Russia

Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. Its total area is over 17 million square kilometres. It is situated both in Europe and in Asia.

There are different types of climate on its territory. It is very cold in the North even in summer, and very warm in the South even in winter. There are many rivers in Russia, the longest are the Volga and the Yenisei and the Ob'.

The population of Russia is about 150 million people. The capital of our country is Moscow.

As for the political system, Russia is a federal republic. The legislative body of the country is State Duma and the executive body is a Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. The president is the head of the state and the government. He is elected every four years.

Big changes in political and economical life have happened in Russia during last years. Our country is involved in the complicated process of formation of completely new relations in international and domestic life. First the political life has been changed. For the first time since 1917 we have started the construction of democratic society, the correction of all mistakes made by the communist regime for 70 years. The most difficult thing is the alter-nation of people's mentality. As now there is no such notion like “capitalism is the socialism's enemy” usual for the consciousness of many generations of former soviet citizens.

The changes in the sphere of economy are being done with great difficulties. Almost all the connections between the republics of the former USSR have been broken. The formation of the new economy is a very long process of creation of new economic connections with inner and foreign partners. The political ambitions of many countries of the former USSR and hard inflation processes in the country are the real obstacles on the way to the new economy. But in spite of all these facts we should say, that Russia is going ahead. This can be proved, for example, by the attitude to our country in the world, by the first democratic elections of the President of Russia. This event became the great landmark in the history of the renewed Russian state. We believe in the great future of Russia.