ALL ABOUT RUSSIA
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geographical area & capital
Huge - 17,075,200 sq km to be precise which is 1.8 times the size of the USA! European Russia, Russia west of the Ural Mountains, comprises only a quarter of Russia’s total land mass and is home to 80% of Russia’s population. Siberia occupies 75% of Russia’s land mass and wraps itself around a third of the northern hemisphere. The topography is varied: broad plains with low hills west of the Urals; vast coniferous forest, tundra and permafrost in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions.
Capital city - Moscow |
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population & people
The population of Russia is approximately 143 million people.
81% Russian, 4% Tatar, 3% Ukrainian and numerous ethnic minorities. |
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language & religion
The language spoken is Russian.
Religion - 80% are Russian Orthodox, the remaining 20% comprise followers of Islam, Judaism and other minority beliefs. In parts of the Russian Far East, Shamanism and Buddhism is practised. |
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system of government
Federation. Governed by an executive president and a two-house legislature or parliament |
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currency
GBP 1=Roubles 46 USD 1=Roubles 23 Euro 1=Roubles 37 (subject to fluctuation)
Notes come in the following denominations: 10, 50,100, 500. Coins are also in circulation and come in the following values: 1, 2 and 5 Roubles and 1, 10 and 50 Kopeks. The Rouble is exchangeable only in Russia. |
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TIME
Russia (European Russia west of the Urals) is 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Meantime. From the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, summertime is in force in the UK and time reverts to 4 hours ahead of GMT. |
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trading hours
9.30am to 7pm or later. Shops are generally closed on Sunday. Banks are generally open weekdays from 9am to 5pm in Moscow and St Petersburg, with a break for lunch. Restaurants, cafes and bars trade ‘til late. In Moscow and St Petersburg, many grocers trade 24/7. |
ALL ABOUT MONGOLIA
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geographical area & Capital
1,565,000 sq km (slightly smaller than Alaska). Landlocked between Russia and China, Mongolia is one of highest countries in the world. The highest point of the westerly situated Khangai Nuruu range is 3905m. On the northern slope of these mountains is the source of the Selenge Gol, Mongolia’s largest river, which flows north into Lake Baikal. The country consists of vast semi-desert and desert plains to grassy steppe. To the southwest are more mountains, whilst the southern third of the country is dominated by the vast Gobi Desert, most of which is desert steppe. |
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population & people
The population of Mongolia is approximately 2.7 million people.
The people are 85% Mongol (predominantly Khalkha) and numerous other ethnic minorities. |
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language & religion
Languages spoken in Mongolida are Khalkha Mongol, Turkic and Russian.
93% of Mongolians follow some form of Buddhism, the most popular being Tibetan Buddhism. |
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system of government
Mongolia is a parliamentary republic. The parliament is elected by the people and in turn elects the government. |
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currency
GBP £1= 2317 Tugrik / USD $1 = 1156 Tugrik / Euro 1= 1510 Tugrik (subject to fluctuation)
Mongolian Tugrik (or Togrog) (MNT). 1 Tugrik = 100 Mongo. The Tugrik is readily available for exchange in Mongolia and sometimes at frontier border points. The best currency to carry for exchange into Tugrik is the US Dollar Exchange rate (July 2008)
The Mongolian Tugrik is exchangeable only in Mongolia. Bring clean, unmarked cash in US Dollars (not $100 bills as they’re hard to exchange). Money changing facilities are available in Ulaan Baatar only. When changing money, ID is usually required. Carry USD in small notes for payment of optional excursions, as although the Tugrik rules supreme, USD is sometimes the method of payment for optional activities, for example, horse-riding at Terelj NP. Debit cards with the Cirrus, Maestro or PLUS logo and PIN-enabled credit cards can be used at ATMs.
Take a mixture of cash and credit/debit cards (for ATM usage). Changing traveller cheques is cumbersome and complicated and only recognised by the very large banks. Avoid if possible.
Credit cards are not widely accepted, and cash is still the norm in many establishments. |
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TIME
Mongolia is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Meantime. |
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trading hours
9.30am to 5pm or later. Shops and banks are usually open at weekends but may be closed for one or two days mid-week instead. Banks are usually open from 10am to 3pm weekdays. Many museums and tourist attractions have shorter hours and are closed for more days in the winter. |
ALL ABOUT CHINA
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geographical area & capital
9,596,960 sq km (which is slightly smaller than USA). China is situated in eastern Asia on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean. China’s continental coastline extends for around 14,500 kms, and it’s vast sea surface is studded with more than 5,000 islands, of which Taiwan and Hainan are the largest. China has beautiful scenery, with mountains ranges, highlands, plains and hills. China has more than 2,000 lakes and rivers totalling 220,000 km in length, amongst them the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers which are world famous. China’s highest peak at 8,848 m is Qomolangma - better known as Mt Everest. |
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population & people
The population of China is approximately 1.29 billion and the people are Han Chinese and about 55 other ethnic minorities. |
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language & religion
The language is Mandarin Chinese with 6 major Chinese dialects and lots of regional dialects. |
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system of government
Federation. Governed by an executive president and a two-house legislature or parliament |
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currency
GBP £1.00 = CNY 13.66 USD $1.00 = CNY 6.82 EUR 1.00 = CNY 10.83
Chinese Yuan (RMB or CNY). 1 Yuan = 10 Jiao. Bring US Dollars to exchange in China (not $100 notes as they’re hard to exchange). |
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TIME
China is 8 hours ahead of GMT. During British Summer Time (end March - October), time is 7 hours ahead. China operates in one time zone, so clocks are set according to Beijing time, meaning, given the size of the country, sunset and sunrise can occur at peculiar times! |
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trading hours
9.30am to 5pm or later. Shops and banks are usually open at weekends but may be closed for one or two days mid-week instead. Banks are usually open from 10am to 3pm weekdays, the Bank of China may be open weekends. | |
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