Russia, known officially as the Russian Federation is a country located in Northern Asia, bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean.
Russia is by far the largest country in the world, covering more than an eighth of the Earth’s land area; with 140 million people, it is the tenth largest by population. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources, and is considered an energy superpower. It has the world's largest forest reserves.
This overview is written based on the latest Russia information available during the time of writing, thus it is subject to revision without prior knowledge or notice.
Official Name: Known officially as the Russian Federation, or commonly Russia
Capital city: Moscow is the Capital and largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is the major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation hub of Russia. It is located on the Moscow River in the Central Federal District, in the European part of Russia.
Location: Russia is located in Northern Asia, bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean.
Size: The total land area of Russia is 17 million square kilometers and this ranks 5th globally. It is approximately 1.8 times the size of the US.
Climate: Due to the enormous size of Russia, climates in the country encompass wide extremes, ranging from Siberian frosts, to the heat of the European south. With no discernible spring or autumn, Russia has a dry continental climate. Daytime summer temperatures over the nation may vary from 20 to 30°C (68-86°F), in winter it is more like 10 to -50°C. Major towns like Moscow and St Petersburg share similar pleasant summer temperatures, both averaging around 24°C (75°F).
Population: Russia has an estimated population of 140 million people, ranks 10th globally. There is a negative population growth rate of -0.47%.
Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy at birth for Russia is 66.03 years, ranking at 162nd globally. Females have a longer average life span at 73.14 years, while Males average at 59.33 years from birth.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Russia is approximately 1.1%, placing 52nd globally. This means that around 940,000 people are living with the disease in the country.
Major illnesses: The risk of major infectious disease in Russia is intermediate. Food or waterborne diseases such as bacterial diarrhea have been reported. Other major diseases also include Vectorborne diseases such as Tickborne Encephalitis. Highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza has been identified in Russia, it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among citizens who have close contact with birds.
Ethnic Groups: Russia is comprised of mainly Russian at 79.8% of the population. Other ethnic groups include Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1%.
Languages: The official language in Russia is Russian, due to the size & geography of the country, there are many minor languages in various regions.
Religion:There are various religions in Russia. The major religion is Russian Orthodox, and accounts for 15-20% of the population. Other religions include Islam at 10-15%, and non Orthodox Christian at 2%. Due to the many years of communist rule in Russia many people do not practice any religion at all.
Government: The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government consists the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. Government duties were split between 17 ministries, 7 federal services and over 30 governmental agencies.
Head of State: The Head of State is President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev who is elected by direct appointed vote for a six- year term.
Head of Government: The Head of Government is Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin who is appointed by the President.
Military: Russia has one of the largest military forces in the world. Military forces include Ground Forces, Navy and the Air Forces - which includes Strategic Rocket Forces and Space Troops. The suitable military age is between 18-27 years old for compulsory or voluntary military service. Males are registered at the age of 17 with a service obligation of 1 year. Reserve obligation is up to the age of 50.
Economy: Russia has a diversified economy. It has the world's largest natural gas reserves, the second largest coal reserves and the eighth largest oil reserves. It is the world's leading natural gas exporter and the second leading oil exporter. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of Russian exports abroad. Since 2003, however, exports of natural resources started decreasing in economic importance as the internal market strengthened considerably.
The former Soviet Union was a leading international producer of manufactured items such as chemicals, weapons, and military and aerospace equipment. Much of the industrial base of these manufacturing sectors was located within the Russian Republic itself. However, the disintegration of the USSR led to significant interruptions in commercial relationships.
During the past decade, poverty and unemployment declined steadily and the middle class continued to expand. Russia also improved its international financial position, running a balance of payment surplus since 2000. Foreign exchange reserves grew from $12 billion in 1999 to almost $600 billion by end July 2008, with $200 billion in two sovereign wealth funds.
GDP: Russia has a purchasing power parity of US$2.23 trillion, ranking at 8th in the world. The official growth rate is about 6%, which ranks 62nd globally.
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