Russia Russia Area: 17,075,200 square kilometers (6,592,771 square miles) Highest point on mainland: Mount El'brus (5,633 meters/18,481 feet) Lowest point on land: Caspian Sea (28 meters/92 feet below sea level) Hemispheres: Northern, Eastern, and Western Time zones: 3 A.M.

Anadyr = noon GMT Longest distances: 4,000 kilometers (2,400 miles) from north to south; 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) from east to west Coastline: 37,653 kilometers (23,396 miles) Land boundaries: 19,961 kilometers (12,403 miles) total boundary length; Azerbaijan 284 kilometers (176 miles); Belarus 959 kilometers (596 miles); China 3,605 kilometers (2,265 miles); Estonia 294 kilometers (183 miles); Finland 1,313 kilometers (816 miles); Georgia 723 kilometers (449 miles); Kazakhstan 6,846 kilometers (4,254 miles); Latvia 217 kilometers (135 miles); Lithuania 227 kilometers (141 miles); Mongolia 3,485 kilometers (2,165 miles); North Korea 19 kilometers (12 miles); Norway 167 kilometers (104 miles); Poland 206

 kilometers (128 miles); and Ukraine 1,576 kilometers (979 miles) Territorial sea limits: 22 kilometers (12 nautical miles) 1 LOCATION AND SIZE Russia is the largest country in the world, spreading from northeastern Europe across the entire northern width of the Asian continent.

It shares borders with fourteen other countries and has coastlines on the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. With a total area of about 17,075,200 square kilometers (6,592,771 square miles), it is nearly twice the size of the United States. Russia is administratively divided into forty-nine oblasts, twenty-one republics, ten autonomous okrugs, six krays, two federal cities, and one autonomous oblast. 2 TERRITORIES AND DEPENDENCIES A small portion of Russia, the Kaliningrad Oblast, is located in Eastern Europe between Poland and Lithuania. There are no overseas dependencies of Russia. 3 CLIMATE It is said that Russia has only two seasons: summer and winter. Though this is a slight exaggeration, the statement accurately characterizes the country's harsh climate with its long, cold winters and short, cool summers. These conditions are owing to Russia's location in the high northerly latitudes. More than half the country lies above 60° north latitude, with only relatively small areas below 50° north. Furthermore, the high mountains that form Russia's southern border effectively block out warm air masses.

The predominant movement of the country's weather systems from east to west essentially nullifies any moderating influence the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean might have on the climate. In winter, Siberia lies under a vast high-pressure cell centered in Mongolia, which keeps the region enveloped in frigid air. The magnitude of this cold is not easy to grasp. Soil in the far northern permafrost can be frozen several hundred meters deep. Even into southern Siberia, the land is covered by snow for more than six months. The annual average temperature for most of Siberia is below freezing. For the majority of European Russia, the average is only somewhat higher. In summer, warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean is able to push east to central Siberia, under the influence of a prevailing low-pressure system. That area thus receives moisture-bearing air that delivers fairly high amounts of precipitation. Russia's short growing season relies heavily upon this rainfall to water its crops; unfortunately, distribution of the moisture in many areas is often irregular and unpredictable. Droughts are not uncommon, especially in early summer. On the other hand, heavy rains in middle and late summer may compromise harvesting.

In the east, late-summer Pacific air can bring monsoon-like rainfall, with disastrous effects. Overall, lack of sunshine characterizes the Russian climate. Overcast skies are the rule, especially in winter. In December, for example, Moscow typically experiences twenty-three days of cloud cover. Sunless winter days are the rule throughout the nation. Russia's climate zones lie in easily distinguishable belts that run from east to west across the whole country. In the far north, Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, and numerous smaller Arctic islands experience a polar desert climate. Below this, a tundra climate predominates for at least 100 kilometers (60 miles) south, extending up into the steep mountain slopes far to the east. Next, a broad subarctic zone passes southward as far as St. Petersburg in the west, crosses the Urals, and takes in nearly all the rest of Siberia. Last is a wide belt of cold, dry steppe climate starting at the Black Sea, crossing the North Caucasian Plain, moving through the lower Volga Valley and the southern Urals into Siberia.

REGIONAL TEMPERATURE RANGES -16°C to -9°C (3°F to 16°F) 13°C to 23°C (55°F to 73°F) Vladivostok -18°C to -11°C (0°F to 13°F) 16°C to 22°C (60°F to 71°F) Verkhoyansk -32°C (-26°F) 13°C to 37°C (56°F to 98°F) Most of Russia experiences only modest precipitation, but the averages vary by region. On the Great European Plain, averages decrease from more than 80 centimeters (30 inches) in the west to less than 40 centimeters (16 inches) on the Caspian Sea shoreline. Siberia uniformly sees annual precipitation ranging from 50 to 80 centimeters (20 to 32 inches), although amounts are generally less than 30 centimeters (12 inches) in extreme northeastern Siberia.

At high elevations, precipitation totals may reach 100 centimeters (40 inches) or more, but in the valleys they average less than 30 centimeters (12 inches). 4 TOPOGRAPHIC REGIONS Russia can be categorized into several large regions. From west to east, they are the Great European Plain; the Ural Mountains; the mountain systems and ranges along much of Russia's southern border; and Siberia, which includes the West Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, and the mountain ranges of northeastern Siberia and the Kamchatka Peninsula. Most of Russia is located on the Eurasian Tectonic Plate, but eastern Russia is on the North American Plate. The exact boundary between the two plates is uncertain. The Pacific Plate is located off of Russia's eastern coastline. The movement of these three plates against each other is a cause of significant earthquakes and volcanoes in this region, especially on Kamchatka. Seismic activity is also common in the Caucasus Mountains in the southwest.

