About Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is
a country that extends over a large part of northern Eurasia. Its
government is a semi-presidential republic, and it comprises of 83
federal subjects. The Russian Federation, in fact, was established after
the termination of the Soviet Union, which occurred in 1991; however, it
continues to be recognized as the legal personality of the Soviet Union.
Here are some more interesting facts about Russia. Moscow, the capital
of Russia, which is populated by 11 million people, is Europe’s largest
city. St. Petersburg, known formerly as Leningrad, has a population of 5
million people. About two-thirds of the population of Russia live in
cities now. The size of the population of the country is now in decline.
The official language of the country is Russian, which is written with
the Cyrillic alphabet, instead of the Latin that most Western countries
use. However, there are 48 other languages spoken by the 120 or so
nationalities of the Commonwealth of Independent States. About 75
percent of the population of Russia is made up of people of Slavic
origin, such as Russians, Belorussians, Ukrainians, and so on.To get the
most from Russia, head way off the beaten track. Visit the soft, golden
sands of the old Prussian resort of Kranz, now known as Zelenogradsk in
the far western
Kaliningrad Region;
the charming Volga river village of Gorodets, home to folk artists and
honey-cake bakers; fascinating Elista,
Europe’s
sole Buddhist enclave and location of the wacky Chess City; the
400-year-old mausoleums of Dargavs, a North Ossetian ‘city of the dead’;
or the hot springs of
Kamchatka’s
Nalychevo Valley in the
Russian Far East.For
centuries the world has wondered what to believe about Russia. The
country has been reported variously as a land of unbelievable riches and
indescribable poverty, cruel tyrants and great minds, generous
hospitality and meddlesome bureaucracy, beautiful ballets and industrial
monstrosities, pious faith and unbridled hedonism. These eternal Russian
truths coexist in equally diverse landscapes of icy tundra and
sun-kissed beaches, dense silver birch and fir forests and deep and
mysterious lakes, snow-capped mountains and swaying grasslands – those
famous steppes. Factor in ancient fortresses, luxurious palaces, swirly
spired churches and lost-in-time wooden villages and you’ll begin to see
why Russia is simply amazing.
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Russian
Educational System
Education
in
Russia
is provided predominantly by the state and is regulated
by the
federal Ministry of
Education. Regional
authorities regulate education within their
jurisdictions within the prevailing framework of federal
laws. In 2004 state spending for education amounted to
3.6% of
GDP,
or 13% of consolidated state budget.Private institutions
account for 1% of pre-school enrollment, 0.5% of
elementary school enrollment and 17% of university-level
students.Before 1990 the course of school training in
Soviet Union was 10-years, but at the end of 1990 the
11-year course has been officially entered. Education in
state-owned secondary schools is free; first
tertiary (university level) education is free with
reservations: a substantial share of students is
enrolled for full pay. Male and female students have
nearly equal shares in all stages of education,except
tertiary education where women lead with 57%.The
literacy rate
in Russia, according to the
2002 census,
is 99.4% (99.7% men, 99.2% women).16.0% of population
over 15 years of age (17.6 million) have tertiary
(undergraduate level or higher) education; 47.7% have
completed
secondary education
(10 or 11 years); 26.5% have completed
middle school
(8 or 9 years) and 8.1% have
elementary education.
Highest rates of
tertiary education,
24.7% are recorded among women aged 35–39 years
(compared to 19.5% for men of the same age bracket).
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