Russia

History

The ancestors of the tribes inhabiting the territories of modern Central and Eastern Europe were called differently: Veneds, Ants, Sklavins. The first pages of the history of Russia originate from the Eastern Slavs, who inhabited the Eastern European plain in the VI-VII centuries. In the "Tale of Bygone Years", the oldest Russian chronicle, tribes are described, called: Polyans, Drevlyans, Krivichi, Vyatichi, Ilmen Slavs.

Historians' disputes about the moment of the emergence of Russia as a state lead to the origins of 862, when the Ilmen Slavs called Varangian Prince Rurik and his brothers to rule Novgorod.

Brief historical milestones of the formation of the Russian state are as follows:

National symbols

Flag

The Day of the National Flag of the Russian Federation is celebrated annually on August 22. In the modern interpretation, the meaning of the colors of the flag of Russia: white color – nobility and frankness, blue color — loyalty, honesty, integrity and chastity; red color — courage, courage, generosity and love.

Emblem

The State Emblem of the Russian Federation depicts a golden double-headed eagle with outstretched wings raised up. The eagle is crowned with three crowns connected by a ribbon. In the eagle's right paw is a scepter, in the left is a power. On the eagle's chest is a horseman on a horse striking a dragon overturned and trampled by a horse with a spear.

Government structure

Russia is a democratic federal state governed by the rule of law with a republican form of government. State power in the Russian Federation is exercised by the President of the Russian Federation, the Federal Assembly (the Federation Council and the State Duma), the Government of the Russian Federation, and the courts of the Russian Federation.

National currency

The ruble is the monetary unit of the Russian Federation, equal to 100 kopecks. The current two—letter code of Russia in ISO 3166-1 — RU; three-digit numeric - 643; the current letter code of the Russian ruble in ISO 4217 — RUB; digital — 643. The official symbol of the ruble is ₽ (RUB)

Language

The official language in Russia is Russian. Interestingly, the modern Russian alphabet is only 100 years old. The writing is based on the Old Slavic Cyrillic alphabet.

Geography

Russia is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and North Asia. Occupying about 1/3 of the territory of Eurasia and 1/8 of the entire terrestrial landmass, it is the world's largest state by area. Russia borders with eighteen countries. By land, the border runs between the following States: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Abkhazia, Georgia, South Ossetia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, North Korea.

Relief

The territory of Russia can be conditionally divided into two main parts, the eastern and western, the border between which runs along the Yenisei. The western part is mostly flat, while the eastern part is dominated by mountains.

Rivers

The country has one of the largest freshwater reserves in the world. Lake Baikal alone contains about 20% of the world's freshwater lake reserves and more than 80% of Russia's reserves. The largest and longest waterways in Russia are the Lena, Irtysh, Ob, Volga, Yenisei, Nizhnyaya Tunguska, Amur, and Don rivers.

Climate

The country's territory is divided into 4 climatic zones: Arctic — the coast and islands of the Arctic Ocean; subarctic — the Arctic Circle; temperate — Central Russia, Western Siberia, the Far East; subtropical — the Black Sea coast, the Caucasus Mountains and 11 natural zones. Most of Russia's territory is located in the continental and Arctic climate zones.

The climate of central Russia is moderately continental, with snowy, moderately frosty winters and warm, rather humid summers.

Time zones

Due to the large extent from West to East, there are 11 time zones in the country. Each subject of the Russian Federation is included in one time zone, excluding Yakutia, whose territory is located in three time zones at once.

Moscow time (UTC +3) is considered the main time. Daylight saving time is not available.

Religion

The Russian Federation is a secular state and a multi—confessional country with freedom of religion, in which about 160 nationalities and ethnic groups peacefully coexist. At the legislative level, there is a ban on insulting the feelings of believers and committing actions that are regarded as disrespectful to them.

The main confessional composition is represented in Russia by Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Protestants, Buddhists, Catholics, Judaists, believers who do not belong to any denomination and atheists.

Orthodoxy in Russia is represented by the Russian Orthodox Church, the largest Christian religious association.

