Russia, the world’s largest nation, borders European and Asian countries as well as the Pacific and Arctic oceans. Its landscape ranges from tundra and forests to subtropical beaches. It’s famous for Moscow's Bolshoi and St. Petersburg's Mariinsky ballet companies. St. Petersburg, founded by Russian leader Peter the Great, has the baroque Winter Palace, now housing part of the State Hermitage Museum’s art collection.
Languages: Russian, many minority languages
Ethnic Goups: Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1%
Belief Systems: Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2%; note:estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large Populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule
Demographics:
Population: 142 million people (World Rank: 9th) (2014 estimate)
Population Density: 22.5 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 225th) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth: -0.102 %/yr (World Rank: 223rd) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: 68 years (World Rank: 165th) (2013 estimate)
Median Age: 38 years (World Rank: 38th) (2010 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of Russia
Worldatlas.com
Country Profile for Russia
United Nations
Russia - Country Profile
U.S. Library of Congress
Russia
Wikipedia.org
Russia - Facts and Information 1
Encyclopedia.com
Russia - Facts and Information 2
World Factbook
Culture and Tourism:
Traveling to Russia 1
Travelnotes.org
Travel Guide for Russia
Wikitravel.org
Language Resources:
Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet and pronunciation
Omniglot.com
Russian Language Games
Digitaldialects.com
Learn Russian Online 2
Mylanguages.org
Government Related:
Embassy of Russia
in Washington D.C.
Government Websites of Russia
by Gunnar Anzinger
Current Local Weather:
