Introduction
Central Russia
Volga River
Southern Russia
Russia’s prairies: the steppe
Russia’s Black Sea Coast
Russia’s Black Sea coast
The Russian Caucasus: Mount Elbrus
Russian winter
The Russian Arctic
Altai Mountains: foothills of the Himalayas
Siberian taiga
Lake Baikal
The Russian Far East: Kamchatka Peninsula
Russia’s Pacific Coast
Russia’s Pacific Coast
Population density in Russia
Ksenia Sukhinina from
Tyumen’, Siberia Miss Russia 2010
Moscow Kremlin
Moscow, Kremlin: the center of Russian state power
Winter Palace, St. Petersburg: Russia’s “second capital”
The Kremlin in Kazan, Tatarstan: Russia’s “Third Capital”
The State
Emblem of
the Russian
Federation
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RUSSIA’S ASSETS
World’s largest territory (1/7 of the planet’s dry land)
Over 1/3 of global natural resources
World’s 5th in arable land acreage
World’s 9th most populated country (142 mln. people)
World’s 8th biggest economy
A nuclear superpower
A space superpower
One of the 5 permanent members of UN Security Council
A member of G8 and G20
A key international actor across Eurasia (involved in more
international organizations and projects than any other state
except US)
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Recommended readings for the course:
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Nicholas Riasanovsky, A History of Russia. Oxford U. Press, 2004
http://www.amazon.com/History-Russia-Combined-NicholasRiasanovsky/dp/0195153944/ref=pd_sim_b_2
Philip Longworth, Russia: The Once and Future Empire. St. Martin’s Press,
2006
http://www.amazon.com/Russia-Future-Empire-Pre-HistoryPutin/dp/031236041X/ref=sid_dp_dp
Robert Service, A History of Modern Russia, from Nicholas II to Vladimir Putin.
Harvard U. Press, 2005
http://www.amazon.com/History-Modern-Russia-NicholasVladimir/dp/067401801X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
Suzanne Massie, Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old Russia. Hearttree
Press, 1980
http://www.amazon.com/Land-Firebird-Beauty-OldRussia/dp/096441841X/ref=pd_sim_b_1
Orlando Figes, Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia. Picador, 2003
http://www.amazon.com/Natashas-Dance-Cultural-HistoryRussia/dp/0312421958/ref=pd_sim_b_4
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Alexander Borodin, Symphony No.2, 1st
Movement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3e6C
PLBZWI&feature=related