Being a transcontinental country, Russia stretches across vast expanses from the North Ocean to the Caspian coast and from the Baltic coast in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. 17 125 191 sq. M. km - the area of Russia. However, behind this huge figure stands genuine natural splendor and a huge variety of cultures, traditions and lifestyles of the population.
General information about the Russian Federation
From a geographical point of view, Russia is located in eastern Europe and northern Asia. Moreover, about 76% of the area of Russia in the quarter. km are located in the Asian part, and the conditional border between the two parts runs along the Ural Mountains and the Kumo-Manych depression, connecting the Kuban-Priazovskaya and the Caspian lowlands.
The extreme points of the country are:
- North: Cape Fliegli. Coordinates: 81 ° 50′35 ″ s. w. 59 ° 14′22 ″ c. d.
- South: an unnamed height on the very border of Dagestan and Azerbaijan, southwest of Mount Bazardyuzu and east of Mount Ragda. Coordinates: 41 ° 11′07 ″ s. w. 47 ° 46′54 ″ in. d.
- West: a point on the Baltic spit of the Gdansk Bay, washing the shores of the Kaliningrad region. Coordinates: 54 ° 27′45 ″ s. w. 19 ° 38′19 ″ c. d.
- East: Rotmanova Island. Coordinates: 65 ° 47 ′ s. w. 169 ° 01 ′ s d.
Such a geographical distance of extreme points from each other makes Russia the first country in the world in terms of area, with a significant margin ahead of even Canada, whose area is 9,984,670 square meters. km The third country by area is China - 9,598,962 sq. M. km
A little bit about the borders of Russia
17 125 191 - that’s how many square kilometers the territory of Russia occupies. It is not surprising that with such a vast territory, the country also has the longest state borders, a significant part of which are maritime.
To be more precise, the maritime borders extend over 38 808 kilometers, and land borders make up another 33 100 kilometers. Maritime borders are located mainly in the north and east of the country. It is worth noting that, in addition to its territorial waters, Russia has claims to a significant part of the Arctic shelf, extending to the North Pole. These claims, however, have not yet found the support of the international community.
The longest land border, the length of which is 7 598 kilometers, Russia has with Kazakhstan. The Russian-Chinese border exceeds 4,209 kilometers, and the border with Mongolia is 3,485 kilometers. It is noteworthy that Russia also has borders with the United States and North Korea. Russia has the shortest border with Korea, not exceeding 39 kilometers, but it is not the quietest, since tense conflicts regularly arise on the Korean peninsula.
Climate and Territory
Although Russia is the largest country on the planet, the climatic and soil conditions in most of its territory are very uniform, and they cannot be called favorable. Despite the fact that the average annual temperatures in the country range from +1 degree in the north to +25 in the Caspian lowland, climatic conditions are still extremely unfavorable for agriculture in a significant part of the country.
Talking about what is the area of Russia in the quarter. km, you can pay attention to other values. For example, in the territory of the country there are several geographical objects, the indicators of which make it unique. For example, Lake Baikal is the deepest in the world, and the Volga is the longest river in Europe. In turn, Lake Ladoga is considered the first largest mirror in Europe, and Elbrus is the highest peak in this part of the world.
Relief. Plains of the West and Mountains of the East
From a geological point of view, the territory of the country can be divided into two large parts: eastern and western. At the same time, the border between them will pass not along the Ural Mountains, but along the Yenisei River.
In this case, the western part will be mostly flat with minor hills and hills, and in the west will be the highest mountains with several lowlands. Taking all of the above into account, several large geographical areas can be distinguished in Russia, including Fennoscandia and the East European Plain.
Features of the European part of the country
Most of the European territory of Russia is occupied by the East European Plain, which is the largest plain in the world. It stretched 1,600 kilometers from west to east and 2,400 kilometers from north to south. The highest point of this territory is located at 343 meters above sea level, while a significant part of the territory does not rise above two hundred meters.
To the north-west of the East European Plain lies the geographical region of Fennoscandia, also known as the Kola-Karelian region. The region designates the territory between the Finnish border and the shore of the White Sea. A distinctive feature of this geographical complex is the alternation of low mountains and swampy lowlands.
Along the southern borders
From the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, the Greater Caucasus mountain system stretches along which the Russian border with Abkhazia, Georgia, South Ossetia and Azerbaijan is located.
The length of this mountain system exceeds 1,100 kilometers from the northwest to the southeast, and its highest point is the stratovolcano Elbrus. From a geological point of view, the Caucasus is part of a long mountain range: the Carpathian Mountains - Crimean Mountains - Tien Shan - Pamir.
The alpine-type relief with a large number of glaciers is predominant on the main ridge of the Caucasus. It is worth mentioning that of all 17 125 191 square meters. km of Russia’s area in this region is the largest cultural and linguistic diversity.