document_title: U.S. history of alcohol minimum purchase age by state

question_text: when did the drinking age change to 21 in california

text: The alcohol laws of the United States regarding minimum age for purchase have changed over time.  This history is given in the table below.  Unless otherwise noted, if different alcohol categories have different minimum purchase ages, the age listed below is set at the lowest age given (e.g. if the purchase age is 18 for beer and 21 for wine or spirits, as was the case in several states, the age in the table will read as "18", not "21").  In addition, the purchase age is not necessarily the same as the minimum age for consumption of alcoholic beverages, although they have often been the same.

text:
As one can see in the table below, there has been much volatility in the states' drinking ages since the
repeal of Prohibition in 1933.  Shortly after the ratification of the 21st amendment in December, most states set their purchase ages at 21 since that was the voting age at the time. Most of these limits remained constant until the early 1970s.  From 1969 to 1976, some 30 states lowered their purchase ages, generally to 18. This was primarily because the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971 with the 26th amendment. Many states started to lower their minimum drinking age in response, most of this occurring in 1972 or 1973.[1][2][3] Twelve states kept their purchase ages at 21 since repeal of Prohibition and never changed them.

text: From 1976 to 1983, several states voluntarily raised their purchase ages to 19 (or, less commonly, 20 or 21), in part to combat drunk driving fatalities.[citation needed] In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which required states to raise their ages for purchase and public possession to 21 by October 1986 or lose 10% of their federal highway funds. By mid-1988, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had raised their purchase ages to 21 (but not Puerto Rico, Guam, or the Virgin Islands, see Additional Notes below). South Dakota and Wyoming were the final two states to comply with the age 21 mandate. The current drinking age of 21 remains a point of contention among many Americans, because of it being higher than the age of majority (18 in most states) and higher than the drinking ages of most other countries. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act is also seen as a congressional sidestep of the tenth amendment. Although debates have not been highly publicized, a few states have proposed legislation to lower their drinking age,[4] while Guam has raised its drinking age to 21 in July 2010.[5]

text:
State
Pre-Prohibition(prior to 1919)
Post-Prohibition(after 1933)
1970s / 26th Amendment(adopted in 1971)
1980s / Drinking Age Act of 1984
21st century

Alabama

Pre 1881:None1881:21 (none with consent of parent)[6]
21
1975:Lowered to 19[7]
1986:Raised to 21[8]
21  (no one underage is allowed consumption Section 28-1)

Alaska

?
21[7]
1970:Lowered to 19[9]
1984:Raised to 21 with grandfather clause (if born before January 1, 1965)[10][11]
21

Arizona

?
21[11]
1972:Lowered to 19[12]
1985:Raised to 21[8]
21

Arkansas

Pre 1925:None[7]1925:21[7]
21
21[13]
21[8]
21

California

Pre 1891:Regulated by municipality/county (common age was 16)[14][15][16]1891:18 (statewide)[17]
1933:21[7]
21
21[8]
21 (except small amounts for religious ceremonies)

Colorado

None[11]
1945:18: for beer21: for wine and liquor[7]
18[18]
Raised to 21 in 1987[8]
21

Connecticut

?
21[11]
1972:Lowered to 18[19]
1982:Raised to 191983:Raised to 201985:Raised to 21[20]
21 (exemptions: (1) a person over age eighteen who is an employee or permit holder under section 30-90a and who possesses alcoholic liquor in the course of such person's employment or business, (2) a minor who possesses alcoholic liquor on the order of a practicing physician, or (3) a minor who possesses alcoholic liquor while accompanied by a parent, guardian or spouse of the minor, who has attained the age of twenty-one. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to burden a person's exercise of religion under section 3 of article first of the Constitution of the state in violation of subsection (a) of section 52-571b.[21]

Delaware

?
21[11]
1972:Lowered to 20
1984:Raised to 21[8]
21

District of Columbia

?
18: for beer and wine[11]21: for liquor[22][23]
18: for beer and wine[23]21: for liquor
1986:Raised to 21 with grandfather clause.[24][25]
21

Florida

?
18[7]
1980:19[26]
1985:Raised to 21 with grandfather clause[26]
21[27]

Georgia

?
21[11]
1972: Lowered to 18[12]
1984:Raised to 19[13]1985:Raised to 20[13]1986:Raised to 21[13]
21

Hawaii

?
21[7]
1972:Lowered to 18
1986:Raised to 21[8]
21

Idaho

?
20: for beer[28][29]21: for wine and liquor[11][30]
1972:Lowered to 19 (all)[31]
1987:Raised to 21 in 1987 (Apr 11) with grandfather clause[8][32]
21

Illinois

1872:Age of majority (none with written consent of parent)[33]
pre 1961: Age of majority      1961:  Raised to 21[34]
1973:Lowered to 19: for beer and wine21: for liquor[35]
1980:Raised to 21[36]
21

Indiana

?
Post-1934:21[7]
21[13]
21[8]
21

Iowa

?
21[7]
1972:Lowered to 19 in 1972 (Jul 1)1973:Lowered to 18 in 1973 (Jul 1)1978:Raised to 19 in 1978 (Jul 1)[37]
1986:Raised to 21 in 1986 (Jul 1) with grandfather clause.[13][37]
21

Kansas

?
1949:18: for beer and wine with less than 4% ABV21: for liquor[7]
18: for beer and wine with less than 4% ABV[13]21: for beer and wine with 4% ABV or more[13]21: for liquor[13][18]
1985:Raised to 21[8]
21 (However, anyone under 21 may consume cereal malt beverages with parental supervision on their own property)

Kentucky

?
1938:21[7]
21[13]
21[8]
21

Louisiana

?
As of 1948:18
18[18]
1987:Raised to 21 de jure in 1987,[8]but de facto age was still 18 until 1995 due to a sale loophole.1995:De facto age raised to 21 in 1995 when loophole was closed.[38]1996:In 1996, briefly lowered by Louisiana Supreme Court to 18 until it reversed its decision, raising to 21 three months later.[39]Other exceptions still remain.[40]
21 (Exceptions to state law include:[41]
For an established religious purpose;When a person under twenty-one years of age is accompanied by a parent, spouse, or legal guardian twenty-one years of age or older;For medical purposes when purchased as an over the counter medication, or when prescribed or administered by a licensed physician, pharmacist, dentist, nurse, hospital, or medical institution;In a private residence, which shall include a residential dwelling and up to twenty contiguous acres, on which the dwelling is located, owned by the same person who owns the dwelling;The sale, handling, transport, or service in dispensing of any alcoholic beverage pursuant to lawful ownership of an establishment or to lawful employment of a person under twenty-one years of age by a duly licensed manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer of beverage alcohol.)

Maine

?
21[7]1969:Lowered to 20
1972:Lowered to 18[12]1977:Raised to 20[8][42]
1985:Raised to 21[8]
21

Maryland

?
21[7]
1974:Lowered to 18: for beer and wine21: for liquor[43][44]
1982:Raised to 21 with grandfather clause for those born June 30, 1964 or earlier[45][8][46]
21 (however anyone can drink when parents, spouses, teachers are present)

Massachusetts

?
21[11]
1973:Lowered to 181979:Raised to 20 in 1979 (Apr 16)[47][48][49]
Raised to 21 in 1985[8]
21

Michigan

?
21[7]
1972:Lowered to 18 in 1972 (Jan 1)[50]
1978:Raised to 19 in 1978 (Dec 3)[51][52]1978:Raised to 21 in 1978 (Dec 21), 18 days later.[8]First state to raise age to 21 since it was lowered
21

Minnesota

?
21[11]
1973:Lowered to 18 (June 1)1976:Raised to 19 (Sept 1)[53]First state to raise age after lowering.

1986:Raised to 21[54]
21

Mississippi

?
1966:18: for beer and wine21: for liquor[7](alcohol not legalized until 1966)
18[18]
Raised to 21 in 1986[8]
21

Missouri

?
1945:21[7]
21
21[8]
21

Montana

?
21[11]
1971:Lowered to 19[55]1973:Lowered to 18[56][57]1979:Raised to 19
1987:Raised to 21[8][58]
21

Nebraska

?
21[59]1969:Lowered to 20
1972:Lowered to 19[59]
1980:Raised to 20[13]1985:Raised to 21[13]
21

Nevada

?
1933:21[7]
21
21[8]
21

New Hampshire

?
21[11]
1973:Lowered to 18[60]1979:Raised to 20
1985:Raised to 21[8][20]
21

New Jersey

Before 1880:NonePost-1880:18 (penalties only against businesses)[61][62][63]
21[citation needed]
1973:Lowered to 18[12]
1980:Raised to 191983:Raised to 21[8][64]
21

New Mexico

?
1934:21[7]
21[13]
21[8]
21

New York

21
18[65]
18
1982:Raised to 19 in 1982 (Dec)1985:Raised to 21 in 1985 (Dec)[20][66][67]
21

North Carolina

?
18[11]
18: for beer and wine[18] 21: for liquor
1983:19: for beer and wine 21: for liquor1986:Raised to 21 in 1986 (Sep 1)[8][25]
21

North Dakota

?
1936:21[7]
21[13]
21[68]
21

Ohio

?
1935:18: for 3.2% ABW beer21: for beer stronger than 3.2% ABW, wine and liquor[69]
18: for 3.2% ABW beer21: for beer stronger than 3.2% ABW, wine and liquor
1982 (Aug. 19 to Oct. 1):19: for 3.2% ABW beer[13]21: for beer stronger than 3.2% ABW, wine and liquor[13]1982 (From Oct. 1):19: beer21: wine and liquor[70]1988:21[13]
21 (However, anyone can drink with parents or legal-age spouse)

Oklahoma

?
Men:21Women:18: 3.2% ABW beer21: for beer stronger than 3.2% ABW, wine and liquor[71]
1976:Lowered to 18 (for 3.2% ABW beer) for both sexes in 1976 (Dec)[72]Last state to lower the drinking age.
1983:Raised to 21[11][73]
21

Oregon

?
1933:21[7]
21
21[8]
21

Pennsylvania

?
1935:21[7]
21
21[8][52]
21

Rhode Island

?
21[11]
1970:Lowered to 18[12][74]
1980:Raised to 191981:Raised to 201984:Raised to 21[20]
21

