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

agricultural land:

13.1%;

• arable land 7.3%;
• permanent crops 0.1%;
• permanent pasture 5.7%

forest:

49.4%

other:

37.5% (2011 est.)

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:

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.75 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.45 male(s)/female

total population:

0.86 male(s)/female (2015 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+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

note: Russia has 11 time zones, which includes two that were added in 2014

• 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 appointed by the president; the premier is also confirmed by the Duma

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 4 March 2012 (next to be held in March 2018);
• note - term length extended to 6 years from 4 years in late 2008, effective after the 2012 election;
• there is no vice president;
• premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma

election results:

• Vladimir PUTIN elected president;
• percent of vote - Vladimir PUTIN (United Russia) 63.6%, Gennadiy ZYUGANOV (CPRF) 17.2%, Mikhail PROKHOROV(Civic Platform) 8%, Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY (LDPR) 6.2%, Sergey MIRONOV (A Just Russia) 3.9%, other 1.1%;
• Dmitriy MEDVEDEV (United Russia) approved as premier by Duma;
• vote - 299 to 144

note: there is also a Presidential Administration 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

description:

bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (166 seats; 2 members in each of the 83 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg - appointed by the top executive and legislative officials; members serve 4-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; as of February 2014, the electoral system reverted to a mixed electoral system for the 2016 election in which one-half of the members are directly elected by simple majority vote and one-half directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

State Duma - last held on 4 December 2011 (next to be held in December 2016)

election results:

• State Duma - United Russia 49.6%, CPRF 19.2%, A Just Russia 13.2%, LDPR 11.7%, other 6.3%;
• seats by party - United Russia 238, CPRF 92, A Just Russia 64, LDPR 56

note: the State Duma now includes 2 representatives each from the Republic of Crimea and Federal City of Sevastopol, two annexed Ukrainian regions that the United States does not recognize as part of Russia

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (consists of 170 members organized into the Judicial Panel for Civil Affairs, the Judicial Panel for Criminal Affairs, and the Military Panel);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 19 members);
• note - in February 2014, Russia’s Superior Court of Arbitration was abolished and its former authorities transferred to the Supreme Court, which in addition to being the country’s highest judicial authority for appeals, civil, criminal, administrative cases, and military cases, and the disciplinary judicial board, now has jurisdiction over economic disputes

judge selection and term of office:

• all members of Russia's 3 highest courts nominated by the president and appointed by the Federation Council (the upper house of the legislature);
• members of all 3 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]
• United Russia [Dmitriy MEDVEDEV]

note: 78 political parties are registered with Russia's Ministry of Justice (as of January 2014), but only four parties maintain representation in Russia's national legislature

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, San Francisco

consulate(s):

New York, Seattle

chief of mission:

Ambassador John Francis TEFFT (since 19 November 2014)

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

name:

"Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii" (National Anthem of the Russian Federation)

lyrics/music:

Sergey Vladimirovich MIKHALKOV/Aleksandr Vasilyevich ALEKSANDROV

note: in 2000, Russia adopted the tune of the anthem of the former Soviet Union (composed in 1939); the lyrics, also adopted in 2000, were written by the same person who authored the Soviet lyrics in 1943

• 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, 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:

9.7%

industry:

27.8%

services:

62.5% (2012)

lowest 10%:

5.7%

highest 10%:

42.4% (2011 est.)

general assessment:

• the telephone system is experiencing significant changes;
• more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services;
• access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers;
• progress made 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, telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low-density

international:

• country code - 7;
• 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

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 (2014)

country comparison to the world: 2

total:

1,283,387 km

paved:

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

unpaved:

355,666 km (2012)

country comparison to the world: 5

major seaport(s):

Kaliningrad, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, Primorsk, Vostochnyy

river port(s):

Saint Petersburg (Neva River)

oil terminal(s):

Kavkaz oil terminal

container port(s) (TEUs):

Saint Petersburg (2,365,174)

LNG terminal(s) (export):

Sakhalin Island

• Ground Troops (Sukhoputnyye Voyskia, SV), Navy (Voyenno-Morskoy Flot, VMF), Air Forces (Voyenno-Vozdushniye Sily, VVS);
• Airborne Troops (Vozdushno-Desantnyye Voyska, VDV), Missile Troops of Strategic Purpose (Raketnyye Voyska Strategicheskogo Naznacheniya, RVSN) referred to commonly as Strategic Rocket Forces, 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 Troops include the following combat arms: motorized-rifle troops, tank troops, missile and artillery troops, air defense of the Ground Troops (2014)

males age 16-49:

34,765,736

females age 16-49:

35,410,779 (2013 est.)

males age 16-49:

22,597,728

females age 16-49:

23,017,006 (2013 est.)

male:

696,768

female:

664,847 (2013 est.)

refugees (country of origin):

383,323 asylum seekers and 911,549 applicants for other forms of legal stay (Ukraine) (2015)

IDPs:

at least 25,378 (armed conflict, human rights violations, generalized violence in North Caucasus, particularly Chechnya and North Ossetia) (2014)

stateless persons:

• 113,474 (2014);
• 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;
• workers 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, grocery store, maritime, and domestic services industries, as well as forced begging, waste sorting, and street sweeping;
• 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, Africa, and the Middle East, while women from European, Southeast Asian, 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 is not making a significant effort to do so;
• prosecutions of trafficking offenders remains low in comparison to the scope of Russia’s trafficking problem;
• in 2013, 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;
• victims were routinely detained and deported;
• the government has not investigated allegations of slave-like conditions of North Korean workers in Russia;
• the Russian Security Council has not made a decision on an anti-trafficking national action plan (2014)

• 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