Russia is a country that spans Eastern Europe and Northern Asia and is the largest in the world, blessed with a wide array of natural beauty and varied cultures. It is also a populated country with one-eight of the world’s population.
The grandeur of Russia is a source of envy for all its neighbors. Its rich history is ingrained in its magnificent palaces and buildings all around the country.
There’s no denying that the Russian culture is one of the fascinating cultures to experience. As the country houses people from so many parts of the world, Russian culture can now be defined by these fascinating differences.
When visiting Russia, we need to remember that, like any other country, they have their own set of rules and regulations. Therefore, take utmost precaution while exploring significant cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg as petty crimes prevail.
Geography
Russia is so vast that it covers twice the territory of Canada. It has 11 time zones and various landscapes and environments ranging from deserts to deep forests and Arctic tundras.
It also houses the continent’s longest river, the Volga, and the largest lake, Ladoga. Not to forget, it is also home to the world’s deepest lake, Lake Baikal.
The Arctic and Pacific oceans border Russia to the east and north, whereas North Korea, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Azerbaijan borders the nation to the south, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Norway, and Belarus to the west and southwest.
Russia extends halfway around the Northern Hemisphere and covers the northern part of Asia and much of the eastern and northeastern parts of Europe.
There are six major relief regions: the Kola-Karelian region, The Ural Mountains, the Russian Plain, the West Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, and the south and east mountains.
Climate
There are a variety of climates in Russia due to its vast size. Winter and summer are two significant seasons whereas, spring and autumn occur in brief periods.
Here, the precipitation levels decrease from northwest to southeast across the European plains and western Siberia.
Nature and Wildlife
Russia is full of greenery and accounts for more than two-fifths of forests in its area.
There are six major environmental belts in Russia such as the Arctic desert, tundra, mixed and deciduous forests, taiga, wooded steppe, and steppe.
You will find reindeer, Arctic foxes, beavers, musk oxen, lemmings, and snowy owls in the Tundra regions, whereas foxes, ermines, elks, bears, wolves, and muskrats can be found in the Taiga region.
You can visit some of the 50 national parks of Russia to get the most out of its beautiful nature.
Such national parks are Sochi National Park, Yugyd Va National Park, Parque Nacional Kenozyorsky, and Parque Nacional Zuratkul.
People
Russia has a diverse ethnicity with more than 120 ethnic groups and 100 languages.
Besides the Russians, the other groups in the country are the Tartars, Ukrainians, Chechens, Armenians, Chuvash, and Bashkir.
In terms of language, the people are divided into the Indo-European group, the Altaic group, the Uralic group, and the Caucasian group.