5 OCEANS AND SEAS Seacoast and Undersea Features The majority of Russia's coastline is on the Arctic Ocean and its seas, including the White Sea, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, East Siberian Sea, and the Chukchi Sea. Located almost entirely north of the Arctic Circle, much of the water here remains frozen for the better part of the year. One exception is the area in the far west, where the Gulf Stream current warms the waters of the Barents Sea near the Kola Peninsula, allowing the port of Murmansk to function year-round. The eastern coastline of Russia lies on the Pacific Ocean and its seas, including the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, and a portion of the Sea of Japan. Western Russia has short coastlines along the Baltic Sea (in northern Europe) and the Black Sea (an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Asia), both of which are seas of the Atlantic Ocean. Sea Inlets and Straits The Gulf of Ob' and the estuary of the Yenisey River are inlets of the coastline of the Kara Sea.

A channel called the Proliv Dmitrya Lapteva connects the Laptev Sea to the East Siberian Sea. Long Strait near the northeast coast connects the East Siberian Sea to the Chukchi Sea and separates the mainland from Wrangel Island. The Bering Strait separates Siberia and Alaska by a mere 86 kilometers (53 miles) and connects the Chukchi Sea to the Bering Sea. Shelikhova Bay is a deep inlet of the Sea of Okhotsk. The Gulf of Anadyr, near the northeastern tip of Russia, is an inlet of the Bering Sea. Russia's principal Pacific Ocean port, Vladivostok, is found on Peter the Great Bay, within the Sea of Japan. The Tatar Strait connects the Sea of Okhotsk to the Sea of Japan. The Gulf of Finland in the west is an inlet of the Baltic Sea. St. Petersburg is located at its apex. The Sea of Azov is an inlet of the Black Sea, located at the southwestern Russian border. Islands and Archipelagos Many islands lie within the Arctic and Pacific Oceans off the shores of Russia.

Franz Josef Land is comprised of about one hundred small islands in the Arctic Ocean; it is the northern-most part of Russia and is among the north-ernmost lands on Earth. Other large Arctic islands are Novaya Zemlya, Vaygach Island, Wrangel Island, and the Severnaya Zemlya and New Siberian Islands groups. Many small islands and island chains are scattered among these larger groups. In the Pacific, the Kuril Islands curve southwest from the Kamchatka Peninsula to Japan. Although the Kuril Islands are under Russian administration, Japan and Russia dispute ownership of the four southernmost islands. Also lying in the Pacific is Sakhalin, a large island that separates the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan. Coastal Features No country in the world can surpass Russia's 37,653 kilometers (23,396 miles) of coastline. Yet most of this coastline is so far north that it is frozen for much of the year. Despite the fact that frozen harbors mean Russia has very few outlets to the ocean that remain open all year, Russian shipping and fishing thrives on all its seas. The coastlines contain many peninsulas and capes.

Gydan Peninsula lies between the Gulf of Ob' and the estuary of the Yenisey River. Continuing to the east, the Taymyr Peninsula extends north, reaching mainland Russia's northernmost point at Cape Chelyuskin. The Chukchi Peninsula stretches out to become Russia's easternmost point, with the Chukchi Sea of the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Bering Sea of the Pacific Ocean to the south. Further south is the large Kamchatka Peninsula. Kamchatka encloses the Sea of Okhotsk to the west. DID YOU KNOW? Russia was even larger in the past than it is today. Russia controlled Finland, Alaska, and parts of modern-day Poland at various times in history. After World War I (1914–18), Russia technically ceased to be an independent country, instead becoming part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R., or the Soviet Union). Russia was by far the largest of the republics that made up the Soviet Union, however, and was considered to be the ruling power of that nation. The Soviet Union started to dissolve in 1991. Eventually, many nations within the Soviet Union became independent of Russia.

6 INLAND LAKES The Caspian Sea, on Russia's southern border between Europe and Asia, is not a true sea; it is actually a saltwater lake and the largest inland body of water in the world. The Caspian is held in a vast land depression with no outlet to any ocean. Although many rivers drain into it, water escapes only through evaporation. The Caspian's salinity results from accumulated salts. The sea extends approximately 1,210 kilometers (750 miles) from north to south and 210 to 436 kilometers (130 to 271 miles) from east to west. Its area is 371,000 square kilometers (143,000 square miles). Its mean depth is about 170 meters (550 feet), with the deepest areas in the south. Most other Russian lakes were formed by glaciation. The largest such lakes in European Russia are Ladoga (17,703 square kilometers/ 6,835 square miles) and Onega (9,609 square kilometers/3,701 square miles), northeast of St. Petersburg.

They are also the two largest lakes in all of Europe (since the Caspian Sea is generally not counted as a lake). Other large lakes in western Russia include Lake Peipus on the Estonian border and the reservoirs of the Volga River. Lake Baikal in southern Siberia is the largest lake in Russia and the largest lake in Asia (excluding the Caspian Sea). It is 632 kilometers (392 miles) long and 59 kilometers (32 miles) wide, with a surface area of 30,510 square kilometers (11,870 square miles). It has a maximum depth of 1,742 meters (5,715 feet), making it the deepest body of freshwater on Earth. Due to its great depth, Lake Baikal also has the greatest volume of any freshwater lake. It is said to contain one-fifth of Earth's fresh surface water. Other large Siberian lakes include Lakes Taymyr, Chany, and Khanka and the Novosibirsk, Bratsk, and Zeya Reservoirs. There also are many smaller lakes.

