UN: India to be world's most populous country by 2028

India looks set to overtake China as the world's most populous country from 2028, according to the United Nations.

At that point, both nations will number 1.45 billion people each. Subsequently India's population will continue to grow until the middle of the century, while China's slowly declines.

The UN also estimates that the current global population of 7.2 billion will reach 9.6 billion by 2050.

That is a faster rate of growth than previously estimated.

The population growth will be mainly in developing countries, particularly in Africa, the UN says.

The world's 49 least developed countries are projected to double in size from around 900 million people in 2013 to 1.8 billion in 2050, whereas the population of developed regions will remain largely unchanged.

The UN said the reason for the increase in its projection is largely new information on fertility levels in certain high birth rate countries.

Nigerian growth

Large developing countries, such as China, India and Brazil, have seen a rapid fall in the average number of children per woman, but in other nations, such as Nigeria, Niger, Ethiopia and Uganda, fertility levels remain high.

Nigeria's population is expected to exceed that of the US by the middle of the century, and could start to rival China's by 2100.

China's population is expected to start decreasing after 2030.

"Although population growth has slowed for the world as a whole, this report reminds us that some developing countries, especially in Africa, are still growing rapidly," commented Wu Hongbo, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

The United Nations publishes an assessment of past, current and future population trends every two years, in a recurrent series known as theWorld Population Prospects.

Researchers have used data for 233 countries and areas to produce Friday's report.

Source: BBC World News

Facts about the Greek Economy

Facts about the Greek Economy

In writing this blog, I have come across several facts about the Greek economy that surprised me. In some cases, it was the fact itself that was the surprise; in others, it was the magnitude of something I already knew about. Here they are, along with links to the relevant posts.

Fact #1. Greek GDP is at 2004 levels, and it will take about a decade to reach pre-crisis levels. Greece’s GDP has been declining since Q4 2008, and is now just above 2004 levels. What is more, the initial program agreed to with the troika forecasted that real GDP would not reach its pre-crisis level until the end of the decade. A greater than anticipated recession means it could take past 2020 for Greece to recover to the income level it had coming into this crisis.


Fact #2. Tourism export revenues have declined 28% since 2000. When analysts discuss how the Greek economy may grow, there is an inevitable emphasis on tourism. But tourism has been in steep decline in the last decade. In 2000, Greece’s tourism revenue was €10 bn (based on customs data). Ten years later, it had fallen to €9.6 bn, a 4.5% drop. But if we factor in inflation, revenues from tourism have dropped 28% since 2000, reflecting the structural flaws in Greece’s tourism industry, which relate, chiefly, to getting more tourists who spend less money.

Fact #3. Net exports from shipping have declined 27% since 2000. Shipping, Greece’s other major export, has performed better than tourism but only marginally so. In 2000, Greece’s revenues from shipping netted €4.6 billion. By 2010, that number had fallen to €4.5 bn. Adding inflation means that the drop has amounted to 27%, although some years were better than others. The chief problem is that from a trade perspective, shipping affects both sides of the equation due to money spent to buy ships and on shipping related services. When we take out the outflow of money, the net effect for Greece has been declining.

Fact #4. Collecting 40% of tax arrears would eliminate the 2011 budget deficit. Weak tax collection forms a big part of Greece’s fiscal problem. In June 2011, the Ministry of Finance reported that tax arrears amounted to €41 bn. Of that number, 90% came from 6,500 people and from 8,200 corporations that owe over €150,000 each. Collecting those arrears would more than cover the projected 2011 budget deficit of less than €17 bn.

Fact #5. Employees in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) earn twice as much as employees in the private sector. One of the recurring themes in Greece’s political economy is the dichotomy between an insulated and well-paid public sector and a low-paid (at least for employees) private sector. According to data released by the ministry of finance, employees at SOEs earned, on average, €38,287 in 2008 – which is twice as high as the €19,147 earned in the private sector. For some SOEs, the gap was much higher.

Fact #6. Greeks are as likely to pay a bribe as Nigerians and Pakistanis. According to Transparency International, 18% of households in Greece reported paying a bribe in the last twelve months, versus an average 5% in Europe. That number puts Greece on par with Nigeria and Pakistan.

