Officially, the Russian Federation is the largest country in the world with beautiful people, cultural diversity, mouth-watering cuisines, and extremely cold weather.

Geography of Russia

As per land area, Russia is the largest country on earth with a total area of 17 million km2. The country is so big, that it has about 1/8 of all inhabited land on the earth and almost the same amount of surface area as the entire planet of Pluto.

In addition, Russia is a transcontinental country that comes under Eastern Europe and northern Asia. Russia’s landmass is known as Eurasia.

The whole country of Russia is 9,000 KM long from east to west and the country has 11 time zones and the longest border in the world with 14 different countries.

There are three federal cities in Russia, “Moscow” the capital of the country, and “St.Petersburg” as well as the disputed city of “Sevastopol”.

Interesting Fact: On March 30, 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for a few million dollars, currently it’s a land of Gold Mines.

The capital and largest city is Moscow where nearly a tenth of the entire population lives which is the largest European as well.

The country has thousands of islands and coasts mostly situated in the Arctic zone.

Russia is cold and freezing but being the largest country on Earth they have different physical features. In the West, it is mostly flat and relatively lush European plans. In the southwest where you can find the highest point in Europe “Mount Elbrus” and the largest river delta “Volga River Delta”.

Do you know? Lake Baikal is the Largest and deepest freshwater lake in the world which is located in Russia.

Demographics of Russia

Russia has a population of 146 million (9per km square). Due to the vast wide domain and numerous ethnic groups. Russia has an enormous range of cuisines, cultures, and beliefs. Russia has over 180 recognized ethnic groups which each have its own distinct culture.

Population division in this Giant country is also amazing. About 77% of the Russians live in the European region of the country whereas the remaining 23% population lives on the east side of the country.

About 80% of the country identifies as ethnically Russian and the remaining 20% belong to one of the 180 ethnic minorities found over the country.

The largest ethnic groups are the Tatars at about 3.7 percent and Ukrainians at about 1.4 percent.

Do you know? Still, Russia has less than 1% Jewish population.

Russian is the national language of Russia however, there are other co-official languages spoken in several parts of the country as well.

The majority of the people belong to Christianity, especially Russian Orthodoxy, and about 30% of the country identifies as spiritual but not religious.

Russia has a high birth rate and also has a relatively high death rate, especially amongst men.

Do you know? Russia has a ratio of 86.39 males per 100 females.

Economy of Russia

Russia has an advanced mixed economy and highly developed infrastructures. With a GDP of 1.48 trillion USD in 2021, Russia is the 11th largest economy in the world and 5th in the European region. Due to its large area which is mostly dependent on the industrial sector and very small portion of land is suitable for agriculture.

However, the rural regions are most important. There are two main territories that highly depend on the agriculture sector. The agricultural sector accounts for over 3.7% of the total national GDP in Russia. The industrial sector in the country still contributes to the agricultural sector, which stands at the ground level.

There is an extensive service industry in the country. The top two services industries in Russia are the trade and hospitality industries. The tourism industry and the oil and gas industry have a great role in the Russian Economy. The country has great tourism industries as well. Moreover, the Russian trade sector is leading in many continents due to its vast economic influence.

Major exports of Russia are petroleum, hydrocarbon, precious metals, woods, and steel whereas major imports are machinery, pharmaceuticals, vehicles, and plastic materials.

The economy of Russia has had positive changes in the last two decades. Firstly, the country’s economy has enjoyed economic growth due to economic reform policies implemented by Putin. Moreover, Russia recently recorded high economic growth rates due to the emergence of new markets.

Tourism in Russia

Tourism is an important part of Russian society, which plays a very significant role in its economic progress. Tourism attracts a lot of people from all around the world to visit Russia. Tourism is among one of the largest industries in Russia with around revenue of 11.5 billion dollars a year.

Because of Russia’s powerful tourism industry, nearly 1 million jobs are created for the people. This has generated many tourist firms, hotels, tour operators, museums, and exhibitions; and has made significant contributions to the country’s economy.

Places to Must Visit in Russia:

• Saint Basil’s Cathedral
• The State Hermitage Museum
• Lake Baikal
• St Sophia Cathedral
• Ganina Yama Monastery
• The State Hermitage Museum
• Sochi Park
• Karelia
• Red Square, Moscow
• Manpupuner Rock Formations
• Suzdal
• Tretyakov Gallery

Traveling in Russia is quite safe but petty crime can happen. You should follow the same security measures for your own safety. Tourists found it one of the cheapest places to visit in the world. That’s why it is famous for travelers with limited budgets.

Russians are very hospitable; they will invite you into their homes. But they don’t like you smiling at them, it means you are making fun of them. Just to remind you.

You must visit two beautiful and historic cities St. Petersburg and Moscow before moving anywhere else. Just keep in mind it’s extremely cold in most parts of the whole country in Russia. Pack your bag with warm clothes.

Nature and Wildlife of Russia

We all know Russia is a very huge country. A large landmass comes with vast diversity. Being a frozen nation Russia has coniferous and taiga forests which is almost 32% of the total land area of Russia.

The south of Russia has a massive range of grassy land with moderate temperature and sunshine. It makes the southern region perfect for agriculture.

Russia has numerous oil and natural gas reserves in the interior sites in Siberia and Arctic Russia has the largest natural gas reserves in the world making them the largest natural gas exporter and the largest oil producer nation in the world.

Despite limited agricultural land, Russia still ranks number one in the production of crops like Buck-Wheat, Barley, Oats Sugar, Gooseberries, and raspberries.

In fact, they are the largest producer of diamonds in the world. Russia boasts 260 mammal species and nearly 800 bird species. Animals like Siberian Tiger, Asiatic Bears, Eurasian Lynx, Polar Bears, Reindeer Walruses, Narwhals, Arctic Foxes, Wolverines, Saiga antelope, and National animal Eurasian Brown Bear.

International Relations of Russia

Russia is not just a country but almost like its own world in itself. They have participated in many wars including both World Wars and Cold War but at the present time, they just love to get along with all countries.

China is one of their closest allies and biggest trading partner. They love each other despite wars and clashes in 1969.

India is also close with Russia for many reasons. Most importantly, Russia has sided with India against Pakistan during the Indo-Pak war. Today Goa is a huge hot spot for Russian tourists. They just love each other.

Cuba and Venezuela are possibly the best Latin American allies of Russia. Cuba is the only country in the Americas that fully adopted communism.

The Russians and Americans get along most of the time. In fact, the USA has the 4th largest population composition of Russians in the Diaspora and many famous Americans have Russian ancestry.

Ukraine is like a Friend-Enemy with Russia because they had few disputes after Ukraine broke from the Soviet Union. But the Ukrainians and Russians share nearly the same culture, language, and trading. In fact, Ukraine has the largest population of Russians outside of Russia.

Belarus has always had close ties with Russia and Russian is the Co-official language there.

Former USSR states Kazakhstan is a small brother of Russia which has the second largest population of Russians living abroad at over 3.6 million. They are a breadbasket country to Russia as their environment is more suitable for agriculture so many food supplies come to Russia from Kazakhstan.