Russia

Russian is a world largest country, situated in northern Eurasia. It occupies the ninth of the Earth's land area and a ninth most populated country with 142 million people. The country spreads across Europe and Asia, from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Russia is a vast country spanning 9 time zones from GMT+2 to GMT+11.

Russia extends across Europe and Asia with continental climate relevant in these areas, polar climate in some northern areas and humid subtropical climate in some places located along the Black Sea cost. About 65% of the Russian territory is underlined by permafrost. Russian is the official language of the country with around 80 % of ethnic Russians. Yet there are 160 ethnic groups that speak some 100 languages and a considerable number of immigrants mainly from post-Soviet countries.

The dominant religion is Russian Orthodoxy , however Islam, Buddhism and Judaism are also the part of Russia's historical heritage. Russia is an old country with rich history that dates back to the 9th century when Kievan Rus' was established that was an ancestor of Duchy of Moscow. Since the times of Russia's first Tsar, Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), Russia was multiethnic, multiconfessional and transcontinental state that turned into the powerful Empire in the 17th century under the reign of Under Peter I (Peter the Great). The country survived numerous wars, Mongol yoke, Napoleon's and Hitler Germany invasions , revolutions and Civil War.

Russia is a birthplace of famous musicians, scientists and writers. Russian literature contributed many of the world's most famous literary works and boats the names of Alexander Pushkin, Ivan Turgenev, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan Bunin, Vladimir Nabokov, Mikhail Bulgakov, Boris Pasternak, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn that are world famous.
Russian scientists and inventors, Nikolai Lobachevsky, Mikhail Lomonosov, Andrei Kolmogorov, Dmitry Mendeleev, Lev Landau, Andrei Sakharov, Ivan Pavlov, Ilya Mechnikov. Alexander Popov, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and other famous names are among Noble Prize winners in science. Russia launched the world's first artificial satellite and the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to orbit the Earth. The radio was invented by Russian physics Alexander Popov.
Russia presented the world masterpieces of music and art by composers Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, artists Ilya Repin, Isaac Levitan, Vasily Surikov, Viktor Vasnetsov Mikhail Vrubel and Nicholas Roerich.

The country contains 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is a popular tourist destination. Most popular tourist attractions in Russia are major cities Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the current and the former capitals of the country and great cultural centres, recognized as World Cities. Cities of Golden Ring, Black Sea resorts, Siberia, Karelia are among popular placed to visit in Russia.

Russia has a well-developed transportation system. There are 1216 airports, the major are Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo in Moscow and Pulkovo in Saint Petersburg. Russia is second to the USA in total length of common-used railway tracks. The most renown railroad in Russia is Trans-Siberian Railway, spanning a record 7 time zones and serving the longest single continuous services in the world. Major sea ports of Russia include Rostov-on-Don on the Azov Sea, Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, Astrakhan and Makhachkala on the Caspian Sea, Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea, Arkhangelsk on the White Sea, Murmansk on the Barents Sea, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean.

The state currency is Ruble (RUB)
Currency converter - http://www.xe.com/ucc

Useful links:

Russian Federation Embassy and Consulate Locator

Map of Russia

Time Zone Converter

Russia - Travel Tips

Travelling to Russia General aspects, traveling etiquette

Russian cities

Flights to Russia & Cheap Airlines Routes, Flights, Charges

Flights to RussiaBooking flights, Travel tools

Russian holidays

Russian Russian Cuisine History, description, recipes

Russian women facts

AllRussian.com !