In area, it is more than twice the size of the United States. The population of Russia is approximately 150 million. 1,000,000 and Novgorod with 235,000 inhabitants. In general, the winters in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other Russian cities are very cold and mostly dry, with temperatures well below freezing. One may expect winter weather comparable to that of Ottawa, Minneapolis or Chicago.
Summers are short and can be warm and rather humid, with frequent thunderstorms.
Late spring and late summer are especially unpredictable. The spirit of Russia has not been lost in this metropolis, however. Going back to the Twelfth century one can find only a small town in the dense woods of Central Russia. Soon it was discovered that Moscow was at the crossroads of some very beneficial trade routes, and the city began to flourish. Moscow looked steadily into the future, and guided Russia through invasions and wars to become the capital of an increasingly powerful empire.