Russia is a country that is located in Northeastern Europe and Northern Asia. Land wise, it is considered the largest country in the world (Synan). In fact, it covers over 6.6 million square miles which makes it about 2 times the size of Canada (McCauley). In fact, Russia spans 11 different time zones, and shares land borders with 14 neighboring countries (Synan). It borders the Arctic Ocean in the North, and in the West, it shares boundaries with the Pacific Ocean (Central Asia: Russia). When it comes to ethnic groups, Russia has a wide variety to offer.
According to the World Atlas, with about 185 different ethnic groups, Russia has one of the highest number ethnic groups within Europe (Sawe). Some of these groups include Russians, Tartars, Ukrainians, and Bashkirs. The largest ethnic group being Russian, at 77.7% (Central Asia: Russia). The variety of these ethnic groups can also be seen in the many languages that are spoken throughout Russia. Although it may seem fairly obvious, Russian is the official language, with 85.7% of the population speaking it (Central Asia: Russia). Other languages commonly spoken are Tatar, Chechen, Ukrainian, and a variety of other languages. According to the World Atlas, while the dominant language is Russian, there are a variety of other languages that are considered official languages in Russia (Sawe). Some examples of these languages include Tartar, Chechen, Ukrainian, Ossetic, Bashkir, Yakut, and many others.
As far as Russia’s economy, their GDP is 3.8 trillion, and they are ranked 41st out of 44 countries within Europe (Russia [The Heritage Foundation]). They attempted to make changes after the breakdown of the USSR but struggled to transform their centrally planned economy to one based on capitalist principles (Medvedkov). As of 2015, 13.3% of the population is under the poverty line (Central Asia: Russia). Russia’s main export is oil, as they produce about one-fifth of the world total (Medvedkov). They are also a primary producer of natural gas and metals like steel and aluminum (Central Asia: Russia). Some of Russia’s trading partners include China, Germany, Netherlands, Belarus, and Italy (Central Asia: Russia).
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The environment and climate of Russia, because of its huge size, varies from place to place. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Russia has a variety of different environments ranging from semiarid steppes to arctic tundra (McCauley). As most people know, most winter months in Russia are freezing. In certain areas, such as near the Black Sea, the winters are a bit cooler (Central Asia: Russia). The overall temperature during winter is about -30 degrees Celsius or lower (Russia [Weather Online]). My dad has been to Russia multiple times, and you can often find him wearing heavy winter gear when he visits. When it comes to the average rainfall, the Western parts of Russia get the most rain with up to 30 inches, and the Southern areas are the driest, with an average of about 8 inches (Russia [Weather Online]). Overall, Russia has a variety of different landscapes to offer; however, the winters are very cold, and it seems it would be challenging to live there.
Russia’s history begins with the Eastern Slavic people; however, traditional history begins with the Kievan Rus, which was the first Eastern Slavic state (Hellie and Hosking). The Kievan Rus population began to disintegrate as Mongol invasions began to take place (Scheglov). In the 14th century, the Moscow principality began to take over again and eventually a nationwide effort helped to defeat Mongol dominance (Scheglov). The Russian Tsardom grew by the 17th century, and under Peter the Great the country was named the Empire of Russia (Central Asia: Russia). He made many transformations in Russian government, finance, education, and culture (Scheglov).
In the 19th century, the Russians were involved in the Russo-Japanese war, and their defeat led to the Revolution of 1905 which made reforms to the government (Central Asia: Russia). The Russian Revolution of 1917 began because of discontent with the imperial system’s economic and social makeup (Hellie and Hosking). This led to the communist ideas of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin to take over the country and form the Union of Soviet Social Republics (Scheglov). Joseph Stalin took Lenin’s place once he passed and furthered the idea of communism and Russian power within the Soviet Union (Central Asia: Russia).
Russia, in alliance with the United States, defeated Germany in World War II (Hellie and Hosking). The United States was the Soviet’s rival in the Cold War, and under the rule of Stalin everything remained the same (Central Asia: Russia). When Mikal Gorbachev came into power in 1985, he introduced new ideas like freedom and openness which eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, leaving Russia and 14 other republics independent (Scheglov).
Works Cited
- “Central Asia: Russia.” The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 23 Oct. 2018, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html.
- Hellie, Richard, and Geoffrey Alan Hosking. “Russia: History.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1 Dec. 2018, www.britannica.com/place/Russia/History.
- McCauley, Martin, et al. “Russia: Climate.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 4 Nov. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia/Climate.
- Medvedkov, Olga L., et al. “Russia: Economy” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 3 Nov. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia/Economy.
- “Russia.” The Heritage Foundation, www.heritage.org/index/country/russia.
- “Russia.” Weather Online. https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/Russia.htm.
- Scheglov, Serguei. “A Brief History of Russia.” World Atlas, 25 Apr. 2017, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-russia.html.
- Sawe, Benjamin. “Largest Ethnic Groups in Russia.” World Atlas, 6 Jul. 2018, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/largest-ethnic-groups-in-russia.html.
- Sawe, Benjamin. “What Languages Are Spoken in Russia?” World Atlas, 1 Aug. 2017, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-russia.html.
- Synan, Mariel. “What is the Largest Country in the World.” History.com, 7 Aug. 2013, https://www.history.com/news/what-is-the-largest-country-in-the-world.