7 RIVERS AND WATERFALLS Most of Russia's urban population lives along the banks of the nation's many rivers. The most important commercial river in Russia is the Volga, which is also the longest river in Europe. The Volga begins in the hills west of Moscow and flows southeastward for 3,689 kilometers (2,293 miles) to the Caspian Sea. Four of Russia's largest cities are located on its banks: Nizhniy Novgorod, Samara, Kazan', and Volgograd. The Kama River flows west out of the southern Urals and into the Volga. This also is a major waterway for both Russia and Europe. Also located in European Russia are the Dnieper and the Don Rivers. Although the Dnieper flows mainly through Belarus and Ukraine, it has headwaters in the hills west of Moscow. The Don flows from its origins in the Central Russian Upland south of Moscow for 1,860 kilometers (1,153 miles) before emptying into the Sea of Azov at Rostov-na-Donu.

Further east is the Ural River, which flows south from the Ural Mountains into Kazakhstan before reaching the Caspian Sea. The Ural River is traditionally considered part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. A number of major rivers drain into the Pacific and Arctic Oceans from the Siberian plateau and mountain areas in the east. The Irtysh-Ob' river system flows through the West Siberian Plain, emptying into the Arctic at the Gulf of Ob'. The Irtysh is the longer of the two rivers, but is a tributary to the Ob'. Together they have a length of 5,380 kilometers (3,335 miles), making them the longest river system in Russia. On the far side of the Central Siberian Plateau is the Lena, the longest individual river in Russia at 4,400 kilometers (2,700 miles). It too empties into the Arctic, and it has many large tributaries including the Aldan, Vitim, and Vilyui. The third great Arctic river, the Yenisey (4,000 kilometers/2,480 miles), flows across the Central Siberian Plateau.

Its largest tributary, the Lower Tunguska, is itself roughly 3,226 kilometers (2,000 miles) long. Other major tributaries include the Stony Tunguska and Angara. The same river systems that account for such an enormous flow of water into the Arctic Ocean are also responsible for creating vast swamps in the West Siberian Plain. Snow and ice in the warmer regions, where the rivers have their sources, thaw well before the northern regions, causing great flooding to the north. The Vasyugan'ye Swamp in the center of the West Siberian Plain, for example, covers 48,000 square kilometers (18,500 square feet). The same effect can be observed with other Siberian river systems. The Amur River (2,874 kilometers/1,768 miles) is the most important Siberian river flowing into the Pacific Ocean. Its major tributaries are the Argun, Ussuri, and Shilka. The Amur River, with its primary tributary the Ussuri River, comprises a significant section of the boundary between Russia and China.

8 DESERTS There are no desert regions in Russia. 9 FLAT AND ROLLING TERRAIN In all nearly 10 percent of Russian territory can be classified as swampland. Much of this is concentrated in the West Siberian Plain, which lies between the Ural Mountains and the Yenisey River. This plain is a vast area of lowlands, probably the largest expanse of flat land anywhere in the world. It stretches from the steppes of Central Asia in the south to the Arctic Ocean in the north, covering a region nearly 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) wide. Flat and poorly drained, these lowlands feature many swamps, marshes, and peat bogs, with significant oil and natural gas deposits in their central and northern regions. DID YOU KNOW? The areas now known as Siberia and Alaska were once connected by a stretch of land that surfaced during the Ice Ages, an area that researchers have called the Bering Land Bridge or Beringia. Archaeologists believe that the first ancestors of the Native Americans crossed this bridge from Asia into North America more than thirteen thousand years ago.

Over time, as the Bering and Chukchi Seas rose, they covered Beringia. Remnants of the region can still be seen at the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve on Seward Peninsula in Alaska. The Ural Mountains separate two vast plains: the Great European Plain and the even larger West Siberian Plain. Both of these so-called plains contain a wide variety of terrain, including vast forests, swamps, and stretches of tundra. The plains also contain many areas of grassland and farmland, however, especially the Great European Plain. The central portion of the Great European Plain between St. Petersburg and the Ukrainian border features a mixed forest of both conifers and deciduous trees. Oak, beech, maple, and hornbeam are the primary broad-leaf tree species. Moving south, the mixed forest passes through a narrow zone of forest steppe, which is 150 kilometers (95 miles) wide, on average, before giving way to a zone of true steppe. The steppe is a broad band of nearly treeless, grassy plains that extends across Hungary, Ukraine, southern Russia, and Kazakhstan before ending in Manchuria.

Although historically presented as the typical Russian landscape, the steppe in Russia proper is in fact quite small, located mainly northwest of the Greater Caucasus Mountains and stretching across the southern Volga Valley, the southern Urals, and parts of western Siberia. Isolated pockets of steppe can also be found in the mountain valleys of southeastern Siberia. Moderate temperatures and normally adequate levels of sunshine and moisture give the steppe zone relatively favorable conditions for agriculture, although precipitation here can be unpredictable, sometimes even catastrophically dry. Tundra makes up about 10 percent of Russian land, a treeless and marshy plain that lies along Russia's northernmost zone. The tundra stretches from the Finnish border to the Bering Strait, then extends south along the Pacific coast to the Kamchatka Peninsula. The North Siberian and Kolyma lowlands are entirely made up of tundra. Only mosses, lichens, dwarf willows and shrubs can grow on the permafrost and survive the long, harsh, sunless winters. In summer, dusk comes at midnight and dawn follows within minutes.

