In this article, we propose in detail to get acquainted with the characteristics of the geographical position of Russia. Our country occupies the largest territory among all countries of the world. Today you can find out the features of the situation, the number of subjects, the pros and cons of the country's location and much more.
Despite the fact that modern Russia is marked on the map quite recently, namely in 1991, its first rudiments appeared almost eleven centuries ago. All subjects of the Russian Federation, and there are eighty-five in all, are different in area and population. On the territory of our country, more than 200 ethnic groups can be distinguished.
The position of Russia on the mainland
Today we suggest you consider the characteristics of the geographical position of Russia according to the plan:
- position on the mainland;
- extreme points;
- extent;
- territory;
- land and sea borders;
- the pros and cons of the location of the country;
- competitors to our land;
- location specifics;
- comparative characteristics of the GP of Russia and other countries.
Let's start with the first paragraph. As mentioned earlier, the Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. Its area is approximately 17 million square kilometers. If we compare its territory with other countries, then the next for Russia is Canada, China and only then - the United States of America.
Located in two parts of the world, the country is located in the northern and north-eastern part of the continent of Eurasia. In the north, you can see that it is crossed by the Arctic Circle. Despite the fact that Russia is located on the eastern part of the continent, the most extreme point (Chukotka) is located on its western territory.
Also on the map you can see that the Russian Federation is washed immediately by three oceans:
- in the west Atlantic;
- from the north to the Arctic;
- in the east of the Pacific.
Extreme points of the Russian Federation
Considering the characteristic of the geographical position of Russia, one cannot but pay attention to extreme points. Now we will not only name them, but also give the exact coordinates, which will help you easily find them on contour maps or in the atlas.
- north - the extreme continental point is located on Cape Chelyuskin (77 degrees north latitude and 105 degrees east longitude); insular - Cape Wing;
- south - Mount Bazardyuzyu (41 degrees north latitude and 48 degrees east longitude);
- west - Gulf of Gdansk, namely the Baltic Spit (55 degrees north latitude and 19 degrees east longitude);
- east - Ratmanova island. Mainland - Cape Dezhnev (65 degrees north latitude and 170 degrees west longitude).
Please note that the coordinates are approximate.
Length
Considering the characteristic of the geographical position of Russia in the 8th grade, some students using coordinates can calculate the length of the country. We will make a reservation right away that not all schoolchildren can do this, but only those who are strong in mathematics and geography.
The vertical length of the Russian Federation (that is, from north to south) is four thousand one hundred and seven kilometers. And if you calculate the length from west to east in the Arctic Circle, you can get the following result: eight thousand kilometers.
Territory
In the practical work of the 8th grade “Characterization of the geographical position of Russia” there will certainly be a question related to the territory of the Russian Federation. It is for this reason that we will repeat again: our country is the largest state (more than 17 million square kilometers). More than one hundred forty-six million people live in this territory (information is relevant for 2017). Russia ranks first in terms of area, in terms of GDP, unfortunately, we are only in sixth place, but in terms of population, we are already in ninth position.
The capital is the city of Moscow, and the official language is Russian. As already mentioned, in the Russian Federation there are a total of eighty-five entities, among them:
- twenty two republics;
- nine edges;
- three cities of federal significance;
- four autonomous districts;
- one autonomous region;
- forty six areas.
And if you count the number of settlements, then in Russia there are only one hundred fifty seven thousand.
Land borders
Since we are considering a characteristic of the geographical position of Russia, we need to identify the borders of this state. First, a definition of the state border should be introduced. It is quite simple: the state border is the line that defines the state territory. We’ll make a reservation right away - the Russian border has a large length, namely 61 thousand kilometers.
In addition, you need to know that from the west and south there is mainly a land border, but from the north and east - the maritime border. As it’s not difficult to guess, our country has land borders with states located on the continent of Eurasia. The neighbors include:
- Norway
- Finland
- Belarus;
- South Ossetia;
- Ukraine
- Abkhazia
- Poland
- Lithuania
- Estonia
- Kazakhstan;
- Latvia
- Georgia
- Azerbaijan;
- Mongolia
- China;
- DPRK
Not all Russian borders are strictly guarded. There are places where you can freely leave the territory of the Russian Federation. With some countries on the list, in addition to land borders, there are also maritime ones.
Maritime borders
In practical work 1, “Characterization of the geographical position of Russia”, a question connected with the maritime borders of the Russian Federation will certainly be encountered. First you need to get acquainted with the definition of the term "territorial waters". These are sea open spaces that adjoin the land territory of the country. Immediately pay attention to the fact that they also belong to the territory of the state. Territorial waters, of course, have a certain width, it is 12 miles, if translated into kilometers, it is 22 kilometers.
In addition to water, the territory of the country also includes islands located in territorial waters. The Russian Federation borders by sea:
- Japan
- USA;
- Norway
- Estonia
- Finland
- Poland
- Lithuania;
- Abkhazia;
- Azerbaijan
- Kazakhstan
- Ukraine;
- DPRK
As you can see, there are only twelve of them on the list. The length of the sea borders is 38 thousand kilometers.
Pros and cons of location
Considering the characteristic of the geographical position of Russia, we draw attention to the positive and negative sides of the location of the country.
The pluses include:
- The Russian Federation is the richest country for minerals, fresh water, minerals, forest resources;
- the country has access to the ocean from different directions, developed fisheries, a large number of hydroelectric power stations (a big plus in the electric power industry);
- a large presence of borders; trade relations are well developed with some countries;
- developed shipping, which is facilitated by large rivers;
- the south of the country - the famous Russian resorts;
- the furniture industry is developed, it is associated with a large number of forest resources;
- the border with the Arctic Ocean, in the offshore part of the mainland there is a large supply of energy resources.
The cons include:
- most of the territory is unfavorable for agriculture;
- difficult handling, the problem of transport (vast territory of the country);
- the presence of permafrost areas in Siberia and the Far East, these territories occupy more than fifty percent of the entire area;
- economic problems (large extent of the country);
- the climate in the Russian Federation can be called severe, since the country is located in the north of the mainland.
Who claims our lands
We are almost completely acquainted with the characteristics of the geographical position of Russia. You can already name the features of the geographical position of Russia; it will not be difficult to identify the pros and cons. Now briefly about the disputed territories. These include:
- Kuril Islands (conflict with Japan);
- Amur Islands and Altai (open-ended question with China);
- Pytalovo (dispute with Latvia);
- Saatses boot (conflict with Estonia);
- Karelia (Finland claims);
- Svalbard (claims by Norway);
- Alaska (US dispute).
Comparison of the geographical position of Russia and other countries
If we consider the characteristic of the geographical position of Russia relative to other states, then we can highlight the following points:
- more severe climate than in neighboring Europe;
- less favorable location relative to access to the oceans.
With regard to climate, the Russian Federation is located north of, for example, England and France. In England, the climate is marine, in France - temperate. But most of Russia has a subarctic climate. Only a small area (Black Sea coast) with a subtropical climate.