South Carolina

21[75]
1935:18: for beer and wine21: for liquor[7]
18: for beer and wine[18]21: for liquor
1984:19: for beer and wine[7]21: for liquor1986:Raised to 21[8]
21

South Dakota

?
1934:21 (all)1939:Lowered to 18: for 3.2% beerRaised to 19: for 3.2% beer[76]
1972:18: for beer and wine21: for liquor
1984:19: for beer and wine21: for liquor[8]1988:Raised to 21[58]
21

Tennessee

Pre 1881:None1881:21[77]
21[7]1964:Lowered to 18[7]
1979:Raised to 19
1984:Raised to 21[8]
21

Texas

Pre 1909:21None (with written permission of parent or guardian)Post 1909:21[78][79]
21[7]
1973:Lowered to 18[80]
1981:Raised to 19[81]1986:Raised to 21 in 1986 (Sep 1)[8][25]
21

Utah

?
1935:21[7]
21[13]
21[8]
21

Vermont

?
21[7]
1971:Lowered to 18[82][83]
1986:Raised to 21[20][83]
21

Virginia

?
21[84]
1974:Lowered to 18: for beer and wine(21: for liquor remained)[84]
1981:Raised to 19 for off-premises consumption1983:Raised to 19 (all beer)1985:Raised to 21[84]
21

Washington

Age of majoritysince 1877[85]
21[citation needed]
21
21[8]
21

West Virginia

?
18: for beer and wine 21: for liquor[11]
1972:Lowered to 18 (all)[86]
1983:Raised to 19(& 21 for non-residents)[8][42]1986:Raised to 21[8]
21

Wisconsin

1839–1866:18: for wine and liquorNone: for beerPost-1866:21 (all)[87]
18: for beer21: for wine and spirits1957:21: for residents of bordering states with age limit 21.[88]1963:Raised to 21 (off-premises beer sales, remained 18 for on-premises).[88]
1972:Lowered to 18 (all) in 1972 (Mar)[88]1977:Border state restriction lifted.[88]
1984:Raised to 191986:Raised to 21 (September 1, 1986)[88]
21 (however anyone can drink when parents, spouses, teachers are present)[citation needed]

Wyoming

?
21[7]
1973:Lowered to 19
1988:Raised to 21 in 1988 (Jul 1)[89][90]Last state to raise de jure drinking age to 21
21

American Samoa

?
?
?
21?
21[91]

Northern Mariana Islands

–
–
?
21?
21[92]

Puerto Rico

?
18
18
Kept at 18despite highway fundingpenalty under Drinking Age Act.
18[93]

Virgin Islands

?
?
?
18
18[94]

Guam

?
21?
18
18
Raised to 21 in 2010[5]

text: Additional notes[edit]

text:
Contrary to popular belief, since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, not all states specifically prohibit minors' and young adults' consumption of alcohol in private settings.  That is because the federal law is concerned only with purchase and public possession, not private consumption, and contains several exceptions. As of January 1, 2007, 14 states and the District of Columbia ban underage consumption outright, 19 states do not specifically ban underage consumption outright, and 17 states have family member or location exceptions to their underage consumption laws. Federal law explicitly provides for religious, medical, employment and private club possession exceptions; as of 2005, 31 states have family member or location exceptions to their underage possession laws.[40]
In the 1960s the age for buying or drinking beer and wine in the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) was 18; the age for hard liquor was 21.[22][23] Residents from Virginia and Maryland would often drive to D.C. to obtain alcohol. In Louisiana, the 1987 law raising the age from 18 to 21 was deliberately written solely to comply with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 to avoid losing highway funding, while still allowing 18- to 20-year-olds to drink as before.  Not only did it still allow 18- to 20-year-olds to consume in private, it contained a major loophole allowing bars and stores to sell alcohol to 18- to 20-year-olds without penalty (despite purchase being technically illegal) which meant that the de facto age was still 18.[38] In other words, the drinking age was 21 only on paper. This loophole was closed in 1995, but in 1996 the Louisiana Supreme Court declared a drinking age of 21 unconstitutional.[38]  That briefly lowered the de jure purchase age to 18, causing an uproar which prompted the Louisiana Supreme Court to reverse its decision, raising the age to 21 three months later.[39] Other exceptions still remain to this day, including drinking in a private residence,[40] and Louisiana still has some of the most liberal general alcohol laws of any state.
Some states were "dry" well before national Prohibition was enacted in 1919, in some cases since achieving statehood.  Also, some states did not become fully "wet" until several years after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 (e.g. Mississippi in 1966).  Since 1966, all states and territories of the USA have been "wet", but dry counties and towns still exist in some states.

tag: ul


document_title: The Dark Knight Rises

question_text: who played the villain in the dark knight rises

root

text: The Dark Knight Rises

text: Plot[edit]

text: Eight years after the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman has disappeared and organized crime has been eradicated in Gotham City thanks to the Dent Act. Police Commissioner James Gordon has kept secret Dent's murderous rampage and allowed blame for his crimes to fall on Batman. He writes a resignation speech revealing the truth, but decides that the city is not ready to hear it.

tag: p

text: Bruce Wayne has become a recluse, and Wayne Enterprises is losing profits after Wayne discontinued his fusion reactor project when he learned that it could be weaponized. Cat burglar Selina Kyle obtains Wayne's fingerprints from his home and tries to sell the fingerprints to Wayne's corporate rival John Daggett. She is double-crossed at the exchange, but alerts the police. Gordon and the police arrive and pursue Daggett's henchmen into the sewers while Selina flees. The men capture Gordon and take him to Bane, a mysterious masked figure and former member of the League of Shadows, who has set up his base in the sewers. Gordon escapes and is found by rookie officer John Blake. Blake, a fellow orphan, confronts Bruce and convinces him to return as Batman.

text: Bane attacks the Gotham Stock Exchange by using Wayne's fingerprints in a transaction that leaves Wayne bankrupt. Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, reveals that Rachel Dawes had intended to marry Dent before she died, and then resigns in an attempt to convince Bruce to move on with his life. Wayne finds comfort in Wayne Enterprises CEO Miranda Tate, who becomes his lover.

text: Kyle agrees to take Batman to Bane but instead leads him into Bane's trap. Bane reveals that he intends to fulfill Ra's al Ghul's mission to destroy Gotham, and then steals Batman's technology from Wayne Enterprises. Bane fights Batman and delivers a crippling blow to his back, before taking him abroad to an underground prison. There, the inmates tell Wayne the story of Ra's al Ghul's child, who was born and raised in the prison before finally escaping — the only prisoner to have done so.

text: Bane lures Gotham's police underground and uses explosives to trap them and destroy the bridges surrounding the city. He kills Mayor Anthony Garcia and forces a nuclear physicist to convert the reactor core into an atomic bomb before killing him as well. Bane reads Gordon's speech to the public, and releases the prisoners of Blackgate Penitentiary, initiating chaos while holding the city hostage and isolated with the bomb.

text: Months later, a recovered Wayne escapes from the prison and returns to Gotham. Batman frees the trapped police and they clash with Bane's army in the streets; during the battle, Batman overpowers Bane. Tate intervenes and stabs Batman, revealing herself to be Talia al Ghul, Ra's al Ghul's daughter. She activates the detonator, but Gordon blocks her signal. Talia leaves to find the bomb while Bane prepares to kill Batman, but Kyle arrives and kills Bane. Batman and Kyle pursue Talia, hoping to bring the bomb back to the reactor chamber where it can be stabilized. Talia's truck crashes, but she remotely floods and destroys the reactor chamber before dying. With no way to stop the detonation, Batman uses the Bat to haul the bomb far over the bay, where it safely explodes. Before takeoff, Batman subtly reveals his identity to Gordon.

text: In the aftermath, Batman is presumed dead and is honored as a hero. With Wayne presumed dead as well, Wayne Manor becomes an orphanage, and his remaining estate is left to Alfred. While visiting Florence, Alfred discovers that Wayne is alive, and in a relationship with Kyle. Blake resigns from the police force and, in accordance with Wayne's will, inherits the Batcave.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman:

text: Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth:[13]

text: Gary Oldman as James Gordon:[13]

text: Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle / Catwoman:[15][16]

text: Tom Hardy as Bane:[15]

text: Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate / Talia al Ghul:

text: Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake:

text: Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox:[13]

text: Matthew Modine appears as Peter Foley, Gordon's second-in-command that disdains Batman.[29] Ben Mendelsohn portrays John Daggett, a rival billionaire socialite who employs Bane in his plan to take control of Wayne Enterprises, and Burn Gorman appears as Daggett's assistant and Executive Vice President Philip Stryver.[30] Alon Abutbul portrays Leonid Pavel, a Russian nuclear physicist who is kidnapped from Uzbekistan by Bane and forced to convert the new Wayne Enterprises reactor core into a bomb.[31][32] Juno Temple plays Jen, Kyle's friend and accomplice,[33] and Daniel Sunjata portrays Mark Jones, a U.S. Special Ops officer who leads a task force into Gotham to assist Gordon and the GCPD in freeing the city from Bane's rule.[30][34] Chris Ellis appears as Father Reilly, a priest at the orphanage that Blake grew up in.[35] Brett Cullen portrays Byron Gilley, a U.S. congressman who is kidnapped on Harvey Dent Day by Kyle.[35]

text: Cillian Murphy reprises his role as Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow from previous films,[36] as does Liam Neeson as Ra's al Ghul, who appears to Bruce in a hallucination.[37][38] Josh Pence portrays Ra's al Ghul in scenes set thirty years before the events of Batman Begins.[39] Nestor Carbonell also returns as Anthony Garcia, Gotham's mayor.[40] Other cast members include Aidan Gillen as CIA agent Bill Wilson[41][42] (referred to solely as "CIA" in the film's dialogue; the character's name is revealed in the film's novelization);[43] Rob Brown and Desmond Harrington as police officers; Josh Stewart as Bane's right-hand man Barsad,[44] Christopher Judge as one of Bane's henchmen,[45] Noel Gugliemi as Bane's exile compeller, and Tom Conti as a prisoner. William Devane portrays the President of the United States. Aaron Eckhart expressed enthusiasm in returning for a sequel if asked, although he later stated Nolan verified that his character, Harvey Dent / Two-Face, is dead,[46] and only archive footage of Eckhart from The Dark Knight appears in the film.[47]

