Russia

Broadcast media

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)

Internet country code

.ru; note - Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su" that was allocated to the Soviet Union and is being phased out

Internet hosts

14.865 million (2012) country comparison to the world: 10

Internet users

40.853 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 10

Telephone system

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services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density international: country code - 7; Russia is connected internationally by undersea fiber optic cables; satellite earth stations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

Telephones - main lines in use

44.152 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 5

Telephones - mobile cellular

236.7 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 6

Agriculture - products

grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk

Budget

revenues: $413 billion expenditures: $414 billion (2012 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-0.1% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 44

Central bank discount rate

8.25% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 34 8% (31 December 2011)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

9.3% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 113 8.45% (31 December 2011 est.)

Current account balance

$85.06 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 $100.3 billion (2011 est.)

Debt - external

$455.2 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 25 $538.6 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

42 (2010) country comparison to the world: 51 39.9 (2001)

Economy - overview

Russia has undergone significant changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union, moving from a globally-isolated, centrally-planned economy to a more market-based and globally-integrated economy. Economic reforms in the 1990s privatized most industry, with notable exceptions in the energy and defense-related sectors. The protection of property rights is still weak and the private sector remains subject to heavy state interference. Russian industry is primarily split between globally-competitive commodity producers. In 2011, Russia became the world's leading oil producer, surpassing Saudi Arabia; Russia is the second-largest producer of natural gas; Russia holds the world's largest natural gas reserves, the second-largest coal reserves, and the eighth-largest crude oil reserves. Russia is also a top exporter of metals such as steel and primary aluminum. Russia's reliance on commodity exports makes it vulnerable to boom and bust cycles that follow the volatile swings in global prices. The government since 2007 has embarked on an ambitious program to reduce this dependency and build up the country's high technology sectors, but with few results so far. The economy had averaged 7% growth in the decade following the 1998 Russian financial crisis, resulting in a doubling of real disposable incomes and the emergence of a middle class. The Russian economy, however, was one of the hardest hit by the 2008-09 global economic crisis as oil prices plummeted and the foreign credits that Russian banks and firms relied on dried up. According to the World Bank the government's anti-crisis package in 2008-09 amounted to roughly 6.7% of GDP. The economic decline bottomed out in mid-2009 and the economy began to grow in the third quarter of 2009. High oil prices buoyed Russian growth in 2011-12 and helped Russia reduce the budget deficit inherited from 2008-09. Russia has reduced unemployment to a record low and has lowered inflation below double digit rates. Russia joined the World Trade Organization in 2012, which will reduce trade barriers and help open foreign markets for Russian goods. At the same time, Russia has sought to cement economic ties with countries in the former Soviet space through a Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan, and, in the next several years, through a new Russia-led economic bloc called the Eurasian Union. Russia has had difficulty attracting captial and has suffered large capital outflows in the past several years, leading to official programs to improve Russia's international rankings for its investment climate. Russia's long-term challenges also include a shrinking workforce, intractable large- and small-scale corruption, and underinvestment in infrastructure.

Exchange rates

Russian rubles (RUB) per US dollar - 31.32 (2012 est.) 29.382 (2011 est.) 30.368 (2010 est.) 31.74 (2009) 24.853 (2008)

Exports

$542.5 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 $520.3 billion (2011 est.)

Exports - commodities

petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood and wood products, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures

Exports - partners

Netherlands 12.2%, China 6.4%, Italy 5.6%, Germany 4.6%, Poland 4.2% (2011)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.954 trillion (2012 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.509 trillion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 $2.422 trillion (2011 est.) $2.322 trillion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 4.4% industry: 37.6% services: 58% (2012 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$17,700 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $17,000 (2011 est.) $16,300 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

3.6% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 4.3% (2011) 4.3% (2010)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 31.7% (2009 est.)