Capital

The capital of Russia is Moscow, one of the largest megacities in Europe, which is currently home to about 13 million people.

Moscow has been the capital of the Russian state since 1547, when Ivan IV the Terrible ascended the throne. On the instructions of Peter I, in 1712, the Russian capital was moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg. After numerous ordeals with the transfer of the "mother see" in 1918, the capital of Russia was finally moved from St. Petersburg back to Moscow.

Interesting facts about Moscow:

Cities of Russia

The largest cities in Russia by population are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk, Samara, Omsk, Rostov–on-Don, Ufa, Krasnoyarsk, Voronezh, Perm, Volgograd. The population of these cities has crossed the threshold of 1 million people.

The list of the most popular tourist destinations includes Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi. And the tourists themselves consider Arkhangelsk, Pskov, Veliky Novgorod, Suzdal, Vladimir, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Yoshkar–Ola, Kazan and Kaliningrad to be the most beautiful and obligatory to visit.

Tourism

Types of tourism in Russia are diverse: geographical, geological, botanical, industrial, recreational, therapeutic, sports, ecotourism, agrotourism, ethnocultural, gastronomic, automobile, cruise, pilgrimage.

The Golden Ring of Russia

The Golden Ring of Russia is the most popular tourist route in the country, passing through the ancient cities of Northeastern Russia, which have preserved unique monuments of Russian history and culture. The "Golden Ring of Russia" traditionally includes eight main cities — Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Suzdal, Vladimir.

Attractions

Among the architectural and historical monuments: the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square, the historical center of St. Petersburg and the palace and park complexes of its surroundings, Kizhi churchyard, historical monuments of Novgorod, the historical and cultural complex of the Solovetsky Islands, monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal, the church of Boris and Gleb in Kideksha, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad, The Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye.

When visiting Moscow, it is worth paying attention to St. Basil's Cathedral, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Bolshoi Theater, the Kuskovo Estate.

There are no less amazing sights in St. Petersburg: the Hermitage, Peterhof, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Tsarskoye Selo, Kronstadt.

The Olympic Park in Sochi is a heritage of modernity.

Of the historical, architectural and natural attractions of Russia, the most recommended:

On the territory of Russia, a special status has been allocated to some natural territories that are under special state control. Among them are parks and reserves: Sochi, Losiny Ostrov, Curonian Spit, Baikal Nature Reserve, Russian Arctic, as well as the Caucasian and Baikal-Lena Nature Reserves.

Interesting facts about Russia

Transport system

The transport system of Russia is represented by a developed transport network, including railways, highways, air lines, river and sea shipping routes.

Buses and minibuses are the most popular public transport in cities and suburbs. They are found in most even the most remote settlements. Tram, trolleybus and bus services are available in major cities. And in Moscow, the most modern electric buses in the world run — "Electric Buses".

Tickets for public transport can always be purchased at boarding from the driver or conductor. In some cities there are special ticket offices for the sale of travel tickets and season tickets.

Capital airports

There are four civilian airports in Moscow in total, all of them are located in the suburbs in the immediate vicinity of the city:

Holidays

National cuisine

Traditional Russian cuisine is rich in elements of ancient Slavic cuisine, with taste accents of various peoples inhabiting the vast territory of Russia.

The main products of Russians have always been vegetables: turnips, cabbage, potatoes, radishes and cucumbers, fruits and berries, fish, mushrooms and meat. Bread is the basis of the national cuisine.

Russian Russian cuisine can be summed up by tasting traditional dishes, including: all kinds of soups, cabbage soup, soup, dumplings, all kinds of porridges, okroshka and beetroot, pancakes, Russian pies, salads, vinaigrette, olivier. The main meat dishes are Beef Stroganoff, stew, jelly. From drinks: jelly, kvass, sbiten, mead. Sweets such as jams and honey are also popular among Russians.

Traditional souvenirs

Russian souvenirs are a business card of Russia. I will keep great memories of such souvenirs from Russia as: