The Russian Federation

1. Geographical facts (largest country, occupies one-seventh of the earth's surface, 17 million square kilometers, washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans, borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Byelorussia, the Ukraine)

2. Nature (steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east, one-sixth of the world's forests)

3. Surface (two great plains: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland, several mountain chains: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai)

4. Water objects (over two million rivers, the Volga - biggest river in European part, Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena, deepest lake (1,600 meters) is Lake Baikal with clear water)

5. Climate (various types: arctic in the north, subtropical in the south, temperate and continental in the middle)

6. Resources (rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources)

7. Politics (parliamentary republic, The Head of State is the President. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma)

Moscow

1. Historical facts (founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, first mentioned in the records dated back the year 1147 -> 13th century Moscow was the centre of the struggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the Tartar yoke -> 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital -> Peter the Great moved the capital to StPeterburg in 1712 -> main target of Napoleon's attack (Three-quarters of the city were destroyed) -> mid-19th century Moscow had been completely restored -> After the October revolution Moscow became the capital again)

2. Square and population (9 hundred square kilometers, over 8 million)

3. Remarkable places:

   1. The Kremlin (masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture, Spasskaya Tower with famous clocks)

   2. The Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace of Congresses, the Tsar-Cannon and the Tsar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world

   3. Red Square (heart of Moscow)

   4. St.Basil's Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) (built in the mid-16th century in memory of the victory over Kazan)

   5. the Lenin Mausoleum and the monument to K.Minin and D.Pozharsky

   6. more than 80 museums (Tretyakove Gallery, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts + All-Russian Museum of Folk Arts, the Andrey Rublev Museum, Mikhail Glinka Museum of Musical Culture)

   7. famous for its theatres (Bolshoi Theatre)

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