1. Introduction

8. Central Russia

9. Volga River

10. Southern Russia

11. Russia’s prairies: the steppe

12. Russia’s Black Sea coast Russia’s Black Sea Coast

13. The Russian Caucasus: Mount Elbrus

14. Russian winter

15. The Russian Arctic

16. Altai Mountains: foothills of the Himalayas

17. Siberian taiga

18. Lake Baikal

19. The Russian Far East: Kamchatka Peninsula

20. Russia’s Pacific Coast

22. Population density in Russia

24. Ksenia Sukhinina from Tyumen’, Siberia - Miss Russia 2010

26. Moscow Kremlin Moscow, Kremlin: the center of Russian state power

27. Winter Palace, St. Petersburg: Russia’s “second capital”

28. The Kremlin in Kazan, Tatarstan: Russia’s “Third Capital”

30. The State Emblem of the Russian Federation

32. RUSSIA’S ASSETS World’s largest territory (1/7 of the planet’s dry land) Over 1/3 of global natural resources World’s 5 th in arable land acreage World’s 9 th most populated country (142 mln. people) World’s 8th biggest economy A nuclear superpower A space superpower One of the 5 permanent members of UN Security Council A member of G8 and G20 A key international actor across Eurasia (involved in more international organizations and projects than any other state except US)

33. Recommended readings for the course: Nicholas Riasanovsky, A History of Russia. Oxford U. Press, 2004 http://www.amazon.com/History-Russia-Combined-Nicholas- Riasanovsky/dp/0195153944/ref=pd_sim_b_2 http://www.amazon.com/History-Russia-Combined-Nicholas- Riasanovsky/dp/0195153944/ref=pd_sim_b_2 Philip Longworth, Russia: The Once and Future Empire. St. Martin’s Press, 2006 http://www.amazon.com/Russia-Future-Empire-Pre-History- Putin/dp/031236041X/ref=sid_dp_dp http://www.amazon.com/Russia-Future-Empire-Pre-History- Putin/dp/031236041X/ref=sid_dp_dp Robert Service, A History of Modern Russia, from Nicholas II to Vladimir Putin. Harvard U. Press, 2005 http://www.amazon.com/History-Modern-Russia-Nicholas- Vladimir/dp/067401801X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b http://www.amazon.com/History-Modern-Russia-Nicholas- Vladimir/dp/067401801X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b Suzanne Massie, Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old Russia. Hearttree Press, 1980 http://www.amazon.com/Land-Firebird-Beauty-Old- Russia/dp/096441841X/ref=pd_sim_b_1 http://www.amazon.com/Land-Firebird-Beauty-Old- Russia/dp/096441841X/ref=pd_sim_b_1 Orlando Figes, Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia. Picador, 2003 http://www.amazon.com/Natashas-Dance-Cultural-History- Russia/dp/0312421958/ref=pd_sim_b_4 http://www.amazon.com/Natashas-Dance-Cultural-History- Russia/dp/0312421958/ref=pd_sim_b_4

34. Alexander Borodin, Symphony No.2, 1 st Movement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3e6C PLBZWI&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3e6C PLBZWI&feature=related