ABSTRACT
The European territory of the Russian Federation, with an area of almost five million square kilometers, enjoys a wide range of natural conditions and resources. Compared with Asiatic Russia, European Russia is less endowed with resources, in particular with energy resources, forests, and water resources. The vast majority of ethnic groups in the European part of Russia belong to the Indo-European, Altaic, Caucasus, and Uralic linguistic families. The Russian nationality is the largest and is part of the eastern Slavic group of the Indo-European language family, along with Ukrainians and Belarusians. Three groups represent the Caucasus linguistic family in European Russia: the Adygeo-Abkhazian group, the Dagestan group, and the Nakh group. The rivers of European Russia are historically important transportation routes but are typically locked in ice all winter. European Russia has a tremendous potential for international trade. It has retained the lion’s share of the Soviet fuel/energy complex and hydroelectric potential.