text: Several members of the Pittsburgh Steelers have cameo appearances as members of the fictional Gotham Rogues football team in the film, including Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley, and Casey Hampton,[48][49] and former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher as the head coach of the Rogues.[50] Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl, a kicker in college, appears as the kicker for the Rogues' opponents, the Rapid City Monuments.[51] In 2008, the Rooney family sold a minority stake in the team to Thomas Tull, the CEO and president of Legendary Pictures, which produced The Dark Knight Rises.[52] United States Senator Patrick Leahy, who had made a cameo appearance in The Dark Knight, returned in The Dark Knight Rises,[53] as a Wayne Enterprises board member. Thomas Lennon, who had appeared as a doctor in Memento, once again plays a doctor. India Wadsworth plays the wife of Ra's al Ghul and the mother of Talia.[54]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text:
"The key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story [...] rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story [...] Unlike the comics, these things don't go on forever in film and viewing it as a story with an end is useful. Viewing it as an ending, that sets you very much on the right track about the appropriate conclusion."
—Christopher Nolan, confirming his involvement in The Dark Knight Rises.[55]

tag: div

text: Warner Bros. president of production Jeff Robinov had hoped a third film would be released in 2011 or 2012.[56] Nolan wanted the story for the third installment to keep him emotionally invested. "On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question," he reasoned, "how many good third movies in a franchise can people name?"[57] Nolan said that he never even thought a third film was possible in the foreword for his book The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy.[58] Nolan only agreed to a third film on the basis of finding a worthwhile story, fearing that he would become bored halfway through production if he discovered the film to be unnecessary.[59] By December 2008, Nolan completed a rough story outline, before he committed himself to Inception.[60] Later in December, Alan F. Horn confirmed that while discussions with Nolan about a third film were ongoing, no casting had been done, and Horn denied all such rumors.[61] Before Nolan confirmed his involvement, Gary Oldman had said he was confident Nolan would return.[62]

text: Following the success of the Joker in The Dark Knight, studio executives wished for the Riddler to be included as the primary villain as he was considered a similar character and encouraged the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio.[63] However, Nolan wanted the antagonist to be vastly different from the previous incarnations and committed to using Bane instead,[63] citing the need for a character with a physical presence within the film.[64] He was initially unfamiliar with the character's back-story,[21] but pointed out the appeal of an archetype, labelling it as "the extreme of some type of villainy". When comparing the choice of Bane with the Joker, Nolan highlighted the Joker as an example of "diabolical, chaotic anarchy and has a devilish sense of humor", juxtaposing him against Bane, whom he likened to "a classic movie monster [...] with a terrific brain."[64] Nolan has said that his draft of the script was inspired by Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities, which centers around the French Revolution.[65] This homage to Dickens was briefly illustrated by having Bane inconspicuously finger knit paracord in the film, symbolizing his literary character Madame Defarge, and more overtly by Commissioner Gordon's eulogy for Bruce Wayne at the end of the film, which is taken directly from the classic book.[65]

text: It was not until February 9, 2010, that it was announced that Nolan had "cracked" the story of a sequel to The Dark Knight and was committed to return to the project.[66] Shortly afterward, it was announced David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan were working on a screenplay.[67] Goyer would leave the project during pre-production to begin work on Man of Steel; Jonathan continued writing the script based on the story by his brother Chris and Goyer.[13] Chris Nolan said that his brother's original draft was about 400 pages.[68] The film's storyline has been compared with the Batman comic book series' story arc "Knightfall" (1993), which showcased Bane; the mini-series The Dark Knight Returns (1986), in which Batman returns to Gotham City after a ten-year absence; and the story arc "No Man's Land" (1999), which depicts a Gotham cut off from the rest of the world and overrun by gangs.[69][70] The nickname "the Dark Knight" was first applied to Batman in Batman #1 (1940), in a story written by Bill Finger.[71][72] Nolan confirmed the Joker would not return in the third film, and dismissed rumors that he considered using unused footage of Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight.[73] The Dark Knight Rises reunited Nolan with many of his past collaborators, including cinematographer Wally Pfister, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Lee Smith, costume designer Lindy Hemming, special effects supervisors Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, and composer Hans Zimmer.[74]

text: Filming[edit]

text: During location scouting in December 2010, Nolan began searching for locations such as India, Romania, and Michigan.[75][76][77] According to the Romania Insider, Nolan was interested in Bucharest's historical centers, Edgar Quinet Street, the Palace of the Parliament, and the Turda salt mine.[75] The film had an estimated budget of $250–300 million, coming down to about $230 million after tax credits.[3] Nolan elected not to film in 3-D, but instead stated that he intended to focus on improving image quality and scale using the IMAX format.[78] The Dark Knight Rises featured over an hour of footage shot in IMAX (by comparison, The Dark Knight contained 28 minutes).[79][80] Nolan had several meetings with IMAX Vice-President David Keighley to work on the logistics of projecting films in digital IMAX venues.[80] Wally Pfister had expressed interest in shooting the film entirely in IMAX,[81] but because of the considerable noise made by IMAX cameras, 35mm and 70mm cameras had to be used for shooting the film's dialogue scenes,[80][82] as dialogue had to be dubbed when shot with IMAX cameras.[83] Chairman and president of the IMAX Corporation Greg Foster stated that IMAX planned to run the film in its theatres for two months, despite only being contractually committed to run the film for two weeks.[84] Nolan also bypassed the use of a digital intermediate for the film, resulting in less manipulation of the filmed image and higher film resolution.[85]

text: Filming was scheduled to start in May and conclude in November 2011.[86] Principal photography commenced on May 6, 2011, in Jodhpur, India at the Mehrangarh Fort[87][88][89] before moving to Pittsburgh, where it operated under the working title Magnus Rex to reduce the visibility of the production.[90][91] Shooting locations within the city included Heinz Field, the site of an American football game,[92] with members of the Pittsburgh Steelers playing the Gotham Rogues football team. More than 11,000 extras were used to depict the shot sequence.[8][48][49] Filming in Pittsburgh also took place at the Mellon Institute and Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.[91] A letter sent out to residents and business owners detailing road closures revealed that the streets of the city would be featured "as the start of [the] film".[93] 9-1-1 operators were told to expect an increase in calls related to gunshots and explosions in the film's production.[94] The Pittsburgh leg of production wrapped after three weeks on August 21, 2011.[95] The next portion of the filming began in Los Angeles in late August and finished up on October 23 after nine weeks of filming. New York and New Jersey were the next places of filming. The Trump Tower replaced the Richard J. Daley Center as the location for the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises.[96] In November 2011, shooting shifted to Newark, New Jersey.[97][98] Newark City Hall and Military Park were among the locations used for filming.[99] Other shooting locations include London and Glasgow, the latter of which was used for "additional exterior filming".[100] Principal photography concluded on November 14, 2011.[101] The external waterfall scene at the end of the film was shot at Sgwd Henrhyd falls, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.[102]

text: Production photos from filming in Pittsburgh showed a second Tumbler chassis after the first was destroyed, indicating that a new Batmobile would be in the film, following the destruction of the first in The Dark Knight.[103] Further set photos revealed a "new vehicle" being transported to Wabash Tunnel, prompting speculation as to its nature.[104] In June 2011, Autoblog confirmed the presence of the new Lamborghini Aventador on the film set.[105]

text: Several accidents occurred during the production of the film. While filming at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham, a tractor-trailer crashed into the main entrance, though no one was injured.[106] A stuntman parachutist later crashed through the roof of a home in Cairngorm Gliding Club, Feshiebridge in Scotland, and became wedged there after a failed landing during a skydiving stunt; he was not seriously injured.[107] While filming scenes in Pittsburgh, Hathaway's stunt double crashed into an IMAX camera while filming a sequence that required her to ride a Batpod down a flight of stairs during a riot. There were no injuries, but the camera was destroyed.[108] A second accident took place in Pittsburgh when the truck carrying the then-unidentified vehicle later termed "the Bat" went off-course and crashed into a lighting array, damaging the model of the aircraft. Production was delayed while the model was repaired.[109]

text: Shortly before Christmas of 2011, Christopher Nolan invited several prominent directors, including Edgar Wright, Michael Bay, Bryan Singer, Jon Favreau, Eli Roth, Duncan Jones and Stephen Daldry, to Universal CityWalk's IMAX theatre for a private screening of the first six minutes of The Dark Knight Rises, which had been shot on IMAX film and edited from the original camera negative. Nolan, feeling that the use of film stock in cinema is currently being phased out due to the introduction of digital cinematography and projection, used this screening to make a case for the continued use of film, which he asserts still offers superior image quality to any digital format, and warned the filmmakers that unless they continued to assert their choice to use film in their productions, they may eventually lose it as an option.[110][111] Nolan explained; "I wanted to give them a chance to see the potential, because I think IMAX is the best film format that was ever invented. It's the gold standard and what any other technology has to match up to, but none have, in my opinion. The message I wanted to put out there was that no one is taking anyone's digital cameras away. But if we want film to continue as an option, and someone is working on a big studio movie with the resources and the power to insist [on] film, they should say so. I felt as if I didn't say anything, and then we started to lose that option, it would be a shame. When I look at a digitally acquired and projected image, it looks inferior against an original negative anamorphic print or an IMAX one."[110]

text: Design[edit]

text: Costume design[edit]

text: Costume designer Lindy Hemming explained that Bane uses a mask to inhale an analgesic gas, which, in director Christopher Nolan's words, "keeps his pain just below the threshold so he can function." In designing Bane's costume, Hemming needed it to look "like an amalgam of all sorts of bits and pieces he cobbled together, as he passed through some very remote places. We made parts of his vest, for example, from fragments of an old military tent. His clothes are militaristic, but are not in any way a uniform." Hemming also designed Bane's mask to look "animalistic".[8][112][113] Costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard created a three-dimensional model of actor Tom Hardy's face and skull to design the mask, allowing the mask to perfectly conform to the contours of Hardy's face.[8] Hemming personally designed Bane's coat, which she admitted took two years to complete. Taking inspiration from a Swedish army jacket and a frock coat from the French Revolution, it was designed to make Bane look equal parts dictatorial and revolutionary.[8] The design was difficult as Hemming struggled to find a tailor in Los Angeles who could work with shearling.[114]

