Larisa Khrykina PPM 1 School 9, New Tselina Lidiya Khabirova Bashkortostan, Belebey Country: Russia Svitlana Dyka school-gymnasium of health promoting # 31, Kirovohrad, Ukraine 2011

THE GEOGRAPICAL POSITION The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world with great variety of nations. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers with the population of about 143 million people. It is the only country in the World that is spread out over 2 parts of the world - from Europe to Asia

THE STATE SYMBOLS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION Flag Coat of Arms

The Modern Leaders The Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, The President Dmitrii Medvedev

Who Russia is famous for? There are so many Russians who came down into history! They are people of various professions who have won Russia world-wide fame: scientists, explorers, critics, architects, sculptors, craftsmen, inventors, field marshals, admirals, ballet-dancers, art collectors, directors, etc.

The traditional Russian women’s clothes are: lapti or valenki, sarafan and kokoshnik. Russia was rich in forests in medieval times and almost everything was made of wood.

The people of Bashkortostan are friendly, honest, optimistic and tolerant of other cultures. Bashkortostan, Belebey

Russian people like holidays very much, one of them is Sabantui. This word has become very popular but few people know what it means. Sabantui is celebrated in villages and regions at the end of the planting season. People get together early in the morning on the steppes, many wearing folk costumes. Speeches are made in honor of achievements and to express hope for the future. There are various sports contests, the most important is bare-back horse-racing for which the biggest prizes are awarded.

Ufa is the capital of Bashkortostan Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan, has a long history. It began as a settlement back in 1574, when it was just a small wooden fortress surrounded by a ditch full of water called a moat. Today Ufa is the political, industrial, scientific and cultural center of Bashkortostan. The city is on the bank of the River Aghidel. When you arrive in Ufa by train or boat, the first thing you see is the monument to the national hero, Salavat Yulae who fought for freedom of his people.

One Russian poet N. Nekrasov said: “One can’t understand Russia with brains, one can’t measure it with usual measures, Russia has a special character, you can only have faith in it.” We would like the whole world to see us as we are, though it‘s rather hard to show everything in 2 Mb.