Russia

Russia With its mysterious glory, Russia goes all the way from Europe to Asia, with so different places, impossible to imagine. Going to Moscow or St. Petersbourg will be two very differnt things. When you visit theese historical cities you will still feel the war hanging in the air, while seeing amazing 18th century palaces, canals, churches, whatever you can imagine. Russia is so immense that it would take several lifetimes to explore it completely, but don't let this deter you from trying and visiting this marvelous and vast land.

Russia is divided in Asian part (the major) and European part.

Area: 17.079.792 Km² (12.841.000 Km² asian part, 4.238.792 Km² european part)
Population: 145.470.000 (2001 est.)
Density: 8,5 pop/Km²

System of government: Parlamientary Republic
Capital: Moscow (9.270.000 pop.)
Major cities: St. Petersburg 5.130.000 pop., Samara 1.500.000 pop., Novosibirsk 1.476.000 pop., Nizni Novgorod 1.400.000 pop., Jekaterinburg 1.315.000 pop., Omsk 1.122.000 pop., Caricyn 1.100.000 pop., Celjabinsk 1.100.000 pop., Kazan 1.100.000 pop., Perm 1.000.000 pop., Rostov-na-Donu 1.000.000 pop., Ufa 1.000.000 pop.
Ethnic majority: Russian 80%, Tatar 4%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1%
Border countries: Lithuania NORTH and Poland SOUTH (Kaliningrad), Norway NORTH-WEST, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus WEST, Ukraine SOUTH-WEST, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea SOUTH

Principal mountains: Elbrus 5642 m
Principal rivers: Amur 4416 Km, Lena 4400 Km, Irtys 4400 Km, Jenisej 4092 Km, Ob 3680 Km, Volga 3530 Km
Principal lakes: Caspian Sea 371.000 Km² (with azerbaijani, iranian, turkmen and kazakhstani parts), Lake Bajkal 31.500 Km², Lake Ladoga 18.400 Km², Lake Onega 9610 Km², Bratsk Basin 5500 Km², Samara Basin 5000 Km², Rybinsk Basin 4550 Km², Ozero Tajmyr 4500 Km²
Principal islands: Sahalin 76.400 Km², Northern Novaja Zemlja 48.900 Km², Southern Novaja Zemlja 33.275 Km², Kotelny 12.019 Km²
Climate: Continental - polar

Language: Russian
Religion: Orthodox 75%, Muslim and others 25%
Currency: Russian Ruble (RUR)

Fixed public holidays: +3
Dialling code: 1/1, 2/1, 7/1, 23/2, 8/3, 1/5, 2/5, 9/5, 12/6, 7/11, 12/12
GMT: 007

World Heritage List:

• Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments (1990) 16
• Kizhi Pogost (1990) 17
• Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow (1990) 18
• Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands (1992)
• Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings (1992)
• White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal (1992)
• Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad (1993)
• Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye (1994)
• Virgin Komi Forests (1995)
• Lake Baikal (1996)
• Volcanoes of Kamchatka (1996, 2001) 19
• Golden Mountains of Altai (1998)
• Western Caucasus (1999)
• Curonian Spit (2000)
• Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin (2000)
• The Ensemble of Ferrapontov Monastery (2000)
• Central Sikhote-Alin (2001)
• Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent (2003)
• Uvs Nuur Basin (2003)
• Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent (2004)
• Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve (2004)
• Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl (2005)
• Struve Geodetic Arc (2005)