The Russian literacy rate is high, and many of the degrees for higher levels of education are obtained in the difficult science and technology sectors. Many Russian people enjoy reading novels in their spare time, and Russia has produced some of the world’s most famous literary giants, such as Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn.
Russia’s capital city is Moscow, which is also its largest city. It is the center of Russian government, as well as its financial and business center. It is a clean, well-organized and prosperous city, easy to navigate by its immense and well-run subway system.
Moscow is home to the main government center, the Kremlin. The Kremlin is a large, walled area in the middle of the city containing the country’s main government offices, residences and cathedrals. Just outside the Kremlin walls is Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral, both traditional landmarks in Russia. Moscow has an ancient and rich cultural tradition, and it contains many other historic landmarks, museums and cathedrals.
St. Petersburg is Russia’s second largest city, and its historic and cultural center. St. Petersburg was founded by tsar Peter the Great in 1703 as capital of the Russian empire. The city was renamed Petrograd during World War I, called Leningrad after 1924, and in 1991 was again renamed St. Petersburg. During the centuries under tsarist rule, St. Petersburg was Russia’s cultural, intellectual, government, financial, and industrial center.
Today, St. Petersburg plays host to a fascinating array of color-ful cathedrals, museums, shops, historic sites, churches and cultural landmarks. It is easy to navigate this beautiful city by subway, by walking or by taking one of the many available water taxis throughout St. Petersburg's many picturesque canals.
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