Geography

● Russia spans across two

continents, Europe and Asia!
● Russia has coasts along three
oceans, Atlantic, Pacific, and the
Arctic!
● Russia has deserts, frozen
coastline, tall mountains, and giant
marshes!
● Much of Russia is made up of
rolling, treeless plains called
steppes!
● In terms of geography, Russia is the
largest country in the world!
Culture!
● Russian culture has a high value on the homeland
and family
● Russia has more than 190 different ethnic groups
● Roughly 80% of Russians trace their ancestry back
to the Slavs who settled there 1,500 years ago
● There are almost 5,000 registered religious
affiliations in Russia
● More than half of the population follows the
Russian Orthadox Church
● Islam is the second most popular religion in Russia
and between 10% and 15% of the population
practice it
● Russia is known for its thinkers and artists
Language!
● The official language of Russia is
Russian
● While Russian is the prominent
language, many Russians speak
English as a second language
● Russian is the primary language in
many different countries including
Russia, Moldova, and Belarus
● More than 100 minority languages
are spoken in Russia today
● There are 33 letters in the Russian
Alphabet
 School!

● School in Russia is required between the ages of 6 and 15

● Primary school is ages 6-10 and is free
● Secondary school is ages 11-15
● If someone wishes to go to higher education, they must remain in school for an
extra two years, from ages 15-17
● Once students complete this schooling, they receive a certificate of Secondary
Complete General Education
● When students are 15 years old, they can choose to go to a vocational school,
or a school of technical study
School!

● Classwork consists of reciting, and written and spoken testing

● School begins September 1st and lasts until the last week of May
● Final exams are in June
● The school year has 4 terms with vacations ranging from one week to three
months in between
● School usually starts at 8:00 in the morning and concludes at 1:00 or 2:00 in
the afternoon.
● Students go to school five days a week, but some schools require an extra day
on Saturdays.
Subjects and Grades!

● Russian literature, Russian language, Russian history, world history, math, and
science are mandatory in school
● There are also specialized schools that focus on specific subjects
● Students are graded from 2-5, with 5 being the best grade you can earn
● Each student has a diary which is a personal book of academic achievements,
this is where teachers record grades
● Each class lasts 40-45 minutes with breaks in between
● Students have one teacher for all subjects being learned
Food!
● Borscht- this is a beet soup that originated in Ukraine
● Pirozhki- these baked or fried puff pastries are filled with potatoes, meat,
cabbage, or cheese
● Pelmeni- this is considered the national Russian dish, and are pastry dumplings
filled with meat and wrapped in a pasta-like dough
● Pashka- this sweetened cheesecake is a festive Easter dessert that is
decorated with Christian symbols for holiday dinners!
Sports

Bandy is a popular sport in Russia. It is a form of ice hockey that originated

in Russia.

Lapta is a Russian sport that is played with a bat and ball. It started back in
the 14th century

Moscow Broomball is another variation of ice hockey. The sport is only

played in Moscow and only played by non-Russians.
Climate

The climate is humid (summers are warm to hot and winters are cold) in the most
populous areas in European Russia, south of West Siberia and in the south of the
Russian Far East.

The climate is subarctic (very cold winters and short, cool to mild summers) in Northern
European Russia and Siberia. Winters are extremely severe in the inner regions of
Northeast Siberia.

Humid subtropical climate (hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters) is typical for
the Black Sea coast, most notably Sochi.
 Wildlife & Nature
As Russia is so huge, it is home to a large number of ecosystems and different species. Its
forests, steppes and tundras provide habitat for many rare animals, including Asiatic black bears
, snow leopards, polar bears, and small, rabbit-like mammals called pikas.

To help protect and restore the country’s natural beauty, strict nature reserves have been
established, known as zapovedniks.

Russia’s most famous animal species is the Siberian tiger, the largest cat in the world.
Indigenous to the forests of eastern Russia, these endangered giants can grow to over 3m long,
and weigh up to 300kg.