Russia
Geography/Facts
Landforms&Landscapes
Siberia-Winter Lake Baikal in Siberia: World’s Oldest and Deepest Lake
Volga River-longest river in Europe Steppes-Southern Russia
Climate
Winters
Black Sea Coast-Cool Siberia-Frigid
SummersSteppes-Warm Barents Sea:
Arctic Coast-Cooler Conditions
Natural Hazards
Kliuchevskoi Volcano- Summer/autumn forest fires in Siberia
The Kamchatcka Peninsula’s most active volcano
Demographics& Economic conditions
Demographics &Economy-2009
RUSSIA USA
Population 139,390,205 310,232,863
Population Growth Rate
-0.465% 0.97%
GDP (real growth rate)
-7.9% -2.6%
GDP per capita 15,100 46,000
Unemployment rate 8.4% 9.3%
Public Debt 6.3% of GDP 52.9% of GDP
Major Industries Steel production, construction, agricultural machinery
Steel, telecommunications, mining
Culture Dimensions-Language/Dialects
A page from Azbuka, the first Russian language textbook. Printed by Ivan Fyodorov in 1574. The page features the Cyrillic alphabet
Language/Dialect-Russian Phrases
TIME What time is it?: Katoryy
chas? When?: Kagda? Today: sivodnya Yesterday: vchira Tomorrow: zaftra In the morning: utra In the evening: vechir
FOOD Breakfast: zaftrak Lunch: abet Dinner: uzhin Café: kafe
BASICS Good Morning: dobraye utra Good afternoon: dobryy den Good evening: dobryy vecher Goodbye (inf.): paka How are you?: Kak dila? Pleased to meet you: ochen
priyatna Yes: da No: net Thankyou: spasiba Pardon me: prastite I don't understand: ya ni
panimayu I need.: mne nuzhna Where is.?: gde.? What's your name?: kak vas
zavut? My name is.: minya zavut
Ethnicity
79.8%3.8%
2.00%
1.2%
1.1%
12.1%
Russians
Tatar
Ukrainian
Bashkir
Chuvash
Other or unspeci-fied
Religion
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Kazan Cathedral
Sports/Social Life
Football (Soccer) Skiing Marathon-Family/Friends Festival
of theNorth
Russian Society
The Russian FamilyDependent upon all its
members. – value collectivism or places emphasis on the group as opposed to individualism
Most live in small apartments, often with 2 or 3 generations sharing little space
Most are small, often with only one child -most women must also work outside of the house in addition to working in the household
Russian PrideRussians are very proud
of their countryPatriotic songs and
poems extol the virtues of their homeland.
They take great pride in their cultural heritage and expect the rest of the world to admire it.
Food
Borcsh Ukha
Solyanka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urskw-cKLwo&feature=related
Americans vs. Russians
Reading the Americans Easy to read/body
language is a giveaway When bored-fidget When impatience-drum
our fingers on the table When ready to leave-look
at watches Emphasize a strongly
held belief-bang on table or stand up
Direct eye contact-honesty and sincerity
Reading the Russians Firm Handshaking , bear
hugs, backslapping-they like you
Grim, stone face-not good, your not getting through to them
Winks, nods, smiles-good signs, you are getting through to them
Avoid eye contact-signs of untruthfulness/lying
Meetings
•Extremely Formal
•Scheduling Appointments
•Be punctual
•Vacations during July and August
Business Dress
•Dark colored suit and white shirt
•Light blue, grey, or brown suits
•Women should dress conservatively
•Shoes are status symbol
•Very flashy
Business Culture
Conversation
•Eye Contact
•Physical touch
•Avoid personal questions
•Encouraged to discuss Russian politics
•Challenges of living in Russia
Names
•Address by Business title and Surname during first meeting
•Use of first names are considered rude
•Patronymic Names
•Common Russian names
Business Culture
1917
1922
1924
1953
1964 1991 1999 2008
Political Climate Type: Federation President: Dmitry Medvedev Prime Minister: Vladimir Putin Political Parties: United Russia, the Communist
party, Liberal Democratic Party, Just Russia, Yabloko, Patriots of Russia, and the New Cause Party
Presidential Term: 6 years
Obama and Putin
President Obama, Michelle Obama, President Dmitry Medvedev and Svetlana
Medvedeva
Doing Business in Russia- Corruption issues Corruption is widespread in Russia
Russia has a body of conflicting, overlapping, and rapidly changing laws, decrees, and regulations.
Government control of media outlets Complicated Advertising Laws Laws on NGO (Non-Government
Organizations)
Contracts
Small Banking System
High tariffs on imports
International Organizations: APEC, G20, G8, BIS, WFTU, WTO (Accession)
Russian Culture Center
U.S.-Russia Strategic Framework Declaration