Answer the questions. The Russian Federation

THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. Russia is situated on two continents: Europe and Asia. It occupies about one-seventh part of the earth’s surface. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas and 3 oceans. The Arctic Ocean washes Russia in the north. The Pacific Ocean washes Russia in the east. Russia is washed by the Black Sea in the south and by the Baltic Sea in the west. In the south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, the Ukraine. It also has a sea-border with the USA.

There are different types of climate in different regions of the country. The climate is arctic in the north of the country. The climate is subtropical in the south of Russia. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

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 is the Urals. It separates Europe from Asia.

There are over two million rivers in Russia. The longest river is the Volga. The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers are the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena. They flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. Lake Baikal (1600 metres) is the deepest lake in the world.

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.

Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

The population of Russia is about 150 million people. The capital of Russia is Moscow. Moscow was founded in 1147 by Yuri Dolgoruki. Moscow is the largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Head of State is the President. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma. At present, the political and economic situation in the country is rather complicated. But in spite of the problems Russia is facing at present, there are a lot of opportunities for Russia to become one of the leading countries in the world. I’m sure Russia has great past and promising future.

Answer the questions.

1. Where is the Russian Federation situated?

2. What part of the earth’s surface does the Russian Federation occupy?

3. What is the total area of the country?

4. What seas and oceans is the country washed by?

5. What countries does Russia border on?

6. What is the climate like in Russia?

7. What great plains are there in Russia?

8. What mountain chains are there in Russia?

9. What is the largest mountain chain in Russia?

10. What mountain chain separates Russia from Asia?

11. How many rivers are there in Russia?

12. What is the longest river in the country?

13. Where does the Volga flow?

14. What are the main Siberian rivers?

15. Where do the Ob, the Yenisei, the Lena flow?

16. Is Russia rich in lakes?

17. What is the deepest lake in the world?

18. Russia is rich in forests, isn’t it?

19. What part of the world’s forests does Russia have?

20. Where are the forests of Russia concentrated?

21. What mineral resources is the Russian Federation rich in?

22. What is the population of Russia?

23. What is the capital of Russia?

24. When was Moscow founded?

25. Who founded Moscow?

26. Is Russia a parliamentary republic?

27. Who rules the country?

28. What is the political and economic situation in the country now?

29. Do you believe that Russia has promising future?

NAMES

the Russian Federation [ˈ rʌ ʃ ə n ˌ fɛ də ˈ reɪ ʃ ə n] — Российская Федерация

Europe [ˈ jʊ ə rə p] — Европа

Asia [ˈ eɪ ʃ ə ] — Азия

the Pacific Ocean [pə ˈ sɪ fɪ k ˈ ə ʊ ʃ (ə)n] — Тихий океан

the Arctic Ocean [ˈ ɑ ː ktɪ k ˈ ə ʊ ʃ (ə)n] — Северный Ледовитый океан

the Black Sea [ˈ blæ k ˌ siː ] — Черное море

the Baltic Sea [ˈ bɔ ː ltɪ k ˌ si: ] — Балтийское море

China [ˈ tʃ aɪ nə ] — Китай

Mongolia [mɒ ŋ ˈ ɡ ə ʊ lɪ ə ] — Монголия

Korea [kə ˈ riː ə ] — Корея

Kazakhstan [ˌ kæ zæ kˈ stɑ ː n] — Казахстан

Georgia [ˈ dʒ ɔ ː dʒ ɪ ə ] — Грузия

Azerbaijan [ˌ æ zə baɪ ˈ dʒ ɑ ː n] — Азербайджан

Norway [ˈ nɔ ː weɪ ] — Норвегия

Finland [ˈ fɪ nlə nd] — Финляндия

the Baltic States [ˈ bɔ ː ltɪ k steɪ ts] — Прибалтийские государства

Belorussia [ˌ belə (ʊ)ˈ rʌ ʃ ə ] — Беларусь

the Ukraine [juː ˈ kreɪ n] — Украина

the Great Russian Plain — Русская (Восточно-Европейская) равнина

the West Siberian [saɪ ˈ bɪ ə rɪ ə n] Lowland — Западно-Сибирская низменность

the Urals [ˈ jʊ (ə)rə lz] — Уральские горы

the Caucasus [ˈ kɔ ː kə sə s] — Кавказ

the Altai [ˌ ɑ ː lˈ taɪ ] — Алтай

the Volga [ˈ vɒ lɡ ə ] — Волга

the Caspian Sea [ˈ kæ spɪ ə n si: ] — Каспийское море

the Ob [ɔ: b] — Обь

the Yenisei [ˌ jenɪ ˈ seɪ ] — Енисей

the Lena — Лена

the Amur [ə ˈ mʊ ə ] — Амур

the Far East — Дальний Восток

Lake Baikal [baɪ ˈ kɑ ː l] — озеро Байкал

Siberia [saɪ ˈ bɪ ə rɪ ə ] — Сибирь

Yuri Dolgoruki — Юрий Долгорукий

the Duma — Дума