The powerful Siberian rivers that cut across the tundra toward the Arctic Ocean do a poor job of draining the region, due to partial and intermittent thawing. The most important physical process at work in the tundra is frost weathering, a vestige of the glaciation that shaped it during the last Ice Age. DID YOU KNOW? The areas now known as Siberia and Alaska were once connected by a stretch of land that surfaced during the Ice Ages, an area that researchers have called the Bering Land Bridge or Beringia. Archaeologists believe that the first ancestors of the Native Americans crossed this bridge from Asia into North America more than thirteen thousand years ago. Over time, as the Bering and Chukchi Seas rose, they covered Beringia. Remnants of the region can still be seen at the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve on Seward Peninsula in Alaska. There are many regions of hills and uplands in Russia. The Valdai Hills are the most noteworthy. Although not particularly tall (from 182 to 304 meters/600 to 1000 feet in elevation), they are among the highest summits located in the Great European Plain of western Russia.

Many important rivers have their source there, including the Volga. 10 MOUNTAINS AND VOLCANOES With nine major mountain ranges, Russia can be considered among the most mountainous countries in the world. Eastern Russia is by far more mountainous than the west, while the center section of the country is primarily low plains. The Urals are perhaps the best known of Russia's mountain ranges, as they define the boundary between Asia to the east and Europe to the west. A lengthy range, the Urals extend 2,100 kilometers (1,300 miles) from the northern border of Kazakhstan all the way to the Arctic Ocean. The highest peak, Mount Narodnaya, is only 1,894 meters (6,212 feet) in elevation, however. The Urals have never offered any significant barrier to travel. Located between the Black and Caspian Seas, the Caucasus Mountains consist of two major chains separated by lowlands. The northern Greater Caucasus range forms most of the border between Russia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as well as marking the boundary between Asia to the south and Europe to the north.

These mountain systems are made up of granite, other crystalline rocks, and some volcanic formations. Elevations in the Greater Caucasus reach a maximum of 5,633 meters (18,481 feet) at the extinct volcano Mount El'brus, the highest peak both in Russia and on the continent of Europe. Russia's other mountains are far to the east. The Altay Shan and Sayan Mountains are found in the area north of Mongolia, west of Lake Baikal. Further east are the Yablonovyy Range and Stanovoy Mountains. They follow much of the southern border of central and eastern Siberia on toward the Pacific Ocean, where they join the other eastern ranges. The Altay Shan are the tallest of these; they include Mount Pelukha (4,619 meters/15,157 feet). The other ranges average less than 3,048 meters (10,000 feet) in height. The topography east of the Lena River is predominantly mountainous, with the elevations becoming higher and more rugged farther to the east.

Major ranges in this region are Verkhoyanskiy, Cherskiy, Kolyma, Koryak, and Sredinnyy. The easternmost ranges feature live volcanoes. As many as 120 volcanoes dot the Kamchatka Peninsula, and no fewer than 23 are active. Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the highest of these, reaches 4,750 meters (15,584 feet). Moving offshore, these same mountains form the Kuril Islands, where thirty of one hundred volcanoes are active. Across the Sea of Okhotsk, in Russia's southeasternmost area, there are several low mountain ranges, including the Sikhote-Alin' Mountains and the mountains of Sakhalin Island. 11 CANYONS AND CAVES Though there are many caves throughout the country of Russia, geological information or maps concerning them are not easy to obtain. One of the most famous of the many caves is Kapova Cave, which is known for its Paleolithic paintings of mammoths, rhinos, horses, and bison. Excavations from the two-level cavern uncovered human remains as well as animal bones and charcoal, indicating that people once lived there.

DID YOU KNOW? In an area known as the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly, near Ukraine, vast iron-ore deposits affect Earth's magnetic field. Another famous site is the Kungur Ice Cave, located near the town of Kungur, southeast of Perm. It contains over 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) of passageways. The entire depth of the cavern, however, has not been completely explored. The cave features many large columns of stalagmites and huge icicle stalactites. 12 PLATEAUS AND MONOLITHS The Central Siberian Plateau is an enormous stretch of rolling land between the Yenisey and the Lena Rivers. Heights of this vast plateau range from 500 to 700 meters (1,600 to 2,300 feet) on average. Its surface is eroded by the many rivers, some forming deep canyons. Layers of sedimentary rock, subsequently intruded by volcanic lava, were deposited long ago on top of igneous and metamorphic rock. Within the layers of sedimentary rock are rich deposits of coal.

13 MAN-MADE FEATURES Several canals connect most of European Russia's rivers. These rivers provide a vital transportation system, carrying fully two-thirds of the nation's inland water traffic. Because of one series of canals, it is possible to travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow entirely by boat. Russia's many rivers give the nation a great potential for hydroelectric power. In fact, Russia already has four of the ten largest hydroelectric plants in the world. The SayanoShushensk Dam on the Yenisey River is part of the fourth-largest plant and is also the twelfth-highest dam in the world, with a height of 242 meters (794 feet). The Krasnoyarsk Dam belongs to the fifth-largest hydroelectric plant in the world, while the Bratsk Dam and the Ust-Ilim Dam are eighth and tenth, respectively. The Saratov Dam on the Volga River is also listed as one of the world's largest dams. 14 FURTHER READING Clark, Miles. "A Russian Voyage." National Geographic , June 1994, 114-138. Edwards, Mike.