text: The Batsuit consisted of 110 separate pieces, each of which had to be replicated dozens of times over the course of the production. The base layer was made of a polyester mesh that is utilized by the military and high-tech sports manufacturers because of its breathability and moisture-wicking properties. Molded pieces of flexible urethane were then attached to the mesh, to form the overall body armor plating. Carbon fiber panels were placed inside the sections on the legs, chest and abdomen. The cowl was sculpted from a cast of Bale's face and head to become a perfect fit for Christian Bale. The suit remained unchanged for the film since The Dark Knight.[8]

text: In creating Selina Kyle's catsuit, two layers of material were used, with the outer layer being polyurethane coated spandex, embossed with a hexagonal pattern. The catsuit also consisted of elbow-length gloves, a utility belt, and thigh-high boots with spike heels.[8]

text: Production design[edit]

text: Concept artist Tully Summers commented on Nolan's style of cinematography when asked about the difference between his designs for this film and fantasy-based designs for Men in Black 3: "The difference for me was Christopher Nolan's visual style. One of the things that makes his Batman movies so compelling is their tone of plausibility. He will often prefer a raw, grittier design over one that is very sleek and product design pretty. It's sort of a practical military aesthetic. This stuff is made to work, not impress shoppers. The Dark Knight Rises is a war film." Producer Emma Thomas stated this Batman film has a different visual aesthetic from the first two Nolan-directed features, explaining that "it's meant to be winter in Gotham, so that right there is going to lend a whole different look to the film."[115]

text: The film introduces a vehicle that has been compared with the Batplane and the Batcopter, dubbed "the Bat". In designing the Bat, Nathan Crowley approached it as if it were an actual military project, emphasising the need for it to "fit into the same family" as the Tumbler and the Batpod. The final version of the Bat takes its design cues from the Harrier Jump Jet, Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey and the Boeing AH-64 Apache.[8] Chris Corbould described the Bat's size and shape as presenting a major challenge for filming given Christopher Nolan's emphasis on practical effects over computer-generated imagery. In order to make the Bat "fly", it was variously supported by wires, suspended from cranes and helicopters, and mounted on a purpose-built vehicle with hydraulic controls to simulate movement.[8][116][117]

text: When designing the Batcave set, Crowley and fellow production designer Kevin Kavanaugh hit upon the idea of flooding the Batcave and having Batman's equipment, the Batsuit and a supercomputer rise from the water.[8] Another set was designed at Cardington as an "underground prison", a rough-hewn labyrinth of stone cells in a vast abyss with a 120 foot (37 m) vertical shaft leading to the surface. Exteriors above the prison were filmed in Jodhpur, India, chosen because the "forbidding landscape added to the desolation".[8]

text: Music[edit]

text: In an interview in October 2010, composer Hans Zimmer confirmed that he would be returning to score The Dark Knight Rises. James Newton Howard was offered to return and write the score with Zimmer as he did for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but he chose not to because he noted that the chemistry established between Zimmer and Nolan during the making of Inception would make him seem like a "third wheel".[118] Zimmer included several cues from the earlier scores, but explains that he wanted to go in a "completely different direction" for Bane's theme. While the theme accompanying Selina Kyle is deliberately ambiguous, the musical thread spanning throughout the trilogy was composed exclusively for Bruce Wayne.[8]

text: The film features a prevalent Moroccan chant of the phrase deshi basara (proper transliteration: Tījī basara’ah) (Arabic: تيجي بسرعة), which translates to "rise up" (literally: "come quickly").[119][120] In November 2011, Zimmer crowdsourced online audio recordings of the chant to be used in the film's score.[121][122] When asked about the chant for clarification, Zimmer said, "The chant became a very complicated thing because I wanted hundreds of thousands of voices, and it's not so easy to get hundreds of thousands of voices. So, we tweeted and we posted on the internet, for people who wanted to be part of it. It seemed like an interesting thing. We've created this world, over these last two movies, and somehow I think the audience and the fans have been part of this world. We do keep them in mind."[123]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: The official website launched in May 2011, introducing a viral marketing campaign similar to the one used to promote The Dark Knight. The website streamed an encrypted audio file described by users as chanting. Users decrypted the audio to the Twitter hashtag, "#TheFireRises". Warner Bros. removed a pixel from the webpage for every tweet using the hashtag. The website revealed the first official image of Bane.[124]

text: In July 2011, a teaser trailer leaked online before its official release with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.[125] The studio released the teaser three days after the leak. The trailer received mixed responses; Stephen Spencer Davis of Slate wrote it successfully built hype,[125] while Kofi Outlaw of ScreenRant showed disappointment, claiming it was more of an "announcement trailer" than an actual teaser trailer. Outlaw criticized the quality, writing that a scene depicting Commissioner Gordon in a hospital bed was overly dramatic, had "hammy" dialogue, and was difficult to understand due to Gordon's labored breathing. Outlaw wrote that the sweeping shot of Gotham City had poor CGI and was too reminiscent of the Inception trailer.[126] The theatrical trailer leaked online, like the teaser trailer, before being released the following week attached to theatrical prints of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.[127][128][129] Critics noted political undertones with dialogue foreshadowing the theme of income inequality and an "Occupy Gotham" campaign within the world of the story.[130][131][132] Receiving more than 12.5 million views in the first 24 hours after its release, the trailer set the record for most combined downloads from iTunes, beating the previous record held by The Avengers.[133] However, the second trailer for The Avengers again set the record with 13.7 million downloads.[134] Warner Bros. attached a second theatrical trailer for The Dark Knight Rises to theatrical prints of The Avengers. An "unnamed" Warner Brothers executive clarified that "We see this placement as a good strategic decision. We always want our trailers to be seen with films that people want to see—and a lot of people will be going to The Avengers!" The executive also commented that the trailer will "provide the best potential exposure for TDKR."[135] Warner Bros. released the trailer online on April 30, 2012, approximately four days before they attached it to theatrical prints of The Avengers.[136]

text: Continuing a method used with The Dark Knight whereby the opening sequence of the film was attached to IMAX prints of I Am Legend seven months before release,[137] a six-minute prologue of The Dark Knight Rises was attached to 70mm IMAX prints of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, again approximately seven months before release.[138] Critical reaction to the prologue was positive,[139][140][141] with one critic commenting that "no one gets to make a film on this kind of scale anymore. Except for Christopher Nolan," though a round-up of reviews highlighted the way many critics found Tom Hardy's dialogue very difficult to hear.[142] Addressing the issue in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nolan said "I think when people see the film, things will come into focus. Bane is very complex and very interesting and when people see the finished film people will be very entertained by him."[143]

text: Viral marketing campaigns for the film continued as magazine companies Empire and Wired received "CIA documents" concerning a "Dr. Leonid Pavel", with its mugshot connected to actor Alon Abutbul. According to the first document, Pavel is a missing Russian nuclear physicist, while the second document appears to be an edited transcript of a conversation discussing the handover of Dr. Pavel to the CIA by Georgian separatists, but with most of the conversation redacted.[32] These were later shown to be plot elements of the six-minute prologue.[139] The official Twitter account later linked to another censored document, this time, referencing "Operation Early Bird". A website of the same name was discovered, revealing a countdown timer. When the countdown finished, the site presented a map showing all available theaters that would be screening the film's prologue earlier than its release.[144][145] Various websites received a package that included a cylinder map of "strike zones", and a "fire rises" T-shirt.[146] In April 2012, the film's official website was updated with a "dossier" on a suspect named "John Doe" also known as "the Batman" for an arrest, with a list of several accusations. The premise of the campaign starts when the mayor of Gotham City "redoubles" the effort to capture Batman and anyone supporting his return in preparation for the upcoming "Harvey Dent Day". The site also includes an extensive list of real-world locations where "graffiti related to movement in support of the vigilante's return" is located. For each tweet of a specific location marked on the list, a frame of the second theatrical trailer for the film was released on a separate website.[147]

text: In January 2012, six months prior to the film's release, tickets for midnight IMAX showings in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles went on sale and sold out immediately. Purchased tickets surfaced for sale online for over $100, compared with their original price of $17.50.[148]

text: At the American International Toy Fair, Mattel unveiled figures for Batman, Bane, and Catwoman, and Batman's flying vehicle, the Bat. The Mattel figures were also released in the "Movie Masters" line, featuring more highly detailed and articulated presentation, and Quiktek versions that feature interchangeable accessories. Lego released building sets and mini-figures based on the film and incorporating other DC Comic characters. Additionally, Funko released a series of plush toys, Mezco Toyz released vinyl figures, and Hornby released the Batman Tumbler car.[149] Other partners include Jakks Pacific, who created novelty and large-scale figures and plush toys,[150] and PPW Toys, who created a Batman themed Mr. Potato Head.[151] Various clothing items including shoes, T-shirts, hats and wallets were also produced.[152]

text: A video game of the same name was released on the same day as the release of the film for the iOS and Android devices for promoting the movie. The game features an open world with primary focus on stealth and combat. The combat system of the game is inspired from Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. It takes place in Gotham City, with a somewhat similar but still significantly different plot from that of the movie. IGN gave it a mediocre score of 5.5/10.[153]

text: The film novelization, written by author Greg Cox and published by Titan Books, was released alongside the film on July 24, 2012.[154]

text: Warner Bros. partnered with Mountain Dew to do a cross-promotion that included a special paint scheme on the number 88 Chevrolet Impala owned by Hendrick Motorsports and driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.[155] On June 17, 2012, the car won the 2012 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.[156] On July 4, 2012, the studio signed a deal with Formula One team Lotus F1 to have the film's logos appear on the Lotus E20s driven by Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean at the 2012 British Grand Prix.[157] Räikkönen and Grosjean went on to finish the race in fifth and sixth place respectively.[158] Warner Bros. had previously followed a similar promotion at the 2008 British Grand Prix, when the now-defunct Toyota F1 carried a livery to promote The Dark Knight.[159]

