33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

3 bodies of water: Arctic Ocean (north), Baltic Sea (west), Black Sea (southwest), Caspian Sea (southwest), Sea of Japan (east), Pacific Ocean (east), and the Bering Sea (east) along with numerous smaller seas and bays. It also borders Norway(northwest), Finland (northwest), Estonia (west), Latvia (west), Belarus (west), Ukraine (west), Georgia (southwest), Azerbaijan (southwest), Kazakhstan (south), China (south and southeast), Mongolia (south), and North Korea ( southeast). Additionally, it controls islands a short distance from both the United States a nd Japan, plus Russia controls the region of Kaliningrad, which sits on the Baltic Sea and borders Poland ( south) and Lithuania ( northeast). Geographically, Russia h as nearly everything. Any landmass that stretches over half the earth will be diverse and Russia is no exception. European Russia (bordered by the Ural Mountains in the east) is where most of the population lives as this region is home to numerous rivers, lakes, and lowlands. Asian Russia (east of the Ural Mountains) is very inhospitable as much of this region is at elevation and receives little rain. This area also boasts most of Russia's geographic diversity as there are numerous mountain ranges, long isolated rivers, and some large lakes. As a whole, Russia's diversity ranges from swampland in much of the north to alpine peaks in the Caucus Mountains and huge lakes such as Lake Baikal in Siberia to volcanic ranges like the Kamchatka Peninsula. Climate Justin Dodge Russia's seasons are very distinct, there are great geographical differences, and taking into consideration the fact that Russia is the world's largest country, generalizing weather in the country is difficult. Along the Black Sea coast temperatures average about 45˚ F (7˚ C) during the winters, while Moscow and St. Petersburg average 14˚ F (-10˚ C), and, although the far north tends to get the coldest, even cities along the trans-Siberian train route like Izhevsk average -6˚ F (-21˚ C) in winter. The Caucus Mountains are also cold, but not unbearable, however the Urals are very cold and much of them only receive a few hours of daylight during winter days. The country experiences a major thaw in the spring, making everything muddy and difficult to maneuver on foot, while falls (autumns) can experience quick drops in temperature. The Caucus and Ural Mountains are pleasant and accessible in the summers (although they can be very dry and dusty), the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg have long days with average temperatures between 65-70˚ F (18-21˚ C), Siberia comes into bloom and reveals beautiful hidden lakes, and the Black Sea coast rarely gets above 80˚ F (27˚ C), which compared to a winter in Moscow, feels like a sauna.