Is Russia in Asia or Europe?

Russia‘s vast 17 million square kilometer expanse makes it both a European and Asian nation. Over 75% of Russian territory lies in Northern and Central Asia. However, most ethnic Russians have historically lived in the European part, which has dominated politically and culturally.

The European Roots of Russia and Medieval Era

The first organized Russian state centered around the Duchy of Kiev from the 9th to 13th century, based in present-day Ukraine. This key medieval era saw the Christianization of the region and beginnings of a united East Slavic identity—the precursor to modern Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians.

Culturally, the origins derive from both Scandinavian Vikings who traveled and traded down the Volga River along with the predominantly Slavic local people. There were gradual incursions eastward by Russians into lands dominated by Finno-Ugric and Turkic peoples, but the core always remained firmly European.

Gaming and Conquests Through the Ages

Just as epic roleplaying games allow you to expand your kingdom‘s borders, the growth of Russia has a long history of ambitious leaders waging wars of conquest. During the rapid expansion of the Russian Empire from the 17th to 19th century, Czar Peter the Great looked to Western Europe for inspiration in reforms and technology, hoping to make Russia competitive on the global stage.

Later Czars then set their sights on the East, using advanced weapons and ruthless military tactics to annex resource-rich lands like Kazakhstan, the Caucasus region and eventually the Pacific coast. Through culturally ‘Europeanizing‘ at home while simultaneously colonizing the East, they built an empire spanning two continents.

Demographics and Culture Skew European

Despite its geographical reach into Asia, Russia‘s population and cultural heritage tilts decidedly European. Of 142 million total Russian citizens, upwards of 110 million ethnically identify as Russian. Other prominent groups like Ukrainians, Tatars and Bashkirs represent distant second tiers.

Orthodox Christianity arrived in Russia by the 10th century, and the church retains an enormously influential role in Russian society versus Islamic, Buddhist or indigenous belief systems. The Russian language uses a modified version of the Cyrillic script, filtering out Arabic and Asian linguistic influences found elsewhere in surrounding regions.

Names of Russia‘s greatest writers like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov decorate the global literary canon, while famed composers including Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich produced predominantly European orchestral and operatic works. The Winter Palace and Saint Basil‘s Cathedral similarly reflect Renaissance and Byzantine architectures—decidedly Western styles.

So while Russia expanded militarily into new frontiers east, the ethnic makeup and cultural touchstones binding the country together still tilts steeply towards Europe in origin.

Gaming as Political Allegory and Commentary

Released in 2022, indie exploration game Norco depicts a dystopian near-future vision of southern Louisiana bayou country and the impacts of rampant industrialization. Through the protagonist searching for her missing brother, it tackles complex themes around family, cultural identity and economic inequality.

Just as climate change and political tensions shape Norco‘s reality, Russia‘s imperial past and Soviet 20th century history forged complex dynamics between the European majority and Asian minority populations across its vast territory. Ongoing political allegiances, nationalist sentiment and economic pressures continue redefining this relationship.

Economics and Resources: An Evolving Balance of Power

For much of modern history, Russia‘s economic productive power centered firmly on the European side despite Siberia‘s ample natural resource deposits. However, investment trends over the past decade show the economic gravity shifting. Below tables highlight the recent divergence:

GDP Share by Federal District

Mineral Extraction Volume Comparison

Access to Asian oil, gas and mineral reserves has taken on increasing modern importance, with a longer-term strategic impact still materializing.

Resource Competition Fuels Game Geo-Politics

Games like the Civilization series demonstrate how vital resources access becomes for growing empires. As in real-world history, conflict often starts when multiple factions covet the same lands for economic or strategic advantage.

Modern Russia now sees fierce global competition for control over Arctic territories believed to hold vast untapped oil and gas deposits – 30% of the world‘s undiscovered reserves by some estimates. How this supply race between Russia, the US, Canada, Nordic states and China unfolds in coming decades may drastically impact geopolitics and alter economic power balances.

Politics and Foreign Relations: An Eastern Shift Emerging

Moscow and St. Petersburg have long served as Russia‘s political and cultural capitals, corridors of power firmly within Europe proper. However, today‘s fraught relations with Europe push Russia towards deepening ties with willing Asian partners instead. Below summarizes key developments:

• Over 1 million Russians have fled to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia since 2022 over Ukraine war-related sanctions, with more expected in deteriorating economic conditions.

• China has become Russia‘s largest trading partner by far in wake of Western sanctions, reaching over $180 billion in annual volume. Their friendship is dubbed as having "no limits", but remains complicated by lingering border disputes and regional influence concerns in Central Asia.

• Territorial issues also simmer with Japan over disputed islands seized in WW2. However, some accelerated talks over economic cooperation in the Far East have emerged given Russia‘s isolation from other major powers.

• India has stepped up purchasing discounted Russian oil/gas while avoiding overt condemnation over Ukraine. Chinese and Indian appetite mitigates losing significant European energy revenues, offering Moscow a political win.

So while the political nerve center continues beating in Moscow, the Ukraine crisis gives Asia an outsized role. Russia‘s future power and prosperity likely depends on nurturing these Eastern relationships inherited as a legacy of its imperial expansions centuries prior.