Fact #7. When you add private debt, Greece’s overall indebtedness is low in Europe. Everyone knows that Greece’s problem is debt. But it is, in fact, public debt that is the problem. A graph shown in a presentation by the former minister of finance adds public and private debt – when the two are combined, it is clear that Greece is at the low end of the spectrum. What distinguishes Greece is not high debt overall, but high government debt.

Fact #8. Greece’s debt was mostly accumulated in the 1980s and early 1990s. Greek society has yet to have a serious debate about how it got into this mess. What is amazing is to see just how recent this debt accumulation is: in 1980, Greece’s public debt was merely 22% of GDP; by 1993, it was 98% where it stayed (plus or minus) for over a decade before going higher in this crisis. In other words, Greece’s debt problem was mostly created over a 13-year period and it was perpetuated thereafter.

Fact #9: Greece had a relatively small state in 1980. Analysts with an eye to history will always point out that the Greek state has been omnipresent in Greek life since its inception. Yet that fact, while true, disguises the extent to which statism is a post 1980 phenomenon. In 1980, government spending amounted to 24% of GDP; by 1990, that number had risen to 45%. It kept rising, somewhat more modestly to 51% in 2009. The Greek government aims to bring that number back to 45% by 2015.

Fact #10. Greece’s relative standard of living dropped after 1980. In 1978, as Greece was about to join the European Economic Community, its per capita GDP was just 5% below the European average (on a PPP basis). In 2000, the gap was 30%. In retrospect, Greece’s entry into the EEC has been seen as a political gesture, and in many ways it was; but the gap between Greece and Europe was much narrower at the point of entry than ever since. Greece was close to Europe when it joined the EEC; it was only later that Greek living standards stagnated and fell relative to the rest of Europe. Europe moved on and Greece was left behind.

Source: Greek Default Watch 

Author: Nikos Tsafos

Interesting Facts about Indonesia

Stupas at Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist temple, overlook Java's jungles.

Interesting Facts about Indonesia: If you planning to visit Indonesia or wanted to know really Interesting Facts about Indonesia, here you are at the right place. Check out: 

