shrader

russia
 * **Major Government:**
 * **czar alexander 1 after he took the throne he said people could take what they needed from society but had to contribute what they could.** Soon after independence, the Russian government announced a much more ambitious program of political and economic reform. The program included a transformation of the economy from the principles of state planning and administrative direction to market-based economics. __price controls lifted after indepence.__
 * **Major Religions**
 * Christianity became the major religion of russia.
 * **Languages Spoken**
 * **the languaged spoke was slovonic**
 * **Current leader or president**
 * the current leader of russia is __Dmitry Medvedevs.__
 * [[image:http://imageserver.ebscohost.com/img/embimages/imh/upi/full/dus2008082705_lg.jpg?ephost1=dGJyMNHX8kSepq84yNfsOLCmr0mepq5Srqa4SK6WxWXS width="275" height="230" align="middle"]]


 * **Brief history of the country including any important people and major wars**
 * A minority area within russia inhabited largely by the __Chechen people proclaimed independence from russia in 1994.__ russian troops crushed the minority movement.
 * **Currency**
 * Ruble
 * **Major cultural traditions and (holidays/foods etc..)**
 * There are 12 principal festivals in the Russian Orthodox Church, the most important being Easter. The second most important holiday is Christmas. Most Russians who designate themselves as Orthodox Christians celebrate religious holidays as merely cultural observances, however. Only 2 or 3 percent of Orthodox Christians in ruusia keep the fasts before holidays.
 * **Climate**
 * he Russian climate ranges from the subarctic to the subtropical, but is predominantly northern continental. Moderating influences from warmer seas and oceans do not reach russiaeither because of the distance from these bodies of water or because a mountain range blocks them.
 * **Population:**
 * //the rising age of the population in russia and the nation's low birth rate have created a critical need for new immigrants to be workers. However, Dzieciolowski points out that many people in russia oppose immigration and those who are in the country illegally are sometimes subject to brutal repression and violence.[[image:http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/Fetch?recordID=gvim_0001_0001_0_img0009&contentSet=GHP&banner=4d0a2ec8&digest=1279370e59049260001f6294f52d7ea6 width="225" height="154" caption="Russia Struggles to Balance the Need for New Citizens with Domestic Opposition to Immigrants"]]//
 * **Geography**
 * __russia was found by czar alexander 1__ and said people could take what they needed from society and had to contribute what they could. Russian troops crushed the separatist movement.
 * **Major Resources**
 * russia`s economy is heavily dependent on oil and natural gas exports, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in world oil prices. According to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) study, a $1 per barrel increase in Urals blend oil prices for a year is estimated to raise federal budget revenues by 0.35% of GDP, or $3.4 billion. In order to manage windfall oil receipts, the government established a stabilization fund in 2004 worth. By the end of 2006, the fund was expected to be worth almost $80 billion, or about 7% of the country’s nominal GDP. Raw materials, such as oil, natural gas, and metals, dominate merchandise exports and account for over two-thirds of all Russian export revenues.Kremlin policy makers continue to exhibit an inclination to advance the state’s influence in the energy sector. Taxes on oil exports and extraction are still high, and russia`s state-influenced oil and gas companies are obtaining controlling stakes in previously foreign-led projects. Stateowned export facilities have grown at breakneck pace, while private projects have progressed more slowly or have been met with roadblocks by state-owned companies or by various government agencies.Russia is rich in energy resources. russia has the largest known natural gas reserves of any state on earth, along with the second largest coal reserves, and the eighth largest oil reserves. This is 32% of the world proven natural gas reserves (23% of the probable reserves), 12% of the proven oil reserves (42% of the probable reserves), 10% of the explored coal reserves (14% of the estimated reserves) and 8% of the proven uranium reserves.
 * **Major tourist attractions and or historical sights**
 * **tourist love to got russia for its major festival for easter and christmas.**
 * **Median Family Income**
 * **Median Family Income**


 * **de a __Work Cited Page__ with a minimum of 4 resources (1 book 3 websites)**
 * **russia, molayshia, gareth stevens publishing, 1999**
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