Russia shares common borders with 14 different countries. They are listed here for you to read in Russian. After reading this list, see if you can find them on a map. Which of these are former republics of the Soviet Union?

Russia also borders on several large bodies of water. They are listed below:

Using the compass points below, tell your instructor where the 14 nations and the bodies of water are located:

Russia is divided into a number of distinct areas, based on the geographic features of each region. Some of the most common of these are:

The following cities are located in these geographic areas:

See if you can locate these cities on the map shown here.

After August 1991, the names of many Russian cities were changed:

The same is true of numerous locations and landmarks in Moscow and other Russian cities:

But "Red Square" is still Red Square!

Кра́сная пло́щадь has been called Кра́сная (red) since the second half of the 17th century. The square was constructed towards the end of the 15th century (around the time of Columbus' discovery of America) when Tsar Ivan the Great Ива́н Вели́кий was building the magnificent cathedrals of the Kremlin Кремль, that walled fortress which was the heart of the city's defenses. Every major city in Russia would have had a Kremlin, but the Moscow one is by far the most famous.

The square was first called Торг (Trading Place) and was the site for some very lively commerce. Later, in the 16th century, it became known as Тро́ицкая (Trinity Square) in honor of the Trinity Cathedral which stood at the southern end of the square. In 1571 the square was renamed Пожа́р (The Fire) after the great fire of that year. Finally, the square was named Кра́сная when it was cleared of all the trading stalls at the end of the 17th century. At that time the word кра́сный (red) meant краси́вый (beautiful), and had nothing to do with the red brick of the Kremlin wall which runs along one of its sides.

Listen to the sentences your instructor will read aloud and write down in English any place names you recognize

1. ____________________

2. ____________________

3. ____________________

4. ____________________

5. ____________________

6. ____________________

7. ____________________

Listen to the statements your instructor will read aloud and indicate whether they are true (T) or false (F)

Practice writing place names in Russian as your instructor reads them aloud. He/she will read each one twice and then will write them on the board so that you can check your work.

1. ____________________

2. ____________________

3.. ____________________

4. ____________________

5. ____________________

6. ____________________

7. ____________________

Answer the following questions according to the model.

Answer the questions truthfully, according to the models:

Како́й? is the question word which asks: "Which?". Listen carefully as your instructor asks:

Како́й го́род столи́ца А́нглии?

Which city is the capital of England?

You'll answer:

Ло́ндон.

Continue, using the cities and countries given in Exercise 7. See how many you might be able to add on your own.

Что э́то? asks "What is this? What is that?" When answering, you'll begin your answer with Э́то... This is/That is...

Now your instructor will point to various cities on the map and will ask:

Что э́то? What is this? (pointing to Moscow)

You'll answer by naming the city, using this model:

Э́то Москва́. That is Moscow.

Answer the following questions substituting the appropriate pronoun for the noun.

Take a look at the following advertisements. Pick out all words which are familiar to you. Any guesses as to what the ads are all about? Ask your instructor if you need help.

Your instructor wants you to show where various places are on the map. He/she will ask you:

Покажи́те...

Read through this list of Russian cities and sort them according to the regions

in the table below. Use the map, or ask your instructor for help.

Ирку́тск, Владивосто́к, Хаба́ровск, Пермь, Сама́ра, Челя́бинск, Москва́, Но́вгород, Екатеринбу́рг, Петропа́вловск, Оренбу́рг, Тверь, Красноя́рск, Кострома́, Новосиби́рск, Влади́мир, Сара́тов, Яросла́вль.

Examine the weather forecasts below and:

Fill in the blanks, orally.

Fill in the blanks, orally.

Answer the following questions according the models:

Of course, as you well know, the Newly Independent States are home to many nationalities. The above exercise, and the ones following, in no way suggest that these new countries have entirely homogeneous populations.

Using the map, indicate the home countries of the given nationalities.

Using the map, indicate the capitals of the following countries:

Listen to the following statements your instructor will read aloud. Indicate whether they are true (пра́вильно) or false (непра́вильно):

Match the countries with their capitals.