• Boasting the world's largest Muslim population, this vast archipelago between Asia and Australia harbors a highly diverse people speaking more than 300 languages.
•  From glittering beaches to isolated jungle villages, it offers endless studies in extremes.
• The influence of the Dutch, who united the island chain in 1900, may be felt everywhere
• Japan's wartime occupation, happily, is a distant memory.
• Located at the intersection of two tectonic plates, the islands are prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
• Life is defined by easeful charm and a warm sense of welcome.
• Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago consisting of many thousands of islands. Around six thousand of the islands are inhabited.
• The Indonesian name for Indonesia is "Tanah Air Kita" - Our Land and Water.
• Indonesia's national motto is Unity in Diversity.
• The highest point in Indonesia is Puncak Jaya (5,030 m) in the highlands of Papua.
• Indonesia's region of Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) shares the island of New Guinea with Papua New Guinea.
• The Indonesian administrative divisions of Kalimantan share Borneo with Malaysia and Brunei.
• The islands of New Guinea and Borneo are two of the largest islands in the world.
• The eruption of Mount Tambora, on Sumbawa Island, in 1815 was the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history. 1816 was known as the "Year Without Summer" because of the global climatic effects of the eruption.
• In 1883 the volcanic island of Krakatoa (part of the Indonesian archipelago) was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. This caused a tidal wave that killed over thirty thousand people.
• Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions sometimes cause a tsunami, a giant wave which can swamp islands and coastal settlements. A tsunami can travel as fast as 800 kph.
• Indonesia is part of the Ring of Fire which includes about seventy-five percent of all the world's volcanoes. (The rim of the Pacific Basin is ringed with volcanoes, from Alaska through the USA, Mexico and South America, then on to New Zealand and up to Japan and Russia.).
• In the early 1890s Eugene Dubois discovered a skull and thigh bone of Homo erectus in East Java. Dubois published his findings of "Java Man" in 1894, claiming that Homo erectus was an ancestor of modern humans.
• The Sangiran Early Man Site, on the World Heritage List, is estimated to have been inhabited one and a half million years ago. Half of the world's hominid fossils have been found at Sangiran in Java.
• Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to visit Indonesia.
• Europeans went to Indonesia in search of spices. Spices were a very valuable commodity in Europe.
• Indonesia is one the world's largest producers of nutmeg.
• By the late eighteenth century "Indonesia" was part of the Dutch colonial empire and known as the Netherlands East Indies.
• Indonesia's island of Bali did not come under the control of the Netherlands until 1906. During the Dutch capture of the island many thousands of Balinese were killed. Puputan Square in Denpasar is named after the suicidal battle of the Balinese aristocracy in their struggle against the Dutch.
• Between 1811 and 1816 (during the Napoleonic Wars), "Indonesia" came under Britishrule but was returned to the Dutch.
• After the War (1939-1945) Indonesia declared independence. Sukarno, the independence leader, became the country's first president.
• Following independence, the Dutch remained in control of the western part of New Guinea (now Papua). This territory was eventually passed to Indonesia under a United Nations agreement (1963).
• In 1975 East Timor gained independence from the Portuguese but was annexed by Indonesia in 1976. East Timor voted for independence in 1999 but did not regain independence until 2002.
• In October 2002 a terrorist bomb in Bali (Kuta town) killed over 180 people. Three years later, suicide bombings in Bali killed over twenty people.
• In 2003 a car bomb outside the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta killed fourteen people. A year later, another car bomb in Jakarta outside the Australian embassy killed nine people.
• On 26 December 2004, a quake occurred under the sea near Aceh in north Indonesia (8.9 on the Richter scale); this produced tsunamis causing flooding and destruction in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and the east coast of Africa (Kenya and Somalia).
• An earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, off the coast of Sumatra, killed between one and two thousand people in March 2005. Many of the victims lived on the small island of Nias.
• Towards the end of May 2006 an earthquake measuring 6.2 struck the Indonesian island of Java killing over three thousand people.
• A tsunami, caused by an undersea earthquake (magnitude 7.7), struck the island of Java on 17 July 2006 killing over 500 people.
• In November 2008 an earthquake near the island of Sulawesi, magnitude 7.5, killed at least six people.
• An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 occurred near the north coast of Papua in January 2009. Another earthquate, 7.9 magnitude, struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra in September.
• In November 2008 three Islamic militants who were convicted of carrying out the 2002 Bali bombings were executed.
• In July 2009 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was re-elected. Suicide bomb attacks on the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta killed nine people and injured many others. In September police shot dead Indonesia’s most wanted Islamist militant Noordin Mohammad Top.
• In March 2010 Police shot dead Dulmatin, the last main suspect of the 2002 Bali bombings. In 2010 US President Barack Obama visited and hailed Indonesia as an example of how a developing nation can embrace democracy.

Country Overview: Indonesia

Population: 221,932,000

Capital: Jakarta; 13,194,000

Area: 1,922,570 square kilometers (742,308 square miles)

Language: Bahasa Indonesia, English, Dutch, Javanese, and other local dialects

Religion: Muslim, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist

Currency: Indonesian rupiah

Life Expectancy: 68

GDP per Capita: U.S. $3,100

Literacy Percent: 89

Indonesia is a vast equatorial archipelago of 17,000 islands extending 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) east to west, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans in Southeast Asia. The largest islands are Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), Sulawesi, and the Indonesian part of New Guinea (known as Papua or Irian Jaya). Islands are mountainous with dense rain forests, and some have active volcanoes. Most of the smaller islands belong to larger groups, like the Moluccas (Spice Islands).

Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, is 86 percent Muslim—and the largest Islamic country, though it is a secular state. Indonesians are separated by seas and clustered on islands. The largest cluster is on Java, with some 130 million inhabitants (60 percent of the country's population) on an island the size of New York State. Sumatra, much larger than Java, has less than a third of its people. Ethnically the country is highly diverse, with over 580 languages and dialects—but only 13 have more than one million speakers.

After independence from the Netherlands in 1945, the new republic confronted a high birthrate, low productivity, and illiteracy—areas in which progress has since been made. The government used a "transmigration" policy to address uneven population distribution by relocating millions of people from Java to other islands. Unity and stability are improving, although outer areas of the archipelago resent domination by Java. The Asian financial crisis hit Indonesia extremely hard. Public unrest, including violent rioting, forced President Suharto—in office since 1967—to resign in May 1998. One year later Indonesia conducted its first democratic elections since 1955.

