258 People and Places
1 RUSSIAN BALLET
Russia is famous for its ballet, a popular form of entertainment. The
Bolshoi Ballet company of Moscow and the Kirov Ballet of St Petersburg
are renowned throughout the world.WHY DO MOST PEOPLE LIVE IN THE EUROPEAN
PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (RUSSIA)?
Over 100 million people live in the European part of
Russia because it has a milder climate, there is fertile
farmland, and it’s highly industrialized. Most people
live in big cities, such as St Petersburg and the capital,
Moscow. The Russian Federation is the world’s largest
country. Two-thirds of it lie in Asia but vast expanses
are uninhabited because the climate is so harsh.IS RUSSIA RICH IN NATURAL RESOURCES?
The Russian Federation has huge natural resources.
The land is rich in minerals and has many mines
from which diamonds, gold, nickel, copper, iron,
and other metals are extracted. The country is also
a leading producer of oil and gas and has enormous
reserves of coal.1 TALLINN, ESTONIA
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is an important Baltic port with regular
ferries to Scandinavia. Its modern facilities contrast with the city’s
historic area, whose ancient walls, turrets, towers, and narrow, cobbled
streets date back to medieval times.4 MINING, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Mining is important in the
European part of Russia, where
there are rich reserves of minerals.
Some of these remain unexploited
because of poor investment and a
lack of technology.1 POTATO FARMING, UKRAINE
Potatoes, carrots, and other root
crops are harvested throughout
Ukraine. Vegetables form an
important part of the Ukrainian
diet and the country is famous
for its borscht, a warming
beetroot soup.The tower
of Tallinn’s
Oleviste church
dominates the
picturesque
skylineOnce part of the former Soviet Union, the countries of
eastern Europe are now independent republics. The
region stretches from the Arctic in the north to
the Crimea in the south, and from the Baltic Sea
in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east. Much
of the landscape is forested. There are also hills and
lakes in the Baltic area, marshes in Belarus, and
rolling plains in Ukraine and Russian Federation.
Eastern Europe
WHAT ARE THE BALTIC STATES?
Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are known as the Baltic
States because they border the Baltic Sea. Coastal
ports provide access to shipping trade routes between
northern and eastern Europe, but the sea ices up
during the cold winter months. In summer, the long
coastline attracts many tourists from Finland and
Scandinavia. They come to enjoy the area’s unspoilt
beaches, sand dunes, and islands.WHY WAS UKRAINE ONCE
KNOWN AS A BREADBASKET?
Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe.
It was known as a “breadbasket” because it once
supplied grain to the former Soviet Union and
provided this vast population with its bread.
The country is covered by flat, fertile plains known
as the steppes. Here, large farms still produce huge
quantities of wheat, maize, barley, oats, buckwheat,
and rye. Ukraine broke away from Soviet Union
control in 1991.eastern
Europe