FACTS & FIGURES ABOUT RUSSIA

Physical Geography. Area. Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers or 6,591,100 square miles.

It is washed by… Russia is touched by three oceans and twelve seas. The oceans are: the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. The seas are: the Barents Sea, the White Sea, the Kara Sea, the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian Sea, the Sea of Chukotsk, the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, the Sea of Japan.

Rivers... The longest rivers are: the Lena (4,400 km), the Irtysh (4,248), the Yenisey (4,102), the Ob (3,650), the Volga (3,530), the Amur (2,824). There are over two million rivers in Russia. The Volga River is the cradle of such ancient towns as Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir, Tver, Yaroslavl, Kazan. It runs into the Caspian sea.

Lakes (about 2 mln. salt and fresh lakes). The largest lakes are: the Caspian Sea (Lake) - 368,000 sq. km; the Baikal Lake - 31,500 sq. km; Ladoga Lake (18,100); Onega Lake (9,700).
The deepest lake is Lake Baikal (1,600 meters). The water in the lake is so clear that you can see the bottom of this lake.

Mountains… There are several mountain chains in Russia: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The Urals separate Europe and Asia.

Plains… There are two great plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberia Lowland.

Forests… Russia has one-sixth of the world's forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.

It boarders… Russia borders Finland and Norway in the north-west; Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Byelorussia in the west; Ukraine in the south-west; Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan in the south; China, Mongolia, Korean People's Democratic Republic in the south-east.

Weather and Climate… There are various types of climate in Russia: from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Time Zones… Russia crosses 11 time zones from the East to the West.

Natural Resources… Oil, coal, natural gas, iron ore, copper, gold, platinum, nickel, etc.