The democratic government faces many problems after years of military dictatorship. Secessionists in the regions of Papua and Aceh (northwest tip of Sumatra) had been encouraged by East Timor's (now Timor-Leste) 1999 success in breaking away after 25 years of Indonesian military occupation. A 2005 peace agreement with Aceh separatists led to 2006 elections and a cooling of the tension. Militants on Papua still engage in a low-level insurgency. Militant Islamic groups have become active in recent years, and religious conflict between Muslims and Christians recently flared in Sulawesi and the Moluccas. The island of Bali, a center of Hindu culture, suffered a terrorist bomb blast in 2002 that killed more than 200 people—mostly tourists. Three years later, in 2005, the country was hit by the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more than 220,000 Indonesians.

Export earnings from oil and natural gas help the economy, and Indonesia is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Tourists come to see the rich diversity of plants and wildlife—some, like the giant Komodo dragon and the Javan rhinoceros, exist nowhere else.

Check out Interesting Facts about Indonesia in Pictures:

Borobudur Temple - Construction of Java’s Borobudur Temple, one of the world’s largest Buddhist monuments and a World Heritage site, began in the eighth century, under the Sailendra dynasty. Framed by four volcanoes, it stands 105 feet (32 meters) high.

Mount Semeru and Mount Bromo - Some Indonesians believe that belching volcanoes such as Mount Semeru (in background) and Mount Bromo (in foreground) are portals to a subterranean world that has shaped not only Indonesia’s landscape but also its beliefs and culture. A long exposure time captured stars in this photo—and the brief balanced light from both a fading moon and a brightening eastern sky.

Goa Gajah, Bali - The intricately carved walls of Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) on the island of Bali depict leaves, waves, animals, and demons.

Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta - Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world, can hold more than 70,000 worshippers at a time. Arab traders brought Islam to the region a thousand years ago. Today Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country.

Minangkabau Women - Young Minangkabau women in traditional clothes wait to perform a dance in Bagor.

Borobudur Temple - Borobudur Temple was damaged in an earthquake and buried for centuries under volcanic ash. Excavations began in the early 20th century.

Rice Paddies - Rice paddies cover terraces built into an Indonesian hillside. Farmers on Java are surrounded by more than 30 volcanoes, which provide the rich volcanic ash that allows them to harvest three crops of rice in a season—unlike farmers on neighboring Borneo, who have only one volcano.

Balinese Dancers - Opulent costumes adorn performers in a Balinese barong dance, which brings mythological characters to life in a struggle between good and evil, complete with choreographed fight scenes reminiscent of professional wrestling.

Carved Mask - Bali craftsmen create everything from carvings to paintings in hopes of catching a tourist’s eye. Traditional carved masks, called topeng, are also used in Balinese dances.

Coffee Plantation, West Java - A woman pauses in an intricately carved doorway on a coffee plantation in west Java. Draped across 3,200 miles (5,150 kilometers), Indonesia is a cloth of many colors, comprising five main islands and 30 smaller archipelagoes, with a collection of cultures as diverse as its geography. Historically the center of wealth and power, the island of Java still dominates, though 250 unique languages still survive.

Orangutans - Orangutans are native only to Indonesia and Malaysia. The endangered great apes have lost much of their habitat to deforestation.

Raja Ampat Islands - The islands of Raja Ampat may well be home to the greatest biodiversity in the world, with almost 600 species of coral, abundant plant life, and unique creatures, such as a shark that walks on its fins and a shrimp that looks like a praying mantis.

Komodo Dragon - Komodo National Park is the last sanctuary for the endemic Komodo dragon, native only to Indonesia. Largest of all lizards, it can reach a fearsome ten feet (three meters) in length.

Nusa Dua Temple, Bali - Indonesian women take part in a procession to Nusa Dua temple in southern Bali, carrying offerings atop their heads. Southern Bali is also known for its beaches and five-star hotels.

