The geography of the russian federation Warming-up questions

1. What great Russians do you know?

2. What is the capital of the Russian Federation?

The Russain federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about one-seventh of the earth’s surface. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northen part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south Russia borders on China, Mognolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azebaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, the Ukraine. It also has a sea-border with the USA.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. We steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

There are two great plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Biberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

There are over two million rivers in Russia, Europe’s biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers – the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena – flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world’s deepest lake (1,600 metres) is Lake Baikal. It is much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there is much more water in it than in the Baltic Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if look down you can see the stones on the bottom.

Russia has one-sixth of the world’s forests. They are concentrated in the European in the european north of the country, in Siberiea and in the Far East.

On the vast territory of the country there are varios types of climate, from arcric in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Russia is rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Head of State is the President. The legislative power is exercised by the Duma.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest pilitical, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

Today there are a lot of opportunities for this contry to become one of the leading countries in the world. It has great past and promising future.

Comprehension check

1. Where is the Russian Federation situated?

2. What is the total area of the country?

3. What countries does Russia border on?

4. What mountain chain separates Europe from Asia?

5. How many rivers are there in Russia?

6. Which is the longest river in Europe?

The political set-up of the russian federation Warming-up questions

1. What type of state is Russia?

2. What branches of power does Russian government consist of?

3. What do you think is the role of the government?

4. Who is the head of the Russian Federation?

5. What do you think are the functions of the president?

The Russian Federation is a democratic legally based federal state with a republican form of government.

The three branches of power in the Russian Federation – executive, legislative and judicial – are represented by the President and the Government; Federal Assembly (the Council of the Federation and the State Duma) and Courts of the Russian Federation respectively.

Generally speaking, the President enforces the laws that Parliament passes, and the Supreme Court interprets these laws if any question arises.

The President of the Russian Federation is given executive power. According to the Constitution, President is the head of state. He is the guarantor of the Constitution and of human and civil rights and freedoms. He is elected for a term of six years in a universal vote by a secret ballot, and has the right to be elected for a maximum of two terms. As chief executive, he has the responsibility of enforcing federal laws. He appoints and removes high federal officials. He makes final decisions on foreign policy, declares and annuls any government decisions, which contradict them. He is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The Government of the Russian Federation consists of the Chairman of the Government, Deputy Chairmen of the Government and federal ministers. The government of Russia represents, serves and protects the Russian people at home and abroad.

The Chairman of the Government (the Prime Minister) is appointed by the President with consent of the State Duma. He tenders his resignation after Presidential elections but is not obliged to do this after Parliamentary elections. The Chairman proposes to the President candidates for the office of Deputy Chairmen of the Government and federal ministers. The Chairman determines the guidelines of the work of the Government of the Russian Federation and organizes its work.

Federal Assembly – the Parliament of the Russian Federation is vested with representative and legislative power and is composed of two Houses – the Council of the Federation and the State Duma. The division of responsibilities between chambers is traditional for the parliaments of other countries. The essential feature of modern Russia is that the upper chamber (Council of Federation) includes the representatives of the executive power of the regions.

The Council of the Federation (or the Federation Council) is the upper Chamber of the Russian Parliament with a total of 175 seats, comprises two representatives from each state of the Russian Federation. It is elected for a term of two years and cannot be dissolved by the President. It endorses the legislative acts adopted by the Duma, takes decisions on impeachment of the President, appoints the justices of the three Supreme Courts, appoints and discharges the Procurator-General.

The State Duma is the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament. It consists of 450 deputies and is elected every four years. It initiates impeachment proceeding against the President, endorses the appointment of the Prime-Minister, drafts and endorses laws.

The Judicial System consists of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Arbitration. This third branch of government is independent from the other two branches – legislative and executive, and is no longer subordinate to them. Justices, the members of these Courts, are nominated for their posts by the Federation Council. Judges are irremovable.

The Constitutional Court stays apart from the general court system. It decides cases exclusively on the basis of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The Court limits its considerations to matters of law. The Court does not consider political cases. The Constitutional Court has evolved to be the true protective body of citizens’ rights within the Russian Federation court system. According to the Constitution, the Constitutional Court consists of 19 justices nominated by the President and approved by the Federation Council. The term of the Constitutional Court Justices is 12 years. According to the Law, the independence of Constitutional Court Justices is ensured by their irremovability, statutory immunity, equal voting rights. The Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Justice-Secretary are elected individually by secret ballot for a three-year term in a plenary session of the Constitutional Court.

The President of the Russian Federation is Dmitriy A. Medvedev.