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of the country. At first it was a little town on the boundary of the Kiev Russia. Some time passed and it developed into a prosperous city. It became the capital of Russia during the rule of Ivan the Third. Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg, but Moscow still played an important role in the life of Russia. In 1918 the Soviet government moved from Petrograd to Moscow, and thus the ancient city became the capital of the country for the second time.

At present Moscow is the largest city in the Russian Federation, the seat of government, the political, educational and cultural centre of the country. The population of Moscow is over ten million, and the city is growing from day to day. Moscow being an ancient city, one can come across the sights on every step.

The heart of Moscow is the Kremlin and Red Square. It is not only a histiric centre, but also a unique architectural ensemble, famous all aver the world. The Kremlin includes over twenty towers joined by the wall. Each tower has its own name; the most famous one is the Spasskaya Tower with its chimes. On the territory of the Kremlin there are Beautiful ancient cathedrals, Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon and the Armoury Museum – the exhibition of the treasures of the Russian tsars, including icons, crowns, coaches, presents from monarchs of other countries and ceremonial dresses. The Spasskaya Tower outlooks Red Square and the Pokrovsky Cathedral, which is famous all over the world for its exotic beauty.

Not far from the Kremlin Arbat begins. It is the best-known street of the city. There is no traffic, so one can walk and enjoy watching the crowds of people strolling by. Arbat is the main tourist attraction after the Kremlin.

But Moscow is not only Kremlin and Arbat. The best way to describe Moscow is probably to say that it is like any other metropolis in the world – lines of cars (and traffic jams!), hurrying people, tall buildings, elegant restaurants, night clubs and much more. Its appearance is not always attractive, but, beyond any doubt, fascinating and capturing!

EATING OUT IN MOSCOW

There are a lot of different places in Moscow where we can eat decent food at reasonable price and take someone for business lunch.

If you want to eat on the run, you should go to a fast-food restaurant: McDonalds, “Russian Bistro” or Pizza Hut. They are very popular now. The first Russian-Canadian restaurant McDonalds was opened in 1990. The service there is quick: you come up to the counter, make your choice, pay the money, take the tray with your dishes and occupy any

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vacant table. The menu card offers you hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fillet of fish, fried crisp potatoes. For a drink, you can order Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, tea or coffee.

If you are in a hurry, you can have a snack in a bar. There are many kinds of bars in Moscow: snack bars, express bars, milk bars, beer bars. You can also take a quick bite in a café “Russian Bistro” or “Russian Bliny”.

There are hundreds of restaurants in Moscow to satisfy everyone’s taste: from traditional Russian food to the finest of French wines and delicacies of the Far East. In European, American and oriental restaurants of Moscow you can order international dishes.

The French cuisine has had the leading role in Moscow homes and restaurants since Peter the Great’s times. Italian cuisine is one of the most popular. Best Moscow restaurants, “Pizza Express”, for example, offer you a great choice of pasta with different sauces as well as many pizzas – Neapolitana, 4 Seasons, Margarita and others.

RUSSIA UNDER PETER THE GREAT

After Russia defeated Sweden she became one of Europe’s strongest powers. Great changes took place in her economy, the level of cultural development and system of government. Peter the Great enjoyed boundless power. He ruled the country with the help of a large body of officials which was selected from among the nobles.

It was impossible to govern the country and command the army and navy without educated people. At the orders of Peter the Great schools were started to teach the children of the nobility mathematics, the handling of ships and artillery, medicine and foreign languages. Some people were sent to continue their education in Britain, Holland, or France. The tsar liked to promote capable and gifted people from other classes as well.

Commerce and trade with other countries developed. Russia began to have a greater influence on international affairs. Her strength grew and she came to be known as the Russian Empire.

All the new changes in the country were ordered by Peter the Great and he himself took a hand in carrying them out. In many respects he was very unlike other tsars who had ruled Russia before him. He was an outstanding statesman and a brilliant military leader who took part in many battles on land and sea. He was well-educated for those times, having good knowledge of mathematics, artillery and ships. He was also a good turner, carpenter, locksmith and blacksmith. Still, he was an aristocratic ruler. He was often rough and cruel. Thousands of serfs were forced to work at factories, dig canals and build cities.

