russian federation447
Russian languages
in the Russian Federation
more than 112 languages,
including Tatar, ukrainian,
and Russian, are spoken.
Russian is the primary
language of the majority of
people in Russia, and is also
used as a second language in
other former republics of the
soviet union. Russian writers
use the Cyrillic alphabet, part
of which is shown here.Technological achievemenTs
as part of the soviet union, Russian science
developed unevenly. Today, the Russian
Federation leads the world in some medical
techniques, particularly eye surgery (right), but
lags far behind Western europe and the united
states in areas such as computers. in the field
of space research, the soviet union led the
world, launching the first satellite in 1957, and
putting the first man, Yuri gagarin, in space in- More recently, the Russians have launched
the first paying passengers into space.
The Bolshoi
Theater, home of
the Bolshoi BalletAgriculture in the
Russian Federation is
mainly confined to the
southern and western
regions because of
the cold climate in
the northern
margins.The Yakut (left) are
distributed across a
large area centered on
the Lena River. The
economy of the more
southerly Yakut is based
on the raising of cattle and
horses, while the Yakut
farther north engage in
hunting, fishing, and herding.Bolshoi BalleT
The world-famous Bolshoi Ballet dance company was founded in Moscow
in 1773. it became famous touring the world with performances of Russian
folk dances and classic ballets such as Swan Lake. other Russian art forms
did not enjoy the same freedom of expression under the old soviet regime.
artists opposed to the Communist government worked in secret. For
example, the novels of aleksandr solzhenitsyn (born 1918) were banned
for many years. his most famous works, such as The Gulag Archipelago, were
smuggled in from europe or retyped by readers and circulated secretly.agRiCulTuRe
Most agriculture in the Russian Federation takes
place on the fertile Russian plain that stretches
from the western border into
Central asia. here, farmers
produce wheat and other
cereals, meat, dairy
products, wool, and
cotton. The Russian
Federation is one of the
world’s biggest grain
producers, but often
fails to grow enough
food to feed its own
population and has
to import grain.Rubles and KopecKs
The unit of Russian money is the
ruble, which is divided into 100
kopecks. Following the breakup
of the soviet union in 1991, Russia
moved from a state-planned to a
free-market economy. This led to
economic instability and
fluctuating exchange rates.
in recent times,
the currency
has begun to
stabilize.Russian people
Most people in the Russian Federation are Russian
in origin, but there are at least 100 minority groups, including
Tatars, ukrainians, Bashkirs, and Chukchis. some, such as the Yakut
hunters, shown below in traditional clothing, are Turkish in origin;
other groups are asiatic. The
population is not spread
evenly through this vast
nation. about 75
percent live west
of the ural
Mountains;
less than 25
percent live
in siberia and
the far east of
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