Russia is the largest state in the world by area. It is washed by the waters of three oceans, on its territory there are a variety of natural zones - from the Arctic deserts to the subtropics. Russia has a rich, glorious, albeit teeming with tragic pages, history. And how did the name of the state arise, which generally means the word "Russia"?
Great Russia - the state of the Eastern Slavs
In some historical documents of the era of the French king Louis I the Pious and Byzantine Emperor Konstantin Bagryanorodny, a large state is mentioned in the middle reaches of the Dnieper. This state was called Rus (Russian land). Its main cities were considered Kiev, Chernihiv and Pereslavl (South).
There are many hypotheses about the origin of the term "Rus." Most scholars are of the opinion that this name comes from some ancient word meaning "water." In evidence, they refer to the enormous role that reservoirs played in the life of those long and forested places (transport, trade routes, food sources). That is, "Russia" is something like "a place rich in water."
In documents of a later era, the names of several other cities are found, for example, Vyshgorod, Belgorod, Tripoli, Korsun, Kanev. According to them, you can determine the approximate borders of Ancient Russia. They included the territories of many Slavic tribes (Polyans, Drevlyans, Vyatichi, Krivichi, etc.), as well as Finno-Ugric tribes - Chud, Vesy.
By the beginning of the XIII century, the territory of Russia also included Novgorod and East Suzdal lands.