text: Two digital comic books entitled Batman Origins[160] and The Dark Knight: Prologue[161] were released exclusively for Nokia Lumia devices. A special movie application has also been released, featuring trailers, wallpapers, movie schedules and Batman trivias.[162] Limited editions of the Lumia 710, Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 were also released featuring a laser-etched Batman logo.[163][164][165]

text: Shooting in Aurora, Colorado[edit]

text:
"I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."
—Director Christopher Nolan's reaction to the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.[166]

text: On July 20, 2012, during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises at the Century 16 cinema in Aurora, Colorado, a gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire inside the theater,[167] killing 12 people and injuring 58 others.[168][169] Police responding to the shooting apprehended a suspect later identified as 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes[170] shortly after arriving on the scene.[171] Initial reports stated that Holmes identified himself as "the Joker" at the time of his arrest.[172][173]

text: Warner Bros. cancelled the Paris, Mexico, and Japan premieres of The Dark Knight Rises,[174][175] and suspended the film's marketing campaign in Finland.[176] Several broadcast networks also suspended television ads for the film in the United States.[177] The trailer for Gangster Squad, another Warner Bros. movie included in the screening of The Dark Knight Rises, was removed as it contains a scene which shows gangsters shooting submachine guns at moviegoers through the screen, similar to the shooting in Aurora.[178]

text: Director Christopher Nolan released a public statement calling the shooting "unbearably savage".[166] Other stars of the film released statements expressing their condolences, with star Christian Bale paying a personal visit to the survivors and the memorial in Aurora.[179]

text: Release[edit]

text: On July 6, 2012, Warner Bros. held a special IMAX screening of The Dark Knight Rises for more than one hundred reporters and critics. However, technical issues with the computer device synchronizing the sound and picture forced the studio to postpone the screening by a day.[180] The film later premiered on July 16 at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York City, New York,[181] followed by a European premiere on July 18 at Leicester Square in London, England.[182] The film was released in Australia and New Zealand on July 19,[183] and was later released in North America and the United Kingdom on July 20.[184][185]

text: Reception[edit]

text: The Dark Knight Rises received positive reviews from critics.[186][187][188] Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave The Dark Knight Rises an approval rating of 87% based on 345 reviews, and a rating average of 8/10. The web site's critical consensus reads, "The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion."[189] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[190] CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[191]

text: The Telegraph granted the film a maximum score of five stars, stating that it is "a superhero film without a superhero," comparing it with The Godfather Part II and praising Hardy's performance as well as the film's intricate plot and narrative.[192] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times thought the film was "potent, persuasive and hypnotic" and that it was "more than an exceptional superhero movie, it is masterful filmmaking by any standard."[193] The Playlists Todd Gilchrist wrote "A cinematic, cultural and personal triumph, The Dark Knight Rises is emotionally inspiring, aesthetically significant and critically important for America itself – as a mirror of both sober reflection and resilient hope."[194] IGN gave it a 9 out of 10, noting similarities in tone and theme to Batman Begins over the trilogy's second installment The Dark Knight, but also describing Bane as "that bit less interesting to watch" than Ledger's Joker, despite praising his "menacing voice" and "body language-driven performance".[195] The Guardian scored the film four out of five stars, calling it a film of "granite, monolithic intensity", yet also calling it a "hammy, portentous affair".[196] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon writes "if The Dark Knight Rises is a fascist film, it's a great fascist film, and arguably the biggest, darkest, most thrilling and disturbing and utterly balls-out spectacle ever created for the screen".[197] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, stating "the film begins slowly with a murky plot and too many new characters, but builds to a sensational climax."[198] Film critic Richard Roeper gave the film an "A", calling it "a majestic, gorgeous, brutal and richly satisfying epic", and citing the final scenes of the picture as "the best five minutes of any film this year."[199] The London Film Review gave the film a B and said "Nolan's film is a reminder that superheroes aren't merely a frivolous distraction, but an embodiment of our best selves."[200] The film was crowned by Forbes as the best modern comic book superhero adaptation on screen, outranking both its main summer blockbuster competitor, Marvel's The Avengers, and the trilogy's previous installment The Dark Knight.[201] In 2014, Empire ranked The Dark Knight Rises the 72nd greatest film ever made on their list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers.[202]

text: The Daily Mail's Chris Tookey said that the film was bloated and overly long, and criticized the sombre tone and lack of humor, despite praising the film's visually impressive set pieces.[203] CNN's Tom Charity said the film was a "disappointingly clunky and bombastic conclusion to a superior series" and called it Nolan's worst film.[204] Anthony Lane of The New Yorker says that the "story is dense, overlong, and studded with references that will make sense only to those intimate with Nolan's previous excursions into Batmanhood".[205]

text: In reaction to fan backlash to some of the negative reviews, Rotten Tomatoes chose to disable user commentary for the film leading up to its release.[206] Some fans had threatened violence against critics while others threatened to take down the websites of movie critics who had given the film a negative review.[207]

text: In 2014, Aidan Gillen's character in the film, CIA agent Bill Wilson, became the subject of an Internet meme popular among 4chan users known as "Baneposting", which references the dialogue between Wilson and Bane in the film's opening plane scene.[208][209][210]

text: Commentary[edit]

text: Writing in Salon, David Sirota, a progressive[211] political commentator compared The Dark Knight Rises and the game Call of Duty to 1980s popular culture reflecting the political period of the time, accusing them of perpetuating a conservative agenda: "Just as so many 1980s pop culture products reflected the spirit of the Reagan Revolution's conservative backlash, we are now seeing two blockbuster, genre-shaping products not-so-subtly reflect the Tea Party's rhetorical backlash to the powerful Occupy Wall Street zeitgeist."[212] An article in Variety reported Chuck Dixon, the co-creator of the Bane character, as saying that Bane is "far more akin to an Occupy Wall Street type if you're looking to cast him politically."[213] Catherine Shoard of the center-left[214] British publication The Guardian claimed the film "is a quite audaciously capitalist vision, radically conservative, radically vigilante, that advances a serious, stirring proposal that the wish-fulfilment of the wealthy is to be championed if they say they want to do good."[215] In contrast, liberal commentator Jonathan Chait opined in New York that "What passes for a right-wing movie these days is The Dark Knight Rises, which submits the rather modest premise that, irritating though the rich may be, actually killing them and taking all their stuff might be excessive."[216] Writing in USA Today, Bryan Alexander called Bane "the ultimate occupier" and reported that Christian Bale was amazed that the script had "foreseen" the Occupy movement.[217]

text: Nolan has denied the film criticizes the Occupy movement and insists that none of his Batman films are intended to be political: "I've had as many conversations with people who have seen the film the other way round. We throw a lot of things against the wall to see if it sticks. We put a lot of interesting questions in the air, but that's simply a backdrop for the story. What we're really trying to do is show the cracks of society, show the conflicts that somebody would try to wedge open. We're going to get wildly different interpretations of what the film is supporting and not supporting, but it's not doing any of those things. It's just telling a story. If you're saying, 'Have you made a film that's supposed to be criticizing the Occupy Wall Street movement?' – well, obviously, that's not true."[218]

text: Alternatively, politically-conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh alleged that the film was biased against 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney due to Bane's name being a homophone for Bain Capital, the financial service company Romney used to head, despite the fact that the character has existed as a major Batman foe since 1993.[219][220] In response, Nolan said that the comments were "bizarre",[221] while Dixon and Freeman said that the comments were "ridiculous".[220][222] Democratic adviser Christopher Lehane has noted the similarities between the narratives of the film and the presidential campaign.[220][223]

text: On January 20, 2017, multiple media outlets noted that a small but key part of U.S. president Donald Trump's inaugural address "had an uncanny echo" of Bane's speech after he takes control of Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises.[224][225] Trump had given the film a positive review in 2012.[226]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Award
Category
Recipients and nominees
Result

AFI Awards 2012

Movies of the Year

Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven

Won

British Academy of Film and Television Arts[227]

Special Visual Effects

Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley

Nominated

Broadcast Film Critics Association[228]

Best Visual Effects

Nominated

Best Action Film

Nominated

Best Actor in an Action Movie

Christian Bale

Nominated

Best Actress in an Action Movie

Anne Hathaway

Nominated

Golden Trailer Awards[229]

Best in Show

"Chant"

Won

Summer 2012 Blockbuster Trailer

"Chant"

Won

Best International Poster

"UK Quad"

Won

Best Summer 2012 Blockbuster Poster

"Teaser One Sheet – City"

Won

Best Teaser Poster

"Teaser One Sheet City"

Nominated

Grammy Awards[230]

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media

Nominated

Kids Choice Awards[231]

Favorite Female Buttkicker

Anne Hathaway

Nominated

Los Angeles Film Critics Association[232]

Best Supporting Actress

Anne Hathaway (also for Les Misérables)

Runner-up

MTV Movie Awards[233]

Best Movie

Nominated

Best Hero

Christian Bale

Nominated

Best Hero

Anne Hathaway

Nominated

Best Villain

Marion Cotillard

Nominated

Best Villain

Tom Hardy

Nominated

Best Fight

Christian Bale & Tom Hardy

Nominated

Best Shirtless Performance

Christian Bale

Nominated

People's Choice Awards[234]

Favorite Face of Heroism

Anne Hathaway

Nominated

Favorite Movie

Nominated

Favorite Action Movie

Nominated

Favorite Movie Franchise

Nominated

Phoenix Film Critics Society[235]

Best Film Editing

Nominated

Satellite Awards[236]

Best Visual Effects

Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin

Nominated

Best Art Direction & Production Design

Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh, James Hambidge, Naaman Marshall

Nominated

Saturn Awards[237][238]

Best Action of Adventure Film

Nominated

Best Director

Christopher Nolan

Nominated

Best Actor

Christian Bale

Nominated

Best Supporting Actor

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Nominated

Best Supporting Actress

Anne Hathaway

Won

Best Music

Hans Zimmer

Nominated

Screen Actors Guild Awards[239]

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

Nominated

St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association[240][241]

