homework encyclopedia

FIND OUT MORE. Cold War 435 • Habitats 82–84 • Revolutionary Russia 428 • Rocks 46–47

People and Places^259

WHICH PRECIOUS MATERIAL IS

FOUND ALONG THE BALTIC COAST?

Two-thirds of the world’s amber is found washed up

on the shores of the Baltic Sea in chunks of different

shapes and sizes. Amber is the fossilized sap of

ancient pine trees. It forms over millions of years

buried in sediments under the sea. The most sought-

after amber is collected in shades of yellow, orange, or

gold and is cut and polished to make jewellery.

WHICH CROPS ARE GROWN IN

MOLDOVA’S FERTILE FARMLAND?

Moldova’s fertile black soil enables farmers to grow

a variety of crops, such as wheat, maize, and

sunflowers. The country’s mild climate is also well

suited to growing fruit and grape vines, which are

used to make wine.

1 PRIPET MARSHES, BELARUS
Horses graze on the Pripet Marshes, in southern Belarus. This vast area
of marshland gives way to huge forests of alder, pine, and oak, which
are home to mink and deer.

The Cathedral of

the Annunciation

is situated inside

Moscow’s Kremlin

This gilt-domed

chapel of the

tsars was built

in 1449

2 THE KREMLIN,

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Moscow’s Kremlin, or citadel, has

witnessed many political changes.

Initially, it was the residence of

the Russian emperors called the

tsars, then the headquarters of

the world’s first Communist

government in 1917. Today, it is

the symbolic home of the new

leaders of the Russian Federation.

ESTONIA

Capital city: Tallinn

Area: 45,226 sq km

(17,462 sq miles)

Population: 1.3 million

Official language: Estonian

Major religion: Evangelical

Lutheran

Currency: Kroon

LATVIA

Capital city: Riga

Area: 64,589 sq km

(24,938 sq miles)

Population: 2.3 million

Official language: Latvian

Major religion: Lutheran

Currency: Lats

LITHUANIA

Capital city: Vilnius

Area: 65,200 sq km

(25,174 sq miles)

Population: 3.4 million

Official language: Lithuanian

Major religion: Roman Catholic

Currency: Litas

BELARUS

Capital city: Minsk

Area: 207,600 sq km

(80,154 sq miles)

Population: 9.7 million

Official languages: Belarusian

and Russian

Major religion: Russian Orthodox

Currency: Belarusian rouble

UKRAINE

Capital city: Kiev

Area: 603,700 sq km

(233,089 sq miles)

Population: 46.3 million

Official language: Ukrainian

Major religion: Ukrainian

Orthodox

Currency: Hryvna

MOLDOVA

Capital city: Chisinau

Area: 33,843 sq km

(13,067 sq miles)

Population: 3.6 million

Official language: Moldovan

Major religion: Eastern Orthodox

Currency: Moldovan leu

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Capital city: Moscow

Area: 17,075,200 sq km

(6,592,735 sq miles)

Population: 141.9 million

Official language: Russian

Major religion: Russian Orthodox

Currency: Russian rouble

WHY DO PEOPLE VISIT THE CRIMEA EASTERN EUROPE

IN UKRAINE?

The Crimea is a peninsula in southern Ukraine that

juts into the Black Sea. The region’s warm summers

and mild winters attract many tourists who cram onto

the crowded beaches. Holiday resorts, such as Yalta

and Sevastopol, cater for visitors who come for a

healthy regime of massage, exercise, and rest.

WHERE ARE EUROPE’S LARGEST MARSHLANDS?

Vast areas in the south of Belarus are low-lying and

covered by swampy marshland, fed by the Byerazino

and Dneiper Rivers. The Pripet Marshes stretch for

40,000 sq km (15,444 sq miles) and form the largest

expanse of wetland in Europe. The marshes and

surrounding forests are a haven for wildlife, including

elk, lynx, wild boar, and grouse.