Imports

$358.1 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 16 $322.3 billion (2011 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, vehicles, pharmaceutical products, plastic, semi-finished metal products, meat, fruits and nuts, optical and medical instruments, iron, steel

Imports - partners

China 15.5%, Germany 10%, Ukraine 6.6%, Italy 4.3% (2011)

Industrial production growth rate

4.7% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 73

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.3% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 144 8.4% (2011 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

23.2% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 60

Labor force

75.24 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 8

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 9.8% industry: 27.5% services: 62.7% (2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$796.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 17 $1.005 trillion (31 December 2010) $861.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Population below poverty line

13.1% (2010)

Public debt

11% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 139 8.3% of GDP (2011 est.) note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment. Debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions.

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$561.1 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 $498.6 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of broad money

$952.2 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 20 $787.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$487.4 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 14 $436.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$596.2 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 13 $546.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$873.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 18 $712.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$347 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 15 $277.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

21.1% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

Unemployment rate

6.2% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 62 6.6% (2011 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

1.634 billion Mt (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 5

Crude oil - exports

5.43 million bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Crude oil - imports

42,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 60

Crude oil - production

10.21 million bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 2

Crude oil - proved reserves

60 billion bbl (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 9

Electricity - consumption

808 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 6

Electricity - exports

19.01 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 10

Electricity - from fossil fuels

68.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 112

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

20.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 90

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

10.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 19

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 180

Electricity - imports

1.644 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 51

Electricity - installed generating capacity

225.3 million kW (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 5

Electricity - production

983.2 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 5

Natural gas - consumption

506.7 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Natural gas - exports

203.9 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 2

Natural gas - imports

41 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 11

Natural gas - production

669.6 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 2

Natural gas - proved reserves

47.57 trillion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 2

Refined petroleum products - consumption

3.145 million bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 7

Refined petroleum products - exports

1.924 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Refined petroleum products - imports

21,340 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104

Refined petroleum products - production

4.802 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 5

Area

total: 17,098,242 sq km country comparison to the world: 1 land: 16,377,742 sq km water: 720,500 sq km

Area - comparative

approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

Climate

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

Coastline

37,653 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 76.68 cu km/yr (19%/63%/18%) per capita: 535 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

60 00 N, 100 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

43,460 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 20,241.5 km border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 290 km, Finland 1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 17.5 km, Latvia 292 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 196 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Ukraine 1,576 km

Land use

arable land: 7.17% permanent crops: 0.11% other: 92.72% (2005)

Location

North Asia bordering the Arctic Ocean, extending from Europe (the portion west of the Urals) to the North Pacific Ocean

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, reserves of rare earth elements, timber note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

4,498 cu km (1997)

Administrative divisions

46 provinces (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respublik, singular - respublika), 4 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnykh okrugov, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 9 krays (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (goroda, singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast (avtonomnaya oblast') oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl' republics: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan (Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya (Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas), Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk), Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola), Mordoviya (Saransk), North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz), Sakha [Yakutiya] (Yakutsk), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk) autonomous okrugs: Chukotka (Anadyr'), Khanty-Mansi (Khanty-Mansiysk), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard) krays: Altay (Barnaul), Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm', Primorskiy [Maritime] (Vladivostok), Stavropol', Zabaykal'sk (Chita) federal cities: Moscow [Moskva], Saint Petersburg [Sankt-Peterburg] autonomous oblast: Yevrey [Jewish] (Birobidzhan) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Capital

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

Constitution

adopted 12 December 1993

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael A. MCFAUL 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Sergey Ivanovich KISLYAK 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

Executive branch

chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (since 7 May 2012) head of government: 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), Vladislav Yuryevich SURKOV (since 27 December 2011) 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 by Duma 299 to 144

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red note: the colors may have been based on those of the Dutch flag; despite many popular interpretations, there is no official meaning assigned to the colors of the Russian flag; this flag inspired other Slav countries to adopt horizontal tricolors of the same colors but in different arrangements, and so red, blue, and white became the Pan-Slav colors

Government type

federation

Independence

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)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BRICS, BSEC, CBSS, CD, CE, CERN (observer), CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EAS, EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-8, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNSC (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Supreme Arbitration Court; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the president

