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Russia

Russia

Continent

Eurasia

Best States to Visit

  • Siberia
  • Altai
  • Sakha
  • Crimea
  • Dagestan

Best Cities to Visit

  • Moscow
  • St. Petersburg
  • Sochi
  • Vladivostok
  • Irkutsk

Size

1,712,874 KM2

Population

146,171,015

GDP

$1,458,000,000,000

Spending Budget

$800 - $1,200

Famous For

  • Culture and Ethnic Groups
  • History

Best Time to Visit

  • June
  • July
  • August

History

The East Slavs emerged as a recognisable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. The medieval state of Rus' arose in the 9th century. In 988, it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Rus' ultimately disintegrated until it was finally reunified by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 15th century. By the 18th century, the nation had greatly expanded through conquest, annexation, and exploration to become the Russian Empire, the third-largest empire in history. Following the Russian Revolution, the Russian SFSR became the largest and leading constituent of the Soviet Union, the world's first constitutionally socialist state, which had a one-party system throughout most of its existence.

Present Day

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, covering over 17 million square kilometres, and encompassing more than one-eighth of Earth's inhabited land area. Russia extends across eleven time zones, and has the most borders of any country in the world, with sixteen sovereign nations. It has a population of 146.2 million; and is the most populous country in Europe, and the ninth-most populous country in the world. Moscow, the capital, is the largest city in Europe, while Saint Petersburg is the nation's second-largest city and cultural centre. Russians are the largest Slavic and European nation; they speak Russian, the most spoken Slavic language, and the most spoken native language in Europe.

Future

Among the first to achieve space travel, Russia has a history of being technologically advanced. The modern country is no different as it continues to develop top notch tech used in defense and infrastructural development that lead to comfortable and low cost living.
Must Visit Places ------------

Lake Baikal

Lying in Southern Siberia, this scenic rift lake was once known as the Baikal Sea. It owes its ancient name to its depth of 1642m and surface area of 31,722 km². Not only is it the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume, it is also one of the oldest and clearest lakes, standing at 25- 30 million years old. Surrounded by flourishing flora and snow capped mountains, the lake houses a large variety of endemic plants and animals.

Altai

The Altai Republic, located in southern Siberia, is the least populated region in the area. However, it is perfect to experience the authentic ethnic Russian experience. Much of its lands are made of mountains, rivers, and glaciers, which lend their resources to countless species of flora and fauna. The Republic's highest peak, Mount Belukha (4,506 m), is the highest point in Siberia.

The Russian Tundra

Considered a major biome, the Russian Tundra contains rich deposits of mineral wealth and fossil fuels, like oil. It makes up one-tenth of the total territory of Russia and is home to organisms that can exist in no other biome. The tundra features mostly bare ground with some coverage with lichens, moss, and small plants making for a colorfully rustic site.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

The volcanic peaks of Kamchatsky overlook the city of Petropavlovsk making it the perfect tourist destination to enjoy its rugged beauty. The seafront is lined with historical buildings which attracts history lovers from around the world. Most also use this opportunity to gaze upon the cute sea lions in their natural habitat.

Sochi

Sochi is unique for its subtropical climate, one of the few places in Russia to have the same. It is an all-season resort of an international level with 705 classified accommodation facilities operating. Apart from the scenic Caucasus Mountains, pebble and sand beaches, the city attracts vacation-goers with its subtropical vegetation, numerous parks, monuments, and extravagant Stalinist architecture. About two million people visit Greater Sochi each summer, when the city is home to the annual film festival "Kinotavr" and a getaway for Russia's elite.

Kizhi Island

Kizhi is an island near the geometrical center of Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia. The entire island and the nearby area form a national open-air museum with more than 80 historical wooden structures. The most famous is the Kizhi Pogost, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Kazan

Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers. It is renowned for its vibrant mix of Tatar and Russian cultures. Millions of tourists visit the Kazan Kremlin, a World Heritage Site. The Qolärif Mosque, one of the largest in Europe, is also located here.

The Golden Ring

The Golden Ring of Russia is a tourist route that was specifically developed in the late 1960s uniting several medieval Russian cities located to the north-east of Moscow. Today it is the main and most popular tourist route around provincial cities of central European Russia. The route consists of eight principal cities and several additional, unofficial secondary cities located in the Ivanovo, Kostroma, Moscow, Vladimir and Yaroslavl regions.

Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit is a 98-kilometre (61 mi) long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. The largest town on the spit is Nida in Lithuania, a popular holiday resort, mostly frequented by Lithuanian and German tourists. The western shoreline of Curonian Spit is the site of beaches for tourists.

