Module III: Across Countries

Text 1: The Russian Federation

The Russian Federation occupies a vast territory in Europe and Asia.. Russia has an extensive coastline along the Arctic and the Pacific Oceans, as well as the Baltic, the Black and the Caspian seas. The country has approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water. The Volga is the longest river. The major lakes are Lake Baikal, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. Lake Baikal is the world's deepest and purest freshwater lake. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves. That’s why the country is sometimes called “the lungs” of Europe. Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain peak in Russia.

Russia has the largest natural gas reserves, the second largest coal reserves and the eighth largest oil reserves in the world. It is the world's leading natural gas exporter and the second leading oil exporter. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of Russian exports.

Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. The population of the city is more than 10 million people.

The population of the Russian Federation is about 140 mln people. The country is a multiethnic society; it has 160 different ethnic groups. However, Russian is the only official language, though the Constitution gives the federal subjects the right to make their native language co-official.

The flag of the country is the white-blue-red banner. The State Emblem is the two-headed eagle; the national anthem is “Russia, the holy land”.

According to the Constitution, Russia is a federation and a presidential republic. The Russian Federation is a representative democracy. The President isthe head of state. He is the commander-in-chief; he can veto legislative bills before they become laws. He is elected for a six-year term.

The Russian Federation comprises 83 federal subjects. They have equal representation in the Federation Council. Federal subjects are grouped into federal districts. Federal districts are administered by envoys. They are responsible for overseeing the compliance of the federal laws.

Legislative power is represented by the Federal Assembly. It is made up of the State Duma (lower chamber) and the Federation Council (upper chamber). It makes federal laws and has power of impeachment. The leading political parties of Russia are the United Russia, the Communist Party, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

Executive power is exercised by the government. The current Russian government is made up of the Prime Minister, two first deputy prime ministers, seven deputy prime ministers and 17 ministers. Most ministries and federal services report directly to the Prime Minister, who in his turn reports to the President.

Judicial power belongs to the system of courts. There are the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Arbitration and lower federal courts.

Being one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Russia plays a major role in maintaining international peace and security. Russia is a member of the Group of Eight (G8), the Council of Europe, OSCE and APEC. Russia usually takes a leading role in regional organisations such as the CIS, EurAsEC, CSTO, and the SCO.

*Appendix: № 4

 

Questions for discussion:

1. Why is Russia called “the lungs” of Europe?
2. What are the natural reserves of Russia?
3. What can you tell about the capital of Russia?
4. What are the symbols of Russia?
5. Who is the head of the Russian Federation?
6. Who appoints the Cabinet of Ministers?
7. Who represents the executive power of the RF?
8. What are the leading political parties of Russia?
9. What does the judicial system include?
10. What international organisations is the RF a member of?

 

 

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CIS - The Commonwealth of Independent States

EAEC or EurAsEC - The Eurasian Economic Community

CSTO - Collective Security Treaty Organisation

SCO - The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

OSCE - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

APEC - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

 

Text 2: The United Kingdom of Great Britain

And Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) is a country to the north-west of Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain, the north-east part of the island of Ireland and many small islands. The UK is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.

The United Kingdom is divided into four constituent parts: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Most of England consists of lowlands. The main rivers are the Thames and the Severn. Scotland has lowlands in the south and east and highlands in the north and west. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain in the British Isles. Wales is mostly mountainous. Northern Ireland is mainly hilly.

The capital of the UK is London. The United Kingdom's population is 60.5 ml. The language of the state is English. The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. It is made up of three crosses that symbolise patron saints of England, Scotland, and Ireland. As for the national emblems, they are a red rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a shamrock for Ireland, and a yellow daffodil and leek for Wales.

The UK is a major centre for international business and commerce. London is the world's largest financial centre. It is the leader of three “command centres” for the global economy (along with New York City and Tokyo). The principles of liberalisation, the free market, low taxation and regulation make the UK economy the fifth largest in the world. The UK service sector (73% of GDP) is dominated by financial services, especially in banking and insurance. Tourism is very important to the British economy. With over 27 mln tourists a year, the United Kingdom is the sixth major tourist destination in the world.

The British manufacturing sector is still an important part of the economy. But it only accounts for one-sixth of national output. This includes British motor industry, civil and defense aircraft production, chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The UK agriculture is only 0.9% of the country's GDP. The UK has a small coal reserve and large natural gas and oil reserves.

Officially Great Britain is a state of the constitutional monarchy. This means that the monarch is the head of state. But the Crown is only sovereign by the will of parliament. The Queen acts on the advice of her ministers. That's why we say that the monarch reigns but does not rule.

Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom. The main functions of Parliament are to legislate bills and debate or discuss important political issues. British Parliament is bicameral with an upper house, the House of Lords and a lower house, the House of Commons. The Queen is the third component of Parliament. The public do not elect the Lords, they are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister or of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber with elections held at least every 5 years. The House of Commons is an elected House. The party that has won the General election makes up the majority in the House of Commons. It also forms the Government. The party with the next largest number of members in the House forms the official Opposition. The main political parties of the country are the Conservative, the Labour, and the Liberal parties.

The executive power belongs to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Crown. Automatically it isthe leader of the party which winsthemajority. The Cabinet is composed of about 20 ministers. They are personally chosen by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet of Ministers introduces legislation, controls finance, conducts foreign affairs, and supervises every department of administration.

The judicia l system of the UK is represented by criminal and civil courts. This includes magistrates, crown and county courts, as well as the High Court of Justice.

The UK is a leading member of various international organisations, for example, the EU, the G8, and NATO. It has close relationship with the countries of the Commonwealth and other English-speaking countries.

*Appendix: № 6

Questions for discussion:

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