"Siberia: In from the Cold." National Geographic , March 1990, 2-39. Jacobsen, Karen. The Russian Federation . Chicago: Children's Press, 1994. Lydolph, Paul E. Geography of the U.S.S.R. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1964. Torchinsky, Oleg. Russia . New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1994 Web Site Jovana Smithfield Apr 22, 2013 @ 9:09 am I found this website very real to real life. It helped me with my Foods Class ISU assignment. I have gotten 80% because of this amazing, thrilling website. I just wanted to say Thank You! said by no one. Loretta Bonn Apr 22, 2013 @ 9:09 am This was a great website to learn about the Location and Cities in Mexico. I have learned alot and cant wait to visit Mexico in the Fall. My next obstacle is to speak Mexican. Wish me luck!

Thank You Mary Suesandoll Apr 22, 2013 @ 9:09 am Hello Public web. This was a great website full information about my homeland. I am a proud Russian! I will be teahing this in our worlds class show the young sudents that Russia is a great Country to live in. Bon Bon For now:) Thank You Learn About Russia's Trans-Siberian Railway By Katherine Schulz Richard The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway in the world, and crosses nearly all of Russia , the world’s largest country by area . At approximately 9200 kilometers, or 5700 miles, the train leaves Moscow , located in European Russia, crosses into Asia, and reaches the Pacific Ocean port of Vladivostok. The journey can also be completed from east to west. The Trans-Siberian Railway crosses seven time zones through land that can become bitterly cold in the winter. The railway initiated increased development of Siberia, although the vast expanse of land still is sparsely populated. People from around the world ride through Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The Trans-Siberian Railway facilitates the transport of goods and natural resources like grain, coal, oil, and wood, from Russia and eastern Asia to European countries, greatly influencing the world economy. History of the Trans-Siberian Railway In the 19th century, Russia believed that the development of Siberia was crucial to Russian military and economic interests. continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge Construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began in 1891, during the reign of Czar Alexander III. Soldiers and prisoners were the primary workers, and they worked from both ends of Russia toward the center. The original route passed through Manchuria, China, but the current route, entirely through Russia, completed construction in 1916, during the reign of Czar Nicholas II. The railway opened up Siberia for further economic development, and many people moved to the region and founded several new cities. Industrialization thrived, though this often polluted Siberia’s pristine landscape. The railway enabled people and supplies to move around Russia during the two world wars. Many technological improvements were made to the line over the last several decades.

Destinations on the Trans-Siberian Railway Nonstop travel from Moscow to Vladivostok takes about eight days. However, travelers can exit the train in several destinations to explore some of the most important geographic features in Russia, like cities, mountain ranges, forests, and waterways. From west to east, the main stops on the railway are: 1. Moscow is the capital of Russia and is the western terminus point for the Trans-Siberian Railway. 2.Nizhny Novgorod is an industrial city located on the Volga River , the longest river in Russia. 3. Travelers on the Trans-Siberian Railway then pass through the Ural Mountains, commonly known as the border between Europe and Asia. Yekaterinburg is a major city in the Ural Mountains. (Czar Nicholas II and his family were transported to Yekaterinburg in 1918 and executed.) 4. After crossing the Irtysh River and traveling several hundred miles, travelers reach Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia. Located on the Ob River, Novosibirsk is home to about 1.4 million people, and is the third largest city in Russia, after Moscow and St.

Petersburg. 5. Krasnoyarsk is located on the Yenisey River. 6. Irkutsk is located very close to the beautiful Lake Baikal , the largest and deepest freshwater lake in the world. 7. The region around Ulan-Ude, home to the Buryat ethnic group, is the center of Buddhism in Russia. The Buryats are related to the Mongolians. 8. Khabarovsk is located on the Amur River. 9. Ussuriysk provides trains into North Korea . 10. Vladivostok, the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway, is the largest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean. Vladivostok was founded in 1860. It is home to the Russian Pacific Fleet and has a superb natural harbor. Ferries to Japan and South Korea are based there. The Trans-Manchurian and Trans-Mongolian Railways Travelers on the Trans-Siberian Railway can also travel from Moscow to Beijing, China .

A few hundred miles east of Lake Baikal, the Trans-Manchurian Railway branches off from the Trans-Siberian Railway and travels across Manchuria, the region in Northeast China, through the city of Harbin. It soon reaches Beijing. The Trans-Mongolian Railway begins in Ulan-Ude, Russia. The train travels through the capital of Mongolia , Ulaanbaatar, and the Gobi Desert. It enters China and terminates in Beijing. The Baikal-Amur Mainline Since the Trans-Siberian Railway travels through southern Siberia, a rail line to the Pacific Ocean that crossed central Siberia was needed. After many decades of intermittent construction, the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) opened in 1991. BAM begins in Taishet, west of Lake Baikal. The line runs to the north of and parallel to the Trans-Siberian. The BAM crosses the Angara, Lena, and Amur Rivers, through large sections of permafrost.

After stopping in the cities of Bratsk and Tynda, the BAM reaches the Pacific Ocean, at about the same latitude as the center of the Russian island of Sakhalin, located north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. BAM carries oil, coal, timber, and other products. BAM is known as the “construction project of the century,” due to the enormous cost and difficult engineering that was required to build a railway in an isolated region. Beneficial Transportation of the Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway transports people and freight across immense, scenic Russia. The adventure can even continue into Mongolia and China. The Trans-Siberian Railway has benefited Russia immensely in the last one hundred years, facilitating the transport of Russia’s plethora of resources to distant corners of the globe. Russia Map / Geography of Russia / Map of Russia - Worldatlas.com Print this map Russia, the world's largest country, obviously defies a "brief description," as it covers 9 time zones , all climate zones except tropical, with land that stretches almost halfway around the planet and a population of 138,082,178.

