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Russian speaking
country |
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Russia
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Language |
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Russian |
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Capital |
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Moscow |
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Other main city |
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St Petersburg |
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Area (km2) |
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17,075,200 |
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Population |
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146,001,176 |
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Currency |
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Ruble |
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| History of Russia |
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Russia is the general name for the independent, federal republic in eastern Europe and western and northern Asia officially called the Russian Federation.
In geographical extent Russia is the largest country in the world, spanning 2 continents and containing more than 100 nationalities.
Early Russian history was dominated by the Slavs until the Mongol invasions of the 13th Century. Whilst the invasions themselves were unsuccessful, the aftermath moved control to the Tartars and began a period of economic and population reshaping that saw power move to Moscow.
Following the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Moscow became the "Third Rome" and its new rulers first began to style themselves "Tsar" (from Caesar).
After periods of civil strife and even anarchy, expansion followed under the Romanovs and first Peter and then Catherine the Great.
The growth of the Russian Empire was, however, increasingly punctuated by the growing discontent of the general populace - who bore the brunt of a constant round of foreign wars or invasions coupled with little or no social reform.
This finally came to a head in the Revolution of 1905 and the Bolshevik takeover under Lenin that followed in 1917.
From 1922 until December 25, 1991, the Russian Federation formed the dominating part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR; or Soviet Union).
The end of the USSR saw the beginning of an ongoing period of dramatic change - economically, socially and militarily.
Most recently, President Putin (who took over following Boris Yeltsin's resignation on December 31st 1999) has strengthened ties with the USA whilst also dealing with continuing problems from break-away republics.
Russia is a member of the UN and is one of the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council. It is also a founding member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the voluntary association of former Soviet republics that was formed on the dissolution of the USSR.
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| Did you know? |
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There are no "primitive" languages. All languages have a system of sounds, words and sentences that can adequately communicate the content of culture. |
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