Custom essay on Russia

Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. It spreads across Europe and Asia, from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Russia is a land of huge steppes (grassy plains), thick forests, high mountains, and rugged plateaus.

Russia is washed by twelve seas and three oceans: the Arctic, the Atlantic, and the Pacific. The seas are: the White Sea , the Okhotsk Sea , the Barents Sea , the Baltic Sea , the Black Sea etc. The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland body of water. The largest lakes are Ladoga in Europe, and Baikal in Siberia. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. The longest river is the Lena in Siberia. It is 4,400 kilometers long. Other long rivers in Siberia include the Amur, Ob, and Yenisey. They are frozen seven to nine months a year. The Volga River is the longest river in Europe.

The land of Russia varies very much from thick, evergreen forests to dry deserts, from high mountains to deep valleys. The European Plain is the home of about two-thirds of the Russian people. Most of the nation’s industries are in this region. The Caucasus Mountains rise at the southern edge of the plain. They include the highest point in Europe, 5,633 – meter Mount Elbrus .

The Ural Mountains form the boundary between the European Plain and Siberia . These are old, rounded mountains, which have been worn down by streams to an average height of only 610 meters. The Urals have great mineral wealth, and many industries.

The West Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, and the East Siberian Uplands, lie east of the Ural Mountains. The West Siberian Plain is the largest level region in the world. The plain covers more than 2,6 million square kilometers and rises to no more than 150 meters above sea level. The Central Siberian Plateau includes the Sayan and Baikal mountains. The plateau has been deeply cut by streams, some of which flow through canyons. This region has a wide variety of rich mineral deposits. The East Siberian Uplands are mainly a wilderness of mountains and plateaus. The Kamchatka Peninsula has about 25 active volcanoes. Snowcapped Klyuchevskaya, the highest, rises 4,750 meters.

Russia is famous for its long, bitter winters. Snow covers more than half of the country six mouths a year. Almost half the country has permafrost (permanently frozen soil) beneath the ground surface. Most of the coastal waters, lakes, and rivers are frozen half of the year.

Northeastern Siberia is the coldest region. January temperatures there average below – 46°C. At the same time the temperature averages 16 °C in July. This great range between temperature highs and lows is the widest in the world. Summers in Russia are hot or warm, but short. Only in the south they have long summers. July temperatures there average about 32°C.

The heaviest rainfall occurs in the Caucasus region. Siberia receives the heaviest snowfall, up to 120 centimeters a year.