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Russian Federation
The
Russian Federation which is still more commonly and correctly referred to as
Russia is the worlds largest country situated in northern Eurasia (above
Europe and Asia together) stretching from the Baltic sea in the West across
the northern hemisphere to the Pacific Ocean in the east with the frozen
arctic ocean in the north.
Its land area covers an estimated 17,075,400 square kilometres or 6,592,800
sq miles, it has over 142 million people and spans 11 time zones with a wide
range of environments and landscapes. Politically
many former soviet states now have separate autonomy. The capital
city is Moscow, a city without limits and reputed as one of the most expensive cities in
the world, and other major Russian cities are St Petersburg, Volgograd and Rostov-on-Don.
The climate ranges from being temperate in the southern regions to freezing
cold in the north. So if you like it cold, everything freezes in winter, but
in summer, the days can be very warm and all popular our door activities are
possible. The main holiday season coincides with the warmest months of July and
August when
accommodation is often difficult to get and the attractions
around Moscow are often overrun with visitors. The snow melt begins in
March-April and summer arrives in May with temperatures comfortable into
September when the snow returns from November to March.
 The Russian people are made up of many ethnic groups, and they are a very
hardy folk. They have endured centauries of harsh repressive political
dictators and regimes, survived the onslaught of WW2, and still remain open
and are very friendly toward visitors. In 1996, the Ministry of Internal Affairs estimated that 40 percent
of private businesses, 60 percent of state-owned enterprises, and more
than half of the country’s banks were controlled by organized crime
(Jenson, 1998). Russian organized crime groups have in many ways
replaced the state in providing, employment, protection and security.
The majority of private enterprises are compelled, by force if
necessary, to pay protection of up to 30 percent of their profits to
organized crime”
They have a well earned reputation as being heavy drinkers and its common to
be served vodka with breakfast. If you want to avoid this, stick to the well
beaten tourist trails, but the joy of Russia is its people and to enjoy
their hospitality, you must enjoy their vodka as in 1996, the Russian Health
Ministry estimated that the average adult consumed 38 liters of 100-proof
vodka per person a year.
All regional cities are well linked by air, road and most famous is the
Trans Siberian Railway, a six day train journey from Moscow to Vladivostok. The economy and employment in eastern Russia is as poor
as in most other parts of Russia. In the Amur Oblast, north of China, the lack
of jobs has caused women to sell their blood to blood banks to earn small sums of money
to buy food and clothing for their children. As in other southern regions, women living in
the countryside are increasingly growing poppy and hemp. (Detail).
The old communism has been replaced with a new consumer society and a high
crime rate, so do take care
Russian Accommodation Guide - . Find great hotel deals from Baikal
Lake to Ekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Khabarovsk,
Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Nakhodka, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Perm,
Petrozavodsk, Samara, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and many other centres.
 Emergency Services
FIRE 01
POLICE 02
AMBULANCE 03
EMERGENCY CAR SERVICE 04
Information
TRUNK CALLS 07
INTERNATIONAL CALLS 8-190
MOSCOW MUNICIPAL TELEPHONE SERVICE 09
DIRECTORY ENQUIRIES (MOSCOW) MOSCOW INFORMATION 927-0009
SPEAKING CLOCK 100
SUBSCRIBER SERVICE 975-0030
COACH TIMETABLE ENQUIRIES 468-0400
TAXI 927-0000 Everything about Russia is on a grand
scale in size and magnificence.
Russian Escorts
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