Russia is a vast country in Eastern Europe and northern Asia. Russia has extensive Arctic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean coastlines, as well as smaller coastlines on the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. Russia is bordered by Norway and Finland to the northwest, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine to the west, Georgia and Azerbaijan to the southwest, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia to the south and China and North Korea to the southeast.
Russia is the largest country in the world by far: spanning twelve time zones, its territory covers nearly twice as much of the earth as that of the next largest country, Canada. It has huge reserves of the world’s most important resources: oil, gas, coal, platinum, gold and asbestos. Mount Elbrus, at 18,510 feet, is Europe and Russia’s tallest peak.
Tourism in Russia has been growing since the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991. Most of the tourism is centered on the cities of Moscow (the capital) and St. Petersburg, which house the most famous attractions in Russia, such as the Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin in Moscow; and the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the State Hermitage Museum and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg. Travelers are attracted by the rich cultural heritage and rather tumultuous history of Russia, as well as by its vast, rugged landscape.
Facts About Russia
- Population: 143,420,309
- Languages: Russian
- Currency: RUB
- Capital: Moscow
- Area: 17,075,200 km2, 6,592,735 sq mi
