Rent a Car Russia - Geography Russia

Russia, the largest country in the world, is situated in Northern Asia bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean. Russia shares borders with Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine and Turkey in the west, passing Kazakstan, Mongolia and China to reach the Pacific Ocean.

The landscape comprises of the North European plain, extending from the western border to the Ural Mountains, and consisting of broad plains with low hills and grasslands. Siberia, which extends into the Arctic circle, is made up of vast coniferous forest, tundra - with thousands of lakes; and mountains along the southern border regions. There are no impressively high mountains, with the Urals rising to a mere 2000 m.

The second largest mountain range, The Caucasus Mountains cross the southern part of Russia, from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. There are three major rivers, the Dneiper, Don and Volga which flow into the Black and Caspian Seas respectively. Russia lacks proper soil and climate for agriculture, being either too hot or too cold in most places. This, however, protects the natural landscape from exploitation and much of it remains intact.

The northern forests are inhabited with reindeer, lynx, wolves and bears, with the deciduous and coniferous forests being home to the Siberian tiger. Fur hunting has threatened the existence of animals in the central plains, such as the snow leopards, cheetahs, gazelles and chamois. However there are 85 nature reserves and 25 national parks, thus ensuring the continued livelihood of these diverse animal species.