Russia in Asia????

[don_narayan]

Well, Estonia can boast about reaching Helsinki in less then eight hours, and they are truly European, if that is anything to even boast about. Plus, Estonia can boast that they are not dispised by the Finnish as invaders... and they can also communicate.

From New York City I can fly to London or Paris in 6 hours... so can I now concider myself European? I mean, I can get to Europe faster than you can drive there!

And what racism we have here, which is something truly Russian, to be offended if they are grouped with Asians. Is there something wrong with Mongolia or China, societies that are richer in culture than Russia and Europe.

[Luko]

Yes, I also wonder what is the underlying problem of Russia being part of Asia, in the same group as India or Laos. A little apartheidy, if you ask me : I'd suspect the white Russia "don't want to be put into the same bag with the gooks" syndrom.

Knowing that the longest borders of Russia are with asian countries such as China, Mongolia or Kazakhstan, I don't see where's the logical problem. Maybe some people think there's no Russia outside Moscow and Leningrad (ooops sorry :D ... St.Petersburg), I wonder what is written in Putin's geography books.

Ok Daria, just let me explain the way we westerners see the things. Most of Russia belongs to Asia. Period.
Now if it can help, I'd propose to swap France with Russia in Europe. I wouldn't mind being part of Asia at all.

[Davids]

I just found out that the UK is located in the North of Europe, fantastic!
Also that I live in the middle of the two most likely centers (yes, not one but more) of Europe.
In Europe we cannot decide where the center is;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_centre_of_Europe
since the French were the only ones to conclude the center is not in their country, I trust them and believe that it is in Lithuania.
Anyway, The center of Europe is located in Northern Europe.
Yep.

[jinju]

Yes, it takes onlt a few hours to Helsinki from moscow. But what about if you live in Irkutsk or Vladivostok?

I think you are just racist against Asians

[jinju]

shymelka strikes me as a little bigot. No make that a big one. bigoted bigoted racist.

[vapours]

I think the term racist may be a little harsh here. A lot of Turks would never call themselves Asian- it doesn't make them racist, just that they don't feel as if they identify with the Asian people.

[jinju]

Well, I wasnt going to until this person practically spat with venom at the very idea of Russia being in Asia

[don_narayan]

But to a certain extent, Turks have embraced their Mongol rootes... even take a some pride in decending from one of the great Hordes. Show me something similar in Russian culture.

[vapours]

Yeah I can see how it could have been interpreted that way. I saw it as more of a reaction to the idea, rather than an attack on the Asian people.

[jinju]

The reacition to me was quite telling. Why would the idea of being in Asia upset her so much if she wasnt a bigot?