COMMON WEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES

1. COMMON WEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES Lithuania Latvia On Baltic Sea Estonia Ukraine Belarus Three European Countries Moldova Georgia Armenia Located in the Caucasus Azerbaijan

2. Kazakhstan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Central Asia Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Russia Europe and Asia

4. Russia • Size: • 1. is the largest region: 8,647,172 Square miles • 2. 11 time zones • 3. More than 172 degrees of Longitude • 4. Over 120 different ethnic groups.

5. NATURAL VEGATATION Tundra: Bordering the Arctic Grasses Mosses Lichens Permafrost is frozen ground that goes as deep as 1,300 feet below.

6. NATURAL VEGATATION • GRASSLAND: • On the steppes • Black earth or “chernozem”

7. VEGATATION • FOREST: • South of the Tundra • Russia contains 20% of worlds forest. • Largest forest in world: 4 million square miles. • This forest is called “Taiga” which means little sticks and coniferous trees.

8. VEGATATION • Desert • East of the Caspian Sea

9. CLIMATES • Polar: In far north • Sub-arctic: In northeastern Russia and most of Siberia • Humid Continental: southern areas • Semi-arid: southern areas World’s greatest temperature variations: Verkoyansk: -90 below Dymyako: coldest inhabited place

10. MINERALS • Have just about everything. • World largest oil producer if they want too. (1988) • Largest gas deposits • Most Diamonds • Copper, lead, zinc, manganese, iron ore

11. MOUNTAINS AND LAND • Ural Mountains: divide Europe from Asia • Caucasus Mountains: Southern Border • Pamirs Mountains: South Border • North European Plain: In Europe • Eastern Highlands: Far East • Arctic Lowlands: Bordering Arctic Ocean • West Siberian Lowland • Central Siberian Plain

12. Records • Largest inland body of water: Aral Sea Deepest Lake: Lake Baikal is over 1 mile deep Most physicians in world: 1 out of 307 people

13. SPACE • First manned spaceflight. • Longest manned flight • First man made satellite in space.

14. Lithuania • Hear theHHear the national anthem.ear the national anthem. national anthem. • Capital: Vilnius • Population: 3,575,439 • GDP: per capita $14,494 • Religion: Roman Catholic • Greeting: Handshake • Gestures: Don’t talk with hand in pocket • Government: President/Parliament Prime Minister

15. LATVIA • Capital: Rīga • Population: 2,259,810 • GDP: per capita $13,646 • Religion: Christian • Greeting: shake hands • Gestures: Direct eye contact denotes honesty and sincerity • Government: Parliamentary Democracy

16. ESTONIA • Capital: Tallinn • Population: 1,315,912 • GDP: per capita $15,478 • Religion: Lutheran • Greetings: Men also greet women first • Gestures: Punctuality is expected • Government: parliamentary and presidential system

17. UKRAINE • Capital: Kyiv • Population: 46,299,862 • GDP: per capita $6,848 • Religion: Orthodox • Greetings: Men wait for women to extend their hand first • Gestures: eye contact, Smiling at strangers is rare • Government: parliamentary democracy

18. BELARUS • Capital: Minsk • Population: 9,724,723 • GDP: per capita: $7,918 • Religion: Orthodox • Greetings: females or males embrace and kiss female friends once on the cheek • Gestures: men and women remove their shoes when entering a home • Government: Parliamentary Democracy

19. MOLDOVA • Capital: Chisinau • Population: 4,320,490 • GDP: per capita $2,100 • Religion: Eastern Orthodox Christians • Greetings: women do not shake hands • Gestures: It is impolite to put feet on furniture, cross legs in front of elders, or chew gum while speaking • It is considered an embarrassment for a man to admit that he cooks.

20. GEORGIA • Capital: Tbilisi • Population: 4,646,003 • GDP: per capita $3,365 FACTS: • Walnuts are used extensively in Georgian cuisine. • Georgia's alphabet is one of the world's 14 original alphabets. • Georgians do not usually exchange gifts for Christmas. • It is improper to serve alcohol without first proposing a toast.

21. ARMENIA • Capital: Yerevan • Population: 2,971,650 • GDP per capita: $4,945 FACTS • More Armenians live outside of their country than in it. • Armenian has its own alphabet. Created in AD 405, it has 39 characters. • Chess and backgammon are especially popular in Armenia, which has private chess schools where children can learn the game.

22. Azerbaijan • Capital: Baku • Population: 8,120,247 • GDP: per capita: $5,016 FACTS • Azerbaijan has a mild climate with more than three hundred days of sunshine each year. • To become engaged, a man sends a formal proposal to the woman's parents through an older relative

23. Tajikistan • Capital: Dushanbe • Population: 7,076,598 • GDP: per capita $1,356 FACTS Lies on the ancient Silk Road, once the primary trading route between Asia and Europe. • Respect is shown by looking down while speaking to someone. • A wedding takes place over three days, capped by a blessing from a religious leader.

24. Kyrgyzstan • Capital: Bishkek • Population: 5,284,149 • GDP: per capita $1,927 FACTS Kyrgyz women prefer silver jewelry to gold because it protects against misfortune. • A popular drink in the spring and summer is kumiss, fermented mare's milk.

25. Uzbekistan • Capital: Tashkent • Population: 27,780,059 • GDP: per capita $2,063 FACTS • The word for "friend" is used only for very close friends; all other associations are deemed acquaintances. • Tea, nearly always served to guests, is taken in three ceremonial rounds. • Nan (bread) is a sacred symbol of life and is never thrown away or put on the ground.

26. Turkmenistan • Capital: Ashgabat • Population: 5,097,028 • GDP: per capita $3,838 FACTS • Turkmens tie an alaja (a woven camel-hair talisman) to the steering wheel of their cars for good luck. • In rural areas, it is traditional to slaughter and serve a sheep or goat for a guest. To be offered the head, and most especially the eyes, is to be paid the greatest honor.

27. Kazakhstan • Capital: Astana • Population: 15,284,929 • GDP: per capita $7,857 FACTS • Kazakh boys like alchiki, a game similar to marbles but played with dried sheep bones. • On New Year's Eve, Kazakh children may dress in costumes to wait for Grandfather Frost to deliver gifts.