Russia, the largest nation in the world in terms of territory, is bathed by the Arctic and Pacific Oceans and borders both Asian and European countries. It is one of the world’s most populated countries, with over 142 million people, who are mostly Orthodox Christians.
When thinking about Russia (Росси́я), one immediately remembers vodka, matrioshka dolls, ballet (Moscow's Bolshoi and St. Petersburg's Mariinsky are the main ballet companies) and perhaps the Trans-Siberian Railway. But this nation has much more to offer. The rapid growth of tourism in Russia, since the end of the Soviet Union, was favoured by its rich historical and cultural heritage, as well as its wide diversity of landscapes, from icy Siberia to the subtropical beaches of the Black Sea coast, with popular sea resorts, such as Sochi, the city that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. And did you know that due to its thousands of rivers and lakes, as the Lake Baikal, Russia has about one-quarter of the liquid fresh water in the world?
Moscow, the capital and one of the largest cities in the world, and Saint Petersburg are the most popular destinations. Some of the must-see landmarks are the beautiful Red Square, the Moscow Kremlin (the official residence of the Russian President), Saint Basil's Cathedral, the Hermitage Museum, opulent palaces, as the baroque Winter Palace, and Saint Isaac's Cathedral. Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara are other major urban areas.
A humid continental climate prevails in the majority of the country, with subarctic characteristics in most of Northern European Russia and Siberia (extremely severe winters), while cities like Sochi, on the coast of the Black Sea, enjoy mild and wet winters, typical of a humid subtropical climate.
Explore our list of live streaming HD webcams in Russia.
