The inhabitants of Russia are quite diverse.

Most are ethnic Russians, but there also are more than 120
other ethnic groups present, speaking many languages and following disparate religious and cultural
traditions. Most of the Russian population is concentrated in the European portion of the country,
especially in the fertile region surrounding Moscow, the capital. Moscow and St. Petersburg (formerly
Leningrad) are the two most important cultural and financial centres in Russia and are among the most
picturesque cities in the world. Russians are also populous in Asia, however; beginning in the 17th
century, and particularly pronounced throughout much of the 20th century, a steady flow of ethnic
Russians and Russian-speaking people moved eastward into Siberia, where cities such as Vladivostok
and Irkutsk now flourish.