Russia

• ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia;
• subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north;
• winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia;
• summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast

• broad plain with low hills west of Urals;
• vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia;
• uplands and mountains along southern border regions

total:

66.2 cu km/yr (20%/60%/20%)

per capita:

454.9 cu m/yr (2001)

• permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development;
• volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands;
• volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula;
• spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European Russia

volcanism:

• significant volcanic activity on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands;
• the peninsula alone is home to some 29 historically active volcanoes, with dozens more in the Kuril Islands;
• Kliuchevskoi (elev. 4,835 m), which erupted in 2007 and 2010, is Kamchatka's most active volcano;
• Avachinsky and Koryaksky volcanoes, which pose a threat to the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, have been deemed "Decade Volcanoes" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations;
• other notable historically active volcanoes include
  • Bezymianny,
  • Chikurachki,
  • Ebeko,
  • Gorely,
  • Grozny,
  • Karymsky,
  • Ketoi,
  • Kronotsky,
  • Ksudach,
  • Medvezhia,
  • Mutnovsky,
  • Sarychev Peak,
  • Shiveluch,
  • Tiatia,
  • Tolbachik,
  • and Zheltovsky

• air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities;
• industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts;
• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals;
• scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination;
• groundwater contamination from toxic waste;
• urban solid waste management;
• abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides

• largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world;
• despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture;
• Mount El'brus is Europe's tallest peak;
• Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, is estimated to hold one fifth of the world's fresh water

noun:

Russian(s)

adjective:

Russian

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.74 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.44 male(s)/female

total population:

0.86 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne disease:

tickborne encephalitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2013)

conventional long form:

Russian Federation

conventional short form:

Russia

local long form:

Rossiyskaya Federatsiya

local short form:

Rossiya

former:

Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

name:

Moscow

geographic coordinates:

55 45 N, 37 36 E

time difference:

UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr; note - Russia has announced that it will remain on daylight saving time permanently, which began on 27 March 2011

note: Russia is divided into 9 time zones

• 24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union);
• notable earlier dates: 1157 (Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal created);
• 16 January 1547 (Tsardom of Muscovy established);
• 22 October 1721 (Russian Empire proclaimed);
• 30 December 1922 (Soviet Union established)

• several previous (during Russian Empire and Soviet eras);
• latest drafted 12 July 1993, adopted by referendum 12 December 1993, effective 25 December 1993;
• amended 2008 (2013)

chief of state:

President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (since 7 May 2012)

head of government:

• Premier Dmitriy Anatolyevich MEDVEDEV (since 8 May 2012);
• First Deputy Premier Igor Ivanovich SHUVALOV (since 12 May 2008);
• Deputy Premiers Arkadiy Vladimirovich DVORKOVICH (since 21 May 2012), Olga Yuryevna GOLODETS (since 21 May 2012), Aleksandr Gennadiyevich KHLOPONIN (since 19 January 2010), Dmitriy Nikolayevich KOZAK (since 14 October 2008), Dmitriy Olegovich ROGOZIN (since 23 December 2011), Sergey Eduardovich PRIKHODKO (since 22 May 2013), Yuriy Petrovich TRUTNEV (since 31 August 2013)

cabinet:

the "Government" is composed of the premier, his deputies, and ministers; all are appointed by the president, and the premier is also confirmed by the Duma; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held 4 March 2012 (next to be held in March 2018);
• note - the term length was extended from four to six years in late 2008 and went into effect after the 2012 election;
• there is no vice president;
• if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months;
• premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma

election results:

• Vladimir PUTIN elected president;
• percent of vote - Vladimir PUTIN 63.6%, Gennadiy ZYUGANOV 17.2%, Mikhail PROKHOROV 8%, Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY 6.2%, Sergey MIRONOV 3.9%, other 1.1%;
• Dmitriy MEDVEDEV approved as premier by Duma 299 to 144

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (consists of 23 members);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 19 members);
• Superior Court of Arbitration (consists of a chairman and 4 deputy chairmen

judge selection and term of office:

• all members of Russia's three highest courts nominated by the president and appointed by the Federation Council (the upper house of the legislature);
• members of all three courts appointed for life

subordinate courts:

• Higher Arbitration Court;
• regional (kray) and provincial (oblast) courts;
• Moscow and St. Petersburg city courts;
• autonomous province and district courts;
• note - the 14 Russian Republics have court systems specified by their own constitutions

• A Just Russia [Sergey MIRONOV]
• Communist Party of the Russian Federation or CPRF [Gennadiy ZYUGANOV]
• Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR [Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY]
• Right Cause [Andrey DUNAYEV]
• Rodina [Aleksey ZHURAVLEV]
• United Russia [Dmitriy MEDVEDEV]
• Yabloko Party [Sergey MITROKHIN]

• Association of Citizens with Initiative of Russia (TIGR)
• Confederation of Labor of Russia (KTR)
• Federation of Independent Labor Unions of Russia
• Freedom of Choice Interregional Organization of Automobilists
• Glasnost Defense Foundation
• Golos Association in Defense of Voters' Rights
• Greenpeace Russia
• Human Rights Watch (Russian chapter)
• Institute for Collective Action
• Memorial (human rights group)
• Movement Against Illegal Migration
• Pamjat (preservation of historical monuments and recording of history)
• PARNAS
• Russian Orthodox Church
• Russian Federation of Car Owners
• Russian-Chechen Friendship Society
• Solidarnost
• SOVA Analytical-Information Center
• Union of the Committees of Soldiers' Mothers
• World Wildlife Fund (Russian chapter)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Sergey Ivanovich KISLYAK (since 16 September 2008)

chancery:

