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| Russia
Information & Facts |
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Russia is the Largest Country in the World |
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| Background: | Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 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. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1928-53) strengthened Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15 independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the Communist period. While some progress has been made on the economic front, recent years have seen a recentralization of power under Vladimir PUTIN and an erosion in nascent democratic institutions. A determined guerrilla conflict still plagues Russia in Chechnya. |
| Area: | total: 17,075,200 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | approximately 1.8 times the size of the US |
| Coastline: | 37,653 km |
| 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 |
| Natural resources: | wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber |
| Natural hazards: | permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula ; spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European Russia |
| Geography - note | : largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount El'brus is Europe 's tallest peak |
| Population: | 143,420,309 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 14.6% (male 10,704,617/female 10,173,313) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.37% (2005 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 9.8 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Death rate: | 14.52 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 67.1 years |
| Religions: | Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other |
| Government type: | federation |
| Capital: | Moscow |
| Independence : | 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union ) |
| National holiday: | Russia Day, 12 June (1990) |
| Constitution: | adopted 12 December 1993 |
| Legal system: | based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts |
| Economy - overview: | Russia ended 2004 with its sixth straight year of growth, averaging 6.5% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. Although high oil prices and a relatively cheap ruble are important drivers of this economic rebound, since 2000 investment and consumer-driven demand have played a noticeably increasing role. Real fixed capital investments have averaged gains greater than 10% over the last five years, and real personal incomes have realized average increases over 12%. Russia has also improved its international financial position since the 1998 financial crisis, with its foreign debt declining from 90% of GDP to around 28%. Strong oil export earnings have allowed Russia to increase its foreign reserves from only $12 billion to some $120 billion at yearend 2004. These achievements, along with a renewed government effort to advance structural reforms, have raised business and investor confidence in Russia 's economic prospects. Nevertheless, serious problems persist. Economic growth slowed down in the second half of 2004 and the Russian government forecasts growth of only 4.5% to 6.2% for 2005. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world prices. Russia 's manufacturing base is dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-based economic growth. Other problems include a weak banking system, a poor business climate that discourages both domestic and foreign investors, corruption, and widespread lack of trust in institutions. In addition, a string of investigations launched against a major Russian oil company, culminating with the arrest of its CEO in the fall of 2003, have raised concerns by some observers that President PUTIN is granting more influence to forces within his government that desire to reassert state control over the economy. |
| Population below poverty line: | 25% (January 2003 est.) |
| Labor force: | 71.83 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 12.3%, industry 22.7%, services 65% (2002 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 8.3% plus considerable underemployment (2004 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk |
| 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, and 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 |
| Oil - production: | 8.42 million bbl/day (2003 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 2.31 million bbl/day (2003 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 6.11 million bbl/day (2003) |
| Exports: | $162.5 billion (2004 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures |
| Exports - partners: | Germany 7.8%, Netherlands 6.5%, Italy 6.3%, China 6.2%, Belarus 5.7%, Ukraine 5.7%, US 4.6%, Switzerland 4.4% (2003) |
| Imports: | $92.91 billion (2004 est.) |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 35.5 million (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 17,608,800 (2002) |
| Internet users: | 6 million (2002) |
| Airports: | 2,586 (2004 est.) |
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The Russian flag was originally used by the Russian Empire. The red, white and blue stripes stood for the union of Russia , Belorussia ( Belarus ), and Ukraine . When the USSR dissolved the Russian Federation readopted the imperial Russian flag even though the other two members have now become independent states. |
| Currency : | Russian Rubles - Relative value in dollars $ .041 |
| Average Temperatures: | Moscow January -13° C (9° F) July - 18° C (64° F) |
| Average Annual Precipitation: | Moscow - 581 mm (23 in) |
| Largest Cities: | Moscow - 8,300,000 (1994 Estiamte) |
