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Discovering Russia’s Location and Key Facts

The exact answer to the question where is the Russia located is in the northeastern part of Europe and in the northern part of Asia.

Russia or The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world and one of the very few transcontinental countries.

It is almost twice larger than the United States and has a total area of 17 million square kilometres ( 6.5 million square miles).

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Where is the Russia located

Where is Russia located on map

 

Russia is a huge country with more than 4.000 kilometres from north to south and more than 10.000 kilometres from east to west.

It has 16 neighbours which are:

  • North Korea in the south-east
  • China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the south
  • Ukraine in the south-west
  • Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Norway in the west
  • Poland and Lithuania in the Kaliningrad Region
  • Japan and the United States to which it has maritime borders

Russia, part of the ex-Soviet Union, is a transcontinental country which means that it is located in both continent Asia and Europe and the natural border between these continents are the Ural Mountains, the mountain range that cuts the country in two pieces.

Or like others would like to say, Russia extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east and from the Black Sea, Azov Sea and the Caspian Sea in the south to the Arctic Ocean in the north.

Geography and where is the Russia located

Russia is divided into two parts: the European Russia which has around 4 million square kilometres and Asia Russia that covers all the Northern part of Asia with a total surface of 13 million kilometres.

European Russia occupies about 40% of the total surface of Europe and has about 75% of the total population from Russia.

 

 

Russia is a country with varied landscapes and incredible sceneries that will delight your eyes all day long.

Imposing mountain ranges rise all over Russia: the Caucasus Mountains in the southern part, the Altai Mountains in Siberia, Verkhoyansk Mountains in Russian Far East as well as the famous volcanoes of Kamchatka Peninsula.

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And of course, there are the Ural Mountains that split the country into two parts: the European and the Asian one.

The largest lake from the country is Lake Baikal which is also the deepest, purest and also the oldest lake in the world, while the longest river is Volga River.

Russia has an impressive number of seas spread all over its territory out of which I would like to name the Black Sea, the White Sea, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Bering Sea and the East Siberian Sea.

Where is the Russia located and state structure

In 1993, Russia has declared a democratic, law-based state with a republican form of government.

Vladimir Putin, the President is the head of state since 7 May 2012 and Mikhail Mishustin is the Prime Minister (head of Government) since January 2020.

The capital of the country is Moscow, the largest and most developed city from entire Russia, located in the European part of the country.

The Russian territory is divided into 7 federal districts that have the following divisions:

  • 22 republics
  • 50 regions
  • 10 districts
  • 6 territories
  • 2 federal cities which are Moscow and St. Petersburg
  • 1 autonomous oblast
  • 10 autonomous countries

Demographic info

All over the country live about 145 million people, most of them located in the European part of Russia.

If we take into consideration the population from this country, we have to put Russia in the 7th place worldwide after China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan and Brazil.

The Russian population is split into more than 160 nationalities, most of them speaking their own language.

From the total number of 160 nationalities, only 7 have more than 1 million people and these are Russians (80%), Tatars (3.8%), Ukrainians (3%), Chuvash (1.8%), Chechens (0.6%), Bashkir and Armenians.

 

 

 

Another interesting fact about Russia’s population is that almost a fifth of the entire population lives in the 13 biggest cities from the country: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Ufa, Volgograd and Perm.

From all these 13 cities, the largest and most populated ones are Moscow with more than 10 million people and Saint Petersburg with more than 5 million people.

Each nation preserves its language and traditions, as well as traditional occupations and trades.

Language

The official language of the country is Russian, a language with Slavic origins which uses the Cyrillic alphabet invented in the 9th century.

It was very complicated and hard to learn a language which was simplified only in the 18th century.

Over the years there had been more reforms related to the language with the main purpose of making it easier to speak and learn.

Besides the Russian language in the country, you may also hear native languages spoken in areas like Ingushetia, Kalmykia, North Ossetia and Dagestan.

Religion

Where is Russia located makes it a country with many religions and different beliefs.

Most of the Russians are Orthodox Christians, while Islam is the second religion from the state.

Other religions which you may find in this country include Buddhism, Judaism and Protestantism, so yes, you will find not just churches but also mosques, synagogues and Buddhist temples spread all over the country.

Major cities

Moscow, the capital of the country

Russia’s capital, Moscow is the largest city in the country and the main gateway to the world, an important cultural, political and scientific centre.

It is one of the two federal cities from Russia, like a country in a country, an indestructible symbol of imperial power and grandeur.

Many say about Moscow that it is an open-air museum with many archaeological sites as well as contemporary buildings.

The town is located in a hilly region of the country, along the Moskva river and has a circular layout dating from the end of the 16th century.

Many publications rate Moscow as one of the most beautiful but also the most expensive cities in the entire world.

It is a very popular attraction and each year many tourists from all over the world come to see the Russian culture and to visit Moscow’s museums, theatres and churches, not to mention the beautiful estates and mansions of Russian princes and emperors.

Among the greatest attractions in the city I would name:

  • The Church of Intercession in Fili
  • The Victory Memorial on Poklonnaya Hill
  • The Arch of Triumph
  • The golden domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior known also as Moscow Cathedral
  • The Kremlin Gates Voskresenskiye with Iverskaya Chapel
  • St Basil’s Church
  • Red Square
  • collection of paintings of the Tretyakov Gallery

Saint Petersburg

Where is the Russia located is also the Neva River and here, on this river you can find the second-largest Russian city, St Petersburg.

It is an amazing city with which you will fall in love from the moment you see it as it has one of the most luxurious architectures of the classicism period.

Imposing cathedrals, magnificent cathedrals and beautiful fountains and parks, as well as beautiful boulevards and unique architecture, are waiting to be discovered.

St Petersburg is not just the prettiest town from Russia, but it is also the northernmost major city in the world and is also known as the capital of the northern part of Russia.

The city is located on 47 islands out of which 24 of them are quite large and this is the main reason why people also call St Petersburg the “Northern Venice”.

The city is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List with its more than 4.000 beautiful monuments of architecture, culture and history.

The architecture of this city is incredible and the best way to admire the beauty of the place is to explore it on foot.

Among the most important things to see in this city I would name:

  • Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
  • Hermitage Museum
  • Peterhof Palace
  • Saint Isaac’s Cathedral
  • Peter and Paul fortress
  • Mariinsky Theatre
  • Faberge Museum
  • Catherine Palace
  • Kronstadt and Naval Cathedral

Novosibirsk

Located in the southern part of Siberia right on Ob River from where is the Russia located, Novosibirsk is the centre of Russian science and the capital of Siberia region.

It is the third-largest city of Russia after the number of citizens and a megalopolis with a population of over 1 million people.

The city was founded in 1893 as a small settlement and just 10 years later it received the status of the city.

The place recorded a very quick and massive development and is known as one of the most important economical, cultural and industrial hubs in the country.

It is located right on the very world-famous and important Trans- Siberian Railway that connects European cities with Siberia.

Novosibirsk is the most important science centre in the country with 14 prestigious universities and the highest number of scientists from all over Russia.

Among the most important things to see when in Novosibirsk I would name:

  • The State Art Museum
  • The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
  • The Lenina Square
  • Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre
  • The USSR Museum
  • The N.K. Rerikh Museum
  • The Planetarium

Conclusion

Russia is a country full of diversity and interesting flavours, with amazing landscapes and unique people.

It has not just European influences but also Asian and is a very interesting mix of traditional living and cosmopolitan cities.