Ap Human Geography Russia

Russia also officially known as the Russian Federation is a federal state in Eurasia. And

the ninth most populous, with over 146.6 million people at the end of March 2016. The European

western part of the country is much more populated and urbanized than the East, about 77% of

the population live in European Russia. Russia's capital Moscow is one of the largest cities in the

world, other major urban centers include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny

Novgorod and Samara.

Geography

At 17,075,200 square kilometers (6,592,800 sq. mi), Russia is the largest country in the world,

covering more than one eighth of Earth's inhabited land area There are 23 UNESCO World

Heritage Sites in Russia, 40 UNESCO biosphere reserves,41

Climate

Most of Northern European Russia and Siberia has a subarctic climate, with extremely severe

winters in the inner regions of Northeast Siberia (mostly the Sakha Republic, where the

Northern Pole of Cold is located with the record low temperature of −71.2 °C or −96.2 °F), and

more moderate winters elsewhere. Both the strip of land along the shore of the Arctic Ocean and

the Russian Arctic islands have a polar

Language

Russia's 160 ethnic groups speak some 100 languages. According to the 2002 Census,

142.6 million people speak Russian, followed by Tatar with 5.3 million and Ukrainian with

1.8 million speakers. Russian is the only official state language, but the Constitution gives the

individual republics the right to establish their own state languages in addition to Russian.

Despite its wide distribution, the Russian language is homogeneous throughout the country.

Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, as well as the most widely

spoken language. Russian is the second-most used language on the Internet after English, one of

two official languages aboard the International Space Station and is one of the six official

languages of the UN.

Even today, it is the center of Moscow life, allowing

you to plunge into the history of the city quickly and easily.

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Kazan – the oldest capital city

Kazan is officially called “the third capital of Russia”.

In 2005, the city turned 1000 years old. Despite its impressive age, the oldest Annunciation

Cathedral, Kazan Kremlin, and the core of the old city, the Old Tatar Settlement and iconic

buildings of the century-before- last, are still preserved in the center of the city.

Yekaterinburg – traditional churches and Soviet avant-garde

The city combines two delights in one – ideal for those who want to see traditional Orthodox

churches whilst exploring the architectural style of the builders of the “new world” who tried to

destroy these very churches.

Yekaterinburg also has the biggest collection of monuments of Soviet constructivism, standing

side by side with traditional museums (the Museums of Local Lore and Art History). There is

also a Keyboard Museum!

Trans-Siberian Railway

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You need strong nerves to go on a train journey around Eurasia. Not everyone can spend