Country · Europe
Russia
Russian Federation
Russia is a country in Eastern Europe. About 144.5 million people live there, in an area of 17 098 242 square kilometres. Its capital city is Moscow.
Picture credit: Alexandr frolov (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. Department of State (Public domain) · Gennady Grachev (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Russia?
Russia lies in Eastern Europe, on the continent of Europe.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 6 679 km from the equator.
It shares a border with 14 countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, North Korea, Norway, Poland and Ukraine.
How big is Russia?
Russia covers 17 098 242 square kilometres.
That is about 5.2 times the size of India.
Among the world's countries, it is the largest of all.
If everybody spread out evenly, there would be about 8.4 people on every square kilometre.
That is emptier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Russia?
About 144.5 million people live in Russia.
That is the 9th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Russian.
They pay with the Russian ruble (₽).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 67 years.
The land of Russia
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Russia different?
Websites from here often end in .ru.
Russia and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 19 live in Russia.
It takes up about 12.8 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Europe it is the largest of 45 countries, and the first by population.
Russia and its neighbours
Russia is about 1.8 times the size of China, its largest neighbour.
China has more people: 1.4 billion against 144.5 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 48 live wild in Russia: Tiger, Brown bear, Polar bear, Grey wolf, Red fox, Arctic fox and more. The highest mountain in the country is Mount Elbrus, at 5 642 metres. The longest river in the country is the Lena. The largest lake in the country is Caspian Sea.
Tiger
Brown bear
Polar bear
Grey wolf
Red fox
Arctic fox
Eurasian otter
Eurasian beaver
Red squirrel
Moose
Reindeer
Eurasian lynx
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is Russia compared with the United States?
- Russia is about 1.8 times as big as the United States: 17 098 242 km² against 9 372 610 km². See both on one map
- Russia is about 70 times as big as the United Kingdom: 17 098 242 km² against 242 900 km². See both on one map
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Russia?
The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Russia?
About 144.5 million people live in Russia, which makes it the 9th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Russia?
Russia borders Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, North Korea, Norway, Poland and Ukraine — 14 neighbours in total.
How big is Russia?
Russia covers 17 098 242 square kilometres, making it the 1st largest country in the world. That is about 5.2 times the size of India.
What is the highest mountain in Russia?
The highest mountain in Russia is Mount Elbrus, 5 642 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Russia?
The longest river in Russia is the Lena, about 4 294 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Russia?
The largest lake in Russia is Caspian Sea. The whole lake covers about 371 000 km², and part of it belongs to neighbouring countries.
Which continent is Russia in?
Russia is in Europe, in the part called Eastern Europe.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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