Russia World Geography -

Europe

Russia - Location • Continents: Europe and Asia

Russia - Overview

• Capital and largest city: Moscow

Russia - Overview

• Population: 142,355,415 (July 2016 est.)

• World rank: 9th

Russia - Flag

Russia – Area Comparison

• Russia is the largest country in the world

Russia – Physical Geography

• Russia extends from Europe to the North Pacific Ocean

• Borders the Artic Ocean to the North

Russia – Mountain Ranges

• The Caucasus

– Mountain range in southern Russia

– The highest mountain in Europe, Mt. Elbrus (pictured), is in the Russian Caucasus

Russia – Mountain Ranges

• The Ural Mountains

– Mountain range that runs from north to south in western Russia

– Separates Europe and Asia

Russia - Geography

• Major border countries – – Belarus

– China

– Finland

– Georgia

– Kazakhstan

– Mongolia

– Norway

– Poland

– Ukraine

– Other border countries include: Azerbaijan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, N. Korea,

Russia - Climate

• Russia’s climate varies greatly throughout the country

– North/Siberia: cool summers and frigid winters

– South: cool winters

– European Russia: more humid

History of Russia

• Kievan Rus’

– First untied state in the region

– Founded in 882

– Fell apart after Mongol invasions in the 13th century

Oleg of Novgorod – early ruler of the Kievan Rus’

History of Russia • Tsardom of Russia – name of the Russian state

from 1547 to 1721

• Territory would greatly expand

Russia – Notable Leaders

• Ivan the Terrible

– Russian Tsar from 1547 to his death in 1584

– Made Russia a regional power

– Intelligent, but suffered from mental illnesses

History of Russia

• The Russian Empire would be established by Peter the Great in 1721

• One of the largest empires in world history

Peter the Great

Russia – Notable Leaders

• Catherine the Great

– Reigned from 1762 to her death in 1796

– Russia would become a world power under her reign, which is called Russia’s golden age

History of Russia

• 1917 – Russia enters World War One on the side of the Allies

• WWI does not go well for the Russians and leads to the Russian Revolution in 1917

Vladimir Lenin, first leader of the Soviet Union

History of Russia

• Tsar Nicholas II would be overthrown and the communist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR or Soviet Union) was established in 1922

• Nicholas II was the last Russian monarch

Tsar Nicholas II

Russia – Notable Leaders

• Vladimir Lenin:

– Russian communist revolutionary

– Led the Soviet Union from its beginning in 1922 to his death in 1924

History of Russia

• The Soviet Union suffered great losses during World War II, but ultimately defeated Germany

Soviet soldiers attack during the Battle of Stalingrad, a Soviet victory and major turning point

History of Russia

• Led at the time by dictator Joseph Stalin

Soviet soldiers attack during the Battle of Stalingrad, a Soviet victory and major turning point

Russia – Notable Leaders

• Joseph Stalin

– Led the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s to 1953

– Organized the Great Purge, which eliminated millions of people he considered enemies

History of Russia

• After WWII, the Soviet Union and the United States were the world’s only remaining superpowers

• There would be tension between the two countries; this period (approximately 1947-1991) is known as the Cold War

History of Russia

• Economic problems in the 1980s led to reforms that would eventually lead to the breakup of the Soviet Union

• The USSR would break into 15 states, with Russia being the largest

Russian President Boris Yeltsin standing on top of a tank after an attempted coup by hardline communists in 1991

Post-Soviet States

1. Armenia; 2. Azerbaijan; 3. Belarus; 4. Estonia; 5. Georgia; 6. Kazakhstan; 7. Kyrgyzstan; 8. Latvia; 9. Lithuania; 10. Moldova; 11. Russia; 12. Tajikistan; 13. Turkmenistan; 14. Ukraine; 15. Uzbekistan

Russia - Government

• Government type: federation

• Russia is divided into 46 provinces, called oblasts (pictured), and 21 republics

Russia - Government

• Chief of State: – President – Currently Vladimir Putin

(2017)

• Head of government: – Premier – Appointed by the

president – 2nd most powerful

politician – Currently Dmitry

Medvedev (2017)

Vladimir Putin

Russia - Government

• The Moscow Kremlin (pictured), often just referred to as “the Kremlin,” is a fortified complex in Moscow

• It serves as the official residence of the president

Russia - Economy

• GDP per capita: $26,100 (2016 est.)

• World rank: 73rd (2015 est.)

• Currency: ruble

Russia - Economy

• Russia has moved from a centrally planned economy to a more market based economy after the collapse of the Soviet Union

• One of the world’s leading producers of oil and natural gas

Headquarters of Gazprom, the largest extractor of natural gas in the world

Russia - Culture

• Language – Russian • Religion:

– 15-20% Russian Orthodox

– 10-15% Muslim

• The Soviet Union suppressed religion - as a result, still to this day Russia has a large number of citizens who do not practice a religion

Pictured: St. Clement’s Church, A Russian Orthodox church in Moscow

Russia - Culture

• Russian literature has some of the most famous literary works in the world

• Notable authors include:

– Leo Tolstoy

– Fyodor Dostoyevsky Painting depicting a scene from War and

Peace set in Moscow’s Red Square

Russia - Culture

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is considered one of the greatest musical composers of the Romantic era

Russia – Interesting Info

• Red Square

– Considered the central square in Moscow

– Separates the Kremlin from a historic merchant area called Kitai-gorod

– Recognized with the Kremlin as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Russia – Interesting Info

• St. Basil’s Cathedral

– Built from 1555-1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible

– In Moscow’s Red Square

– Now a museum

Russia – Interesting Info

• Lake Baikal

– Deepest lake in the world

– Estimated to hold one-fifth of the world’s freshwater