Current Russia

 Life in Russia has changed dramatically in last 30 years  Capital –Moscow  Political capital  Cultural, scientific, educational capital  Industrial center  Located in Western Russia(Europe)  St. Petersburg-  2 nd largest city  Located in Western Russia on Baltic Sea  Important port and industrial center  Founded by Peter the Great

People  120 ethnic groups  80% is ethnic Russian  Russian in the main language and most widely spoken  Under rule of the Czar and Soviets languages and cultures were suppressed  Current Constitution supports the right of all people to use their native language  Volga River provides water for Hydroelectric power and irrigation

People  Majority of people live in western Russia  Climate is milder than Siberia  People in Siberia live mainly in towns along or south of the Trans-Siberian Railroad  This railroad stretches from Moscow to the eastern coast  Novosibirk-3 rd largest city lies along the railroad on the Western Siberian Plain  Higher quality of life  Moscow and St. Petersburg

Trans-Siberian Railway

Religion  Eastern Orthodox- Majority population  Islam-second-largest religion, practiced mainly in the Caucasus  Buddhism-Practiced in Siberia near Caspian Sea  Judaism-Many Jews were persecuted under Stalin, left to rebuild their religions practices  With fall of Soviet Union religious freedom increased

Religion  Wooden churches and architecture widely known  Churches contain icons  Religious images usually painted on wood panels  Christianity influenced art this way

Arts and Sports  Ballet- important part of arts since the 1700’s  Literature-part of culture for 1,000 years  1800’s and 1900’s produced some of the most important works in all of Europe  Slovak folk art still influences Russian art  Features animal forms and images of natural forces Sports  Soccer  Ice hockey

Daily Life  Much different then it was with the USSR  More shops opening  More consumer goods to buy  Making progress in providing more housing  Free to celebrate holidays and customs that were quashed by the Soviet Union

Government  Collapse of Soviet Union in 1991  Russia operates on a Constitution  Democratic federal republic  Voters elect representatives to national and legislature  Power divided among legislative executive and judicial branches  Head of state is the President

Government  2012 Vladimir Putin elected president for the third time  Has made economic and political reforms  Worked to limit powers of the Oligarch  Has also restricted freedom of speech  Closed networks that have criticized his government  Keeps tight control on country

Current Issues  Keeps tight control on many ethnic groups  Many groups want to form own country  Chechens, live in Chechnya, southern Russia  Health care is expensive and difficult to afford for the average working person

Environmental Problems  During Soviet Union rule environmental issues were ignored  Belief that natural resources were abundant and waste was not a concern  Much of Russian land is now stressed  Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant  A nuclear reactor exploded in April 1986  Sent radiation into the air across the countryside  Making an effort to improve the issues

Vocabulary  Oligarch-small group of people who control the government and use it to further their goals.  Inflation-sharp increase in the price of goods, sometimes caused by a shortage