The future of Russia

[Meticulous Man]

Okay, so winters are colder in Omsk, but the summer is still about as long as in Stockholm, and we have to remember that more than 80% of the Russian population live in the European part of Russia.

[Serb]

Originally posted by Aivo½so
Okay, so winters are colder in Omsk, but the summer is still about as long as in Stockholm,

I don't know how in Stockholm, but here an agricultural season last three months and during those three months our peasants have to make stockpiles of food for domestic animals, to survive the winter.
Another reason is soil. It's not the same everywhere.

and we have to remember that more than 80% of the Russian population live in the European part of Russia.

It depends on what you consider as "European part of Russia".

[Meticulous Man]

I mean the area that is geographically located in Europe.

[Serb]

Then it depends on what you consider as Europe.



CIA's site says that whole Russia located in north Asia).

[Cruddy]

Serb, you have missed one USEFUL result of having an extremely cold climate...

It puts you in a position to research, test and develop techniques for humans to exist in places like Antarctica and under the sea.

I'm not saying it's easy or "the logical thing to do" - but it could be to your advantage in the long term.

[Meticulous Man]

General Winter has also helped Russia defend itself many times.

Russia:

3 or officially Russian Federation independent country in E Europe & N Asia bordering on Arctic & Pacific oceans & on Baltic & Black seas; a constituent republic ( Russian Republic or Soviet Russia) of the U.S.S.R. 1922-91 capital Moscow area 6,592,812 square miles (17,075,383 square kilometers), population 148,000,000

Siberia:

region N Asia in Russia extending from the Urals to the Pacific; roughly coextensive with Russia in Asia

http://www.m-w.com

[Serb]

Originally posted by Cruddy
Serb, you have missed one USEFUL result of having an extremely cold climate...

It puts you in a position to research, test and develop techniques for humans to exist in places like Antarctica and under the sea.

I'm not saying it's easy or "the logical thing to do" - but it could be to your advantage in the long term.

You are absolutely correct here Cruddy. We already developed a special human being called Sibiryak who can survive at Antarctica.
When we will have enough boats, we will invade Antarctica and make it ours forever. It rightfully belongs to Russia, because we were the people who discovered it.
Oh, almost forget, we'll get Alaska back too.

[Serb]

Originally posted by Aivo½so
General Winter has also helped Russia defend itself many times.

Russia:


Siberia:


http://www.m-w.com

Can you find something about percentage of population who live in European part of Russia? (I'm too lazy to it myself).

[Meticulous Man]

http://www.nsu.ru/aiesec/english/for...es/siberia.php claims that Siberia's population in 1994 was an estimated 25,110,000. If we divide 25 million by 145 million (Russia's population) we get ~0,172, which is the percentage of Russians living in Siberia. Thus we can conclude that 83% of Russians live in the European part.

[Serb]

And what it changes?
Even such "warm" city of European part of Russia is still colder than Stockholm.

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/climatology/monthly/RSXX0063?from=search

[Combat Ingrid]

Serb, I let a Russian friend of mine read your posts in this thread. He pointed out that perhaps the buildings in Omsk has a special architecture to withstand the winter better, but for Russia in general, the houses (especially those built in the USSR era) are not built to handle cold weather. Just concrete blocks without proper insulation. Pretty much cheap containers for people, but not really made for living.

[Meticulous Man]

Well, the temperatures from May to September seem to be about the same as in Stockholm, and the remaining months are just a bit colder. I don't think the preparations for winter conditions that have to be made in Moscow can be that much different from those in Stockholm. I have to agree that the winters in Omsk are pretty cold but not a lot of Russians live in areas that cold.

[Hurricane]

Originally posted by Serb
Ok, I'll try to explain what I meant, once again:
Two manufactureres of any goods (ANY, like cars, aircrafts, canned food, electronics, just ANY goods), both use the same manufacturing technologies and have the same level of organization, in other words, two absolutely alike companies. But first munufacturer have additional and PERMANENT expences, due climate where his company is located. The second manufacturer do not have this expences, because his company is located in country with much more warm climate.
How do you think who will win the competition and who will go bunkrupt?

Maybe you should read some basic economics.

Consider two countries, A and B.

* A is located in a harsh area, and produces products Gadget for $100 a piece and product Widget for $500 a piece.

* B is located in a nice warm climate, and produces the exact same products Gadget for $75 and Widget for $450.

Explain why it is a good deal for BOTH countries to trade (and thus boost both countries' economy), instead of making all the goods themselves.

[Serb]

Explain why it is a good deal for BOTH countries to trade (and thus boost both countries' economy), instead of making all the goods themselves.

Actually I don't get what you mean. Are you talking about competition in general? Which leads to imrovments of technologies, lower prices, etc?
Or are you talking about Ricardo's thoughts, that country A can produce other goods more efficently than country B and will win the competition with country B in other area. So it's cheaper for country A to buy the goods X from country B (because it will cost for it more to produce it themself) and to sell to country B their goods Y (and country B will buy it because it's more cheaper for them to buy it from country A, than to produce it themself).
If so, then I can't see many areas where goods produced in Russia will be more competitive than goods produced in other countries. An examples of such areas can be space and military technologies (where our goods still competitive, thanks to our technologies), but this area of market is heavily influenced by politics. Country B will never buy such goods from country A and countries C,E,F,G,J, etc, will buy such goods from country B regardless that it would have been more profitable for them to buy the same goods from country A. They are in military alliance or under political pressure of country B.

[Serb]

Originally posted by Combat Ingrid
Serb, I let a Russian friend of mine read your posts in this thread. He pointed out that perhaps the buildings in Omsk has a special architecture to withstand the winter better, but for Russia in general, the houses (especially those built in the USSR era) are not built to handle cold weather. Just concrete blocks without proper insulation. Pretty much cheap containers for people, but not really made for living.

I live in one of those "containers" since it was build in 1982 (nine years before the fall of SU) and still survived.