The environment has played a huge role in how Russia has developed and how Russians live their lives. The majority of Russians live along the Volga and Neva rivers, where it is easy to travel, trade and live well. Moscow is home to 12 million people and St. Petersburg home to six million. Russia has a population estimated to be around 146 million people, leaving 128 million people living outside of Russia's two major cities. Of course, other large cities exist, like Ekaterinburg, Vladivostock and on a smaller scale, Irkutsk. But these three cities are much further north, making winter more extreme and their populations significantly smaller. Even with these three cities considered, over 100 million Russians live in smaller cities, towns and villages throughout Russia in more rural areas.
The long, harsh winters make the growing season very short in the majority of the country. The vast Siberian plains can sustain almost no life, leaving the majority of Russia uninhabitable. Lower Russia has a more stable, continental climate where the majority of farming occurs. However, this area is incredibly rugged and mountainous. If you go far enough south, Russia even has a desert. Did you know that Russia is a land of almost every type of climate and terrain?
