Geography
Russia is approximately 10 times larger than Alaska and stretches across 5,700 miles and includes 11 time zones. Russia includes swamps, forests, grasslands, and lowlands as well as the Caucasus Mountain range and the tallest mountain in Europe Mt.Elbrus. Among many features is lake Baikal , the Volga river, and the Caspian Sea. Due to it's size Russia yields a large amount of natural resources and is among the top countries in resource production. Russia's size also gives it a military defensive advantage. Sadly, despite it's size much of Russia is cold year round because it is so far north and more still is rendered impossible or impractical to farm due to unfavorable weather conditions caused by great distance from the sea. This means that lack of food is a persistent problem in Russia. Because of these harsh climates the main center of population is in the area between St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and the North Caucasus mountains. Russia's size also makes transportation difficult and makes some resources virtually inaccessible. It's size also means that there is wildly varying climate across Russia as well as varying geographical features. Despite this most of Russia (3/4) is a flat plain less than 1,500 feet above sea level.