Best Music

Nominated

Teen Choice Awards[242][243][244]

Choice Movie: Action

Nominated

Choice Movie: Actor Action

Christian Bale

Nominated

Choice Movie: Actress Action

Anne Hathaway

Won

Choice Movie: Scene Stealer

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Nominated

Choice Movie: Best Villain

Tom Hardy

Nominated

Visual Effects Society Awards[245]

Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture

Scott Beverly, Alan Faucher, Ian Hunter, Steve Newburn for "Airplane Heist"

Nominated

Young Artist Award[246]

Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress

Joey King

Nominated

tag: table

text: Box office[edit]

text: Hours before the midnight release, several box office analysts suggested as much as a $198 million domestic opening weekend.[247][248][249] However, in the wake of the mass shooting during a midnight screening of the film, Warner Bros. decided to not report further box office figures for the movie until Monday, July 23, 2012.[250][251] As a result, other distributors also delayed the release of their official estimates as well.[252] The shooting is also speculated to have hurt the ticket sales as E! Online reported that a North Carolina audience member had stated that "this theater was kinda empty".[253] Some reports released on July 21, 2012 said that rival studios estimated that the film grossed $75 million to $77 million on its opening day.[254][255][256] Warner Brothers shortly after released a statement to ABC News stating that they delayed the release of their estimates for the opening day total of the film "out of respect for the victims and their families," and added "Warner Bros. Pictures will not be reporting box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises throughout the weekend. Box office numbers will be released on Monday."[257]

text: The Dark Knight Rises earned $448 million in North America, and $636 million in other countries, summing up to a worldwide total of $1 billion($1084 million).[4] Worldwide, it is the sixteenth-highest-grossing film of all time[258] and the third-highest-grossing film of 2012.[259] It had a worldwide opening weekend of $248.9 million.[260] The film set a worldwide IMAX opening-weekend record with $23.8 million (overtaken by Avengers: Age of Ultron)[261][262] and also broke the record for the fastest movie to make over $50 million in IMAX theatres. IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond explained this by claiming, "Audiences are clearly seeking out and embracing the film the way it was meant to be seen – in IMAX."[263] On the 2012 Labor Day weekend, it became the third film distributed by Warner Bros. and the thirteenth film in cinematic history to cross the $1 billion mark.[264] The film also became the second movie (after Avatar) to reach $100 million in worldwide IMAX grosses.[265]

text: The Dark Knight Rises opened on Friday, July 20, 2012. It earned an estimated $30.6 million in midnight showings, which was the second-highest midnight gross behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($43.5 million).[266][267] It did, however, set an IMAX midnight-gross record with $2.3 million (overtaken by Avengers: Age of Ultron).[268][269] The film made $75.8 million during its opening day, achieving, at the time, the third-highest single and opening day tally of all time.[270] On July 23, 2012, it was announced that the film grossed $160.9 million for its debut weekend, which was the third-highest opening weekend ever, at the time, behind Marvel's The Avengers ($207.4 million) and Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($169.2 million).[271] However, it did set an opening-weekend record for a 2D film (previously held by The Dark Knight)[272] and an IMAX opening-weekend record with $19.0 million (previously held by Marvel's The Avengers).[273] The film also held the top spot at the box office for its second and third weekends.[274][275] In North America, it is the thirteenth-highest-grossing film,[276] the second-highest-grossing 2012 film,[277] as well as the sixth highest-grossing superhero film and film based on comics.[278][279] Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold more than 55 million tickets in the US.[280]

text: Outside North America, the film opened with $88.0 million from 7,173 theaters in just 17 markets.[281] It was in first place at the box office outside North America for four consecutive weekends.[282][283] Its three largest markets are the UK, Ireland and Malta ($90.3 million), where it is the highest-grossing superhero film,[284] China ($52.8 million) and Australia ($44.2 million).[285]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The Dark Knight Rises was released on November 28, 2012 in Hong Kong and New Zealand. On December 3, it was released in the United Kingdom, and on December 4, it was released in the United States. It is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and as a digital download.[286] Coinciding with the release of this film, a box set of The Dark Knight trilogy was released.[287] The Dark Knight Rises was released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on December 19, 2017.[288]


document_title: Geography of Russia

question_text: the part of russia east of the ural mountains is known as

text: Geography of Russia

text: Global position and boundaries[edit]

text: Located in the north, west and east latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, most of Russia is much closer to the North Pole than to the equator. Individual country comparisons are of little value in gauging Russia's enormous size and diversity. The country's 17.09 million square kilometers include one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Its European portion, which occupies a substantial part of continental Europe, is home to most of Russia's industrial activity and is where, roughly between the Dnieper River and the Ural Mountains, the Russian Empire took shape. Russia includes the entire northern portion of Asia.

text: From west to east, the country stretches from Kaliningrad (the exclave separated by the 1990 secession of Lithuania from the then-Soviet Union) to Ratmanov Island (one of the Diomede Islands) in the Bering Strait. This distance spanning about 6,800 kilometres (4,200 mi), to Nome, Alaska. From north to south, the country ranges from the northern tip of the Russian Arctic islands at Franz Josef Land to the southern tip of the Republic of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea, spanning about 4,500 kilometres (2,800 mi) of extremely varied, often inhospitable terrain.

text: Extending for 57,792 kilometres (35,910 mi), the Russian border is the world's longest. Along the 20,139-kilometer land frontier, Russia has boundaries with 14 countries: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland (via the Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the People's Republic of China and North Korea.

text: Approximately two-thirds of the frontier is bounded by seawater. Virtually all of the lengthy northern coast is well above the Arctic Circle; except for the port of Murmansk—which receives currents that are somewhat warmer than would be expected at that latitude, due to the effects of the Gulf Stream—that coast is locked in ice much of the year. Thirteen seas and parts of three oceans—the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific—wash Russian shores.

text: Russia shares a maritime boundary with the United States and with Japan.

text: Administrative and territorial divisions[edit]

text: With a few changes of status, most of the Soviet-era administrative and territorial divisions of the Russian Republic were retained in constituting the Russian Federation. As of 2014, there are eighty-five administrative territorial divisions (called federal subjects): twenty-two republics, nine krais (territories), forty-six oblasts (provinces), one autonomous oblast, four autonomous okrugs, and three cities with federal status, namely the cities of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Sevastopol.

text: The republics include a wide variety of peoples, including northern Europeans, Tatars, Caucasus peoples, and indigenous Siberians. The largest federal subjects are in Siberia. Located in east-central Siberia, the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is the largest federal subject in the country (and the largest country subdivision in the world), twice the size of Alaska. Second in size is Krasnoyarsk Krai, located west of Sakha in Siberia. Kaliningrad Oblast, which is a noncontiguous constituent entity of Russia, is the smallest oblast. The Republic of Ingushetia is both the smallest republic and the smallest federal subject of Russia except for the three federal cities. The two most populous federal subjects, Moscow Oblast (with Moscow) and Krasnodar Krai, are in European Russia.

text: Topography and drainage[edit]

text: Geographers traditionally divide the vast territory of Russia into five natural zones: the tundra zone; the taiga, or forest, zone; the steppe, or plains, zone; the arid zone; and the mountain zone. Most of Russia consists of two plains (the East European Plain and the West Siberian Plain), two lowlands (the North Siberian and the Kolyma, in far northeastern Siberia), two plateaus (the Central Siberian Plateau and the Lena Plateau to its east), and a series of mountainous areas mainly concentrated in the extreme northeast or extending intermittently along the southern border.

text: Ecoregions[edit]

text:
desert      tundra      alpine tundra      taiga      forest
     temperate broadleaf forest      temperate steppe      steppe

text: East European plain[edit]

text: The East European Plain encompasses most of European Russia. The West Siberian Plain, which is the world's largest, extends east from the Urals to the Yenisei River. Because the terrain and vegetation are relatively uniform in each of the natural zones, Russia presents an illusion of uniformity. Nevertheless, Russian territory contains all the major vegetation zones of the world except a tropical rain forest.

text: Icecaps[edit]

text: The Russian Arctic stretches for close to 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) west to east, from Karelia and the Kola Peninsula to Nenetsia, the Gulf of Ob, the Taymyr Peninsula and the Chukchi Peninsula (Kolyma, Anadyr River, Cape Dezhnev). Russian islands and archipelagos in the Arctic Sea include Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, and the New Siberian Islands.

text: About 57 percent of Russia is tundra—a treeless, marshy plain. The tundra is Russia's northernmost zone, stretching from the Finnish border in the west to the Bering Strait in the east, then running south along the Pacific coast to the northern Kamchatka Peninsula. The zone is known for its herds of wild reindeer, for so-called white nights (dusk at midnight, dawn shortly thereafter) in summer, and for days of total darkness in winter. The long, harsh winters and lack of sunshine allow only mosses, lichens, and dwarf willows and shrubs to sprout low above the barren permafrost. Although several powerful Siberian rivers traverse this zone as they flow northward to the Arctic Ocean, partial and intermittent thawing hamper drainage of the numerous lakes, ponds, and swamps of the tundra. Frost weathering is the most important physical process here, gradually shaping a landscape that was severely modified by glaciation in the last ice age. Less than one percent of Russia's population lives in this zone. The fishing and port industries of the northwestern Kola Peninsula and the huge oil and gas fields of northwestern Siberia are the largest employers in the tundra. With a population of 180,000, the industrial frontier city of Norilsk is second in population to Murmansk among Russia's settlements above the Arctic Circle. From here you can also see the auroras (northern lights).