Mount Penanggungan - In a sacred pool on the slopes of Java’s Mount Penanggungan, men bathe beside statues of Sri and Lakshmi, the consorts of the Hindu god Vishnu.

Coral Reef, Sulawesi - Scuba divers explore a coral reef off Manado Tua Island. The island nations of the tropical western Pacific cradle the richest coral life on the planet. The development of reefs owes much to oceanic volcanoes such as Manado Tua, near the northeastern tip of Sulawesi. The submerged slopes of the volcanoes give corals a toehold on which to grow.

Village Initiation - Young men in the Bali village of Tenganan take part in perang pandan, a traditional ritual.

Pura Ulun Danu Temple, Bali - The water temple of Pura Ulun Danu on Lake Bratan in Bali serves the faithful in the mountainous area near Bedugul.

Source: National Geographic & World Info Zone

Interesting Facts about Russia and its Revolution

Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow

Legend has it that St. Basil’s Cathedral’s beauty cost its architect his eyes. The Moscow monument was built between 1555 and 1561 by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate a victory over the Mongols, and he’s said to have blinded the architect so that he couldn’t create a rival masterpiece. The Russian St. Basil the Blessed lies interred within the church.

Interesting Facts about Russia:

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country that extends over a large part of northern Eurasia. Its government is a semi-presidential republic, and it comprises of 83 federal subjects. The Russian Federation, in fact, was established after the termination of the Soviet Union, which occurred in 1991; however, it continues to be recognized as the legal personality of the Soviet Union. Here are some more interesting facts about Russia.

Comprising of 6,592,800 square miles, or 17,075,400 square kilometres, and extending over an eighth of the land area of the Earth, Russia is the world’s largest country. It also is the 9th largest in the world in terms of population, with 142 million people. It stretches across 40 percent of Europe and the entire region of northern Asia. Russia spans 11 time zones and contains a wide range of landforms and environments.

Russia is bordered by a number of countries, namely: North Korea, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Norway. Russia is also not very far from Japan, Turkey, Denmark, Sweden, and the US state of Alaska, separated by fairly small water stretches, such as La Pérouse Strait, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Bering Strait.

From the north of the country to its south, Russia contains a variety of biospheres which occur sequentially, reflecting the changes in the climate: in the northernmost part is the tundra belt, followed by the taiga or the coniferous forest, then comes the broad-leaf and mixed forests, followed by the steppe or grassland, and then the semi-desert which fringes the Caspian Sea. Siberia too has a sequence of environments, but comprises of taiga. Russia has 40 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and 23 World Heritage Sites. 

Moscow, the capital of Russia, which is populated by 11 million people, is Europe’s largest city. St. Petersburg, known formerly as Leningrad, has a population of 5 million people. About two-thirds of the population of Russia live in cities now. The size of the population of the country is now in decline.

The official language of the country is Russian, which is written with the Cyrillic alphabet, instead of the Latin that most Western countries use. However, there are 48 other languages spoken by the 120 or so nationalities of the Commonwealth of Independent States. About 75 percent of the population of Russia is made up of people of Slavic origin, such as Russians, Belorussians, Ukrainians, and so on.

In the previous Soviet system, people were provided with low-rent accommodations, subsidized factory canteens, sports facilities, shops, and even vacations. Hardly any of these remain today. Plus, before the liberalization of the economy, public transport, utilities, cigarettes, drink, and food were also cheap.

The recent economic reforms have resulted in pushing a significant portion of the population below the poverty line, particularly pensioners. This is because inflation has overtaken the increases in benefits provided by the state. However, there is a growing middle class these days who are increasingly becoming prosperous by involving themselves in legitimate business, with a few of them becoming very wealthy. They are known commonly as ‘novye Russkie.’

The main religion of Russia is the Russian Orthodoxy, with a few people following other religions like Judaism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Islam. Over the last few years, there has been a revival of religion in Russia, which was strongly suppressed during the Soviet era. This revival is symbolized by the Christ the Saviour Cathedral being rebuilt in Moscow.

Russia is known as the ‘lungs of Europe’ since it has the largest forest reserves in the world, and the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by it is second only to the rainforests in the Amazon. These forests of Russia provide large amounts of oxygen not only to Europe but also to the world.

