Russians can rightly claim that they are living in the greatest country in the world in size.The area of Russia at the beginning of 2014 amounted to about 17 125 thousand. Square kilometers, twice the performance of Canada's second place.And such a large area of our country has formed gradually over many centuries.It all started with a chain of small settlements that have arisen along the trade route from Scandinavia to Constantinople ("from the Vikings to the Greeks") with the major cities - Novgorod and Kiev.Area cities of Russia at that time was extremely small.
political and economic relations of Russia then were mainly directed towards Europe, but to expand the state had in the north-east, as there lived a relatively small Finno-Ugric peoples, which, mixing with the arriving Slavic tribes started to form the basis of the Russian ethnos.To the west were the European countries, where the population density is sufficiently high.
nascent Russia has more than Saudi Arabia's current
In 10-12 th centuries the Slavs began to actively explore the territory and the rivers Oka and Volga, which began to move from Novgorod krivichi and south-west - vyatichi.In the Volga River, which flows into the Caspian Sea, has formed a new trade route, and in the northeast, new shopping centers (Ryazan, Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, and others.).
By the end of the 12th century the area of Russia (Russia) was 2.5 million sq. M.kilometers.However, the next few centuries were unfavorable for territorial gains, as in the 13-15 th centuries, Russia has undergone decay into small principalities and the conquest of the Mongol troops of the Polish-Lithuanian army.The development of the territories at this time went just to the north (to the people fled, establishing subethnos Pomors on the Barents and White seas).At that time, the area of Russia is only 2 million sq. M.kilometers, which is, however, a large area of modern Mexico or Saudi Arabia (about 1.9 million sq. m. kilometers each country).
Area
Russia tripled in the 14th century a special role in the Russian space has played Muscovy, which received the Golden Horde right to collect tribute from the rest of the land.It is the formation of a state is gradually strengthened, and in 1380 won the first victory over the Mongols.Next to the existing territories were annexed Veliky Ustyug, Tula, Rzhev, Nizhny Novgorod, and the victory on the Ugra river in 1480 freed the Russian lands from the Horde dependence and provided an opportunity to expand to the east.
came to power Ivan the Terrible annexed to the Moscow principality Astrakhan and Kazan Khanate, attempts to expand to the west in 14-17 th centuries, were unsuccessful.At the end of the 16th century begins mostly peaceful development of Siberia, the Urals, Russian immigrants come to the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, building throughout the city and organizing fishing furs.By the end of the 17th century, the area of Russia is 7 million sq. M.km.
Formation of the Russian Empire
In the eighteenth-early nineteenth century began the formation of the Russian Empire, when the left bank of the Ukraine came under the conduct of the Commonwealth and has moved into the then Russia.At the same time Peter "opened a window to Europe", took over the territory of modern Latvia and Estonia.Further, the division of the Commonwealth to the Russian Empire moved Belarus, Lithuania and the Right-Bank Ukraine.In the east, manage to win from the Ottoman coast of the Azov and Black Seas, and in the west - in the early nineteenth century to join Finland.In addition, during this period was attached Bessarabia.The total area of the Russian state at the end of the above period was 16 million sq. M.kilometers.
area of the Russian Empire reached 24 million sq. M.kilometers
More about 8 million sq. m.km (24 million sq. m. km) area of Russia rose to the top of the 20th century due to the entry of Georgia and Armenia (at the request of the rulers of these territories), a number of land North Caucasian peoples, the voluntary association of nearly all areas of the Kazakh, Kyrgyz land.Khiva and Buhanskie kingdom was incorporated into the Russian Empire in the wars, and Alaska (which sold America later in 1867), the Maritime Territory and the Amur region - in the manner of joining the peace.
Heavy twentieth century
series of wars and revolutions in the twentieth century, constantly changing the political map of Russia, on which it appeared, then disappeared or that territory.For example, Finland, signed the independence from the Russian Empire in the early twentieth century, has transferred part of the territory (the city of Vyborg and vicinity) back on the results of World War II, and others. The Soviet Union, resulting in the former territories of the Russian Empire in the postwar period, had a common territoryto 22.4 million. km and did not carry out any major action to change the territory, except for the internal transfer of Crimea from the RSFSR in the Ukrainian SSR in 1954.
collapse of the Soviet Union and the return of the Crimea to Russia
about 17,125,000 square kilometers - that's what the area has turned Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the separation of the 15 republics.It should be borne in mind that the department mainly southern territories with a more favorable climate, while the territory of modern Russia include a vast land with permafrost, where there are heavy environmental conditions for human habitation.Therefore, the population of the Russian Federation, the average density which is slightly more than 8 people per square kilometer.km., is unevenly distributed - much of it concentrated in the European part of the country where the identified maximum density of 4.6 thousand. people per sq.km.- Moscow, while Chukotka it does not exceed 0.07 person on the same area.
in March 2014 by the will of the inhabitants of the territory of the Crimea with a wonderful climate in the back of our country, and the area of Russia became the Crimea is 17 151 thousand sq. M.kilometers, including the area of the Crimean Federal District - about 26.9 thousand sq. m.km.
Most of Russia's population lives in cities
When a large area of Russia was covered with forests, and in the Soviet period are not particularly allowed the predatory plundering of natural resources, so after the collapse of the Soviet Union about 46% of Russia's territory has an enviable forests.Today, that number is much smaller.However, the area of Russia (the Crimea) - a land still rich in various minerals, with beautiful flora, fauna, water resources and places of rare beauty.In the post-Soviet period the rural population due to the collapse of the collective farms and the lack of work flocked to the city, which today is home to 77% of the total number of Russians.The total area of Russian cities to date has not been established.We only know that mega-cities with an area of 100 square meters.km or more in the Russian Federation, as of the spring of 2014 there are more than 120 units, including Moscow with an area of 2550 square meters.km, Volgograd - about 860 square meters.km, St. Petersburg - about 1,440 square meters.km.and others.
