ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Cata the Great</title> <style type="text/css"> body { background-color: #6495ED; font-family: Algerian, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:#000000; font-size: 11pt;} p.parrafo_diferente {font-style:italic; font-family: Algerian, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:#000000; font-size: 19pt;} h1{font-family: Old English Text MT, Courier, mono; color:#000000;font-size: 30pt;} h2{font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000;font-size: 15pt;} </style> </head> <body> <p> <h1 align="center">RUSSIAN WINTER</h1></p> <p align="center" > <img src="river2.jpg" width="300" height="250" alt="RUSSIAN WINTER"></p> <p> <hr width="100%" size="7" align="center" shade> <p align="center" class="parrafo_diferente"> WELCOME TO THE BIGGEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD</p> <hr width="85%"size="5"align="center"shade> <p>¡WELCOME TO RUSSIA! </p> <p> <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=RUSSIAN+MAP&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7DVXA"target="_blank"> <img src="mapa_russia.gif" align="left" width="470" height="340" alt="RUSSIAN MAP" border="1" hspace="30"> </a> The Russian Federation is the largest of the 21 republics that make up the<i> Commonwealth of Independent States</i>. It occupies most of eastern <i> Europe</i> and north <i> Asia</i>, stretching from the <a href="http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/land_cover_baltic_sea_region_balans" "target="_blank"> Baltic Sea </a> in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the <a href="http://blacksea.orlyonok.ru/blacksea.shtml"target="_blank"> Black Sea </a> and the <a href="http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/caucasus/Pages/default.aspx""target="_blank"> Caucasus </a> in the south. </p> <p> <b>HISTORY</b> </P> <P> Tradition says the Viking Rurik came to Russia in 862 and founded the first Russian dynasty in Novgorod. The various tribes were united by the spread of Christianity in the 10th and 11th centuries; Vladimir  the Saint was converted in 988. During the 11th century, the grand dukes of Kiev held such centralizing power as existed. In 1240, Kiev was destroyed by the Mongols, and the Russian territory was split into numerous smaller dukedoms. Early dukes of Moscow extended their dominion over other Russian cities through their office of tribute collector for the Mongols and because of Moscow's role as an administrative and trade center. </P> <p> <b>ISSUES OF INTEREST</b> </P> <img src="russian_winter_6.jpg" align="right" width="200" height="140" alt="RUSSIAN COUNTRYSIDE" border="1" hspace="30"> <a href="http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chechnya1.html" target="_blank"> CHECHNYA</a> <P><a href="index_kabon2.html" target="_blank">EARLY RUSSIAN HISTORY</a></p> <p> <B>"Cata the Great"</B></p> <p> <a href="mailto:katybond100@hotmail.com? subject=specially for you"> WRITE Your OPINIONS </a></p> </body>