Culture

Population

As of 2013, Russian population is 142,500,482 people (CIA World Factbook).  This is slightly less half that of the U.S. population, which was 316,128,839 people as of a 2013 estimate (U.S. Census Bureau).  The majority of the Russian population dwells in urban areas, and is 71.8 % of total (CIA World Factbook).  Russia’s capital, Moscow, it the largest city by population with 10.5 million inhabitants, followed by St. Petersburg with 4.5 million (CIA World Factbook).

Agriculture and Diet

Russian agricultural use is quite varied, however the nation is limited to only using 10 % of its area for this purpose (Country Studies).  This is due to the limiting factors of its climate and terrain (Country Studies).  Approximately 60 % of its agricultural area is used for the production of crops (Country Studies).  The remaining 40 % is used for pasture (Country Studies).  Grains consist of 50 % of Russia’s crop production, and this includes wheat, barley, and oats (Country Studies).

Russian diet includes bread a lot of the time.  Rye bread or “black” bread is considered a traditional food in Russian culture (Country Studies).  The country’s cuisine includes a grain porridge or  kasha, eggs and butterbrots (a type of sandwich) all of which may be served for breakfast (Country Studies).  Soup, meat, potatoes, and pasta may be served as a lunch item (Country Studies).  Dinner may consist of potatoes or meat based dishes which are served hot (Country Studies).

Industry

Russia has industries that include coal, oil, and gas extraction (Encyclopedia of the Nations).  This is because Russia has significant oil and gas resources, and is the number one leader in natural gas production, third in world for oil, and forth in coal (Encyclopedia of the Nations).  A lot of these resources are in Siberia, however, extracting these resources is difficult due to the harsh climate and the remoteness of the source regions (Encyclopedia of the Nations).

Tourism

Russia has large tourism industry, which is itself larger than the automobile industry of the nation (World Travel and Tourism Council).  Tourism opportunities include various activities related to the climate and geography of Russia.  These include skiing and mountain climbing, hunting and fishing, as well as hiking and trekking (Russia Outdoors).

Cultural Activities

There are many tradition activities in Russia related to culture.  Christmas is one of these traditions, and is celebrated in January (About.com).  There is also Easter, Victory Day, and winter festivals (About.com).  Winter festivals are held all over the nation, however, the event held in Moscow is very large and famous (About.com) and takes advantage of Russia long winter months (About.com).

Leave a comment