Contributor: Meghan Vestal. Lesson ID: 12884
You'd expect the world's largest country to have an influence on the rest of the world, and that is certainly true of Russia. Learn its ancient and checkered history, and video your own news report!
Most countries sit on just one of the seven continents. What country is so large that it spans two continents?
At 6.6 million square miles, Russia is the largest country in the world.
That’s ten times the size of Alaska, which is the largest state in the United States! Russia is so large that it cannot be contained by a single continent. Rather, Russia takes up large portions of both Europe and Asia. In this lesson, you will learn about the history, geography, and culture of this massive country.
A brief history
Russia did not start as the large country it is today (2017). It took years of conflict and growth to make it what it is. Watch the following video to learn a little about the history of Russia. As you watch The Animated History of Russia, by Suibhne, write the answers to the following questions on a separate piece of paper:
You can pause the video at any time to write your responses:
Russian history is not only characterized by changes in the size of the nation, it is also characterized by major shifts in political views.
Discuss your responses with your teacher or parent.
Geography
Take a look at the map below. Write a few sentences describing the relative location of Russia on a separate piece of paper:
Since Russia is so large, it is surrounded by a number of countries and bodies of water. Take a look at the map above and write down all the countries that surround Russia, then click on the following statement for the answer:
About 50% of Russia is bordered by water. Once again, take a look at the map above and write down all of the bodies of water that surround Russia. Then, check your answer below:
When you look at the world map, located at the beginning of the lesson, you can see that Russia is not only large, but it also extends far north, to the Arctic Circle. The size and various temperatures create very different terrains throughout Russia.
The images below show some of the different landscapes you can find in Russia:
If you were to visit Russia, which of these scenes would you hope to see?
Climate
Take a look at the Russian Köppen climate map below. The Köppen climate classification system is one of the most commonly used systems for identifying climate zones. It is named for the person who invented it, Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen.
Image by Ali Zifan (Enhanced, modified, and vectorized), via Wikimedia Commons, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Russia has more than ten different climate zones. The size of the land and the various landscapes create a variety of different climates. The majority of Russia is characterized by a cool continental, or subarctic, climate. The winters in this climate zone are harsh and freezing, and summers are cool.
When learning about the history of Russia, you learned the French were driven out of Russia during the Napoleonic Wars because of the Russian winter.
Government
Russia’s government has seen significant changes over the past 100 years. You will watch a video to learn how Russia’s government has changed throughout the years and what it looks like today. As you watch Overview of Russia’s Political Structure, by Sarah Syed, take notes. These notes will be used to help you with an activity later in the lesson.
When you have finished watching the video, use your notes to help you answer the following questions:
As you can see, Russia has changed a great deal since 1900 and remains an important leader in international politics. You will have an opportunity to learn more about Russia’s relationships with its neighboring countries in the Got It? section.
Economy
Russia has an abundance of resources, including energy resources. Energy resources are considered to be some of the most valuable natural resources in the world because they are what we use to power our homes, automobiles, and businesses. Russia produces about 20% of the world’s natural gas and oil. Russia is also one of the leading producers of many important metals, including steel and aluminum. Being one of the world’s richest countries when it comes to natural resources makes Russia a wealthy country.
Russia is so large that it covers 11 time zones!
Write your responses to these questions on a separate piece of paper or in the space provided below:
Now, move on to the Got It? section to learn the role Russia has played in recent international affairs.
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