In fact, by jet from Moscow, it takes about eight hours to reach Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean coast. If you were to take the trip on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, you can count on your journey taking at least 4 days minimum. Russia has over 1,000 major cities, 16 of which have a metro population of more than one million; the most populated cities are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Nizhny Novgorod. Moscow, the capital, with over 12 million (metro) residents, is the country's major economic and political center - the seat of the President, the government and the State Duma. The Russian landmass west of the Ural Mountains (shown above in a lighter shade of grey) is referred to as European Russia by most educational atlases and geography experts. It is not a separate country, but rather called that because of its political, cultural and geographical blendings with Europe . A Brief History of Russia Historically, Russia was occupied by Mongols, and the likes, for centuries.

Early Russian ancestors belonged to Slavic tribes, and by the mid-9th century vikings arrived. The vikings moved across the vast landscape, utilizing the many waterways, and maintained trade along the way. Eventually, the Norse peoples merged with the Slavic population, absorbing Greek Christian influences as well, and then, in the mid-1200s the Mongols arrived. The impact of the Mongol invasion, at best, was uneven - older cities never completely recovered from the destruction, while the new cities of Moscow, Tver and Nizhny Novgorod began to fight for power amidst the Mongol-dominated land. The Mongols began to falter by the middle of the 14th century, and, upon their eventual collapse, Moscow's leadership began to expand outward. The influence of the Mongols in terms of military tactics and transportation remained with the Russian peoples, and in the 15th century Ivan III (Ivan the Great) organized the foundation for a Russian national state.

Ivan IV emerged in 1547 as a powerful, autocratic ruler - giving himself the title of "Tsar" - he was known for his ruthlessness, and strengthened the position of the monarch to an unparalleled degree. Prev Page 1/3 Next Page See Also Russian Far East travel guide - Wikitravel Understand[ edit ] The Russian Far East is extraordinarily far from Russia's major population centers in Europe and is usually visited separately, unless by the Trans-Siberian Railway . The largest city in the region, Vladivostok, is a full seven time zones away from Moscow , with 9,300 km of railroad between them. The Far East is very different from popular conceptions of Russia—it is very mountainous and has an often spectacular Pacific coastline. If time and money are not constraints, the highlights of this massive region include the city of Vladivostok , the beautiful Kuril Islands , the otherworldly National Parks of Kamchatka , cruising along the coast of Chukotka , and big game hunting in the wildlife paradise of Yakutia .

Talk[ edit ] There are a good number of Finnic and Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages spoken throughout the more northerly regions of the Far East. Korean is also widely spoken in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk by the Sakhalin Koreans. But, as in all of Russia, Russian is the principal language and is spoken by nearly everyone, regardless of their first language. Chinese and Japanese are common foreign languages as students learn them in the nearby border regions of Russia, but European languages are far less widespread than in European Russia and travelers should not expect to rely on them. However English is a major international language and expect it to be the most widespread among students and business people here. Get in[ edit ] The principal transit hubs, with good sized international airports, are Khabarovsk , Vladivostok , and to a lesser extent Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky . In general, you will either arrive by plane or the Trans-Siberian Railway . But it is also possible to arrive by boat from Alaska and Japan to destinations on the Russian Pacific coast. Get around[ edit ] Distances between cities and towns in the Russian Far East are huge and infrastructure is lacking.

A combination of using the Trans-Siberian Railway , the Baikal-Amur Mainline , and for destinations off the rail system, domestic flights, will get you around the majority, but not the entirety, of the region. In particular, Northeastern Russia is almost entirely without interregional transportation infrastructure and is off the Russian rail network—the one exception is the long, lonely, seasonal, and partially maintained country roads connecting Yakutsk to Magadan . Heading north from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky by road will only take you as far as Esso , road tracks passable by half-track vehicles in March extend as far as Palana ; from Palana onwards, overland travel becomes wilderness adventure. This lack of roads and rail network makes travel by sea along the coast a much more accessible option, with expedition cruising companies (such as Heritage Expeditions operating their own ice-strengthened polar research vessels on several trips from Sakhalin in the south to Kamchatka and Kamchatka north into the Russian Arctic including Wrangel and Herald Islands, famous for the density of Polar Bears.

By sea[ edit ] Expeditions depart a number of cities/towns in the Russian Far East that are accessible by air, including Yuzhno-Sakhalin (Sakhalin Island), Magadan , Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky , and Anadyr Kamchatka Peninsula, Sea of Okhotsk and Chukotka are highlight areas. Wildlife and birding and key aspects to each expedition in regions such as Commander and Kuril Islands as well as possibilities to see the annual native-sports Beringia Games and several expeditions to remote Wrangel Island high up in the Russian Arctic. Due to the lack of infrastructure and roading in this region, and difficulty with permits, expedition cruising provides a way to see parts of this region that would be very difficult to see otherwise. Itineraries[ edit ] Kolyma Highway — ultimate adventure in Russian taiga, connecting Magadan with Yakutsk and featuring lots of abandoned towns Russian geography - Regions of Russia Russian geography - Regions of Russia RUSSIAN GEOGRAPHY - REGIONS OF RUSSIA Russia is a country about 1.8 times the size of the US occupying the vast area between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean.

