Russian Federation

Russain_Federation

General Information:

Common Name: Russia
Capital: Moscow
Official Languages: Russian, many minority languages
Government: Federation
Independence: 24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
President: Dmitry Medvedev
Prime Minister: Vladimir Putin
Religion: Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2%

Population: 140,041,247 (July 2009)
Area: 17,098,242 sq km (Approximately 1.8 times the size of the US)
Terrain: Broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions
Climate: Ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast
Natural Resources: Wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber

Visa Required for Americans: Yes

Public Holidays:

1 Jan - 6 Jan New Year
7 Jan Russian Orthodox Christmas Day
22 Feb Day of the Defenders of the Motherland
8 Mar International Women's Day
1 May - 2 May Spring and Labour Day
9 May Victory in Europe Day
12 Jun Russia Day
4 Nov National Unity Day
12 Dec Constitution Day.

Food and beverage:

National specialities:

Kasha (porridge) is a staple breakfast dish, made with milk and oats, buckwheat or semolina
Blini (small pancakes filled with caviar, fish, melted butter or sour cream)
Ponchiki (hot sugared doughnuts)
Pirozhky (fried rolls with different fillings, usually meat)
Borshch (a beetroot soup served hot with sour cream)
Pelmeni (meat dumplings)

National drinks:

Chai (sweet tea served without milk)
Vodka is often flavoured and coloured with herbs and spices, such as zubrovka (made with a kind of grass), ryabinovka (steeped with rowan-tree berries), starka (a dark, smooth, aged vodka) and pertsovka (made with hot pepper). Russky Standard, Stolichnaya and Gzhelka are popular brands
Krushon (cold ‘punch’; champagne, brandy and summer fruits are poured into a hollowed watermelon and chilled for several hours)
Nalivka (sweet liqueur made with fruit or berries)
Nastoika (fortified wine made of herbs, leaves, flowers, fruit and roots of plants with medicinal properties).