Russia - The world's largest country

The Russian Federation or Russia for short is the world's largest country. Geographically Russia covers twice the land mass occupied by the second largest country Canada. It is so big, it actually covers eleven different time-zones. That's correct! 1..

The Russian Federation or Russia for short is the world's largest country. Geographically Russia covers twice the land mass occupied by the second largest country Canada. It is so big, it actually covers eleven different time-zones. That's correct! 11 time zones!

The coastlines for this country touch the Pacific Ocean on the one side and the Artic Ocean on the other. Being such a massive land mass, the climate too is quite diverse. The weather is steppes like in the south to humid continental in most of European Russian to the tundra like sub-artic temperatures prevalent in the northern most regions.

There are plenty of places one can visit in Russia. Lake Baikal for instance is the world's deepest and largest by Volume Lake. Known as the Pearl of Siberia, this lake is a fantastic destination for those who love the outdoors. Speaking of the largest, the way to get to Lake Baikal is via the Trans-Siberian Railway. This railway is the longest in the world connecting Moscow, the capital, to the eastern most terminus of Vladivostok. We shall look at these two cities as well as the city of St. Petersburg.

Moscow – The capital city of Russia, Moscow is the financial and political capital of the country. It is also the biggest city in Russia. The two must visit places in Moscow are the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral. The Kremlin is the area which houses the offices of the Russian government besides some stunning churches and beautiful gardens. The adjoining Red Square is usually the first destination for most visitors to this city. The Red Square is central to all these monuments. There is also Lenin's Mausoleum where you can see the embalmed body of the Russian revolutionary and former leader of the Soviet Union Vladimir Lenin. The Aquamarine Hotel and Hotel Voskhod are relatively economical places to stay at in Moscow.

St. Petersburg – This is the second largest city of Russia which was formerly called Leningrad. This city's primary attraction is the Hermitage Museum or the Winter Palace as it is also known. The Hermitage is truly one of the finest museums in the world with more than 3 million pieces on display from across the globe. Among its displays are priceless works of art from masters like Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Michelangelo and many others. You will need tickets to enter and these can be booked online.

Vladivostok – The final point on the eastern leg of the Trans-Siberian Railway, Vladivostok is the final stop within Russia after which one can even take trains which go into China. If you have traveled by train, the first place you might want to head to is the Sportivnaya Harbor. The calm serene waters will provide a measure of relief from the long train journey. There is also the Sportivnaya Market which is the biggest in the city. It contains rows and rows of shops selling you everything from everyday items to designer knockoffs. There are also a few museums as well as the Naval Memorial that one can visit. There is a grounded submarine next to the memorial which is also open for visitors.

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