Russia also has the largest energy and mineral resources in the world, including large deposits of timber, coal, natural gas, and petroleum.

There are also thousands of inland water bodies and rivers in Russia, which makes it one of the largest surface water resources in the world. Amongst these, Lake Baikal is the most prominent, being the most capacious, purest, and deepest freshwater lake in the world. It alone contains more than one-fifth of the surface fresh water of the world. The River Volga is the most prominent and famous amongst the 100,000 rivers of Russia. Apart from it being Europe’s longest river, the Volga has played a major role in the history of Russia.

These facts about Russia are proof of how interesting this vast country is. Some would say that this slumbering giant is just beginning to come awake now.

Interesting Facts about Russian Revolution:

The term Russian revolution is used to refer to a series of revolutions which were initiated in Russia against the Tsarist autocracy in 1917. The historical significance of the Russian revolution of 1917 was that it paved the way for the creation of a separate nation of the Soviet Union. Though we refer to the revolutions in 1917 as the Russian revolution, in broad sense, the term is also used to refer to the revolution of 1905 and the third Russian revolution in 1918. The Russian revolution of 1905 was against Nicholas II, while the third Russian revolution was against the Bolsheviks. The information given below will predominantly stress on 1917 Russian revolution facts, with a passing reference to other revolutions witnessed by this nation.

Russian Revolution Causes

When we talk about Russian revolution facts, we can't ignore the various causes of the Russian revolution. These causes can be broadly categorized into economic causes, social causes and political causes. World War I had left Russia in dire state as several individuals joined the army, thus leaving the other sectors with insufficient number of workers. Working in rather miserable conditions, workers working in industries put forth some demands through their union. However, the Tsar was in no mood to pay heed to them, and the workers were left with no option but to go on a strike. Social oppression was at its peak during the beginning of the 20th century, and participation in the World War just made the things worse. Several peasants moved to the industrial areas as these industries were looking to fill manpower they lost heavily during the war. Tsar Nicholas II and his autocratic rule became quite infamous as time elapsed. Things worsened further when Nicholas II decided to bring army under his direct control. At this point of time the State Duma came into the picture, and issued a warning to the Tsar. It was this inept handling on the situation by Nicholas II that brought Russia to the verge of an uprising.

Russian Revolution Timeline

Given below is the timeline of the events that took place in Russia during the revolution. These events highlight several Russian revolution facts, which marked the history of this nation.

22nd February: The beginning of the February revolution marked by the strike of the workers at the Putilov Plant in Petrograd.

23rd February: Series of demonstrations demanding an end to autocracy in Russia and withdrawal from the World War I.

25th - 27th February: An army battalion was sent to Petrograd to end the rebellion, however, the disgruntled army personnel themselves joined the rebellion.

27th February: Petrograd Soviet is formed as Menshevik leaders are released from the Peter and Paul Fortress, in St. Petersburg.

2nd March: Nicholas II gives up the throne.

15th March: Provisional Government takes the reins of the nation in its own hands.

3rd July: An unplanned pro-soviet demonstration takes place in Petrograd.

6th July: The rebellion is crushed and several Bolshevik leaders are arrested.

27th August: The Provisional Government prepares for the attack after General Lavr Kornilov orders the army crops to take on Petrograd.

31st August: General Lavr Kornilov is arrested by the orders of Provisional Government.

4th September: Under tremendous public pressure, the Provisional Government is forced to release the Bolshevik leaders.

25th October: The rule of the Russian Provisional Government comes to an end as the Military Revolutionary Committee troops capture the Winter palace. This date which marked the end of October revolution, also marked the proclamation of Soviet Russia.

26th October: The Decree on Peace issued by the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets brings an end to Russian participation in the war.

Russian Revolution Summary

The 1905 Russian revolution was a mass unrest in several parts of the Russian Empire, which was, though not entirely, directed at the then government. It resulted in constitutional monarchy and multi-party system in Russia. Almost a decade later, the Russian revolution of 1917 created a similar picture of social unrest in the nation. Two of the most prominent incidents of Russian revolution of 1917 came in March and October respectively. In March 1917, the Russian Provisional Government took the reins in its own hand after the Tsar was deposed. In October the same year, the Provisional government was replaced by the Bolsheviks. What we refer to as the third Russian revolution was in fact a failed attempt to overthrow the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Moscow

A walk on snowy streets near Red Square reveals two very different faces of Russia. The stately Historical Museum, which faces St. Basil’s across Red Square, exhibits the glories of Russia’s past. But the hot new styles at Dior may be a bigger draw for newly wealthy Russians.

