Country At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia Country at a glance Did you know? Members of the “walrus clubs” enjoy a daily swim throughout winter in holes cut in the ice, often braving air temperatures lower than -30°. Region Northern Asia and Europe Population 142,893,540 (July 2006 estimate) Land Geography: broad fertile plain with low hills in south west, tundra to the east and mountains to south Climate: polar in the north, humid continental in west, subtropical and semi-arid in the south People Religion: Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% Language: Russian and many minority languages Economy GDP per person (PPP): $US12,100 GDP by sector: Agriculture 5.3%; Industry 36.6%; Services 58.2% Government Federation of 86 ‘states’ Land Physical geography Russia is the largest country in the world by area. It is 16,995,800 square kilometres, more than twice the size of Australia , (7,692,030 square kilometres). It stretches over 10,000 kilometres across the top of Europe and Asia and covers 11 time zones. It is bordered in the North by the Arctic Ocean and in the east by the Pacific. A broad plain (European or Volga River Plain) extends from the Ural Mountains to Russia 's western borders. In the southwest the Caucasus Mountains slice across the land between the Caspian and Black Seas . The central and southern areas include large fertile areas, marshlands, steppes (treeless plains) and huge coniferous forests. Siberia , in the north-west, is mostly frozen tundra, with rolling hills rising to plateaus, and numerous rugged mountain ranges. The islands and peninsulas of eastern Russia are part of the Pacific ‘ring of fire' and have 30 active volcanoes. Its highest point is Mount El'brus 5,633 metres and lowest point in the Caspian Sea is 28 metres below sea level. Climate Russia experiences a wide range of climates because it is such a huge country – polar conditions in the north through sub-arctic and humid continental conditions, to subtropical and semi-arid conditions in the south. Winters on the Black Sea coast are relatively mild, while in northern Siberia temperatures can drop to -60°C. Permafrost covers almost the whole of Siberia and ranges in depth from one metre in the south to 360 metres in the north. Summers range from cool in the north to warm in the west and areas in the far-east rising to 40°C. Rainfall is also varied, ranging from less than 50 millimetres a year in the northeast to 1400 millimetres in areas bordering the Black Sea. Monsoons occur on the Pacific coast. In Moscow temperatures range from -9°C in January to 18.3°C in July with an average rainfall 630 millimetres. Environment In the very far north of Russia is an Arctic desert zone; with no plants except mosses and lichens and the only animals are seals and walrus. Bordering this area, in the tundra, with shrubby vegetation, there are reindeer, arctic fox and lemmings. The coniferous forests of the ‘taiga' are home to lynx, brown bear, elk, mink and deer. In the south-east, the steppe – level, treeless plains, supports small mammals, such as marmots and hamsters. In the deserts there are spiders, bustards, ravens, gazelles and unusual creatures like the sand eel and the sand cat. Siberia is home to two endangered big cats – the Siberian tiger (fewer the 400 in the wild) and the Far Eastern leopard (fewer than 30 in the wild). People The inhospitable climate means there are vast uninhabited areas. About 72% of the population of 142,893,540 live in cities which tend to be in the south and east. Moscow (10,101,500), St Petersburg (4,644,900), Novosibirsk (1,434,900), Nizhni Novgorod (1,268,500), Yekaterinburg (1,300,000) and Rostov (1,112,900) are the major cities. People Culture and identity Russia contains people from over 150 different backgrounds, the main ones being Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2% and Chuvash 1.1%. Each group is generally located in its own region and there is a great variety of language, culture, religion, music and traditional dress. Literature, music (including opera), dance and drama have long histories of excellence. Health Overall, Russia 's population is declining with a low birth rate (9.95 births per 1,000 population) and a relatively high death rate (14.65 deaths per 1,000 population). There is a large difference in average life expectancy between males (60.45) years and females (74.1 years) due to violent crimes, traffic accidents and alcohol abuse. Russia has experienced one of the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world in recent years with an estimated 860,000 or 1.1% people living with HIV/AIDS in 2001. Religion and beliefs The Russian Orthodox Church has had a long and important history but was suppressed for over seventy years as Russia was officially an atheist state under Communist rule. Since the close of the Soviet era (1991) religion has again begun to play an important part in the lives of the people. Muslims, the majority of whom live in the Volga River basin and in the Caucasus area, are the second largest religious group. Food and shelter Russian cuisine is famous for dishes high in carbohydrate and fat that are necessary for providing energy and warmth during the cold winters. Popular foods include bread, eggs and meat (pork and beef). Cabbage is the most widely-used vegetable. Breakfast