Place Information
|
Russia, also the Russian Federation (Росси́йская Федера́ция, Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; ,(Russian language) ), is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of Asia and Europe. With an area of 17,075,400 km², Russia is the largest country in the world , covering almost twice the territory of the next-largest country, Canada, and has significant mineral and energy resources. Russia has the world's eighth-largest population. Russia shares land borders with the following countries (counter-clockwise from northwest to southeast): Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It is also close to the United States, Sweden, and Japan across relatively small stretches of water (the Bering Strait, the Baltic Sea, and La Pérouse Strait, respectively). Formerly the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), a republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Russia is now the Federation of Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. After the Soviet era, the area, population, and industrial production of the Soviet Union (then one of the world's two Cold War superpowers) that were located in Russia passed on to the Russian Federation. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia went from a superpower to a great power (although it is sometimes considered to be an energy superpower). Russia is considered the Soviet Union's successor state in diplomatic matters (see Russia's membership in the United Nations) and is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. It is also one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the world's largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction (see Russia and weapons of mass destruction). Russia is the leading nation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a member of the G8 as well as other international organisations.
How places in Russia are organizedIn 1719 the Russian Empire was divided into 50 provinces, growing to just over 100 by World War I. These divisions are labeled "historical provinces". Today Russia is divided into seven "federal districts", which are further divided into 85 "federal subjects". The standard at WeRelate is to title Russian place pages according to their historical province when it is known, with also-located-in links to the federal subject when it is known. All places in RussiaFurther information on historical place organization in RussiaResearch Tips
|