Garden Ring, Moscow

Moscow’s Garden Ring road was laid out in the early 1800s, but the view in those days was nothing like this one from the top of the Peking Hotel. The original ring was a tree-lined boulevard that traced the path of the city’s ancient outer wall. Today central Moscow lies inside the ring, but the city stretches well beyond.

Krasheninnikov Volcano

Krasheninnikov Volcano boasts two stunning, snowcapped summit cones. Located on the Pacific shore of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, it last erupted some 400 years ago. One indication of how big Russia is: The peninsula is as far from Moscow as Moscow is from Boston.

Brown Bear

A brown bear in Kurilskoye Lake shows its fishing prowess—and he won’t be practicing catch and release. This Kamchatka Peninsula lake is home to hundreds of bears, and visitors can see them tuck into a feast during the wild salmon run, one of Earth’s greatest. The bears share the fish with white-tailed eagles, golden eagles, and Steller’s sea eagles.

Soldiers at Kremlin, Moscow

Troops line up at one of the gates to the Kremlin. A walled fortress has stood on this Moscow site for the better part of a thousand years. Today the Kremlin is the home of Russia’s president, but on its grounds are public attractions such as the Patriarch’s Palace, the State Armory, and several churches.

Reindeer Herder

A man herds reindeer in Bystrinsky Park on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. He’s one of the region’s indigenous Even people, who cherish their traditional herding culture even as they welcome increasing numbers of tourists to the high peaks, sprawling forests, and lush tundra and meadows of their homeland—one of the world’s truly wild places.

Easter Midnight Mass, Vorkuta

A congregation in Vorkuta gathers to celebrate Easter at a midnight Mass. This coal-mining town, north of the Arctic Circle, was founded as a labor camp. Partly because it was a notorious gulag, partly because of the antichurch positions of the Soviet Union, the town didn’t have a dedicated church building until 2007.

Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

The Hermitage houses one of the world’s greatest art collections in one of the world’s most impressive groups of buildings. A famous former occupant of the palace, Catherine the Great, acquired the core of the collection during her 18th-century reign. Later, new treasures and buildings were added for the enjoyment of other royals and, eventually, the public.

Alexander Column, St. Petersburg

The Alexander Column, celebrating Russia’s victory over Napoleon, seems small when framed by an arch of the General Staff Building. But at 165 feet (50 meters) and 660 tons (599 metric tons), it’s one of the world’s largest freestanding monuments. The column fronts the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg’s Palace Square, the scene of the 1905 Bloody Sunday and the 1917 Bolshevik storming of the palace.

Russian Orthodox Priest

Father Sevastyan meditates on the Gospels at Svyato-Kazansky hermitage, one of many Russian Orthodox communities resurrecting across the country. Driven underground for 75 years, the faith of the Russian tsars now enjoys favored status.

Ballet Dancers, Moscow

Perhaps dreaming of the legendary Bolshoi, young dancers prepare for class at their academy in Moscow. Ballet has long been a Russian passion.

Country House, Mandrogy

Wildflowers add color to a dacha, or country home, in Mandrogy, between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Mandrogy is a re-created village, an idealization of traditional country life that’s popular with tourists taking cruises on the nearby Svir River.

Oil Pipeline, Siberia

Much of Russia’s economic might depends on its vast reserves of fossil fuels, which account for some 60 percent of the nation’s export revenues. This man, constructing an oil feeder pipeline in western Siberia, is one of some 71,000 employees of the Russian oil giant TNK-BP.

Lake Baikal

Siberia’s Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world—at over a mile (1,700 meters)—and holds an incredible 20 percent of Earth’s unfrozen fresh water. Formed some 25 million years ago, it’s also the world’s oldest lake. Because of its age and isolation, hundreds of aquatic species evolved here that are found nowhere else on the planet.

Source: National Geographic & Buzzle