Being an Intercontinental Nation
Some countries are considered intercontinental because they have territories overseas. These countries are called Non-contiguous transcontinental states. Only a handful of countries are considered as such--countries that have their entire geographical land area lie on two continental boundaries. Russia is one of these countries.
Even though culturally, Russia is often times considered a European country, most of its land area actually belong in Asia. This is mainly due to the fact that Russia’s capital, Moscow, lies on the European side of Russia. This is a general rule for intercontinental countries, but not always the case.
History
The history of Russia is long and epic. To dive into it per period deserves a whole piece of its own, but let us try to learn about it through a brief summary.
In the year 862, the Vikings established the Rus’ state on the land of what we call Russia today. King Rurik, ruler of one of the state’s major cities Novgorod. When his sons, alongside Prince Oleg, invaded the city of Kiev, the Kievan Rus was formed. During its time, Kievan Rus was recognized as one of the most powerful empires in all of Europe. It eventually fell at the hands of the Mongols and since then, it adapted a couple of titles, until arriving at the Russian Empire, in honor of the people of Rus that made this state a great powerhouse.
Throughout history, countless rulers of Russia went on to become significant historical figures, including Vladimir the Grea, Yaroslav the Wise, and Ivan the Terrible.
In more recent history, Russia played a major part in shaping the current world order. During the Second World War, Russia, or the Soviet Union as it was called at the time, initially sided with Germany until it switched sides when Germany invaded Russia. When it defeated the German army at the Battle of Stalingrad, the tides of the war shifted greatly, allowing the Allied forces to win the war.
When the Soviet Union disbanded in 1991, many countries gained their freedom and independence and the Russian Federation was established amidst the ashes the dissolution left behind.
Literature
Literature is a massive part of Russian culture and history. In fact, Russia birthed some of the most famous and significant authors in history. Russian literature boosted the art form in all genres. It even has five authors who are Nobel Prize in literature laureates.
Authors like Anna Akhmatova, Ivan Turgenev, Mikhael Lermontov, and Leo Tolstoy are all highly regarded figures in the literary world and are of Russian descent. Russia is not called the “world’s most reading nation” for no reason, after all.