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They were also forced to serve in the army. The peasant serfs, poor townspeople and oppressed people rebelled time and again.

CANADA

Canada is located in North America. It is the second largest country in the world, but the population of the country is only about 32 million people: 59% – English-speaking, 23%

– French-speaking, 2% – Native Americans, 16% – other nationalities. Most of the population is concentrated along the southern border, in the cities such as Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. The capital of Canada is Ottawa (1 million people).

The country is mainly agricultural. It is well known as an exporter of wheat and oats. It is also rich in natural resources. It is one of the main producers of electric power.

Canada was a British colony until 1867, and the British monarch is still head of state. Canada is an independent country, a democracy with a prime minister, though formally Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, is recognized as Head of State. The country consists of two territories and ten provinces. There are two official languages in Canada: English, which is the language of about 60% of the population, and French. The majority of French-speaking population is concentrated in the province of Quebec.

In the 1960s, the French speakers of the Quebec region of Canada gained political power there. Since then, they have passed many laws designed to protect the French language. In 1977, Bill 101 made French the official language of Quebec, imposed French language tests for admission to many professions and ruled that most businesses with more than fifty employees must operate in French. It also prohibited the use of English on commercial signs, although this was modified in 1993, when it was decided that English could appear on outdoor signs as long as the French words were more prominent. There is still, however, an official “language police”, who constantly check that these language laws are not broken.

AUSTRALIA

The continent of Australia is situated between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. The country’s official name is Commonwealth of Australia. It is unique, because it is at the same time a continent, the smallest one in the world.

Australia is a very young country. The explorers from Europe unanimously called it a wonderful continent. There are really a lot of wonders: unusually mild weather, warm win-

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ters, strange animals – koalas, kangaroos, possums, flying foxes. It also has many varieties of crocodile. Australia has plants found nowhere in the world, such as Eucalyptus trees. Even the sun rises there in the west, which is strange for Europeans. Besides, there is great stock of mineral resources: gold, oil, coal and much more.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federation of six states: South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and Tasmania; and two territories: the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, which is the location of the capital city of Canberra. The population of the country is 20 million people.

The central part of the country is scarcely populated. The majority of the inhabitants live along the seashore or on the islands surrounding the continent, Tasmania is probably the most famous of them. The Australian continent has many different climatic zones, ranging from tropical in the north to moderate in the south.

There are not very many cities in Australia. Agriculture is very well developed there. It is the world’s leading manufacturer of wool. The largest and the most famous city is Sydney. It was the capital of the Olympic Games in 2000. The capital of the country is Canberra (population – 330 000 people), which is a remarkable city with lakes, parks and skyscrapers.

Australia was a British colony until 1901. It is still a monarchy (Britain’s monarch is also Australia’s) but it is now an independent state.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand was originally named “Aotearoa” meaning Land of the Long White Cloud. It is a country in the South Pacific Ocean, situated to the southeast from Australia. The country consists of two main islands and a number of smaller ones. All of them belong to the large group of Polynesian Islands. The North Island has a number of large volcanoes while South Island boasts magnificent mountains running almost the entire length.

It is a country of rare beauty, mountains, fast-flowing rivers, clear deep lakes, geysers and boiling mud. There are also lavish forests, long deserted beaches and a variety of animal life. You can swim with dolphins here, whale watch or fish in the many streams.

As one of the former colonies of Great Britain, now New Zealand is a member of the Commonwealth. It is formally the constitutional monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II being Head of State. The Queen appoints the governor who rules in her name. But, as well as in the UK, the Queen and her representatives have little or no power. In fact, the Prime Minister is the ruler.

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New Zealand is a rich country, most of its wealth being due to agricultural activities. The rate of life in New Zealand is really high. Auckland is the largest city in the country. The capital of New Zealand is Wellington. English is the official language in the country, though in some schools Maori, which is the language of the native population, is taught as well.

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