Russia

Location

• North Asia bordering the Arctic Ocean, extending from Eastern Europe (the portion west of the Urals) to the North Pacific Ocean
• note 1: largest country in the world in terms of area; despite its size, much of the country lacks the soil and climate (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture note 2: Russia's far east, particularly the Kamchatka Peninsula, lies along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakesnote 3: Mount El'brus is Europe's tallest peak; Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, is estimated to hold one fifth of the world's fresh surface waternote 4: Kaliningrad oblast is an exclave annexed from Germany after World War II; its capital city of Kaliningrad -- formerly Koenigsberg -- is the only Baltic port in Russia that remains ice-free in the winter

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Moscow	10,381,222	Capital
Saint Petersburg	5,351,935
Novosibirsk	1,612,833
Yekaterinburg	1,495,066
Nizhniy Novgorod	1,259,013
Kazan	1,243,500
Chelyabinsk	1,202,371
Omsk	1,172,070
Samara	1,163,399
Rostov-na-Donu	1,130,305

Size

• 6,602,310 square miles
• 17,100,000 square kilometers
• approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

History

Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy emerged from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and gradually conquered and absorbed surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new ROMANOV dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Devastating defeats and food shortages in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow of the ROMANOV Dynasty in 1917. The communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist control and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. After defeating Germany in World War II as part of an alliance with the US (1939-1945), the USSR expanded its territory and influence in Eastern Europe and emerged as a global power. The USSR was the principal US adversary during the Cold War (1947-1991). The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the decades following Stalin's rule, until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism. His initiatives inadvertently released political and economic forces that by December 1991 led to the dissolution of the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent states. In response to the ensuing turmoil during President Boris YELTSIN's term (1991-99), Russia shifted toward a centralized authoritarian state under President Vladimir PUTIN (2000-2008, 2012-present) in which the regime seeks to legitimize its rule through managed elections, populist appeals, a foreign policy focused on enhancing the country's geopolitical influence, and commodity-based economic growth. In 2014, Russia purported to annex Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and occupied large portions of two eastern Ukrainian oblasts. In sporadic fighting over the next eight years, more than 14,000 civilians were killed or wounded as a result of the Russian invasion in eastern Ukraine. On 24 February 2022, Russia escalated its conflict with Ukraine by invading the country on several fronts in what has become the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe since World War II. The invasion received near-universal international condemnation, and many countries imposed sanctions on Russia and supplied humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. In September 2022, Russia unilaterally declared its annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts -- Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia -- even though none were fully under Russian control. The annexations remain unrecognized by the international community. 

Climate

ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast

Terrain

broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions

Languages

Russian (official) 85.7%, Tatar 3.2%, Chechen 1%, other 10.1% (2010 est.)major-language sample(s): Книга фактов о мире – незаменимый источник базовой информации. (Russian)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: data represent native language spoken

Religions

Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.)note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of official atheism under Soviet rule; Russia officially recognizes Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism as the country's traditional religions

Government

semi-presidential federation

• Constitution: history: several previous (during Russian Empire and Soviet era); latest drafted 12 July 1993, adopted by referendum 12 December 1993, effective 25 December 1993amendment process: proposed by the president of the Russian Federation, by either house of the Federal Assembly, by the government of the Russian Federation, or by legislative (representative) bodies of the Federation's constituent entities; proposals to amend the government’s constitutional system, human and civil rights and freedoms, and procedures for amending or drafting a new constitution require formation of a Constitutional Assembly; passage of such amendments requires two-thirds majority vote of its total membership; passage in a referendum requires participation of an absolute majority of eligible voters and an absolute majority of valid votes; approval of proposed amendments to the government structure, authorities, and procedures requires approval by the legislative bodies of at least two thirds of the Russian Federation's constituent entities
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (since 7 May 2012)head of government: Premier Mikhail Vladimirovich MISHUSTIN (since 16 January 2020)cabinet: the government is composed of the premier, his deputies, and ministers, all appointed by the president; the premier is also confirmed by the Dumaelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 6-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term)most recent election date: 15-17 March 2024election results: 2024: Vladimir PUTIN reelected president; percent of vote - Vladimir PUTIN (independent) 88.5%, Nikolay KHARITONOV (Communist Party) 4.4%, Vladislav DAVANKOV (New People party) 3.9%, Leonid SLUTSKY (Liberal Democrats) 3.2%2018: Vladimir PUTIN reelected president; percent of vote - Vladimir PUTIN (independent) 77.5%, Pavel GRUDININ (CPRF) 11.9%, Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY (LDPR) 5.7%, other 4.9%; Mikhail MISHUSTIN (independent) approved as premier by Duma; vote - 383 to 0expected date of next election: 2030note: a Presidential Administration provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (consists of 170 members organized into the Judicial Panel for Civil Affairs, the Judicial Panel for Criminal Affairs, and the Military Panel); Constitutional Court (consists of 11 members, including the chairperson and deputy)judge selection and term of office: all members of Russia's 3 highest courts nominated by the president and appointed by the Federation Council (the upper house of the legislature); members of all 3 courts appointed for lifesubordinate courts: regional (kray) and provincial (oblast) courts; Moscow and St. Petersburg city courts; autonomous province and district courts (the 21 Russian republics have court systems specified by their own constitutions)
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Federal Assembly (Federalnoye Sobraniye)legislative structure: bicameralnote 1: the State Duma now includes 3 representatives from the "Republic of Crimea," while the Federation Council includes 2 each from the "Republic of Crimea" and the "Federal City of Sevastopol," both regions that Russia occupied and attempted to annex from Ukraine and that the US does not recognize as part of Russia

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• natural resource-rich Eurasian economy; leading energy exporter to Europe and Asia; decreased oil export reliance; endemic corruption, Ukrainian invasion, and lack of green infrastructure limit investment and have led to sanctions
• Budget: revenues: $704.613 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $635.809 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: wide natural-resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, bauxite, reserves of rare earth elements, timbernote: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources
• Industries: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; defense industries (including radar, missile production, advanced electronic components), shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts
• Agricultural Products: wheat, sugar beets, milk, barley, potatoes, sunflower seeds, maize, soybeans, chicken, pork (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 13.2% (2022 est.)arable land: 7.4% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 5.6% (2022 est.)forest: 49.8% (2022 est.)other: 37.1% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: cars, packaged medicine, broadcasting equipment, garments, plastic products (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 53%, Turkey 5%, Germany 5%, Kazakhstan 5%, Italy 2% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas, coal, fertilizers (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 33%, India 17%, Turkey 8%, Kazakhstan 4%, Brazil 3% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports