The Russian Federation

Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. It occupies about one seventh part of dry land. It is situated in Europe and Asia. Its total area is over 17 million square kilometres.

The country is washed by seas and oceans. In the north it is washed by the Arctic Ocean and its seas: the Barents, Chukchee, East Siberian, Kara, Laptev and White seas; in the South by the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas; in the East by the Bering Sea, the Sea of Japan and Okhotsk Sea, in the West by the Baltic Sea.

Russiaencompasses within its territory immense differences in climate, economic conditions and cultural traditions. It is one of the largest administration areas in the world.

The immensity of the Russian Federation is hard to imagine. A flight from Moscow to Magadan takes eight hours.

Russia borders on fourteen countries including the former republics of the USSR, which are now independent states. Russia is a land of long rivers and large lakes. The North Dvina, the three mighty Siberian rivers: the Ob, the Lena and the Yenisei, and the Amur rank with the Nile and the Amazon among the world’s longest rivers. The largest of all Russia’s rivers is the Volga. This river is a major transport route from the north to the south and a source of hydroelectric energy. It rises north of Moscow in the Valdai Hills.

The three largest lakes in Russia are Baikal in South-Eastern Siberia and Ladoga and Onega in the north of Russia. Baikal is the world’s most ancient lake and the deepest one. It contains one-fifth of the world’s fresh water.

The relief of Russia is mostly flat. Russia is located in two plains: the Great Russian Plain and the Western Siberian Plain.

Some parts of our country are covered with mountains and hills. There are three main mountain chains in Russia. The Caucasus is a range of mountains, which extends from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. The highest mountain in the Caucasus, in the Russian Federation and in the whole Europe is Mount Elbrus. The Urals extend from the Arctic Ocean to the steppes. The mountain chain divides the European and Asiatic parts of Russia. The Urals are famous for their valuable minerals and gemstones.

The Russian Federation is rich in mineral resources such as oil, natural gas, coal, iron, gold and others.

Corresponding to climate there are several vegetation zones stretching across the country. From the north to the south they are: the tundra, the taiga (or pine forest), mixed forest steppe, semi-desert and desert. Each vegetation belt has its own flora, fauna and natural resources.

The population of Russia is about 150 million people, 83 per cent of the population are Russians. 70 per cent of the population live in cities.

The Russian Federation is set up by the Constitution of 1993 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to the Constitution Russia is a Presidential Republic. The President is elected for four years and is the head of the state. The President is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief; he makes treaties, enforces laws and appoints ministers. The Federal Government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. All of them are checked by the President. The legislative power is represented by the Federal Assembly. It consists of two chambers. The Upper Chamber is the Council of Federation; the Lower Chamber is the State Duma. To become a law a bill must be approved by both chambers and signed by the President. The President may veto the bill.

The executive power belongs to the Government which is headed by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister forms his Cabinet.

The judicial branch is represented by the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and regional courts.

The State symbol of Russia is a three-colored banner with three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The white stripe symbolizes the earth, the blue one – the sky and the red one symbolizes liberty. The hymn of Russia is the Patriotic Song by Michail Glinka.

A new National Emblem is a two-headed eagle, which is the most ancient symbol of Russia. All these symbols have been approved by the Federal Assembly.

Russian is the State language of Russia. It is spoken throughout the whole territory of the Russian Federation.

Moscow is the capital of our country. It was founded in 1147. It is a nice city full of sights.