Russia

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - The Kola-Karelian region
  - The Russian Plain
  - The Ural Mountains
  - The West Siberian Plain
  - The Central Siberian Plateau
  - The mountains of the south and east
- Drainage
  - Rivers
  - Lakes
- Climate
  - Atmospheric pressure and winds
  - Temperature
  - Precipitation
- Soils and plant and animal life
  - Arctic desert
  - Tundra
  - Taiga
  - Mixed and deciduous forest
  - Wooded steppe and steppe
People
- Ethnic groups and languages
  - The Indo-European group
  - The Altaic group
  - The Uralic group
  - The Caucasian group
  - Other groups
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
  - Agriculture
  - Forestry
  - Fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
  - Machine building
  - Chemicals
  - Light industry
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Regional and local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- The development of Russian culture
  - The Kievan period
  - The Muscovite period
  - The emergence of modern Russian culture
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
  - Literature
    - The 19th century
    - The 20th century
  - Music
    - The 19th century
    - The 20th century
  - The visual arts
    - The 19th century
    - The 20th century
  - The performing arts
    - The 19th century
    - The 20th century
  - Motion pictures
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- From the beginnings to c. 1700
  - Prehistory and the rise of the Rus
  - Kiev
    - The rise of Kiev
    - The decline of Kiev
    - Social and political institutions
  - The lands of Rus
    - Novgorod
    - The northwest
    - The northeast
    - The southwest
  - The Mongol period
    - The Mongol invasion
    - Tatar rule
    - The rise of Muscovy
    - Cultural life and the “Tatar influence”
    - The post-Sarai period
  - Rurikid Muscovy
    - Ivan III
    - Vasily III
    - Ivan IV (the Terrible)
    - Boris Godunov
    - The Time of Troubles
    - Social and economic conditions
    - Cultural trends
  - Romanov Muscovy
    - Michael
    - Alexis
    - Trends in the 17th century
      Cultural life
      The great schism
- The 18th century
  - The reign of Peter I (the Great; 1689–1725)
    - Peter’s youth and early reign
    - The Petrine state
    - Assessment of Peter’s reign
  - Peter I’s successors (1725–62)
    - Anna (1730–40)
    - Elizabeth (1741–62)
  - The reign of Catherine II (the Great; 1762–96)
    - Expansion of the empire
    - Government administration under Catherine
  - Education and social change in the 18th century
  - The reign of Paul I (1796–1801)
- Russia from 1801 to 1917
  - The reigns of Alexander I and Nicholas I
    - General survey
    - Government
    - Social classes
    - Education and intellectual life
    - The Russian Empire
    - Foreign policy
  - From Alexander II to Nicholas II
    - Emancipation and reform
    - Revolutionary activities
    - Economic and social development
    - Education and ideas
    - Russification policies
    - Foreign policy
  - The last years of tsardom
    - The revolution of 1905–06
    - The State Duma
    - Agrarian reforms
    - War and the fall of the monarchy
- Soviet Russia
  - After the monarchy
  - The October (November) Revolution
  - The Civil War and War Communism (1918–21)
    - The Civil War
    - War Communism
  - New Economic Policy (1921–28)
  - The Stalin era (1928–53)
  - The Khrushchev era (1953–64)
  - The Brezhnev era (1964–82)
  - The Gorbachev era: perestroika and glasnost
  - Collapse of the Soviet Union
- Post-Soviet Russia
  - The Yeltsin presidency (1991–99)
    - Economic reforms
    - Political and social changes
    - Ethnic relations and Russia’s “near-abroad”
    - Foreign affairs
    - Rewriting history
  - The Putin presidency
    - Separatism
    - Foreign affairs
    - The oligarchs
    - Political and economic reforms
  - The Medvedev presidency
  - The second Putin presidency
    - The Ukraine crisis
    - Consolidation of power, Syria, and campaign against the West
    - Putin’s fourth term as president, novichok attacks, and military action against Ukraine
Leaders of Russia from 1276

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

western Greater Caucasus range

Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia: administrative divisions

Physical features of Russia

For Students

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Russia: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 26, 2025

News •

Key issues unresolved in US-Ukraine talks on ending Russia's war, according to Zelenskyy • Dec. 26, 2025, 11:44 AM ET (AP)