It has an area of 10, 672,000 sq. miles (17,075,200 sq.km) and a population of almost 150 million people. Occupying a large territory in Europe and Asia Russia is spread over all climatic zones except tropical. It takes over 8 hours by plane to reach from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Pacific coast. West of the Ural mountains from the Black Sea in the South to the Arctic Ocean lies a broad plain with low hills where the historical core of the Russian nation is located. East of the Urals from the border with Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia to the Arctic coast lies Siberia - a scarcely populated area covered by coniferous forest, swamps and tundra in the north and mountainous terrain in the south. The country possesses a wide array of natural resources including major deposits of oil, coal, natural gas, many strategic minerals, diamonds and timber.

The economic zone along the 23,533 mile (37,653 km) long coastline (Arctic and Pacific Oceans, Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas) holds significant reserves of fish and oil and natural gas on the sea shelf. Most of the country has a so called harsh continental climate characterized by a big difference between summer and winter temperatures (it gets indeed very cold in Siberia during winter, but it is also very hot in the summer). Russia’s geographical location presents a significant obstacle to development - dry or cold climate, terrain, distance and remote location from major sea lanes, all these factors contribute to the situation when large parts of the country have almost no population and development. Russia has only 8% of arable land. Russia is a multiethnic society. The largest ethnic groups include Russians (81.5%), Tatars (3.8%), Ukrainians (3%), Chuvash (1.2%), Bashkir (0.9%), Byelorussians (0.8%), Moldavians (0.7%), etc. Over 80% of the population name Russian - the official language of the country - as their native. Other languages are used in ethnic minority regions.

Russia has equal religious diversity: with the main religions being Russian Orthodox Christianity and Muslim overall over 150 confessions could be found across the country. Administratively, the Russian Federation is divided into 21 republic, 6 krays (federal territories), 2 federal cities, 49 regions, 1 autonomous region and 10 autonomous areas. The capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow. With its 10 million population it is the largest city in the country, its principal economic and political center - the seat of the President, the government and the State Duma (Parliament). The Russian Federation, which covers one-eighth of the earth’s surface, spans eastern Europe and northern Asia, and ranks as the world’s largest nation in terms of its territory. Russia is followed by Canada, China and the United States. Russia’s northern regions are bordered by the Arctic Ocean, with the Baltic Sea bordering its western territories. The Russian Far East is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, with the Black Sea bordering southern Russia. This country stretches 2,500-4,000 km from north to south and another 9,000 km from west to east.

Russia’s westernmost point is located on the Polish border; its easternmost point is situated on Ratmanov Island (Bering Straits). The southernmost point is located on the Russian-Azeri border, and the northernmost point is on Franz-Josef Land islands. Russia’s borders stretch for a total of 58,562 km (with 14,253 km bordering other states and 44,309 km bordering the sea). Vast plains cover most of Russia’s territory. The Eastern European (Russian) Plain, replete with low plateaus is found in western Russia. The Mid-Siberian plateau, which is gradually transformed into the Central Yakut plain, can be found between two rivers, the Yenisei and the Lena. Mountain ranges are mostly located in Russia’s eastern regions and in some of its southern areas, as well. The Ural mountain range, for one, constitutes a natural boundary separating European and Asian Russia. Various mountain ranges making up the northern slope of the Greater Caucasian mountain range are located in southern Russia. Another mountain chain, including the Altai range, is to be found in southern Siberia.

The Kamchatka mountains (including some active volcanoes) stretch along the Pacific coast. Russia abounds in mineral resources whose total potential value (in world prices) is estimated at an impressive $30 trillion. Russia produces 17 per cent of the world’s crude oil, as well as 25-30 per cent of its natural gas, 6 per cent of all bituminous coal, 17 per cent of commercial iron ore and 10-20 per cent of all non-ferrous, rare and noble metals mined across the globe. The largest oil-and-gas deposits are to be found in Western and Eastern Siberia and on Sakhalin Island. The list of Russian mineral deposits includes gold, silver, platinum, cobalt, antimony, zinc, mercury, and many others. Russian mineral resources are distributed rather evenly along the nation’s territory. For instance, copper-and-nickel ores are mined in the Northern Caucasus, the Urals, Siberia and the Kola Peninsula. Most of Russia’s territory is located in the temperate belt. The Arctic Ocean’s islands, as well as this country’s Arctic territories, are located in the Arctic and sub-Arctic belts.

At the same time, a small section of the Caucasus’ Black Sea coast is located in the sub-tropical belt. Russia boasts just about every conceivable natural climatic zone: tundra, forest-tundra, forests, forest-steppes and semi-deserts. In addition, the permafrost zone covers big expanses in Siberia and the Far East. The climate is mostly continental, with average January temperatures ranging from 0 to minus five degrees Centigrade in Western European Russia to minus 40-50 degrees Centigrade in east Yakutia (Sakha Republic). Average July temperatures range from plus one degree Centigrade on the northern Siberian coast to plus 24-25 degrees Centigrade in Russia’s CisCaspian lowland. Some 150-2,000 mm of precipitation fall annually on Russian territory. Russia boasts 120,000 rivers with a length of 10 km or greater each. The majority of all local rivers, major rivers included (Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei and Lena) are located in the Arctic Ocean basin.