usually consists of eggs, cold meat and kasha (cereal with milk, sugar and butter). Lunch is the main meal of the day and can include salad, salt herrings, soup – cabbage (shchi) or beetroot (borsch) – fish, stuffed cabbage leaves, meatballs, sausages, stewed fruit, bread and butter. Supper is lighter than lunch and can include soup, potato cakes and cottage cheese. In cities many people live in high-rise apartment blocks. Traditional country houses are single storey wooden buildings. Economy Wealth and poverty Russia has a workforce of 73.88 million with an unemployment rate of 6.6%; however, there is a high level of underemployment leading to 17.8% of the population living below the poverty line. The dramatic changes in the structure of society since the end of the Soviet system have led to a growing gap between rich and poor. The poorest 10% of the population share 1.7% of household income while the richest 10% share 38.7%. Pensioners and young people are the worst affected groups, and poverty is more clearly seen in towns and villages rather than the big cities. Education and work An efficient, free, universal education system means Russia has a high level of literacy (99.6%). Every child receives nine years of compulsory education, beginning at age six. About six million students attend universities and other tertiary institutions where subjects such as science and technology are emphasised. Many Russian workers have found life hard since the Soviet era – contracts are relatively rare so there is little job security. There is a minimum wage and a 40-hour week (maximum of 4 hours overtime per day), 28 days paid holiday per year, sick leave and maternity leave. However, there is a large ‘black' economy consisting of unregistered workers who cannot access the law. Industries and products About 10% of the population work on farms producing grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits, beef and milk. Russia 's mineral resources lead to coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals mining and production. Manufacturing includes machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; defence industries including radar, missile production, and advanced electronic components, shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs and handicrafts. Trade In 2005 Russia exported $7.6 billion worth of petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures to Netherlands 10.3%, Germany 8.3%, Italy 7.9%, China 5.5%, Ukraine 5.2%, Turkey 4.5% and Switzerland 4.4%. It imported machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, sugar, semi finished metal products worth $171.5 billion from Germany 13.6%, Ukraine 8%, China 7.4%, Japan 6%, Belarus 4.7%, US 4.7%, Italy 4.6% and South Korea 4.1% (2005). Achievements and challenges Permafrost over much of Siberia holds development back by making construction and mining difficult or impossible. Russia faces many environmental problems which tended to be ignored under the communist regime – large-scale air, water and soil pollution (caused mainly by poorly regulated industries and their toxic waste) and their associated problems. The 2005 report of the Chernobyl Forum noted that although there was no evidence of any significant radiation-related health effects in the area that witnessed the 1986 nuclear power plant meltdown, misinformation is causing many mental health issues particularly among those still living in affected areas. Ongoing monitoring of health and the environment suggests the need for improvement of waste storage and disposal facilities. Russia faces a nationwide HIV/AIDS epidemic with an estimated 1.1% of the population presently living with the disease, the majority under 30 (UNICEF figure, 2006). Links with Australia Russia has had close links with Australia since the eighteenth century when Russian navigators assisted the British in charting the coast of Australia and Russian ships frequented Australian ports. Two -way trade between Australia and Russia was worth $A583 million in 2005-06, making Russia Australia's fortieth largest trading partner. It is a growing market for Australian agricultural products such as meat, livestock, dairy products and also alumina and manganese. Major imports from Russia include artworks, metallic salts, rubber tyres and aluminium. In 2005 Tourism Australia began ‘selling' Australia as a tourist destination for Russians – those that have already arrived have shown a preference for eco-tourist destinations in Australia 's north. There were 15,030 Russian-born people live in Australia in 2001, with most living in Victoria and NSW. Immigration from Russia has come in the wake of the 1905 uprising against the Tsar, and in 1917, opponents of the Bolshevik Revolution, the so-called ‘White Russians' who continued to arrive in Australia from China right up to the early 1970s. Main Sources: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ http://www20.sbs.com.au/worldguide/ http://hdr.undp.org http://www.dfat.gov.au

St Basil's Cathedral, 1561, on the edge of Red Square is made up of eight small chapels, each with a red brick tower and colourful onion shaped dome, set around a central chapel with a spire. The number eight symbolises the day of Christ's Resurrection (the eighth day by the ancient Jewish calendar). © Dr Steve Canipe, http://pics.tech4learning.com