text: Taiga[edit]

text: Taiga - the most extensive natural area of Russia - stretches from the western borders of Russia to the Pacific. It occupies the territory of the Eastern Europe and West Siberian plains to the north of 56 ° -58 ° N and most of the territory east of Yenisei River taiga forests reach the southern borders of Russia in Siberia taiga only accounts for over 60% of Russia. In the north-south direction the eastern taiga is divided (east of the Yenisei River), with a continental climate, and west, with a milder climate, in general, the climate zone is moist, moderately warm (cool in the north) in the summer and harsh winter, there is a steady snow cover in the winter. In the latitudinal direction the taiga is divided into three subzones - northern, middle and southern taiga. In the western taiga dense spruce and fir forests on wetlands alternate with pine forests, shrubs and meadows on the lighter soils. Such vegetation is typical of the eastern taiga, but it plays an important role not fir and larch. Coniferous forest, however, does not form a continuous array and sparse areas of birch, alder, willow (mainly in river valleys), the wetlands - marshes. Within the taiga are widespread fur-bearing animals - sable, marten, ermine, moose, brown bear, wolverine, wolf, and muskrat.[4]

text: In the taiga is dominated by podzolic and cryogenic taiga soils, characterized by clearly defined horizontal structure (only in the southern taiga there are sod-podzolic soil). Formed in a leaching regime, poor humus om. Groundwater is normally found in the forest close to the surface, washing calcium from the upper layers, resulting in the top layer of soil of the taiga discolored and oxidized. Few areas of the taiga, suitable for farming, are located mainly in the European part of Russia. Large areas are occupied by sphagnum marshes (here is dominated by podzolic-boggy soil). To enrich the soil for agricultural purposes should be making lime and other fertilizer.

text: Russian Taiga has the world's largest reserves of coniferous wood, but from year to year - as a result of intensive logging - they decrease. Development of hunting, farming (mainly in river valleys).

text: Mixed and deciduous forests[edit]

text: The mixed and deciduous forest belt is triangular, widest along the western border and narrower towards the Ural Mountains. The main trees are Oak and Spruce, but many other growths of vegetation such as ash, aspen, birch, hornbeam, maple, and pine reside there. Separating the taiga from the wooded steppe is a narrow belt of birch and aspen woodland located east of the Urals as far as the Altay Mountains. Much of the forested zone has been cleared for agriculture, especially in European Russia. Wildlife is more scarce as a result of this, but the roe deer, wolf, fox, and squirrel are very common. This place is made up by the Arctic Russia.

text: Steppe[edit]

text: The steppe has long been depicted as the typical Russian landscape. It is a broad band of treeless, grassy plains, interrupted by mountain ranges, extending from Hungary across Ukraine, southern Russia, and Kazakhstan before ending in Manchuria. Most of the Soviet Union's steppe zone was located in the Ukrainian and Kazakh republics; the much smaller Russian steppe is located mainly between those nations, extending southward between the Black and Caspian Seas before blending into the increasingly desiccated territory of the Republic of Kalmykia. In a country of extremes, the steppe zone provides the most favorable conditions for human settlement and agriculture because of its moderate temperatures and normally adequate levels of sunshine and moisture. Even here, however, agricultural yields are sometimes adversely affected by unpredictable levels of precipitation and occasional catastrophic droughts. The soil is very dry.

text: Topography[edit]

text: Russia's mountain ranges are located principally along its continental dip (the Ural Mountains), along the southwestern border (the Caucasus), along the border with Mongolia (the eastern and western Sayan Mountains and the western extremity of the Altay Mountains), and in eastern Siberia (a complex system of ranges in the northeastern corner of the country and forming the spine of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and lesser mountains extending along the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan). Russia has nine major mountain ranges. In general, the eastern half of the country is much more mountainous than the western half, the interior of which is dominated by low plains. The traditional dividing line between the east and the west is the Yenisei River valley. In delineating the western edge of the Central Siberian Plateau from the West Siberian Plain, the Yenisey runs from near the Mongolian border northward into the Arctic Ocean west of the Taymyr Peninsula.

text: Ural Mountains[edit]

text: The Ural Mountains form the natural boundary between Europe and Asia; the range extends about 2,100 kilometres (1,300 mi) from the Arctic Ocean to the northern border of Kazakhstan. Several low passes provide major transportation routes through the Urals eastward from Europe. The highest peak, Mount Narodnaya, is 1,894 metres (6,214 ft). The Urals also contain valuable deposits of minerals.

text: West Siberian plain[edit]

text: To the east of the Urals is the West Siberian Plain, stretching about 6 kilometers from west to east and about 670 kilometers from north to south. With more than half its territory below 200 meters in elevation, the plain contains some of the world's largest swamps and floodplains. Most of the plain's population lives in the drier section south of 77 north latitude.

text: Central Siberian plateau[edit]

text: The region directly east of the West Siberian Plain is the Central Siberian Plateau, which extends eastward from the Yenisei River valley to the Lena River valley. The region is divided into several plateaus, with elevations ranging between 320 and 740 meters; the highest elevation is about 1,800 meters, in the northern Putoran Mountains. The plain is bounded on the south by the Baikal Mountains system and on the north by the North Siberian Lowland, an extension of the West Siberian Plain extending into the Taymyr Peninsula on the Arctic Ocean.

text: Sayan and Stanovoy Mountains[edit]

text: In the mountain system west of Lake Baikal in south-central Siberia, the highest elevations are 3,300 meters in the Western Sayan, 3,200 meters in the Eastern Sayan, and 4,500 meters at Belukha Mountain in the Altay Mountains. The Eastern Sayan reach nearly to the southern shore of Lake Baikal; at the lake, there is an elevation difference of more than 4,500 meters between the nearest mountain, 2,840 meters high, and the deepest part of the lake, which is 1,700 meters below sea level. The mountain systems east of Lake Baikal are lower, forming a complex of minor ranges and valleys that reaches from the lake to the Pacific coast. The maximum height of the Stanovoy Range, which runs west to east from northern Lake Baikal to the Sea of Okhotsk, is 2,550 meters. To the south of that range is southeastern Siberia, whose mountains reach 800 meters. Across the Strait of Tartary from that region is Sakhalin Island, Russia's largest island, where the highest elevation is about 1,700 meters. The small Moneron Island, the site of the shootdown of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, is found to its west.

text: Caucasus Mountains[edit]

text: Truly alpine terrain appears in the southern mountain ranges. Between the Black and Caspian seas, the Caucasus Mountains rise to impressive heights, forming a boundary between Europe and Asia. One of the peaks, Mount Elbrus, is the highest point in Europe, at 5,642 meters. The geological structure of the Caucasus extends to the northwest as the Crimean and Carpathian Mountains and southeastward into Central Asia as the Tian Shan and Pamirs. The Caucasus Mountains create an imposing natural barrier between Russia and its neighbors to the southwest, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

text: Northeast Siberia and Kamchatka[edit]

text: Northeastern Siberia, north of the Stanovoy Range, is an extremely mountainous region. The long Kamchatka Peninsula, which juts southward into the Sea of Okhotsk, includes many volcanic peaks, some of which are still active. The highest is the 4,750-meter Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the highest point in the Russian Far East. The volcanic chain continues from the southern tip of Kamchatka southward through the Kuril Islands chain and into Japan. Kamchatka also is one of Russia's two centers of seismic activity (the other is the Caucasus). In 1995, a major earthquake largely destroyed the oil-processing town of Neftegorsk. Also located in this region is the very large Beyenchime-Salaatin crater.

text: Drainage[edit]

text: Russia is a water-rich country, divided into twenty watershed districts. The earliest settlements in the country sprang up along the rivers, where most of the urban population continues to live. The Volga, Europe's longest river, is by far Russia's most important commercial waterway. Four of the country's thirteen largest cities are located on its banks: Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Kazan, and Volgograd. The Kama River, which flows west from the southern Urals to join the Volga in the Republic of Tatarstan, is a second key European water system whose banks are densely populated.

text: Russia has thousands of rivers and inland bodies of water, providing it with one of the world's largest surface-water resources. However, most of Russia's rivers and streams belong to the Arctic drainage basin, which lies mainly in Siberia but also includes part of European Russia. Altogether, 84 percent of Russia's surface water is located east of the Urals in rivers flowing through sparsely populated territory and into the Arctic and Pacific oceans. In contrast, areas with the highest concentrations of population, and therefore the highest demand for water supplies, tend to have the warmest climates and highest rates of evaporation. As a result, densely populated areas such as the Don and Kuban River basins north of the Caucasus have barely adequate (or in some cases inadequate) water resources.

text: Forty of Russia's rivers longer than 1,000 kilometers are east of the Urals, including the three major rivers that drain Siberia as they flow northward to the Arctic Ocean: the Irtysh-Ob system (totaling 5,380 kilometers), the Yenisei (4,000 kilometers), and the Lena (3,630 kilometers). The basins of those river systems cover about eight million square kilometers, discharging nearly 50,000 cubic meters of water per second into the Arctic Ocean. The northward flow of these rivers means that source areas thaw before the areas downstream, creating vast swamps such as the 48,000-square-kilometer Vasyugan Swamp in the center of the West Siberian Plain. The same is true of other river systems, including the Pechora and the Northern Dvina in Europe and the Kolyma and the Indigirka in Siberia. Approximately 10 percent of Russian territory is classified as swampland.

text: A number of other rivers drain Siberia from eastern mountain ranges into the Pacific Ocean. The Amur River and its main tributary, the Ussuri, form a long stretch of the winding boundary between Russia and China. The Amur system drains most of southeastern Siberia. Three basins drain European Russia. The Dnieper, which flows mainly through Belarus and Ukraine, has its headwaters in the hills west of Moscow. The 1,860-kilometer |Don originates in the Central Russian Upland south of Moscow and then flows into the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea at Rostov-on-Don. The Volga is the third and by far the largest of the European systems, rising in the Valdai Hills west of Moscow and meandering southeastward for 3,510 kilometers before emptying into the Caspian Sea. Altogether, the Volga system drains about 1.4 million square kilometers. Linked by several canals, European Russia's rivers long have been a vital transportation system; the Volga system still carries two-thirds of Russia's inland water traffic.

text: Russia's inland bodies of water are chiefly a legacy of extensive glaciation. In European Russia, the largest lakes are Ladoga and Onega northeast of Saint Petersburg, Lake Peipus on the Estonian border, and the Rybinsk Reservoir north of Moscow. Smaller man-made reservoirs, 160 to 320 kilometers long, are on the Don, the Kama, and the Volga rivers. Many large reservoirs also have been constructed on the Siberian rivers; the Bratsk Reservoir northwest of Lake Baikal is one of the world's largest.

