The Russian language which is the official language has a harsh accent, alien alphabets, creating a reputation uneasy to crack or for the people to understand. The Russian alphabet fundamentally known as ‘Cyrillic’ emerged during the ninth century and its most ancient version was devised by two Greek missionaries – brothers Cyril and Methodius. However, Russian is not the only language spoken in Russia, there are 100 different languages used across the country. Russian belongs to the Indo-European family, which ties it to Greek and Latin. Ukrainian and Belarusian are the closest relatives of the Russian language. Its vocabulary and style is highly Influenced by German, French and English.

Russians being very original and famous for variety of soups, Schi or cabbage soup and solyanka, are made up of assorted meats. Due to the country’s cold climate the people focus on foods that can be grown or produced. ‘Mushroom’ being one of the most abundant and nourishing gifts to Russia has provided Russians with a range of delicacies made from mushrooms. Having dozens of different kinds of wheat loaves which is among their staple diet, Russian eat it more than any other nation in the world, following the notion ‘No Dinner Without Bread’. Kvass the traditional soft drink is best known to be made up of brown bread or malted rye flour, and if mixed with meat and vegetables it turns into an exquisite cold soup known as okroshka. Meat, specifically beef and pork plays a very important role in the Russian cuisine. Russians use grains extensively to provide carbohydrates for energy.

Russia has a free education system guaranteed to all the citizens by the constitution itself, making the entry to subsidized post secondary highly competitive among people. Whereas, education in state-owned secondary schools is free for all, along with university education made free with few exceptions. One of the oldest and largest Russian Universities is ‘Moscow State University’ and ‘Saint Petersburg State University’. The intelligence level of Russian people is considered up to 99%. There are more than 600 universities in the country.

The Russian constitution safeguards the health of the citizens of Russia by providing free, universal health care for all its citizens. Russia has more physicians, hospitals, and health care workers than any other country in the world. 30% of the population receives primary health care through their work related clinics or hospitals; and certain employment groups like police, railroad workers and government officials receive health care through special health services that are provided to them. Besides this there are various number of health care units and hospitals for the citizens like ‘Rural health posts’, health centres, urban polyclinics and special focus polyclinics.

The climatic conditions in Russia differ due to its vast area. There is cold Artic climate in the northern Siberia, which is the biggest part of Russia, allowing the people to enjoy the sun only in a few places. The best moderate continental climate is in the northern part of Russia which is the best for the people to live in, basically the climate is formed by the western wind rose which tends to bring cyclones. However, in recent years due to the influence of global warming, there is less snowfall and winters have become warmer. Although the central part of the country faces continental climate having very cold winters and relatively warm summers.

Russia has made a priceless contribution towards the world culture not only in fine arts but in literature too. The works of authors like Leo Tolstoy and Feodor Dostoevsky are as well known as those of the Shakespeare. ‘Pushkin’, a great Russian poet has been included in the list of world literature for his remarkable work ‘Eugene onegin’. The places where most of the writers lived and created their master pieces have itself become cultural monuments. ‘Yasnaya poliana memorial estate’ built in the memory of ‘Leo Tolstoy’ is the prime location for cultural festivals and international literary meetings. Besides fine arts and literature, Russian classical music is world famous as the best orchestras in the world play the symphonies of their famous artists Peter Tchaikovsky and Alfred Schnittke. Russia has generated new aesthetics in the fields of arts, music and literature and has contributed significantly towards world culture.

Russia has a tremendous market economy with its enormous natural resources, specifically in oil and natural gas, metals and timber which account for more than eighty percent of Russian exports all over the world. It is the largest natural gas exporter and second largest in production of natural gas. In comparison to other leading countries, Russia is considered to be well ahead in its economic development due to its long tradition of education, science and industry. Russia has access to three of the worlds’ oceans the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific, making it a major contributor to the world’s fish supply, and is first to construct the world’s first nuclear power plant. The defense structure of the Russian military is divided into different services like the Russian ground force, Russian navy and Russian air force. There are also independent arms of service- strategic missile troops, Russian aerospace defence forces and the Russian airborne troops.