Russia,[b] or the Russian Federation,[c] is a country spanning Eastern Europe and

North Asia. It is the largest country in the world by area, extending across eleven
time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries.[d] It is the world's
ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country. The country's
capital as well as its largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-
largest city and cultural capital. Other major cities in the country include
Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kazan,
Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don.

The East Slavs emerged as a recognised group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th
centuries CE. The first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', arose in the 9th century,
and in 988, it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Rus'
ultimately disintegrated, with the Grand Duchy of Moscow growing to become the
Tsardom of Russia. By the early 18th century, Russia had vastly expanded through
conquest, annexation, and the efforts of Russian explorers, developing into the
Russian Empire, which remains the third-largest empire in history. However, with
the Russian Revolution in 1917, Russia's monarchic rule was abolished and
eventually replaced by the Russian SFSR—the world's first constitutionally
socialist state. Following the Russian Civil War, the Russian SFSR established the
Soviet Union with three other Soviet republics, within which it was the largest and
principal constituent. At the expense of millions of lives, the Soviet Union
underwent rapid industrialisation in the 1930s and later played a decisive role for
the Allies in World War II by leading large-scale efforts on the Eastern Front.
With the onset of the Cold War, it competed with the United States for global
ideological influence. The Soviet era of the 20th century saw some of the most
significant Russian technological achievements, including the first human-made
satellite and the first human expedition into outer space.

In 1991, the Russian SFSR emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union as the
independent Russian Federation. A new constitution was adopted, which established a
federal semi-presidential system. Since the turn of the century, Russia's political
system has been dominated by Vladimir Putin, under whom the country has experienced
democratic backsliding and a shift towards authoritarianism. Russia has been
militarily involved in a number of conflicts in former Soviet states and other
countries, including its war with Georgia in 2008 and annexation of Crimea in 2014
from neighbouring Ukraine, followed by the further annexation of four other regions
in 2022 during an ongoing invasion.

Internationally, Russia ranks among the lowest in measurements of democracy, human

rights and freedom of the press; the country also has high levels of perceived
corruption. The Russian economy ranks 11th by nominal GDP, relying heavily on its
abundant natural resources, and 68th by GDP per capita. Its mineral and energy
sources are the world's largest, and its figures for oil production and natural gas
production rank highly globally. Russia possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear
weapons and has the third-highest military expenditure. The country is a permanent
member of the United Nations Security Council; a member state of the G20, SCO,
BRICS, APEC, OSCE, and WTO; and the leading member state of post-Soviet
organisations such as CIS, CSTO, and EAEU/EEU. Russia is home to 30 UNESCO World
Heritage Sites.

Capital
and largest city
Moscow
55°45′21″N 37°37′02″E
Official and national language Russian[3]
Recognised regional languages 35 regional official languages[4]
Ethnic groups (2021; including Russia and Crimea)[5]
71.7% Russian
3.2% Tatar
1.1% Bashkir
1.1% Chechen
11.3% other
11.6% not reported
Religion (2023)[7][8]
61% Christianity
60% Russian Orthodoxy
1% other Christian
24% no religion
9% Islam
2% other (including Buddhism)[6]
4% undeclared
Demonym(s) Russian
Government Federal semi-presidential republic under an authoritarian
dictatorship[9][10][11][12]
• President
Vladimir Putin
• Prime Minister
Mikhail Mishustin
• Chairwoman of the Federation Council
Valentina Matviyenko
• Chairman of the State Duma
Vyacheslav Volodin
• Chief Justice
Pyotr Serkov (acting)[13]
Legislature Federal Assembly
• Upper house
Federation Council
• Lower house
State Duma
Formation
• Kievan Rus'
882
• Vladimir-Suzdal
1157
• Principality of Moscow
1282
• Tsardom of Russia
16 January 1547
• Russian Empire
2 November 1721
• Monarchy abolished
15 March 1917
• Soviet Union
30 December 1922
• Declaration of State
Sovereignty
12 June 1990
• Russian Federation
12 December 1991
• Current constitution
12 December 1993
• Union State formed
8 December 1999
Area
• Total
17,098,246 km2 (6,601,670 sq mi)[14] (within internationally recognised borders)
• Water (%)
13[15] (including swamps)
Population
• 2022 estimate
Neutral decrease 147,182,123 (2021 Census)[16]
(including Crimea)[17]
Neutral decrease 144,699,673
(excluding Crimea)[17]
(9th)
• Density
8.4/km2 (21.8/sq mi) (187th)
GDP (PPP) 2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $5.056 trillion[18] (6th)
• Per capita
Increase $35,310[18] (60th)
GDP (nominal) 2023 estimate
• Total
Decrease $1.862 trillion[18] (11th)
• Per capita
Decrease $13,006[18] (72nd)
Gini (2020) Positive decrease 36.0[19]
medium
HDI (2022) Increase 0.821[20]
very high (56th)
Currency Ruble (₽) (RUB)
Time zone UTC+2 to +12
Driving side right
Calling code +7
ISO 3166 code RU
Internet TLD
.ru
.рф