland on the WEST with a
total land boundary of 19,990 km (12,421 mi) and a coastline of 37,653 km (23,396 mi).
Russia's capital city, Moscow, is located in the eastern part of the country.
Languaje
About 90% of the population speaks Russian.

The language is written in the Cyrillic alphabet of 33 letters and has been written since about
1000 AD .
A a wide variety of other Slavic, Finno–Ugric, Turkic, Mongol, Tungus, and Paleo–Asiatic
languages also are spoken.
History
The area that is today the country of Russia has been inhabited by people for thousands of
years. The first modern state in Russia was founded in 862 by King Rurik of the Rus, who was
made the ruler of Novgorod. Some years later, the Rus conquered the city of Kiev and started
the kingdom of the Kievan Rus. Over the 10th and 11th century the Kievan Rus became a
powerful empire in Europe reaching its peak under Vladimir the Great and Yaroslav I the Wise.
During the 13th century the Mongols led by Batu Khan overran the area and wiped out the
Kievan Rus. In the 14th century the Grand Duchy of Moscow rose to power. It became the head
of the Eastern Roman Empire and Ivan IV the Terrible crowned himself the first Tsar of Russia
in 1547. Tsar was another name for Caesar as the Russians called their empire the "Third
Rome". In 1613, Mikhail Romanov established the Romanov dynasty that would rule Russia for
many years. Under the rule of Tsar Peter the Great (1689-1725), the Russian empire continued
to expand. It became a major power throughout Europe. Peter the Great moved the capital from
Moscow to St. Petersburg. During the 19th century, Russian culture was at its peak. Famous
artists and writers such as Dostoyevsky, Tchaikovsky, and Tolstoy became famous throughout
the world. The Palace Square After World War I, in 1917, the people of Russia fought against
the leadership of the Tsars. Vladimir Lenin led the Bolshevik Party in revolution overthrowing
the Tsar. Civil war broke out in 1918. Linen's side won and the communist state the Soviet
Union was born in 1922. After Lenin died in 1924, Joseph Stalin seized power. Under Stalin,
millions of people died in famines and executions. During World War II, Russia initially allied
with the Germans. However, the Germans invaded Russia in 1941. Over 20 million Russians
died in World War II including over 2 million Jewish people who were killed as part of the
Holocaust. In 1949, the Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons. An arms race developed
between Russia and the United States in what was called the Cold War. The Soviet economy
suffered under communism and isolationism. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and many of
its member nations declared independence. The remaining area became the country of Russia.
Food
Russian cuisine is distinctive and unique, and like any other national one, it was formed under
the influence of different environmental, social, geographical, economic, and historical factors.
The main feature of Russian cuisine is considered to be an abundance and variety of products
used for cooking. There are numerous dishes made of dough such as pies, cakes, rolls, blini,
etc. as well as unleavened dough, including dumplings and homemade noodles. Being a country
of Orthodox Christian religion which implies numerous fasts, Russian cuisine offers a great
number of vegetarian dishes including mushrooms, pickles, etc. The Russian culinary palette is
also rich in meat, poultry, and fish dishes which are served on various occasions.
Russian traditions
Russian traditions consist of very interesting blend of Christian and pagan customs. For many
centuries they have determined the rhythm and the lifestyle of the nation – from clearly written
annual calendar to marriage and other rituals. Even non-religious people often enjoy
celebrations of national holidays and execute certain rituals. Weddings, removals, funerals, long
trips – all these events were necessarily accompanied by rituals. Many of them survived to this
day. According to them, you can attract good luck and fight off evil spirits, bring fertility to
your family or your farmland.
Popular holidays such as New Year, Christmas, Christmastime, Epiphany and Maslenitsa come
with millions of traditions. New Year is accompanied by making wishes, snowballs, building
snow forts and snowmen, sledding. Christmas and Epiphany are very religious holidays that are
celebrated in the church and with family members. At Christmastime and many other holidays
it was popular to tell fortune, mostly for unmarried girls to know who will be their husband.
Some of them went out on a street and asked a name of a first passer-by (this shall be the name
of the girl’s future groom), others tried to see him in a dream or in a mirror in a dark room.
Maslenitsa is widely known as Sun and Spring Festival, its main traditions are fun, jokes and
pancakes cooking.
Capital : Moscow
Flag : Equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red.
Anthem : Patriotic Song.

Russia

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Russia

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Russia

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Location

Russia is located in northeastern Europe and northern Asia.

About 90% of the population speaks Russian.

You might also like