Page 72 - The Baltic Capitals & St. Petersburg

resulted in a number of civilian casualties, but was resolved in Yeltsin’s favor. Elections
were held and the current Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted on December
12, 1993.

Vladimir Putin was elected in 2000. Although President Putin is still the most popular Russian
politician, with a 70% approval rating, his policies raised serious concerns about civil society
and human rights in Russia. The West and particularly the United States expressed growing
worries about the state control of the Russian media through Kremlin-friendly companies,
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At the same time, high oil prices and growing internal demand boosted Russian economic
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military spending. Putin’s presidency has shown improvements in the Russian standard of
living, as opposed to the 1990s. Even with these economic improvements, the government
T^ N]T_TNTePO QZ] WLNV ZQ bTWW _Z ʭRS_ bTOP ^[]PLO N]TXP LYO NZ]]`[_TZY LYO _Z ]PYZaL_P
deteriorated urban infrastructure throughout the country. Despite the economic distress and
decreased military funding following the fall of the Soviet Union, the country retains its large
weapons and especially nuclear weapons arsenal.

In March of 2008 Russian Dmitry Medvedev was chosen as the President of Russia. During this
period, Vladimir Putin served as Prime Minister. In March of 2012, Putin was elected to a third
term as president.

Poland

Facts & Figures
• Area: 120,728 square miles

• Capital: Warsaw

• Government: Republic

• Language: ;ZWT^S T^ _SP ZʯNTLW WLYR`LRP 4_ T^ L >WLaZYTN WLYR`LRP @YWTVP =`^^TLY T_
uses the familiar Roman alphabet, but with many additional accents. German, Russian,
English, and French are spoken by most members of the travel industry and in hotels.

• Location: Situated in the heart of Europe, Poland’s low-lying plains extend from the
Baltic shore in the north to the Tatra Mountains on its southern border with the Czech
Republic and Slovakia. To the east of the Polish border are Lithuania, Belarus, and the
Ukraine; to the west is Germany.
• Population: 38,562,189 (estimate)

• Religion: Catholic 87.2%, Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.4%, other 0.4%, and
`Y^[PNTʭPO #

• Time zone: The time in Poland is six hours ahead of Eastern Time in North America:
when it is 12 noon in New York, it is 6 pm in Warsaw and Krakow.

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