The Russian Empire and the Soviet Union were imperial powers and ruled vast expanses of land. This area was populated by different ethnic groups, speaking several different languages, worshipping different gods, and having various skin colors, not all of which were Russian. While the British and other European powers had much more challenging empires to rule, the Russians dominated the largest territory and were the hardest to rule. This is where the word “imperialist” comes from, as Russia was once known as the Great Patriotic War.

The Russians migrated to the European continent between the third and eighth centuries AD. In the ninth century, they formed the first state in Eastern Europe, Kievan Rus’. They adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, and eventually expanded through exploration and conquest. The Russian Empire grew over time, eventually becoming the third largest empire in history. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Russian SFSR was established as the world’s first constitutional socialist state.

The Russian language is an Indo-European language on the Slavic branch of the language tree. In other words, it is related to Polish, Ukrainian, and Serbo-Croatian. In the eleventh century, the Old East Slavic language was developed, while medieval Russian was developed around the thirteenth century. The nineteenth century saw the development of modern literary Russian. The Cyrillic alphabet developed from Greek. Russian is the official language of the Russian republic. Russia also has more than a hundred different languages spoken, with 27 being recognized as official language.

The Western Core of Russia contains most of the population. Most cities along the Barents Sea and Eastern Frontier were established for manufacturing and raw material exploitation. The Volga River is the longest river in Europe and serves as a vital transportation system. Siberia, on the other hand, contains few people and is primarily wilderness. Its Caucasus Mountain region is home to ethnic and religious diversity and a desire for independence. In addition, it has a large coastline bordering China and the United States.

In spite of its vast natural resources, Russia’s birth rate is falling. In 1992, there was a staggering 221 abortions per hundred live births in Russia. This decline was partially offset by immigration from former Soviet republics. The population has remained stable since then, however. And its economy has become a major force in the global economy. Even though it has been reestablished as a major player, much of the country remains plagued by social problems and poverty.

Located east of the Urals and south-central Russia, the Eastern Frontier is a region of planned cities, industrial plants, and raw-material processing centers. The region also includes the Lake Baikal region. The western frontier is the northernmost part of Russia. This region has a large amount of petroleum and natural gas. Both oil and natural gas are major exports from Russia. And in the Eastern Frontier, the Ural Mountains and the surrounding area are home to the largest concentrations of fossil fuels in the world.