Russia - an Asian country? Moscow- Asian/Oriental city?

[ladislav]

Several times, I have been asked what cities in Europe I have been to. I would mention London, Rome, Amsterdam and Moscow. I would immediately get an answer from Americans or W. Euros and even one Turk-' But Russia is not in Europe'. I would say' No? Where is it then? in Asia?' Then someone would say-'yeah, Russia is in Asia'. Or 'Moscow is in Asia'.

Is this what you guys were taught in school?

I always thought that Asia started at the Urals. The Asian part of Russia is called Siberia but Moscow is definitely in Europe.

Just curious.

[Repatriate]

Geographically it could be considered Asia but in reality the culture is western. I don't feel that it makes sense to classify countries solely on geography. Is Australia an "asian" country despite its location? Of course not. That is how I would counter their comment.

[Rock]

Several times, I have been asked what cities in Europe I have been to. I would mention London, Rome, Amsterdam and Moscow. I would immediately get an answer from Americans or W. Euros and even one Turk-' But Russia is not in Europe'. I would say' No? Where is it then? in Asia?' Then someone would say-'yeah, Russia is in Asia'. Or 'Moscow is in Asia'.

Is this what you guys were taught in school?

I always thought that Asia started at the Urals. The Asian part of Russia is called Siberia but Moscow is definitely in Europe.

Just curious.

We were taught that Russia spans 2 continents - far west part in Europe and rest in Asia. I don't think most students in my school would be able to draw the precise dividing line. But my impression is that land-mass wise, more if it is in Asia.

[OutWest]

Several times, I have been asked what cities in Europe I have been to. I would mention London, Rome, Amsterdam and Moscow. I would immediately get an answer from Americans or W. Euros and even one Turk-' But Russia is not in Europe'. I would say' No? Where is it then? in Asia?' Then someone would say-'yeah, Russia is in Asia'. Or 'Moscow is in Asia'.

Is this what you guys were taught in school?

I always thought that Asia started at the Urals. The Asian part of Russia is called Siberia but Moscow is definitely in Europe.

Just curious.

Very few Americans have the slightest clue about geography. Clearly, both by history, Geography
and culture, Russia is a European country that extends into Asia.

And yes, I was taught as you were, that Asia starts at the Urals as you head east.

Outwest

[ladislav]

Can you imagine a bunch of Russians appearing at some Asian-American student meeting or some Asian American organization trying to join? Lol.

Russia used to be called the Duchy of Muscovy and was only renamed Russia by Peter the Great. The Asian part is called Siberia and it was colonized at the same time as W. Euros colonized the Americas and Australia. Ivan the Terrible chased the Mongols across the Urals but did not stop there and kept going.

But Siberia is so big that it makes it appear as if Russia is an Asian country. Most people do not live in Siberia, though.

The thing is North and S. America broke away from the mother countries but Siberia tried and did once, but it couldn't last. It did not have an ocean in between and it could not form a united gov't.

They still have an independence party there, though.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

Some Americans believe Russia is "Asian" because of the presence of Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Turkman, and other Central Asian people in their society. When these peoples appear on TV as Russian, it gives the impression that Russia is an Asian country.

Additionally, long portions of Russia border China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan well west of Siberia. Let us not forget Russia's Sakhalin Island which is close to Japan, and it's border close to North Korea.

So, geographically Russia does occupy Asia, but it is culturally a Slavo-European country.

[Rocky Top]

Most Americans can't find Russia on a map anyways. Like you said, the dividing line is the Ural Mts between Asia and Europe with some circles including Kazakhstan as a Euro-Asian country as well as Russia.

[Banano]

http://flagspot.net/misc/geo-euro.gif


Interestingly parts of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are part of Europe.







Russians from Vladivostok consider themselves Europeans

[ladislav]

One Texan I knew told me- "We don't know anything about Russia because in school they did not teach us about Oriental history".

Vladivostok as well as that whole Pacific area were settled around about 1850ies. And of course they are Europeans- they are Slavs.

This is a chamber choir from there



Imagine them on the streets of neighboring countries- China, Korea, Japan.

I can already imagine the Japanese go- gaijin da, gaijin da!

[xiongmao]

My crazy friend from Guangzhou got a job offer in that part of Russia. But I had to tell him that, hold on for a minute, there's nothing to do there really. It's not near anywhere else, and also it gets freaking cold in Winter.

Flew over it on the way to Japan a few times and there's nothing there at all. Pretty much the entire flight from the UK to Japan is over wilderness.

[ladislav]

My crazy friend from Guangzhou got a job offer in that part of Russia. But I had to tell him that, hold on for a minute, there's nothing to do there really. It's not near anywhere else, and also it gets freaking cold in Winter.

Flew over it on the way to Japan a few times and there's nothing there at all. Pretty much the entire flight from the UK to Japan is over wilderness.

Oh, you must have missed the cities while under clouds or something. And you gave your friend a wrong advice. Because down below was this:

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

That is gorgeous!