Introduction
Russia, being the biggest country in the world, taking one sixth of the earth surface, housing many different nationalities and cultures, the bridging Europe and Asia, is bound to be a unique destination.
For centuries Russia has been constantly reshaping and reinventing itself, perhaps never allowing enough time to stop and think about the direction. This country has given birth to the most advanced philosophical and scientific ideas, as well as ridiculous economic and social systems. It has the most impressive collection of natural and human resources in the world, and yet it does not always manage to provide an adequate living for its people. It offers hip, fancy, and modern entertainment in its major cities, and also the traditional lifestyle of isolated villages. Withdrawn and reserved passers-by, can become the most friendly and warm-hearted people you’ve ever met after a 5-minute conversation.
Russia is the country of contrasts, a unique destination that will have something for everybody.
Russia is the biggest country in the world, one fourth of its territory belongs to Europe and three fourths belongs to Asia, and it is divided by Ural Mountains. Russia spans the territory of some 17 million square kilometers — same as the USA and Europe together — and the country is 9000 km long from east to west and 5000 km wide from north to south. The capital of Russia is Moscow and the second largest city is St. Petersburg (which is also called the “Northern capital”).
The capital of Russia is Moscow, and the second most important city is St. Petersburg, also called the Northern capital. The population of the country is 147 million people, a majority of whom (75%) live in the European part of Russia. Russians comprise 81% of the population, the other ethnic groups being Ukrainians, Tatars, Byelorussians, Poles, Germans, Jews and Caucasians. The official language is Russian.
In 2004 more than 22 million people from other countries visited Russia (15% of them – tourists), and most of them (95%) travelled to Moscow and St. Petersburg – the two main destinations.
The climate in Russia is mainly continental, meaning that there are hot, mostly dry summers, and cold dry winters. The temperatures vary quite a lot: it can be 30 celcius (86 F) hot in Moscow in July (usually the hottest month) and minus 30 celcius (-22 F) in February (usually the coldest and the snowiest month). Even though Russia is a big country, you will most likely get the same kind of weather in all the major cities (such as Moscow, St. Petersburg and along the Trans-Siberian).]
Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1928-53) strengthened Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15 independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the Communist period. While some progress has been made on the economic front, recent years have seen a recentralization of power under Vladimir PUTIN and an erosion in nascent democratic institutions. A determined guerrilla conflict still plagues Russia in Chechnya.