Climate

Over the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. Winters are cold and windy with a lot of snow. Summers are rather hot and dry. In Siberia the temperature in winter falls to 50 degrees below zero. The coldest registered temperature was minus 70 degrees.

THE ANIMAL WORLD

The animal world in the north includes walruses, seals, polar bears and polar foxes. In the central zone there are a lot of wolves, foxes, hares and squirrels. The famous Russian furs come from sables, minks and ermines. The brown bear of the Russian forests is a kind of symbol of Russia.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources. Three quarters of the country's minerals, oil and natural gas, coal, gold and diamonds come from Siberia.

THE PEOPLE

The population of Russia is 145.5 million people, 83 per cent of them are Russians. There are 1,030 towns and cities in Russia. Moscow is the capital and the biggest city with a population of about 9 million people.

GOVERNMENT

Russian Federation is a Presidential Republic. The federal government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The legislative powers are exercised by the Federal Assembly. It consists of two chambers: the Council of Federation and the State Duma. The executive power belongs to the government, which is headed by the Prime Minister. The judicial branch is represented by the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and regional courts. All three branches are controlled by the President.

Today the state symbol of Russia is a three-coloured banner. A new national emblem is the two-headed eagle, the most ancient symbol of Russia.

Answer the following questions:

1. Where is Russia situated?

2. What countries does it border on?

3. What do you remember about its scenery?

4. What mountain chains are there in Russia?

5. Can you name the most important rivers of the country?

6. What’s the climate like?

7. Can you name some of the Russian animals?

8. What do you remember about its natural resources?

9. What is the population of the country?

10. What is the capital?

11. What is Russia politically?

12. The federal government consists of three branches. Which ones?

13. Who is the president of Russia?

14. What is the state symbol?

15. What is the national emblem of Russia?

Дата добавления: 2015-08-27