The Amur, Anadyr, Penzhina and some other rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean. The Don, Kuban and Neva rivers flow into the seas bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Russia’s main river, the Volga, flows all the way to the Caspian Sea. Generally, Russian rivers stretch for 3 million km, dumping nearly 4,000 cu. km. of water annually. Around 2 million fresh- and salt-water lakes are scattered across Russia. The largest lakes are the Caspian, Baikal, Ladoga, Onega and Taimyr. Lake Baikal, which attracts scores of foreign environmentalists, is the largest fresh-water lake in the world, having an average depth of 730 m (and a maximum depth of 1,620 m). Forests cover some 40 per cent of the entire Russian land mass, with total timber reserves of 79 billion cu. m. The largest forests can be found in the Siberian taiga, the Far East and the northern European territories. Coniferous trees (fir trees, pine trees, cedars, larches, firs, etc.) are the predominant tree varieties there.

Mixed forests are typical of mid-Russian regions. For the most part Russia has turf and podzol soils. Black-soil regions can also be found here, with the richest soils in this category located in the steppes of southeastern European Russia, and along the Western Siberian Plain. Chestnut-colored, greyish-brown soils, as well as saline lands, are also located here. Russia has the world’s fifth largest population (148.8 million people) after China, India, the United States and Indonesia. It is populated by approximately 130 nations and ethnic groups, including some 130 million Russians, over 5 million Tartars, nearly 4 million Ukrainians, 1.7 million Chuvashs, 1.7 million Jews, approximately 1.3 million Bashkirs, over 1 million Byelorussians and more than 1 million Mordovians. All in all, 73 per cent of Russian citizens live in urban areas. The Russian Federation has 1,067 major cities, with 13 of them inhabited by one million and more people each. The largest cities are Moscow, St.

Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg. Moscow Moscow, which is Russia’s largest political, industrial, research and cultural center, is located on the banks of the Moskva River (between the Oka and Volga rivers) and has a population of around 9 million. Moscow was first mentioned in medieval chronicles in 1147, becoming the seat of an appanage princedom in the thirteenth century. Moscow’s prince Ivan Kalita who ruled between 1325 and 1340 became one of the first Russian rulers to start the reunification process. Under Kalita, Russian metropolitans transferred their residence from Vladimir to Moscow, which thus became a political and clerical center, serving as the main force in the Russian reunification process and independence struggle. Peter the Great moved the Russian capital to St. Petersburg many centuries later, though the people continued to regard Moscow as Russia’s heartland. Russian emperors were still being crowned here, with local authorities founding the first national university in 1755 on Mikhail Lomonosov’s initiative.

In fact, education was free for talented youths of all categories of the population. The number of enterprises soared dramatically in Moscow after the abolition of serfdom, and was further facilitated by the construction of railroads. At the turn of the century ten railroads linked Moscow to roads continue to operate even today. Moscow became the capital of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on March 12, 1918 and on December 30, 1922, it became the capital of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The municipal subway network was commissioned in 1935. The city’s seven famous sky-scrapers -- the Foreign Ministry and Railroads Ministry buildings, the Ukraina and Leningradskaya hotels, the Vosstaniya Square and Kotelnicheskaya Embankment highrise apartment buildings, and Moscow University -were completed in the 1950s and the 1960s. As a result, the Moscow skyline was changed completely. The Luzhniki stadium sprang up in the 1956. It hosted the 22nd Olympic Games.

The Ostankino TV tower, as well as the "corridor" of high-rise buildings which constitute the Novy Arbat Avenue, were erected in the 1960s. Moscow’s ZIL and AZLK auto works produce cars and trucks. The city’s Krasny Proletary factory manufactures a wide array of machine-tools, while the Dynamo and Manometer factories produce electrical gadgets and instruments. Moscow also boasts the Serp i Molot Metallurgical Works and has a well-developed chemical industry, which is centered at its Kauchuk and Krasny Bogatyr factories, as well as impressive textile (the Trekhgornaya Manufaktura factory) and food industries, etc. The Russian Academy of Sciences, nearly 77 colleges, 44 professional theaters, Russia’s largest state library and 68 museums (roughly 20 per cent of all national state-run museums) are also located in Moscow. The city is Russia’s capital and the seat of its President, parliament and government. St. Petersburg St. Petersburg is the nation’s second major industrial, research and cultural center after Moscow.

In 1914 the city was renamed Petrograd, and from 1924 to 1991 it was named Leningrad. Its population stands at about 4,500 thousand. St. Petersburg became Russia’s capital in 1712, during which time all government organizations were relocated there. The population grew quickly, as the city continued to develop. St. Petersburg had a population of 95,000 by 1750. By 1853 over 500,000 people inhabited the city. The first Russian railroad linking St. Petersburg with Tsarskoye Selo was opened in 1837. Another railroad connected the city with Moscow in 1851. St. Petersburg has now become a major Russian railroad junction, serving as the end port of the system of inland waterways which snake their way through European Russia’s north-western region. It also serves as this country’s most important Baltic Sea port. The maritime academy was founded here back in 1715.

The engineering school was established in 1719, while the miners’ school sprang up in 1773. Road engineers’ and forestry institutes were established in 1809 and 1811, respectively. As of today, the city has about 50 colleges and 15 professional theaters. The city also boasts quite a few world famous architectural ensembles: the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Alexander Nevsky Laura, the Palace Square and Winter Palace, the Decembrists’ Square, where a monument to Peter the Great stands, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Admiralty, the Academy of Arts, as well as numerous bridges. The 1905-1907 revolution began here, followed by the February and October 1917 revolutions. During the Great Patriotic War Leningrad withstood a 900-day siege by Nazi forces.

Question: What is the largest Russian city on the Pacific Ocean?
Answer: Vladivostok