RUSSIA
(Russian Federation)

Capital: Moscow
Language: Mainly Russian, встр. English, B'day. Ethnic
Main cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk
Other cities: Samara, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg
Currency: Russian ruble. 63 rub of the Russian Federation = 1 US dollars. (USD) 73 руб.РФ = 1 Euros (EUR)

ABOUT THE STATE

Russia stretches almost for the one sixth part of terrestrial mass of Earth (about 17 million square kilometers). It covers various topography and has all types of climate, except tropical. The Russian Federation is physically the largest country in the world covering 17 million square kilometers or is 1,8 times more, than in the USA. The territory of the Russian Federation covers 11 time zones and stretches for 6 000 miles from the East on the West. It has the population about 147,5 million people in comparison with 265 million in the USA. Politically Russian Federation represents the union from 89 republics, regions and territories which have different degree of economic and political independence of the central government located in the capital = the large city-megaplolise of Moscow.

CLIMATE

The Ural Mountains note traditional division between the European and Asian Russia. In the West the territory of Russia stretches for the wide plain broken only by small hills. In the east there are extensive Siberian lowlands and the deserts of Central Asia. Behind it there are fruitless Siberian uplands and ridges of the Far East of Russia. The big pine woods cover a half of the country; to the south from them - the steppe (prairie) where the soil is rich and dark. The small subtropical zone is to the south from steppes, along coast of the Black and Caspian seas.
The climate is various. Winters are long, cold also in the summer. In parts of the east Siberian tundra temperature of -68 °C (-90 °F) were registered.

POPULATION

The Russian Federation is the multiethnic state which contains more than 100 ethnic groups. Most of the population East Slavic, but it consists of the people belonging to less numerous ethnic groups including Eskimos. Though most of groups differ in the language and culture, Russian and traditions are well-known, and Russian - common language in the government and education.

RELIGION

The religion, long time suppressed at the Soviet power prospers now, and it is possible to find examples of all of the main and many less widely practiced religions. After underdeveloped, country society Russia achieved significant economic progress at communistic board, mainly by forces of the centralized command economy and basic industrialization. The Soviet communism which already clogged by 1980th years and badly equipped for meeting requirements of publicity and Mikhail Gorbachev's reorganization failed by 1991 that compelled Russia to difficult transition to the democratic state and market economy.