Russian America

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/russian-america

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Russian America?Approximately 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 square kilometers)
2. What is the capital of Russian America?New Archangel (modern-day Sitka)
3. What language do people speak in Russian America?Russian and various Indigenous languages including Aleut, Tlingit, and Haida
4. What is the primary economic activity?Fur trade, particularly sea otter pelts
5. What is the year of sale?1867

Vitus Bering: Danish explorer who led pivotal Russian expeditions, charting much of the Alaskan coast and Aleutian Islands.
Russian-American Company: A powerful, state-sponsored monopoly that managed Russian America's trade and administration from 1799 to 1867.
Promyshlenniki: Russian hunters and traders who were the primary agents of the fur trade and early settlers in Russian America.
New Archangel: The administrative capital of Russian America, established by the Russian-American Company, now modern-day Sitka, Alaska.