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Table of Contents
Russia is the largest country on Earth by area and extends over the entirety of Northern Asia and a large portion of Eastern Europe. It has 11 time zones and shares borders with fourteen different countries.
See the fact file below for more information on Russia or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Russia worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
- Russia is the largest country in the world.
- It extends some 5,600 mi (9,000 km) east to west, and the longest point north to south is over 2,500 mi (4,000 km)
- Russia covers over 6,601,670 sq mi (17,098,246 square km), almost one-eighth of the Earth’s landmass. It has the same surface area as the dwarf planet Pluto.
- It shares borders with fourteen counties and extends over eleven time zones.
- Russia’s Capital is Moscow.
- The language spoken is Russian.
- The Russian currency is the ruble.
- Russia’s population in 2022 is more than 146 million.
History of Russia
- Russia’s history extends back to the 9th century with the arrival of the traders and warriors group, the Varangians (Scandinavian Vikings) from the Baltic Sea region.
- In the 11th and 12th centuries, Turkic tribes nearby resulted in a massive migration of Slavic people to more northern areas.
- By the early 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Moscow began to assert influence in central Russia (at the time referred to as Rus’) and was responsible for unifying lands and expanding Russia.
- Ivan III, also known as “Ivan the Great”, consolidated central and northern Russia under the dominion of Moscow and, through marriage, adopted the double-headed eagle as Russia’s coat of arms.
- The first tsar of Russia was the Grand Duke Ivan IV, also known as “Ivan the Terrible”.
- Although very unliked, Ivan IV nearly doubled the size of Russia and transformed it into a multiethnic and transcontinental state.
- Russia was proclaimed an Empire in 1721 under Peter the Great, who also founded St.Petersburg as the country’s new capital.
- Under Peter the Great, Russia saw an influx of new Western European cultural influences.
- Russia fought against Napoleon in the 19th century. Although Napoleon reached Moscow, he failed to conquer it due to heavy resistance coupled with the harsh, cold Russian winter.
- Socialism began to rise in the late 19th century.
- Due to the quick rise of socialism, the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II, could not prevent the Russian Revolution of 1905 from happening.
- In 1914, Russia entered World War I, and three years later, the Russian Revolution of 1917 occurred.
- The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.), otherwise known as the Soviet Union, was formed on December 30, 1922.
- In 1939 the U.S.S.R. fought alongside the United States in World War II. However, once the war ended, the strained relationship between the two countries led to the Cold War.
- The Cold War ended in 1991 during the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev and led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Boris Yeltsin became the first elected president in Russian history in June of the same year.
- In December 1991, the U.S.S.R. became the Independent Russian Federation.
- In 2000, Vladimir Putin won the presidential election and has held a high position of power in Russia ever since.
Geography, Climate, and Flora and Fauna
Geography
- Russia has the world’s fourth longest coastline, over 23,396 mi (37,653 km), and has contact with three oceans and 12 seas.
- It also has thousands of rivers and inland bodies of water, although large areas of Russia are semi-arid.
- Much of the land is made up of permafrost, ground that remains completely and permanently frozen, leaving only 7.4% of its land arable.
- Russia has nine major mountain ranges. The highest point in Russia is Mount Elbrus, with a height of 18,510 ft (5,642 m), and the lowest point is at the head of the Caspian Sea at some 95.1 ft (29 mt) below sea level.
Climate
- In most of Russia, there are only two distinct seasons, winter and summer, with significant temperature ranges between the seasons.
- The coldest month is January, and the warmest is usually July, with summers getting quite hot in some parts, even thawing edges of the permafrost regions.
Flora and Fauna
- Wild hyacinths (squills) are native wildflowers, and the northern tundra has few plants beyond lichens, mosses, and cotton grass.
- For nine months of the year, many lichens, mosses, and flowers are covered under snow on the tundra ice fields.
- The taiga forest, also known as the boreal forest, contains many spruces, firs, pines, lichen, and berries.
- Indigenous fauna includes the Russian bear, Siberian tigers, Arctic foxes, and reindeer.
- Smaller creatures include white hares, squirrels, grouse, owls, and woodpeckers.
Resources
- Russia has enormous natural resources of oil and natural gas and relies heavily on revenues from oil and gas-related taxes.
- The main product of Russian farming is grain. Russia is the world’s largest producer of buckwheat and barley and the largest exporter of wheat, sunflower, and maize.
- They are also the world’s leading producer of fertilizer.
- Russia has a huge fishing industry, capturing millions of tons of fish annually. It produces about one-third of the world’s canned fish and almost a quarter of its fresh and frozen fish.
- Russia also produces the world’s finest caviar from the beluga sturgeon, found primarily in the Caspian Sea.
Russian Culture
- Russia is famed worldwide for its rich museums, including the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg, the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, and the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia’s cultural center and second-largest city.
- There are more than 160 different ethnic groups in Russia.
- Russian folk culture includes an assortment of ethnic Russian clothing, and Russian cuisine is like no other, with an emphasis on flavorful soups and stews, meat dishes, and wheat and barley.
- Typical ethnic musical instruments that are popular in Russia include the gusli and the balalaika. Dancing is also very popular.
- Russia is also famous for its dancers and popular ballets, including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake.
- The national flag of Russia, known as the State Flag of the Russian Federation, is a tricolor flag. It consists of three equal horizontal strips, white on the top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom.
Russia and Space
- In October 1957, Russia launched Sputnik 1, the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite.
- In November 1957, a soviet dog named Laika became the first animal to orbit the Earth in Sputnik 2.
- April 1961 saw the first human, Russian Yuri Gagarin, go into space.
- Russia continued to excel in space exploration and, by 2022, had 172 active satellites in space.
Russia Worksheets
This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Russia across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Russia worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Russia, which is Russia is the largest country on earth by area, extending over Northern Asia and a large portion of Eastern Europe. It has 11 time zones and shares borders with fourteen different countries.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
- Russia Facts
- Spotlight on Tchaikovsky
- Time Zone Map
- Russia Crossword
- The Russian Circus
- Russia Wordsearch
- The Siege of Leningrad
- Russian Cuisine
- Compare the Ivans
- Russia Acrostic
- Invented by Russians
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is most of Russia sparsely inhabited?
Large parts of Russia are uninhabited or uninhabitable because they remain frozen throughout the year and, therefore, cannot be cultivated.
What do Russian people eat and drink?
Russian cuisine is greatly influenced by the climate and the crops that can be grown there. Staple foods include grain products such as cereals and bread. Meat dishes include stews, soups, and stuffed cabbage rolls, usually filled with meat, called golubtsy. Russians drink large quantities of vodka made from fermented grain, rye, wheat, or potatoes. Other popular drinks in Russia are beer and kvass.
What are Russian Dolls?
Russian Dolls are also called nesting dolls or Matryoshka dolls. They are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. They are painted in traditional Russian peasant attire and are the best-known and most popular Russian souvenirs.
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Link will appear as Russia Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 24, 2018
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.