Topic "The Russian Federation" (7th forms)

The official name of our homeland is the Republic of the Russian Federation, often called Russia. It is the largest country in the world; it occupies most of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: The Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, and the Ukraine. It also has a see-border with the USA.

Russia displays a variety of landforms and environments. It is located on two plains, the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. The longest mountain chains are the Urals, the Caucasus and the Altai. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia. Russia's most important rivers are the Volga, the Ob, the Yenisei, the Lena, and the Amur. The world's deepest lake - Lake Baikal, with the deeps of 1600 metres, is situated in Russia, too. The climate in Russia varies from the arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

The National Government of Russia consists of the President, the Council of Ministers and the Federal Assembly. There are two Houses in the Federal Assembly, the Federal Council and the State Duma. The head of the Republic of the Russian Federation is D.A.Medvedyev, and the Prime Minister is V.V.Putin. The highest law of the Russian Federation is the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The official symbol of Russia is the Russian flag; it has three wide stripes – white, blue and red. Many people believe that traditional symbols of Russia are the birch tree and the Russian “troika”.

The current population of Russia is about 150 million; Russia is a land of over 100 nationalities. Many Russians are religious people. The main church is the Russian Orthodox Church. It has survived during the hard times and now people speak about a rebirth of religion in the country. There are other religions too and there are a lot of people who are non-believers.

To know a country means to know its people. There are a lot of famous people of Russia: the greatest poets and writers Alexander Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy, Feodor Dostoevsky; Peter Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer; Isaak Levitan, a Russian artist; Georgy Zhukov, a famous marshal of the USSR; the first Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and many, many others. The nation has done a lot for the world civilization.

Russia has had a long and turbulent history. Rus’ centered on Kiev was formed in the 9^th century; we’ve survived the Tater yoke, the Time of Troubles, won victories over Sweden, Poland, Germany; Russia has had two Revolutions, two great Patriotic Wars. The memory of World War II is deeply felt in Russia.

The capital of Russia is Moscow, with the population of about 10 million people. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It's one of the oldest Russian cities.