The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies
about one-seventh of the earth surface. It covers the eastern part of
Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area about 17 million
square kilometers. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: the
Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south Russia boarders on
china, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west
it boarders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, the
Ukraine. It also has a sea-border with the USA.
There’s hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery
and vegetation can be found. It has steppes in the north, highlands and
deserts in the east.
There are two great plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the
West
Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of
the
country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest
mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.
There are over two million rivers in Russia. Europe's biggest river, the
Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers — the Ob,
the
Yenisei and the Lena— flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the
Far
East flows into the Pacific Ocean.
Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The
world' s deepest lake (1,600 meters) is Lake Baikal. It is much smaller
than the Baltic Sea, but there is much more water in it than in the
Baltic
Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can
count
the stones on the bottom.
Russia has one-sixth of the world's forests. They are concentrated in
the
European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.
On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate,
from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of
the
country the climate is temperate and continental.
Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel
and
other mineral resources.
Russia is а parliamentary republic. The Head of State is the President.
The
legislative powers are exercised by the Duma.
The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political,
scientific,
cultural and industrial center. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.
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