Vologda

Russia.

In area, Russia is the largest country in the world. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. The vast territory of Russia lies in the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Russia is also the ninth most populous nation in the world with 144 million people.

Russia is washed by twelve seas and three oceans. The seas that wash Russia are the White Sea, the Barents Sea, the Okhotsk Sea, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and others. The oceans are: the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Pacific.

Russia borders on the following countries: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan (by the Sea of Okhotsk) and the United States (by the Bering Strait). There are 11 time zones in Russia.

The land of Russia varies very much from forests to desserts, from high mountains to deep valleys. The main mountain chains are the Urals, the Caucasus and the Altai. There are a lot of great rivers and deep lakes on its territory. The longest rivers are the Volga, the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena. The total number of rivers in Russia is over 2 million. The world deepest lake is Baikal, it is situated in Siberia. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.

The climate of the country varies from arctic in the north to continental in the central part and subtropical in the south.

The Russian Federation includes 21 republics, 6 territories, 49 regions, 1 autonomous region, 10 autonomous districts, and 2 cities of federal subordination: Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Find the English equivalents for the following Russian words and expressions and learn them:

общая площадь, обширная территория, самая населённая, омываться (морем, океаном), граничить с..., морская граница, лес, пустыня, равнина, горная цепь, глубокий, приблизительно, пресная вода, включать в себя.

Answer the questions:

1) What is the total area of Russia?

2) How many people are there in Russia?

3) Name all the seas that wash Russia.

4) How many countries does Russia have border with?

5) What can you say about the landscape of Russia?

6) What is the longest Russian river?

Vologda

record - запись, летопись

high-precision instruments - высокоточные приборы

picturesque - живописный

antifriction bearings - подшипники качения

gateway - ворота

wood-processing machines – деревообрабатывающие станки

naval - морской

merchant - торговый, купец

wooden items - изделия из древесины

handicraft industry - ремесленное производство,

prefabricated wooden living houses - сборные жилые дома

further - продвигать

lace - кружево

crown property - собственность престола

R&D industries (Research and Development Industries) - наукоёмкие производства

well-fortified residence – хорошо укрепленная резиденция

highly-qualified staff – высококвалифицированные кадры

outskirts - окраина

junction - узел

filiation - филиал

highway - шоссе

entrepreneurs - деловые люди

enterprise - предприятие

Vologda is one of the most ancient Russian cities the first record of which is dated 1147. Situated on the banks of the picturesque and quiet Vologda river, it used to be «a gateway» to the North and an important commercial centre.

The development of the city is connected with the greatest historical events of Russia. Since the 16th century Vologda was the centre of a naval merchant way. Its geographical position in the most natural way prepared the ground for development of handicraft industry, trade and helped to further its role in slate affairs.

The importance of Vologda in the 16^th century is shown through the personal interest takenin it by Ivin the Terrible. He took the city as a crown property. Stone fortress and the Cathedral of St. Sophia were laid in the presence of the tsar Ivan the Terrible who planned to build in Vologda a well-fortified residence. The 17^th century is connected with the name of another Russian tsar Peter the Great, who also visited Vologda several times..

In the 16^th and 17^th centuries one of the most picturesque and harmonious architectural ensembles of the North, the Prilutsk Saviour Monastery was founded on the outskirts of the city.

Nowadays Vologda is the regional administrative, industrial and cultural centre with the population of about 310000 inhabitants. Its territory is 11.6 thousand ha. It is a railway junction between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. The distance from Moscow is 460 km and from St. Petersburg is 600 km- There is an airport that can receive medium size planes. Highways with asphalt surfacing connect Moscow St. Petersburg and Arkhangelsk with Vologda.

Vologda is an important industrial centre of the North Western region. On its territory there are about 100 industrial enterprises. The largest of them are Ball Bearing Plant, Opto-Mechanical plant, Machine Tool plant and some other factories.,

Machine building takes the leading position and is characterized by the production of complex, high precision instruments, including antifriction bearings, wood processing machines, automatic lines, technological instruments for agribusiness.

Wood processing companies produce wooden items, prefabricated wooden living houses, furniture and will paper. Vologda also produces light industry products and traditional handicrafts, including the famous Vologda lace.

The Vologda companies are interested in making business contacts with any entrepreneurs and companies both in this country and abroad. The products made in Vologda are very popular in this country and abroad. They г re exported to the USA, Japan, Finland, Norway, Great Britain, Austria, Germany and other countries.

The number of small and medium size companies, producing industrial goods, providing services and trading. is constantly growing. R&D intensive industries and scientific institutions need a lot of highly qualified staff..

There are four universities in Vologda: the Technical University, the Teachers Training University, an affiliation of the Moscow State Law Academy and the State Dairy Academy named after N.V.Vereschagin. More than thousands students study there. Every year 1,5 thousand people get the university education. Besides, there are 10 higher technical schools and colleges, as well as vocational schools in Vologda.

Culture is also well developed. There are 3 theatres: Drama and Children theatres, Puppet Show and philarmony in Vologda.

There are many monuments of stone architecture of the 14* -19* centuries, Spaso-Prilutski monastery, the Vologda kremlin, about 50 churches (some of them function at present).

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20