Limpopo Zoo

The zoo is a wonderful place to have a fun, family friendly outing. A variety of reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals are showcased, both indigenous and exotic. A few rides and cafes make the outing complete.

Lighthouse Egersheld

Founded in 1876, the Egersheld Lighthouse is among the oldest lighthouses in the Far East. For over one hundred years it serves not only as the main landmark for seamen who enter the Port of Vladivostok, but also as one of its key attractions, which is always included in the tourists' must-visit lists. The lighthouse stands at the extremity of the narrow stony spit - Tokarevskaya Koshka - that juts out in the sea from the namesake cape. It is considered Vladivostok's utmost southern continental point.

Olkhon Island

Olkhon is the third-largest lake island in the world. It is by far the largest island in Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia. Olkhon has a dramatic combination of terrain and is rich in archaeological landmarks. Steep mountains line its eastern shore. Mount Zhima is the highest point on the island, peaking at 818 m. Khuzhir is the main village on Olkhon Island and contains, shops and homestays.

Kamchatka

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a 1,250-kilometre-long peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about 270,000 square kilometres. The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively.The Kamchatka peninsula contains the volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ruskeala

Ruskeala is a settlement in the Republic of Karelia. Not far from the settlement, the Ruskeala marble quarries are located. These picturesque deep quarries and adits with limpid water serve as a popular tourist attraction. The quarry site has been designed to become Ruskeala Park, a regional park. A series of small cascade waterfalls on the Tokhmayoki River is another popular tourist attraction situated near the settlement. The height of the waterfalls ranges from 3 to 4 meters. Waterfalls are known to tourists and extremes, overcoming them on kayaks.

Kenozersky National Park

The park contains natural as well as cultural monuments, and is also oriented at ecotourism. A number of trails have been opened in the park. There are several wooden architecture monuments. One of them is Porzhensky Pogost in the western part of the park, which is the ensemble of St. George church with the bell-tower (both from the 18th century) surrounded by the wooden wall with gates and towers.

Russian Arctic National Park

Established in June 2009 and expanded in 2016, it covers a large and remote area of the Arctic Ocean. The park is regarded as one of the most well-established protected areas for marine mammals in the nation. Existence of Bowhead and Gray whales in the area make the park's ecological value extraordinary.

Red Square

Red Square is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical buildings, it is regarded as one of the most famous squares in Europe and the world. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, in the eastern walls of the Kremlin. It is the city landmark of Moscow, with iconic buildings such as Saint Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's Mausoleum and the GUM. In addition, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.

St. Basil’s Cathedral

The colorful Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is an Orthodox church in Red Square of Moscow, and is one of the most popular cultural symbols of Russia. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, or Pokrovsky Cathedral. It was built from 1555 to 1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan.

The Moscow Kremlin

The Moscow Kremlin, or simply the Kremlin, is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Russian ruling dynasty of Rurikids. It is the best known of the Kremlin's (Russian citadels), and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. In addition, within this complex is the Grand Kremlin Palace that was formerly the Tsar's Moscow residence.

Tretyakov Gallery

The State Tretyakov Gallery is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world. The collection contains more than 130,000 exhibits. The gallery's history starts in 1856 when the Moscow merchant Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov acquired works by Russian artists of his day with the aim of creating a collection. In 1892, Tretyakov presented his already famous collection of approximately 2,000 works to the Russian nation.

Bolshoi Theatre

The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world. It is by far the world's biggest ballet company, with more than 200 dancers. The main building of the theatre, rebuilt and renovated several times during its history, is a neoclassical landmark in Moscow.

Moika Palace

The Palace of the Yusupovs on the Moika, known as the Moika Palace or Yusupov Palace, is a former residence of the Russian noble House of Yusupov in St. Petersburg, Russia, now a museum. The building was the site of Grigori Rasputin's murder in the early morning of December 17, 1916. Sometimes it is called the Moika Palace to tell it apart from other palaces of the same family in Saint Petersburg.

St. Isaac’s Cathedral

Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great, who had been born on the feast day of that saint. It was originally built as a cathedral but was turned into a museum by the Soviet government in 1931 and has remained a museum ever since.

Peterhof Palace

The Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens located in Peterhof, Saint Petersburg, Russia, commissioned by Peter the Great as a direct response to the Palace of Versailles by Louis XIV of France. The dominant natural feature of Peterhof is a 16-m-high bluff lying less than 100 m from the shore.

Ganina Yama Monastery

The last Russian tsar (Nicolas II) and his family were buried at Ganina Yama, where a church (with seven chapels) was constructed in 1981 and dedicated to the memory of the royal family killed in 1918. Renovation of the seven chapel basements became necessary to stop further deterioration.