Wikijunior Europe: sandbox
Russia (Russian: Россия, romanized: Rossiya, [rɐˈsʲijə]), or the Russian Federation,[c][19] is a country in Eastern Europe with Siberian territory (North Asia). It has land from the Baltic Sea to the Bering Strait. It is the largest country in the world, followed by Canada, the United States, and China. Russia is home to roughly 146.7 million people,80% of the population are west of the Ural Mountains. It has the largest population in all of Europe. The capital city is Moscow. In addition, it is Europe's biggest city. Some major cities are Kazan, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and Nizhny Novgorod. Russian is the language of Russia. Europe's most spoken language is Russian. In addition, it is the Slavic language most often spoken. Along with Russian, many Russian regions also have official languages. In Europe it shares borders with Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Norway and Azerbaijan. The capital city is Moscow. Other big cities in European Russia are St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. The currency of Russia is the Ruble.Following the United Nations and the European Union Russia is classified as a European country. [1][2]
Russia's History
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The eastern "Slavic" tribes were the forebears of the contemporary Russian people. They founded the state known as "Rus" in the year 882. Kiev (now in Ukraine) served as the capital city and home to the dynasty of "Rurikids" monarchs. They adopted "Orthodox Christianity" in the tenth century from the Byzantine Empire.
The Mongols attack all of Russia in the thirteenth century and controlled the region for the following three centuries. Moscow progressively gain control throughout this time. After uniting neighboring regions, the Grand Dukes of Moscow ultimately overthrew the Mongols in the fifteenth century.
Due to its location and climate, Russia has expanded its borders over the course of several centuries as its people have looked for "warm water ports" that will allow them to compete on a global scale. Their spread eastward along the Baltic Sea coast, as well as their involvement in Afghanistan during the 1980s, serve as examples of this.
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"Ivan the Terrible" became the first "tsar" (emperor) of Russia in the 16th century. Russia seized significant lands along the Volga River during his rule. He left no successors, therefore a period of turmoil followed his passing. Following that, the Romanovs began anew. The Russian Empire rose to global prominence while they were in charge.
In the course of the 17th century, Russia began to expand eastward through annexation and expeditions. New cities were established in ‘Siberia’ (such as Krasnoyarodsk, Yakutsk and Irkutsk), as military bases and commercial centers. By the middle of the 18th century, Russian settlements could be found in eastern Siberia, the Chukchi peninsula, the Amur River basin, and on the ‘Pacific coast’. The Bering Strait, which connects Asia and North America, was first discovered by a Russian traveler in 1648.
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At the start of the 18th century, Tsar ‘Peter the Great” founded a new capital city in the north, named it ‘‘St Petersburg’ . Together with Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Catherine II (‘Catherine the Great’) drove out the Polish-Lithuanian Empire in a series of ‘‘partitions’ which gave Russia vast territories in the western part of the continent. During the ‘‘Napoleonic wars’ , Russia was at war with France. In the year 1812, Napoleon took Moscow with his army, but was defeated; the strong winter proved too much for the French army, and the defeat was a major setback to Napoleon’s plans for European supremacy.
In the first half of the 20th century, Russia was a member of the Soviet Union. In 1917, the "working masses" of Russia, led by Vladimir Lenin, rebelled against the Tsar and his family in the so-called "October Revolution". Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed. In response, several Soviet socialist republics, including the Russian SSR, were formed. The capital of Russia was moved back to 'Moscow' and St. Petersburg was renamed 'Leningrad'. Factories were 'nationalized' and farms were divided into 'collective' farmlands, known as kolkhoz. All the industries were governed by 'five-year plans. In 1922, some of the Soviet socialist republics merged into the Soviet Union, forming the USSR.. -->
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The Soviet Union was invaded by Nazi Germany during World War II. Following the 'battle of Stalingrad, the Soviets began pushing the Germans out and eventually followed them to Berlin. Following the conflict, the USSR "occupied Central Europe," including Germany's Eastern Region. A "technological race" was started by the Soviet Union and the USA. With the launch of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on the first "manned space flight," the USSR emerged as a "nuclear superpower." However, the planned economy proved to be ineffective, and the populace lost faith in the administration. In December 1991, the USSR was "formally dissolved," having broken up into fifteen separate republics.
Russia's Geography
[edit | edit source]The Russian climate and geography is very diverse. Throughout much of the territory there are only two distinct seasons — winter and summer; spring and autumn are usually brief periods of change between extremely low temperatures and extremely high. The coldest month is January and the warmest usually is July. In winter, temperatures get colder both from south to north and from west to east. Summers can be quite hot and humid.
In western Russia there are the world's largest forest reserves which are often known as the Lungs of Europe. Mount Elbrus is the largest mountain in Europe at 5,642 metres.
Russia possesses one of the greatest surface water resources in the world thanks to its countless rivers and inland waterways. Lake Baikal is Russia's largest and most well-known freshwater body. the oldest, purest, and deepest freshwater lake on Earth. More than 25% of the fresh surface water on Earth is found in Lake Baikal alone. Two of Europe's largest lakes, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega, are among the other notable lakes. Among the 100,000 rivers in Russia, The Volga is the most well-known due to its significant role in Russian history as well as the fact that it is the longest river in Europe.
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Russia's People
[edit | edit source]The population is around 143 million. Russia is multi-ethnic country, people of about 160 nationalities live there. Ethnic Russians are about 80% of the population in Russia. Other significant minorities include Tatars and Ukrainians. The majority of people live in cities; the population density is higher in the west of the nation. Russia's official language is Russian despite the fact that many other languages are also spoken. Russia is a very large country with a wide variety of religions practiced there. Most individuals are Orthodox Christian but there are also large minorities of Muslims, Buddhists, Catholic Christians and Jews.
Russia has unique and distinctive culture. Russian literature is widely known all over the world. Most famous Russian writers are Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Russia is also known for its classical music and ballet. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote music to some of the world's most famous ballets: Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty. Matryoshka dolls and different styles of handicraft, like Palekh and Khokhloma, represent Russian folk art.
Russia's Sights
[edit | edit source]Tourists to Russia are required to purchase a visa, in addition to having a valid passport. Since Moscow and St. Petersburg are located in the west and are home to some of Russia's most well-known tourist destinations, including Red Square and St. Basil's Cathedral, the majority of visitors to the country travel to these cities.the Moscow Kremlin, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the State Hermitage Museum, and the St. Petersburg Church of the Savior on Blood. Well-known for its beaches, Sochi served as the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics and is a popular vacation spot. Russia has many World Heritage Sites especially in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
