Russian federation.

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. The country is washed by twelve seas and three oceans (the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic). Russia borders on 18 states. Georgia, Norway, Ukraine and Finland are among them. It also has a sea-border with the USA and Japan.

There are steppes in the South, plains and forests in the Midland, tundra and taiga in the North, highlands and deserts in the East. There are two million rivers in Russia. The Volga is the biggest river in Europe but it is smaller than many rivers in Siberia. Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world’s deepest one is Lake Baikal.

There are several mountain chains on the territory of Russia: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai are in the Far East.

Russia has one-sixth of the world’s forests. They are concentrated in the European North, in Siberia and in the Far East.

In the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate: arctic, subtropical, temperate and continental. Russia is rich in natural resources such is coal, oil, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and others.

Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Head of the state is the President. The State Duma and the Soviet of Federation has the legislative power.

The population of Russia is about 140 million people. The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is the largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial center. It is one of the oldest Russian cities. Moscow was founded in 1147 by Yuri Dolgoruky.

The state symbol of Russia is a 3-coloured banner. It has 3 horizontal stripes on it: white, blue and red. The other symbol is the double-headed eagle. The hymn of Russia is “The Patriotic Song”. The Birch Tree is a symbol of Russia, too. The Russian people are very talented. Many of them are well-known in the world.

Personally, I feel that we all live in a great and rich country. We should be proud of our long history, rich traditions, unique culture and our Russian spirit.

Friends and friendship.

We can’t deny the fact that a person can’t live in isolation. It’s necessary for the human being to have a friend with whom one can be sincere and outspoken. It helps a lot when you know that there is someone thoughtful of you and not indifferent to you in this vast world.

It’s great to think that there is someone who will stand by you in any situation, who will help you and give you advice, who will tell you the bitter truth, if necessary.

More often we make friends with people with whom we have a lot in common. It’s pleasant to spend time with someone who shares your opinion, who has the similar interests. But sometimes friends can differ in character.

As for me, I’ve got a lot of friends. Some of them are my classmates. I also spend holidays in camps and have a lot of friends there. As for my best friend, his name is Timur. He is 15. He’s a tall boy with fair hair and blue eyes. I think he is rather handsome. He was my classmate for 3 years but then he moved to another flat and changed school. I was very sorry about it but we still communicate with him and we are good friends. We have much in common with Timur. He is very energetic and he likes taking part in different activities. He is attentive and studies well. He is a good friend. He likes sharing things and helps me in any situation. He isn’t bossy at all. I’m never boring when I’m with Timur. We often go to cinemas and theatres. We visit museums. We can spend time at home speaking or watching videos. I am happy to have such close friend.