Siberian forest
Well, Canada and Russia are similar in many ways. Both Canada and Russia occupy a large territory. Canada occupies a major northern part of North America. It borders the United States in the south and the US state of Alaska to the northwest. Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia. While Canada lies in the Western Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere, Russia is in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres. Russia is located in north Asia and the eastern Europe. Russia is in two continents - Asia and Europe. It is the biggest country in the world.
While Canada has a population of about 35 million, Russia is inhabited by 143 million people.
Canada has a dual cultural heritage and both French and English are official languages. Other groups of population are Germans, Italians, Ukrainians, Scandinavians, Poles, the Dutch and Eskimo (Inuits). Unlike Canada, Russia has got one official language, that is Russian, as 81% of the people are Russians. But there are such groups of population, as Tatars, Ukrainians and many others.
Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories, each with its own capital city. French Canadians are mostly concentrated in the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick. Ottawa, the country's capital, and the largest city of Canada Toronto are situated in the province of Ontario.
Unlike Canada, Russia is subdivided into 85 federal subjects. It comprises 46 oblasts (provinces), 22 republics, 9 krais, 4 autonomous okrugs, 1 autonomous oblast, 3 federal cities: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Sevastopol. Federal subjects are grouped into 9 federal districts. Our Kemerovo oblast is part of the Siberian federal district.
As for Canadian flora and fauna, they are really diverse. The most common representatives of fauna are bison, badger, beaver, bobcat, lynx, caribou, coyote, grizzly bears, moose, porcupine, raccoon, skunk and walrus. The flora is represented by spruce, Balsam Fir, Larch, pine, aspen, and poplar. The maple leaf is one of the symbols of Canada.
The flora and fauna of Russia are also diverse. Small animal species, like arctic foxes, lemmings and white hares, as well as reindeer, are found in the tundra zone. In the taiga one can find moose, bears, lynx, reindeer, sable, hazel-grouse, owls, and woodpeckers. The brown bear is a popular symbol of Russia. Russia's flora is varied.
As for the political system of the Russian Federation, it is a federal multi-party republic with a bicameral legislative body - the Federal Assembly that is made up of two houses: the Federation council and the State Duma. Russia's head of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister.
Unlike Russia, Canada is a constitutional monarchy. Elizabeth II, Queen of England, is also Canada's queen and sovereign of a number of realms. The queen is the head of state, and is represented in Canada by the governor-general. The Parliament of Canada consists of the Queen, the Senate, and the House of Commons.
Canada is rich in natural resources:gas, oil, coal, gold, copper, iron ore, nickel, uranium, zinc, along with wood and water. Like Canada, Russia can also be proud of its natural resources. There can be found oil, natural gas, metals, and timber.
The climate of Canada can be compared with that of Russia. As the territory of Canada is comparatively smaller, the types of climate in Canada are fewer. The southern areas have a moderate climate when in the north the climate is characterized by long, cold winters and cool summer months. The enormous size of Russia results in the dominance of the humid continental climate in most parts of the country. However, the coastal part of Krasnodar Krai on the Black Sea (Sochi), has a humid subtropical climate.
The largest cities of Canada are Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa. The largest cities of Russia are Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Omsk, Volgograd. Kemerovo takes the 30th place in the rank list.
Both countries have got their public and non-public holidays.
Canada's public holidays are New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. There are both public and non-public holidays in Russia. Among them are New Year's Day, Orthodox Christmas, Easter, Victory Day, Old New Year, Maslenitsa, Ivan Kupala Day and others.
I'd like to mention some recognizable symbols of Russia. One of them is the Matryoshka doll. Chamomile is the national flower, while birch is the national tree. The Russian bear is an animal symbol of Russia.
As you can see both countries have got lots of interesting places to explore. Though Canada and Russia are far apart, I would recommend tourists to visit and enjoy both of them.
The New Words:
1. occupy - занимать
2. comprise - включать в себя
3. badger - барсук
4. beaver - бобёр
5. bobcat - рыжая рысь
6. lynx - рысь
7. caribou - канадский олень
8. moose - американский лось
9. porcupine - дикобраз
10. raccoon - енот
11. skunk - скунс
12. walrus - морж
13. spruce - ель
14. Balsum Fir - бальзамическая пихта
15. Larch - лиственница
16. pine - сосна
17. aspen - осина
18. poplar - тополь
19. maple - клён
20. lemmings - ластоногие
21. reindeer - северный олень
22. sable - соболь
23. hazel-grouse - рябчик
24. realm - владение
25. dominance - преобладание
26. humid - влажный
27. Orthodox Christmas - православное Рождество
28. recognizable - узнаваемый
29. chamomile - ромашка
30. birch - берёза
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