Using the compass points below, tell your instructor where the 14 nations andthe bodies of water are located:
in the north | на севере |
in the south | на юге |
in the west | на западе |
in the east | на востоке |
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:
Центральный район | Central (region) Russia |
Урал | Ural Mountains |
Поволжье | Volga River Valley |
Сибирь | Siberia |
Дальний Восток | Far East |
The following cities are located in these geographic areas:
1 | Москва в Центральном районе. | Moscow is in Central Russia. |
2 | Екатеринбург на Урале | Yekaterinburg is in the Urals. |
3 | Волгоград в Поволжье. | Volgograd is in the Volga River Valley. |
4 | Новосибирск в Сибири. | Novosibirsk is in Siberia. |
5 | Владивосток на Дальнем Востоке. | Vladivostok is in the Far East. |
See if you can locate these cities on the map shown here.
After August 1991, the names of many Russian cities were changed:
Present | Former |
---|---|
Санкт-Петербург | Ленинград |
Нижний Новгород | Горький |
Екатеринбург | Свердловск |
Тверь | Калинин |
Сергиев Посад | Заго́рск |
The same is true of numerous locations and landmarks in Moscow and other Russian cities:
Present | Former |
---|---|
Тверская | улица Горького |
Новинский бульвар | улица Чайковского |
Театральная площадь | площадь Свердлова |
Лубянская площадь | площадь Дзержинского |
Манежная площадь | площадь 50-летия Октября |
But "Red Square" is still Red Square!
Красная площадь has been called Красная (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 Иван Великий 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 asТроицкая (Trinity Square) in honor of the Trinity Cathedral which stood at the southern end of the square. In 1571 the square was renamed Пожар (The Fire) after the great fire of that year. Finally, the square was named Красная when it was cleared of all the trading stalls at the end of the 17th century. At that time the word красный(red) meant красивый (beautiful), and had nothing to do with the red brick of the Kremlin wall which runs along one of its sides.