The Russian Federation: nature and economy

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world by area (17.1 million km²); it lies in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, and the Urals separate its European and Asian parts. The capital is Moscow and the population about 144–146 million (depending on the source; around 9th in the world). Its coasts are washed by seas of the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic basins (Baltic, Black Sea). It has land borders with 14 states (as many as China), and sea borders with Japan and the USA; the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic is an exclave cut off from the main territory. The form of government is a mixed (semi-presidential) republic; the structure is a federation with republics, krais, oblasts, autonomous okrugs and federal cities. The status of some territories is disputed internationally and not recognised by many states. About 70 % of its territory is plain (the East European and West Siberian plains); high mountains lie in the east and south (Caucasus, Altai, Sayan). The climate is mostly temperate, subarctic and arctic; permafrost is widespread and in much of the country there is too little warmth for farming. Natural zones: tundra, taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forest, forest-steppe and steppe. Resources are very rich: natural gas, oil, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, diamonds, forest and water; big rivers are the Volga, Ob, Yenisei, Lena and Amur; Baikal is the world’s deepest lake and holds about a fifth of the world’s fresh water. The population is unevenly spread (average density about 8–9 people per km²), mostly in the west and south; urbanisation is about 75 %. Moscow (over 13 million) and Saint Petersburg are the biggest cities. About 80 % are ethnic Russians, with over a hundred other peoples (Tatars, Bashkirs, Chechens, Chuvash and others). The most widespread religion is Orthodox Christianity; Islam is widespread among Tatars, Bashkirs and North Caucasus peoples, and Buddhism among Buryats, Kalmyks and Tuvans.