Where is Russia?

Political map of Russia

Physical map of Russia

Russian nature zones

Russian natural recourses

Why is Russia Important? Economics: Russia is the 12th-largest market in world, with the third-largest foreign currency reserves. And the country's role in world markets is only growing. Russia is a big player in commodity trading, the country boasts a volatile but increasingly attractive stock exchange, and it is open to foreign investment -- even in state-owned industries. Cultural: There are over 160 different ethnic groups and indigenous peoples in Russia Russian cuisine widely uses fish, poultry, mushrooms, berries, and honey. Crops of rye, wheat and barley provide the ingredients for various breads, pancakes and cereals, as well as for kvass, beer and vodka drinks. Black bread is rather popular in Russia, compared to the rest of the world

Why is Russia Important? Politics: In such post-Soviet regions in particular, Russia has a unique capacity to contribute to peaceful resolution of territorial disputes by facilitating trade and economic engagement with and between former adversaries, and acting as a peacekeeper once a final settlement is reached. Geography: With more than one-tenth of the world's total landmass, vast freshwater and ocean resources, plus deposits of nearly every element on the periodic table, Russia is an indispensable partner in the responsible stewardship of the global environment. The country's borders span across Europe, Central and East Asia, and the Arctic

Why is Russia Important? History: In prehistoric times the vast steppes of Southern Russia were home to tribes of nomadic pastoralists. Under Peter the Great, Russia was proclaimed an Empire in 1721 and became recognized as a world power. On the Baltic Sea Peter founded a new capital called Saint Petersburg, later known as Russia's "Window to Europe". Peter the Great's reforms brought considerable Western European cultural influences to Russia.

Why learning Russian is important? When you have free time it’s always useful to learn some words in foreign language. More than 300 million people speak Slavic languages. Russian literature has amazing world-famous literary works. Russian life and culture is different from Western. Russia is attractive for its natural resources. Travelling to Russia brings new cultural experiences. Scientific and technological potential. U.S.-Russia relationship established on 24 October 1809.

Russian Alphabet

Facts About Russia The population of Russia is 143,700,000. The money used is the Ruble. The language spoken is Russian. The people are called Russians.

Current Russian Leadership President Vladimir Putin Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev Coat of Arms Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu

Russia, the largest country in the world, It stretches over 6,000 miles from the Baltic Sea to the North Pacific.

Let’s visit some important cities in Russia. Moscow Moscow

The Kremlin Moscow is the capital and largest city in Russia.

St. Basil’s Cathedral St. Basil’s Cathedral is a beautiful building in Moscow’s Red Square. Because of its many towers it almost looks like a fairy-tale castle or gingerbread house. The “onion dome” shape is found often in Russian church architecture.

St. Petersburg St. Petersburg

Irkutsk, in Siberia Irkutsk, in Siberia

Lake Baykal *It is the deepest lake in the World. * It is 6,365 feet deep. It has characteristics common to both seas and lakes. It has characteristics common to both seas and lakes.lakes It is not freshwater. It is not freshwater. It is one of the world's smallest seas It is one of the world's smallest seas It is also one of the world’s largest lakes. It is also one of the world’s largest lakes. It is 152,085 square feet. It is 152,085 square feet. Caspian Sea

Famous Sights in Russia The Hermitage Museum Stalingrad Battle memorial The Peter and Paul Fortress Baykal Lake Kizhy wooden church The Valley of Geyzers

Famous Palaces Pushkino - Queen Catherine’s Palace Pushkino - PeterhofPeterhof – Peter the Great’s Palace

Russia is famous for… Russian bear First space satellite Russian nesting dolls Ballet Kalashnikov rifle Natural gas Orthodox Churches Fur hat

Fabergé Eggs Long ago, the Russian empire was ruled by a succession of czars. During this time it was a tradition to give special eggs as gifts. A Jeweler named Peter Fabergé created beautiful eggs for the czars to give to their wives and mothers. The eggs, were decorated with gold, silver, and gemstones. Only 43 of the original 53 eggs still exist today, each valued at over a million dollars!! Easter Egg Easter Egg These are a traditional craft in Ukraine, with a history of thousands of years. Patterns are drawn on the egg with wax, which then protects the covered areas from the dye. By repeating this process with different colors of dye, a multi-colored pattern is built up. Finally, the wax is removed to reveal the colors that were covered up at each stage.

What Russian Kids Do Russian children love ice skating, sledding and playing ice hockey in the winter and swimming and soccer in the summer.

Traditional Russian Food Okroshka (Cold vegetable soup)Vatrushki (Cheesecake) Vareniki (Dumplings) Rassolnik (Meat and pickles soup)Bliny (Pancakes)Pelmeni (Meat dumplings)

Some Famous Russians Alexander Pushkin Alexander Pushkin – famous Russian writer Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlova - world-famous ballerina Yuri Gagarin Yuri Gagarin - first man in space Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev – first President of the Soviet Union who made the country more free and democratic Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Tereshkova – first woman in space Peter Tchaikovsky Peter Tchaikovsky - a composer who wrote the music for The Nutcracker Sergey Brin Sergey Brin- Co-founder of Google Inc.

Peter Tchaikovsky Peter Tchaikovsky ( ) 1st Russian composer to gain world wide honors. He wrote symphonies, operas, piano solos, and ballets. He is best known for his ballets: Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. * Famous theater located in Moscow. *It has produced some of the world’s greatest dancers *It is known as one of the world’s greatest ballet companies. The Bolshoi Theatre

Baba Yaga Russian children enjoy stories. A familiar character in many Russian folktale is a witch called Baba Yaga.

Count in Russian 1 - ah-DEEN 2 - dva 3 - tree 4 - chih – TEE - reh 5 - p’yaht’ 6 - sheyst 7 - seeaym 8 - VO - seeaym 9 - DEH-veht 10 - DEH-seht Matryoshka (ma-tree-OSH-ka) A popular toy in Russia is a nesting doll called Matryoshka. A popular toy in Russia is a nesting doll called Matryoshka. The grandfathers carved them out of wood for the grandmothers or babushkas to use to tell stories to their grandchildren. The grandfathers carved them out of wood for the grandmothers or babushkas to use to tell stories to their grandchildren.