text: The most prominent of Russia's bodies of fresh water is Lake Baikal, the world's deepest and most capacious freshwater lake. Lake Baikal alone holds 85% of the freshwater resources of the lakes in Russia and 20% of the world's total. It extends 632 kilometers in length and 59 kilometers across at its widest point. Its maximum depth is 1,713 meters. Numerous smaller lakes dot the northern regions of the European and Siberian plains. The largest of these are lakes Belozero, Topozero, Vygozero, and Ilmen in the European northwest and Lake Chany in southwestern Siberia.

text: Climate[edit]

text: Russia has a largely continental climate because of its sheer size and compact configuration. Most of its land is more than 400 kilometers (250 mi) from the sea, and the centre is 3,840 kilometers (2,386 mi) from the sea. In addition, Russia's mountain ranges, predominantly to the south and the east, block moderating temperatures from the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but European Russian and northern Siberia lack such topographic protection from the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans.

text: Because only small parts of Russia are south of 50° north latitude and more than half of the country is north of 60° north latitude, extensive regions experience six months of snow cover over subsoil that is permanently frozen to depths as far as several hundred meters. The average yearly temperature of nearly all of Siberia is below freezing, and the average for most of European Russia is between 5 and 0 °C (41 and 32 °F). Most of Russia has only two seasons, summer and winter, with very short intervals of moderation between them. Transportation routes, including entire railroad lines, are redirected in winter to traverse rock-solid waterways and lakes. Some areas constitute important exceptions to this description, however: the moderate maritime climate of Kaliningrad Oblast on the Baltic Sea is similar to that of the American Northwest; the Russian Far East, under the influence of the Pacific Ocean, has a monsoonal climate that reverses the direction of wind in summer and winter, sharply differentiating temperatures; and a narrow, subtropical band of territory provides Russia's most popular summer resort area on the Black Sea.

text: In winter, an intense high-pressure system causes winds to blow from the south and the southwest in all but the Pacific region of the Russian landmass; in summer, a low-pressure system brings winds from the north and the northwest to most of the landmass. Russia is the coldest country of the world (average annual temperature is −5.5 °C (22.1 °F)). That meteorological combination reduces the wintertime temperature difference between north and south. Thus, average January temperatures are −6 °C (21 °F) in Saint Petersburg, −27 °C (−17 °F) in the West Siberian Plain, and −43 °C (−45 °F) at Yakutsk (in east-central Siberia, at approximately the same latitude as Saint Petersburg), while the winter average on the Mongolian border, whose latitude is some 10° farther south, is barely warmer. Summer temperatures are more affected by latitude, however; the Arctic islands average 4 °C (39.2 °F), and the southernmost regions average 20 °C (68 °F). Russia's potential for temperature extremes is typified by the national record low of −68 °C (−90 °F), recorded at Verkhoyansk in north-central Siberia and the record high of 45 °C (113.0 °F), recorded at several southern stations (Utta).

text: The long, cold winter has a profound impact on almost every aspect of life in Russia. It affects where and how long people live and work, what kinds of crops are grown, and where they are grown (no part of the country has a year-round growing season). The length and severity of the winter, together with the sharp fluctuations in the mean summer and winter temperatures, impose special requirements on many branches of the economy. In regions of permafrost, buildings must be constructed on pilings, machinery must be made of specially tempered steel, and transportation systems must be engineered to perform reliably in extremely low and extremely high temperatures. In addition, during extended periods of darkness and cold, there are increased demands for energy, health care, and textiles.

text: Because Russia has little exposure to ocean influences, most of the country receives low to moderate amounts of precipitation. The highest precipitation falls in the northwest, with amounts decreasing from northwest to southeast across European Russia. The wettest areas are the small, lush subtropical region adjacent to the Caucasus and along the Pacific coast: Sochi receives 1,500 millimetres (60 in) per year and the Kuril Islands typically around 1,000 to 1,500 millimetres (40 to 60 in) - much of which is snow. Along the Baltic coast, average annual precipitation is 600 millimeters (20 in), and in Moscow it is 525 millimeters (20 in). An average of only 20 millimeters (0.8 in) falls along the Russian–Kazakh border, and as little as 15 millimeters (0.6 in) may fall along Siberia's Arctic coastline. Average annual days of snow cover, a critical factor for agriculture, depends on both latitude and altitude. Cover varies from forty to 200 days in European Russia, and from 120 to 250 days in Siberia.

text: Area and boundaries[edit]

text: Area (excluding Crimea):

text:
Total: 17,098,242 km²
Land: 17,021,900 km²
Water: 79,400 km²

text:
Area - comparative:
Slightly larger than twice size of Brazil

text: Land boundaries:

text: Total (excluding Crimea): 19,917 km

text: Kaliningrad forms the westernmost part of Russia, having no land connection to the rest of the country. It is bounded by Poland, Lithuania, and the Baltic Sea.

text: Crimea, a peninsula on the Black Sea, is claimed and de facto administered by the Russian Federation since Russia annexed it in March 2014. It is recognized as a territory of Ukraine by most of the international community.

text: Border countries:

text:
Table of countries with a land border with Russia
(listed anti-clockwise around Russia).[5]

Country
Length (km)

Norway
195.8

Finland
1,271.8

Estonia
138

Latvia
270.5

Lithuania
266

Poland
204.1

Belarus
1,239

Ukraine
1,925.8

Georgia
875.5

Azerbaijan
372.6

Kazakhstan
7,512.8

Mongolia
3485

China
4,209.3

North Korea
17

Japan
water

US
water

text:
If Abkhazia and South Ossetia are counted as sovereign states:[6]

Country
Length (km)

Abkhazia
255.4

South Ossetia
70

remaining border with Georgia
365

text: Coastline excluding Crimea: 37,653 km (23,396 mi)

text: Maritime claims:

text:
Russian continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
Territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)

text: Elevation extremes:

text:
Lowest point: Caspian Sea: −28 m
Highest point: Mount Elbrus: 5,642 m

text: Natural resources and land use[edit]

text: Russia holds the greatest reserves of mineral resources than any country in the world. Though they are abundant, they are in remote areas with extreme climates, making them expensive to mine. The country is the most abundant in mineral fuels. It may hold as much as half of the world's coal reserves and even larger reserves of petroleum. Deposits of coal are scattered throughout the region, but the largest are located in central and eastern Siberia. The most developed fields lie in western Siberia, in the northeastern European region, in the area around Moscow, and in the Urals. The major petroleum deposits are located in western Siberia and in the Volga-Urals. Smaller deposits are found throughout the country. Natural gas, a resource of which Russia holds around forty percent of the world's reserves, can be found along Siberia's Arctic coast, in the North Caucasus, and in northwestern Russia. Major iron-ore deposits are located south of Moscow, near the Ukrainian border in the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly; this area contains vast deposits of iron ore that have caused a deviation in the Earth's magnetic field. There are smaller deposits in other parts of the country. The Ural mountains hold small deposits of manganese. Nickel, tungsten, cobalt, molybdenum and other iron alloying elements occur in adequate quantities.

text: Russia also contains most of the nonferrous metals. Aluminium ores are scarce and are found primarily in the Ural region, northwestern European Russia, and south central Siberia. Copper is more abundant and major reserves are located in the Urals, the Norilsk area near the mouth of the Yenisey in eastern Siberia, and the Kola Peninsula. Another vast deposit located east of Lake Baikal only became exploited when the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) railroad was finished in 1989.

text: The North Caucasus, far eastern Russia, and the western edge of the Kuznetsk Basin in southern Siberia contain an abundance of lead and zinc ores. These are commonly found along with copper, gold, silver, and a large amount of other rare metals. The country has one of the largest gold reserves in the world; mostly in Siberia and the Urals. Mercury deposits can be found in the central and southern Urals and in south central Siberia.

text: Raw materials are abundant as well, including potassium and magnesium salt deposits in the Kama River region of the western Urals. Russia also contains one of the world's largest deposits of apatite found in the central Kola Peninsula. Rock salt is located in the southwestern Urals and the southwest of Lake Baikal. Surface deposits of salt are found in salt lakes along the lower Volga Valley. Sulfur can be found in the Urals and the middle Volga Valley.

text: Eight percent of the land is used for arable farming, four percent—for permanent pastures, forty-six percent of the land is forests and woodland, and forty-two percent is used for other purposes.

text: Natural hazards[edit]

text: Volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands and volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka peninsula are other natural hazards.

text: Antipodes[edit]

text: The antipodes of Russia lie in the South Pacific and South Atlantic near Antarctica. Only a small amount is antipodal to land. This includes the arctic islands of Franz Josef Land, Victoria, and North Novaya Zemlya (to Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica); Severnaya Zemlya (to the Ronne Ice Shelf and the Ellsworth Mountains behind it); the De Long Islands (to Coats Land, or just off shore); and Wrangel Island (to Queen Maud Land and its offshore Fimbul Ice Shelf).

text: In addition, northern Ellsworth Land and the base of the Antarctic Peninsula are largely antipodal to the Taymyr Peninsula, while Alexander Island is antipodal to eastern Taymyria south of the Khatanga Gulf. The free part of the Antarctic Peninsula is antipodal to the western Sakha Republic, from its northwestern coast southward, running east of the Lena River, with the northern end of the peninsula covering the towns of Vilyuysk and Kysyl-Syr and stopping about 300 km short of Yakutsk.

text: The antipodes of the South Orkney Islands are on the Aldan River on the other side of Yakutsk, between Ust-Maya and Eldikan, in southwestern Sakha. The southern two South Sandwich Islands are antipodal to the Pyagin Peninsula east of Magadan. Western South Georgia Island is antipodal to the northern tip of Sakhalin.

text: Peter I Island, claimed by Norway on the other side of the Peninsula, is opposite a spot 70 km SE of Norilsk.

text: The only inhabited lands antipodal to Russia are southern Patagonia, including Tierra del Fuego, which correspond to much of Buryatia, the western shore of Lake Baikal in Irkutsk Oblast, and southwestern Zabaykalsky Krai, down to the Mongolian border, with Ulan-Ude being antipodal to Puerto Natales, Chile. The sparsely inhabited West Falkland and neighboring islets are antipodal to eastern Zabaykalsky on the border with northern Inner Mongolia.