What do you know about Russia?

The physical map of the Russian Federation.

Read and listen to some facts about the country.

1. Russia is the largest country in the world with an area of 17,075,400 square kilometers. It is 1.8 times bigger than the United States. The territory of Russia almost covers the surface of the planet Pluto. Russia is the seventh of the Earth’s land area. Forests cover about 60% of the country.

2. Russia is considered a European country, but two-thirds of the country is in Asia.

3. Siberian Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and the largest source of fresh water on the planet. Lake Baikal contains 23 cubic kilometers of water. All the major rivers of the world – the Volga, Don, Dnieper, Yenisey, Ural, Ob, the Ganges, the Orinoco, the Amazon, the Thames, the Seine and Oder should flow almost a year to fill the pool equal to the volume of Lake Baikal.

4. Russia is the only country which territory is bordered by twelve seas.

5. Russia is separated from America by 4 kilometers. This is the distance between the island Ratmanova (Russia) and the island Krusenstern (USA) in the Bering Strait.

6. Ural Mountains are the oldest mountains in the world. The mountain Pencil  is 4, 2 billion years old. Historical names of the Ural Mountains are Big Stone, Siberian Stone, Earth Belt, Belt Stone. Once the Ural mountains were very high, but now only the base is left.

7. In Russia, there are 103 reserves, 70 sanctuaries and 43 giant national parks. The total area of protected areas in Russia is almost 600 thousand square kilometers, accounting for 4% of the total area of the country, or a little more that the territory of France.

8. The area of Siberia is 9 million 734.3 thousand square kilometers, accounting for 9% of the Earth’s land, or the whole territory of China.

9. Siberian taiga is the world’s largest forest.

10. The West Siberian Plain is the largest plain in the world.

11. Russia ranks first in the world in oil and gas, exports of steel, primary aluminum, nitrogen fertilizers.

12. Russia has borders with 16 countries: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, North Korea, Japan and the United States. Russia is also bordered by two unrecognized states: South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Was the information new for you? What, probably, surprised you?

Better to see once than to hear 100 times

You’re going to “fly” over the territory of Russia and to see it with your own eyes. Russians say it’s better to see something once than to hear about it 100 times.

Read the sites of attraction in Russia. Then watch the video and put them in the order they are mentioned by the author. You may want to write them down on a separate piece of paper while watching and then order them.

You’ll need some vocabulary to learn for better results in the next video.

Moscow

The first listening

Now let’s visit the capital of Russia. Watch the video and do the exercise. The video will stop every time you have to answer.

The second listening

Let’s get some details about Moscow. Read the following statements, then watch the video again if necessary to say if they’re true or false. The interactive task is below the video.

1. Moscow can be found in eastern Russia. 
2. The population of Moscow is under 11 million people.
3. Alexander Garden is a tribute to Moscow’s unbreakable spirit.
4. The Monument to the conquerors of Space celebrates the Soviet aerospace triumph.
5. Bolshoi is one of the oldest theatres in the world.
6. You can find a real graveyard in the Fallen Monument Park.

Now say if the statements are true or false.

The vocabulary of the lesson