1. Russia Anna Evmenova

2. Capital: Moscow Population: about 200 million Language: Russian Size: 7,000,000 square miles slightly less than 2 times the size of the US (as big as the United States and Canada combined) 10 time zones Religion: Mostly Russian Orthodox Fast Facts

3. Geography There are varieties of geographical landscapes: treeless tundra – in the far north, taiga – the south of tundra with huge number of forests, and steppe – dry grassland in the south of Russia Climate varies from Subtropical to Arctic - extremes of heat and cold Flag: Three horizontal stripes: white – pure; blue – noble; and red – brave was first used by the Russian Empire from 1699 to 1918

4. Christianity The beginning of Russia was in the early part of the ninth century By 989 Vladimir considered a number of available faiths and decided upon Greek Orthodoxy Christianity was done against people’s will Russian Icons weren't painted to be charming but to inspire reflection and self-examination

5. Ivan IV the Terrible (1547 – 1584) Ivan IV (the Terrible) in 1547, reorganized the military, and prepared to smite the Tatars invaded Kiev Russ Ivan was not terrible at the beginning but by the 1560s he carried out a pretty horrific campaign against the boyars, confiscating their land In 1581, in a rage, he struck his son and heir Ivan with an iron rod, killing him St. Basil Cathedral

6. Peter the Great (1682-1725) Peter the Great introduced military conscription, simplified the alphabet, changed the calendar, changed his title from Tsar to Emperor, and introduced a hundred other reforms In 1703 transfer the capital from Moscow to a new city. Later that new city was called St. Petersburg Triumph Arch

7. Catherine the Great (1762-1796) Catherine went on to become the most powerful sovereign in Europe. She continued Peter the Great's reforms of the Russian state, further increasing central control over the provinces The rising influence of European culture in Russia during the 17th and 18th centuries brought Russian artwork closer to the familiar traditions of western painting

8. Nicholas II Romanov (1894-1917) The reign of Russia's last emperor, Nicholas II, began as tragically as it ended, when some 1,500 of his subjects were crushed to death Nicholas attempted move Russia toward a constitutional monarchy Culture was determined the schooling received by all members of the imperial and other elite families. During revolution Nicholas II and his family were sent into internal exile, and eventually killed in July 1918 on Lenin's orders

9. October Revolution Because of the war with Japan in 1905 and the First World War, Russia suffered severe food shortages, and soon suffered an economic collapse. February of 1917, the workers and soldiers had had enough. On October 25, led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, they stormed the Winter Palace. After the 1917 Revolution the art was in new Bolshevik regime. They produced political posters, organized street pageants and fairs

10. Soviet Russia/J. Stalin The first few years of Soviet rule were marked by an extraordinary outburst of social and cultural change. Lenin's death in 1924 was followed by the decade of Joseph Stalin. Agricultural lands were collectivized, creating large, state-run farms. Art and literature were placed under much tighter control – the era of Soviet realism. Religion was violently repressed, as churches were closed, destroyed, or converted to other uses. Alexander Gerasimov

11. World War Two and Postwar Years With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Soviet Union found itself unprepared for the conflict. Industrial production was slow in converting from civil to military production. The war took twenty million lives. Russia gained considerable territory and now ranked as one of the greatest world powers Stalin remained in power until 1953 Almost immediately after the death of Stalin, many of the repressive policies that he had instituted were dismantled Folk art of the Soviet Union reflected the rich cultural diversity of the fifteen republics.

12. Breaking of the Soviet Union In March of 1985, when Mikhail Gorbachev became general secretary, the need for reforms was pressing. Gorbachev's platform for a new Soviet Union was founded on two now- famous terms--glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). In 1990, the Soviet Union itself began to unravel The same year Yeltsin became the first president of Russian Federation. On December 25, Gorbachev resigned, and on midnight of December 31, the Soviet flag on top of the Kremlin was replaced by the Russian tricolor.

13. Russian Art Nowadays Nowadays, twice during the century, Russian culture happened to be separated. But Russian art will always be unique and intriguing Easter Eggs Gzhel Fedoskino Birch-barkVologda lace