New
New
Year 9

Russia's global power and influence

I can explain the reasons for Russia’s power and influence in the world and evaluate its status as a global superpower.

New
New
Year 9

Russia's global power and influence

I can explain the reasons for Russia’s power and influence in the world and evaluate its status as a global superpower.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A country that can project its power and influence all over the world is called a global superpower.
  2. Economy, military, population, land area, energy reserves and cultural influence are factors that give countries power.
  3. Russia is often considered a global superpower due to its strong military, large land area and large energy reserves.
  4. Some people think Russia’s power is limited by the size of its economy and the size of its population.

Keywords

  • Global superpower - a country that can project its power and influence all over the world

  • Military - the people trained and organised by a country to defend it and potentially fight in wars, along with the weapons, vehicles and equipment they use

  • Energy reserves - natural sources of energy, like oil, gas, or coal, that a country has stored underground and can use in the future

Common misconception

A superpower only refers to a country's military power and influence.

Superpower status depends on a country's economy, population, military, energy reserves and cultural power.


To help you plan your year 9 geography lesson on: Russia's global power and influence, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

This is sensitive content and therefore it is very important that teachers consider the context of their pupils and proceed with caution.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions.

Correct Answer:population density,number of people per square kilometre

number of people per square kilometre

Correct Answer:migration,when people move from one place to another

when people move from one place to another

Correct Answer:region,an area with shared features

an area with shared features

Q2.
Where do most people in Russia live?

Far East
Siberia
Correct answer: Western Russia
Arctic Circle

Q3.
Russia’s population is around million.

Correct answer: 144
150
22
163

Q4.
Why are many people moving to Russian cities?

because of good farming
Correct answer: for better jobs and services
to avoid cold weather
for adventure

Q5.
Which part of Russia is least densely populated?

West
South
Correct answer: North and East (Siberia)
Central

Q6.
Which major industry is most important in Siberia?

banking
tourism
farming
Correct answer: mining and energy

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their correct meanings.

Correct Answer:global superpower,a country with worldwide power and influence

a country with worldwide power and influence

Correct Answer:military,a country’s armed forces and their equipment

a country’s armed forces and their equipment

Correct Answer:energy reserves,stored underground sources like oil, gas or coal

stored underground sources like oil, gas or coal

Q2.
Which of these is a reason why Russia is considered a global superpower?

small land area
large economy
Correct answer: strong military
low energy supply

Q3.
Why do some people argue that Russia’s power is limited?

It’s a coastal country.
Correct answer: Its economy and population are relatively small.
It has too many time zones.
It uses too many fossil fuels.

Q4.
Why is it wrong to think that being a superpower is only about the military?

Military forces are rarely used.
Correct answer: Other factors like economy and culture also matter.
War is illegal.
Not all countries have a military.