2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708

FAX:

[1] (202) 298-5735

consulate(s) general:

Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

chief of mission:

Ambassador Michael A. MCFAUL (since 10 January 2012)

embassy:

Bolshoy Deviatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow

mailing address:

PSC-77, APO AE 09721

telephone:

[7] (495) 728-5000

FAX:

[7] (495) 728-5090

consulate(s) general:

Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg

• complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals;
• all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles;
• defense industries including radar, missile production, and advanced electronic components, shipbuilding;
• road and rail transportation equipment;
• communications equipment;
• agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment;
• electric power generating and transmitting equipment;
• medical and scientific instruments;
• consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts

agriculture:

7.9%

industry:

27.4%

services:

64.7% (2011)

lowest 10%:

5.7%

highest 10%:

42.4% (2011 est.)

general assessment:

• the telephone system is experiencing significant changes;
• there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services;
• access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers;
• Internet and e-mail services are improving;
• Russia has made progress toward building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy;
• the estimated number of mobile subscribers jumped from fewer than 1 million in 1998 to more than 235 million in 2011;
• fixed line service has improved but a large demand remains

domestic:

• cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk;
• the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures;
• cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas;
• in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density

international:

• country code - 7;
• Russia is connected internationally by undersea fiber optic cables;
• satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems (2011)

• 6 national TV stations with the federal government owning 1 and holding a controlling interest in a second;
• state-owned Gazprom maintains a controlling interest in a third national channel;
• government-affiliated Bank Rossiya owns controlling interest in a fourth and fifth, while the sixth national channel is owned by the Moscow city administration;
• roughly 3,300 national, regional, and local TV stations with over two-thirds completely or partially controlled by the federal or local governments;
• satellite TV services are available;
• 2 state-run national radio networks with a third majority-owned by Gazprom;
• roughly 2,400 public and commercial radio stations (2007)

• condensate 122 km;
• gas 163,872 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 1,378 km;
• oil 80,820 km;
• oil/gas/water 40 km;
• refined products 13,658 km;
• water 23 km (2013)

total:

87,157 km

country comparison to the world: 2

broad gauge:

86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)

note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve industries (2006)

total:

1,283,387 km

country comparison to the world: 5

paved:

927,721 km (includes 39,143 km of expressways)

unpaved:

355,666 km (2012)

• Ground Forces (Sukhoputnyye Voyskia, SV), Navy (Voyenno-Morskoy Flot, VMF), Air Forces (Voyenno-Vozdushniye Sily, VVS);
• Airborne Troops (Vozdushno-Desantnyye Voyska, VDV), Strategic Rocket Forces (Raketnyye Voyska Strategicheskogo Naznacheniya, RVSN), and Aerospace Defense Troops (Voyska Vozdushno-Kosmicheskoy Oborony or Voyska VKO) are independent "combat arms," not subordinate to any of the three branches;
• Russian Ground Forces include the following combat arms: motorized-rifle troops, tank troops, missile and artillery troops, air defense of the ground troops (2012)

males age 16-49:

34,132,156

females age 16-49:

34,985,115 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

20,431,035

females age 16-49:

26,381,518 (2010 est.)

male:

693,843

female:

660,359 (2010 est.)

IDPs:

8,500-28,450 (displacement from Chechnya and North Ossetia-Alania) (2011)

stateless persons:

• 178,000 (2012);
• note - Russia's stateless population consists of Roma, Meskhetian Turks, and ex-Soviet citizens from the former republics;
• between 2003 and 2010 more than 600,000 stateless people were naturalized;
• most Meskhetian Turks, followers of Islam with origins in Georgia, fled or were evacuated from Uzbekistan after a 1989 pogrom and have lived in Russia for more than the required five-year residency period;
• they continue to be denied registration for citizenship and basic rights by local Krasnodar Krai authorities on the grounds that they are temporary illegal migrants

current situation:

• Russia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking, although labor trafficking is the predominant problem;
• people from Russia and other countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Asia, including Vietnam and North Korea, are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Russia's construction, manufacturing, agriculture, repair shop, and domestic services industries, as well as forced begging and narcotics cultivation;
• North Koreans contracted under bilateral government arrangements to work in the timber industry in the Russian Far East reportedly are subjected to forced labor;
• Russian women and children were reported to be victims of sex trafficking in Russia, Northeast Asia, Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East, while women from European, African, and Central Asian countries were reportedly forced into prostitution in Russia

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - Russia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and because it is not deemed to be making significant efforts to do so was downgraded to Tier 3 after the maximum of two consecutive annual waivers;
• the number of prosecutions remains low compared to estimates of Russia's trafficking problem;
• the government did not develop or deploy a formal system for the identification of trafficking victims or their referral to protective services, although some victims were reportedly cared for through ad hoc efforts;
• the government has reported minimal efforts to identify or care for the large number of migrant workers vulnerable to labor exploitation and has not investigated allegations of slave-like conditions in North Korean-operated timber camps (2013)

• limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of methamphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption;
• government has active illicit crop eradication program;
• used as transshipment point for Asian opiates, cannabis, and Latin American cocaine bound for growing domestic markets, to a lesser extent Western and Central Europe, and occasionally to the US;
• major source of heroin precursor chemicals;
• corruption and organized crime are key concerns;
• major consumer of opiates