1. The Republic of the Russian Federation

3. The Russian Symbols

4. The Russian National Government The President and his aides (helpers) The Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister The Federal Council (the upper house) The State Duma (the lower House) The Federal Assembly (the Parliament)

7. Population Russia ranks sixth in the world in population. The great majority of the people are Russians, but there also are some 70 smaller national groups .

10. T he largest European river is the Volga . Rising in the Valdai Hills , it follows a course of 3,530 km to the Caspian Sea. Smaller, but still impressive, rivers in the European section ar e the Don ( 1870 km), the Northern Dvina and the Pechora . R iver s the Volga-Don Ship Canal the Avacha River , Kamchatka the Volga River near Saratov the Don

12. Lakes L ake Onega Lake Ladoga The Baikal The Baikal There are a lot of lakes in Russia. Lake Baikal is the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth (20–25 million years old), as well as the deepest continental body of water, having a maximum depth of 1,620 metres. L ake s in Karelia Blue Lake s in Kamchatka

13. There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east. Russia has one-sixth of the world’s forests. Steppe Birch forest Tundra Taiga Desert

14. Mountains the Caucasus mountain range There are many high mountains in Russia. Among them there are the Caucasus mountain s, the Urals, the Altai Mountains, the Sayan Mountains and many others. Mount Elbrus is the highest peak of the Caucasus mountains . It’s 5,642 m. Of the 127 volcanoes in Kamchatka , 22 are still active . Southern Ural Mountains Mount Elbrus the Altai Mountains A volcano in Kamchatka the Khibini Mountains

15. Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8,5 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky in 1147. It is one of the largest and most beautiful cities in Europe. The Kremlin and the Arkhangelsky Cathedral on the Moskva River A vestibule of the Kremlin Red Square and Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed

16. Moscow The Bolshoi Theatre Triumphal Arch Tretyakov Gallery Christ the Savior Cathedral The Tsar Bell The Tsar Cannon

18. The Suburbs of St. Petersburg Petrodvorets The Grand Cascade at Petrodvorets

19. The Suburbs of St. Petersburg P avlovsk

20. The Suburbs of St. Petersburg P ushkin