1. Made by Alekseeva Kriskentia Andreapol’ 2012 year

2. Forty-two per cent of the territory of Europe and nineteen per cent of the territory of Asia is taken up by Russia, the largest country in the world. Russia is populated by 142 million people. The Russian Federation was established in 1991. Russian is the official language of the country, although more than a hundred languages are spoken in its territory.

3. Russian is written with the Cyrillic alphabet, not the Latin alphabet which is used by most Western countries. Russia is comprised of 83 federal regions. About seventy-five per cent of the population of Russia is made up of people of Slavic origin, such as Russians, Byelorussians and Ukrainians.

4. The territory of Russia is made up of 11 time zones. Russia is bordered by North Korea, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Norway. Russia is also not very far from Japan, Turkey, Denmark, Sweden, and the US state of Alaska.

5. Russia and the USA are separated by just 4 kilometers at their nearest points. Alaska, which became a US state in 1867, was sold to the USA by the Russian Empire for about $111 million in today’s dollars. Before the October Socialist Revolution in 1917, Russia was ruled by tsars. Nowadays it is governed by the President.

6. Some of Russia’s holidays and traditions are observed throughout the centuries. Nowadays new holidays and traditions are established as well. Christmas is celebrated on 7 January according to the old Julian calendar. One of the ceremonies is called “Kolyadki”. During the ceremony a snowman is made with a carrot nose.

7. European chronology, which started with the birth of Christ, was brought to Russia by Peter the Great. The calendar was changed again in 1917 when the Bolsheviks introduced the Gregorian calendar in Russia. On 9 May Victory Day is celebrated. This day marks the final surrender by Nazi Germany to USSR in World War ΙΙ. It is one of the most respected public holidays in Russia. A big parade is held in Red Square, war veterans are invited and a wartime solidarity re-experience.

8. Moscow, the capital of Russia, which is populated by 11 million people, is Europe’s largest city. Moscow was founded by Yuri Dolgorukiy. Moscow is famous for its beautiful Underground. When the Metro first was opened, only 13 stations was finished. Nowadays there are over 150 stations. Recently the first station was opened outside the road of MKAD and more station are built.

9. One of Moscow’s most famous monuments, a monument to Pushkin on Tverskaya Street, was moved to its current place only about 50 years ago. Originally it was situated on the other side of the street. Seven of Moscow’s buildings: two hotel, two administrative buildings, tow blocks of flats, and Moscow State University, look exactly the same. There buildings are ordered by Stalin himself and are designed by the architect Lev Rudnev.

10. The 264-metre “Triumph Palace” in Moscow is the tallest block of flat in Europe. Its height recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. Moscow University was established by the Russian Empress Elizabeth I at the advice of Ivan Shuvalov and Mikhail Lomonosov on 25 January, 1755. This day still is celebrated as Students’ Day in Russia. The first lectures at the university was held on 26 April.

11. http://top10places.com/theme/images/places/triumph_palace.jpg http://www.paradizbel.ru/files/countries/russia.jpg http://ohhplanet.com/i/sankt-peterburg-3.jpg http://www.ibsv.ru/upd/piter-ikckur-5-2.jpg http://ote4estvo.ru/uploads/1302714715_00004.jpg http://hdwallz.ru/wallpapers/thumbs/145/den_pobedy_9_maya_2560x1600_5344.j pg http://aminpro.narod.ru/dopoln/kartinki/strana/strana_0009_01.JPG http://www.tv21.ru/img/newsimages/20080331/5_3cec93db6ca2.jpg

12. http://statehistory.ru/img_lib/blog/alaska/map_avia.gif http://orbita.dn.ua/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/rozhdestvo_440.jpg http://photoshop shablon.ru/uploads/posts/2012-01/1326198127_324523.jpg http://www.moscow.org/moscow_encyclopedia/photo/moscow_monuments/monu ment_pushkin_2.jpg http://www.multylinks.net/files/2008/01/27/102269/msu.jpg http://www.ruspalace.ru/body/lavra/477007526/1.jpg http://i.rdrom.ru/pubs/4483/13156/137356.jpg http://namonitore.ru/uploads/catalog/towns/moskva_kreml_1280.jpg K. I. Kauphman, M. J.Kauphman, Happy English, TITUL, 2010.