Category Geography

What is Russia’s geography like?

Russia is spread across the continents of Europe and Asia. The country is surrounded by three oceans as well-the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Arctic oceans. Russia has many different landscapes across its geographical area, which includes deserts, mountains, frozen coastline, and marshy lands. Most of its land is covered in treeless plains called steppes. Siberia, which occupies three quarters of the country’s land area, contains pine forests in large areas. These forests are called taigas.

Russia also boasts about her natural resources, which include about 100,000 rivers. It also has a number of lakes such as Lake Baikal, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega, which are some of the largest lakes in Europe. What is interesting is that Lake Baikal in Siberia contains more water in it than any other lake on Earth! This lake is 1642 metres deep and is the deepest and clearest of all lakes in the world. It is home to over 1700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

The country is also home to major rivers like the Volga, the Dnieper and Dvina, the Lena, the Ob, and Yenisey, and the Amur.

Picture Credit : Google 

Due to the many canals criss-crossing it, which city in the Netherlands is often called Venice of the North?

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. With more than one million inhabitants in its urban area (and almost two and a half million inhabitants in its metropolitan area), it is the country’s largest city and its financial, cultural, and creative centre.

Amsterdam derives its name from the city’s origin as “Dam” of river “Amstel”. In the past, the name was “Amstelredamme” which later changed as “Amsterdam”. Amsterdam is one of the most popular destinations in Europe, attracting over 7 million international travellers annually.

Amsterdam is colloquially known as Venice of the North because of its lovely canals that criss-cross the city, its impressive architecture and more than 1,500 bridges. There is something for every traveller’s taste here; whether you prefer culture and history, serious partying, or just the relaxing charm of an old European city.

Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important trading centres in the world during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, with the first stock exchange and the joint ventures that gave birth to modern day Capitalism. The city’s small medieval centre rapidly expanded as the Jordaan and the Canal Belt neighbourhoods were constructed; the latter’s cultural significance was acknowledged when it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded in all directions, with many new neighbourhoods and suburbs designed in modernist styles.

Amsterdam is not the seat of the government, which is in The Hague. It has always been a city that attracted many people from outside its borders. Nowadays it’s the city with the most different nationalities in the world (178 in 2010). The city has an informal atmosphere unlike other capital cities its size. In fact, Amsterdam has a history of non-conformism, tolerance and progressivism, all of which come together in its liberal policies concerning cannabis and teleiophilic prostitution. Other attractions include the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, the Flower Market, Albert Cuyp Market, and the Vondelpark.

 

Picture Credit : Google