About Russia

 Russia (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya, pronounced [rɐˈsʲijə]), or the Russian Federation, [c] is an intercontinental country spread across Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world by area, covering 17,125,191 square kilometers (6,612,073 square miles) and covering one-eighth of the world's habitable land. Russia is spread across eleven time zones and borders sixteen sovereign states with a population of 145.5 million, the largest of any country in the world. Moscow, the capital, is the largest city in Europe as a whole, while St. Petersburg is the second largest city and cultural center in the country. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan.

The East Slavs emerged as a recognized group in Europe between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD. The medieval kingdom of Kivan Russia originated in the 9th century. In 988, it converted to Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Russia eventually disintegrated, and in its reign the Grand Duchy of Moscow emerged. By the early 18th century, the Russian Empire, through conquest, annexation, and exploration, had expanded enormously to become the third largest empire in history. After the Russian Revolution, the Russian SFSR became the world's first constitutionally socialist state, the largest and most important component of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union played a pivotal role in the Allied victory in World War II and emerged as a superpower and rival to the United States during the Cold War. The Soviet era saw some of the most significant technological breakthroughs of the 20th century, including the world's first man-made satellite and the first human launch into space.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the newly independent Russian SFSR changed its name to the Russian Federation. After the 1993 constitutional crisis, a new constitution was adopted and Russia has since been governed as a federal semi-presidential republic. Since his election in 2000, Vladimir Putin has dominated Russia's political system, and Russia has experienced a democratic setback, transformed into an authoritarian state.

Russia is a great power and a potential superpower. It ranks 52nd in the Human Development Index, including a universal healthcare system and free university education. Russia's economy is eleventh largest in the world by nominal GDP and sixth largest by GDP (PPP). It is a recognized nuclear weapons state, with the world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, the second-most powerful military and the fourth-highest military spending. Russia's vast mineral and energy resources are the largest in the world, and it is one of the leading producers of oil and natural gas worldwide. It is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, G20, SCO, Council of Europe, members of BRICS, APEC, OSCE, IIB and WTO, as well as leading members CIS, CSTO and EAEU. Russia is home to 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.