Take a tour of Russia The Russian Federation, known as Russia, has a long and very interesting history. It was transformed into a communist country in 1917, and the Soviet Union was formed in 1922. In 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved. Russia has been full of wars, disputes and communism, but underneath all the bad things lies a beautiful country. Russia is filled with many geological beauties, along with man-made structures. Although not one of the most popular countries in the world for tourism, Russia has seen a resurgence to modernize and gain a better financial reputation. Russia has a range of different climates, from the bitter cold of Siberia to the semi-arid regions towards the center of the continent. The first place on our tour of Russia is Kizhi. It is an island in Lake Onega, which is located in the Republic of Karelia. The first known structures on the island were churches and basic settlements. The government forced the island's inhabitants to work in the mining industry and in plants that produced iron products (“Kizhi”). Most of the villages that existed have since disappeared and only a very few small settlements remain on the island. Today there is an open-air museum on the island that includes 80 historical structures. The name Kizhi comes from the word kizhat, meaning island games. Since at least the 14th century Kizhi has been used as a trade route between the Novgorod Sea and the White Sea. Since 1200 the area had economic importance. There was a major iron ore mining project that most of the island's citizens worked on. Some of the other jobs that needed to be done to continue mining operations were: clearing forests for lumber, burning coal, and maintaining the land. The work was forced and so people disobeyed orders and sometimes didn't even listen