Russia

Russia Russia is a semi-presidential country with 83 federal subjects. It is the largest country in the world with 142 million people. Russia has the worlds largest mineral and energy resources in the world and is considered the energy superpower. It also possesses the world's largest stockpile of mass destruction. Russia joined the G8 formally in 1997 and is the leading member of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the G8 itself. The Russian government is a federal semi-presidential republic. President of Russia: Dmitry Medvedev Prime Minister of Russia: Vladimir Putin

snow leopards are endangered worldwide, with just a few thousand remaining, Only 50 to 100 are thought to exist in Russia, the chances of seeing one are very slim.



the Siberian tiger, the world's largest tiger species and the only one to coexist with snow. These powerful cats, averaging six feet in length and weighing 300 pounds, often attack from behind, silently sneaking up on their prey. In 1940, after a century of hunters shooting adults for their skins and capturing cubs for circuses and zoos, the population of Siberian tigers, found only in this region, had fallen to about 30, the brink of extinction. But postwar bans on hunting and trapping allowed the population to rebound. Biologists recently concluded that there was a peak of about 600 tigers in 1990; a census in 1995-96 showed a decline, to 450.

Every year, one or two Russians are killed by tigers, generally animals that are famished because they have been hurt or shot. Dogs and livestock disappear so often that tiger protection groups have a program to reimburse owners.

Some endangered plants are Ayan spruce, shrub pine and the sikhote-Alan vegetation. The Botanic Garden Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Science secure protection of the rare and endangered plants in the far east Russian. These plants are already found in the Red Book for Russia which also keeps a list of all the endangered species in Russia

Russia has a book called the Red Book. The red book documents rare and endangered species. Russia has also made a law to limit illegal hunting. They have fines for poachers that are caught with endangered animals. The most popular is for snow leopards. Russia has recently decided to lift it's ban on hunting polar bears, now allowing people in Russia to hunt a worldwide endangered species.

Bibliography: www.wikipedia.com/russia www.google.com image searched russia http://www.lilytherese.com/Snow_Leopard_face_shot_Photo.jpg http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/international/europe/16tiger.html?_r=1&oref=slogin http://www.wildabouttheworld.com/gallery/data/500/Siberian-Tiger.jpg http://www.bgci.org/worldwide/article/513