Trump's talks with Zelenskyy to address security guarantees and reconstruction, Ukraine leader says • Dec. 26, 2025, 11:03 AM ET (AP)

The Kremlin says Moscow made an offer to France regarding a French citizen imprisoned in Russia • Dec. 25, 2025, 6:22 PM ET (AP)

Russian court sentences pro-war activist and Putin critic to 6 years in prison • Dec. 25, 2025, 1:54 PM ET (AP)

US stocks drift to more records on a holiday-shortened day of trading • Dec. 24, 2025, 3:22 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	Rossiyskaya Federatsiya • Rossija • Russian Federation • Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic • Russian S.F.S.R. • Rossiya
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Mikhail Mishustin
Capital	Moscow
Population	(2025 est.) 145,335,000
Currency Exchange Rate	1 USD equals 76.545 Russian ruble
Head Of State	President: Vladimir Putin
Form Of Government	federal multiparty republic with a bicameral legislative body (Federal Assembly comprising the Federation Council [170] and the State Duma [450])
Official Language	Russian
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Rossiyskaya Federatsiya (Russian Federation), or Rossia (Russia)
Total Area (Sq Km)	17,075,400
Total Area (Sq Mi)	6,592,812
Monetary Unit	ruble (RUB)
Population Rank	(2025) 9
Population Projection 2030	139,599,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 22
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 8.5
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2018) 74% • Rural: (2018) 26%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2020) 66.5 years • Female: (2020) 76.4 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2021) 100% • Female: (2021) 100%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 2,084,847
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 14,250

Did You Know?

Russia ranks the fourth highest globally in alcohol consumption per capita.
It is customary to gift flowers in odd numbers, as even numbers of flowers are used for funerals.
Since 1745, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has housed cats to catch mice that damage artwork.
Peter the Great attempted to modernize Russia and imposed a tax on beards in 1698.

Photos and Videos

western Greater Caucasus range

Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia: administrative divisions

Physical features of Russia

typical Russian rural buildings

Lake Baikal: The world's deepest and oldest lake

Why is the village of Shoyna sinking in sand?

What made Russian Tsar Ivan IV so terrible?

The rise and fall of the Russian tsars

The rise and reign of Catherine the Great

National anthem of Russia

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Topics

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Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Early work

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Russian author

Maxim Gorky

Maxim Gorky

Russian writer

Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin

prime minister of Soviet Union

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin

president of Russia

Peter I

Peter I

emperor of Russia

Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin

premier of Soviet Union

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Nicholas I

tsar of Russia

Alexander I

Alexander I

emperor of Russia

Catherine II

Catherine the Great

empress of Russia

Leon Trotsky

Leon Trotsky

Russian revolutionary

Alexander II

Alexander II

emperor of Russia

Ivan the Terrible

Ivan the Terrible

tsar of Russia

Nicholas II

Nicholas II

tsar of Russia

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Aleksandr Ivanovich Herzen

Russian writer

Nikon

Nikon

Russian patriarch

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Mikhail Mikhaylovich, Count Speransky

Russian statesman

Alexander III

Alexander III

emperor of Russia

Sergey Yulyevich Witte

Sergey Yulyevich, Count Witte

prime minister of Russia

Boris Nemtsov

Boris Nemtsov

Russian physicist and politician

Boris Yeltsin

Boris Yeltsin

president of Russia

Moscow

Moscow

national capital, Russia

St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg

Russia

Chechnya

Chechnya

republic, Russia

Dagestan prayer rug

Dagestan

republic, Russia

Königsberg Cathedral, Kaliningrad, Russia.

Kaliningrad

city, Kaliningrad oblast, Russia

Tsamad, North Ossetia−Alania

North Ossetia–Alania

republic, Russia

Veliky Novgorod, Russia

Veliky Novgorod

Russia

Bronnitsy

Moscow

oblast, Russia

Dykh-Tau

Kabardino-Balkariya

republic, Russia

Kotkozero

Karelia

republic, Russia

Bashkortostan: Mount Yamantau

Bashkortostan

republic, Russia

Vladivostok

Vladivostok

Russia

Udachnaya: diamond mine

Sakha

republic, Russia

Volga River

Chuvashiya

republic, Russia

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Nizhny Novgorod

Russia

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Russia: A History Quiz