Legal system

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of an upper house, the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (166 seats; members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 83 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members to serve four-year terms) and a lower house, the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; as of 2007, all members elected by proportional representation from party lists winning at least 7% of the vote; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: State Duma - last held on 4 December 2011 (next to be held in December 2015) election results: State Duma - United Russia 49.6%, CPRF 19.2%, Just Russia 13.2%, LDPR 11.7%, other 6.3%; total seats by party - United Russia 238, CPRF 92, Just Russia 64, LDPR 56

National anthem

name: "Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii" (National Anthem of the Russian Federation) lyrics/music: Sergei Vladimirovich MIKHALKOV/Alexandr Vasilievich ALEXANDROV 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

National holiday

Russia Day, 12 June (1990)

National symbol(s)

bear; double-headed eagle

Political parties and leaders

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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

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)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened Communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Since then, Russia has shifted its post-Soviet democratic ambitions in favor of a centralized semi-authoritarian state in which the leadership seeks to legitimize its rule through managed national elections, populist appeals by President PUTIN, and continued economic growth. Russia has severely disabled a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still occurs throughout the North Caucasus.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 34,132,156 females age 16-49: 34,985,115 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 20,431,035 females age 16-49: 26,381,518 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 693,843 female: 660,359 (2010 est.)

Military branches

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 (2010)

Military expenditures

3.9% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 25

Military service age and obligation

18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; service obligation - 1 year (conscripts can only be sent to combat zones after 6 months of training); reserve obligation to age 50 note: the chief of the General Staff Mobilization Directorate announced in March 2009 that for health reasons, only 65% of draftees in 2008 were fit for military service, and over half of these had health-induced restrictions on deployment; the deputy chief of the Russian Army General Staff confirmed in May 2011 that over 30% of potential conscripts were turned down on health grounds; 61% of draft-age Russian males receive some type of deferment each draft cycle (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years: 15.7% (male 11,498,268/ female 10,890,853) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 48,851,357/ female 52,806,900) 65 years and over: 13% (male 5,622,464/ female 12,847,828) (2012 est.)

Birth rate

12.3 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 160

Death rate

14.1 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 11

Education expenditures

3.9% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 107

Ethnic groups

Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1% (2002 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 46

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

980,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 10

Health expenditures

5.4% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 132

Hospital bed density

9.66 beds/1,000 population (2006)

Infant mortality rate

total: 7.3 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 160 male: 8.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)

Languages

Russian (official), many minority languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 66.46 years country comparison to the world: 164 male: 60.11 years female: 73.18 years (2012 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.5% (2010 est.)

Major cities - population

MOSCOW (capital) 10.523 million; Saint Petersburg 4.575 million; Novosibirsk 1.397 million; Yekaterinburg 1.344 million; Nizhniy Novgorod 1.267 million (2009)

Major infectious diseases

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 (2009)

Maternal mortality rate

34 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 120

Median age

total: 38.8 years male: 35.6 years female: 42.1 years (2012 est.)

Nationality

noun: Russian(s) adjective: Russian

Net migration rate

0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 68

Physicians density

4.309 physicians/1,000 population (2006)

Population

142,517,670 (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 9

Population growth rate

-0.01% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 192

Religions

Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.) note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 93% of population rural: 70% of population total: 87% of population unimproved: urban: 7% of population rural: 30% of population total: 13% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2008)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.43 male(s)/female total population: 0.85 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.61 children born/woman (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 178

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 18.3% country comparison to the world: 64 male: 17.7% female: 19.1% (2009)

Urbanization

urban population: 73% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: -0.2% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Russia remains concerned about the smuggling of poppy derivatives from Afghanistan through Central Asian countries; China and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance with the 2004 Agreement, ending their centuries-long border disputes; the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kurils," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Russia's military support and subsequent recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia independence in 2008 continue to sour relations with Georgia; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the sea; Norway and Russia signed a comprehensive maritime boundary agreement in 2010; various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia (Kareliya) and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union following World War II but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands; Russia and Estonia signed a technical border agreement in May 2005, but Russia recalled its signature in June 2005 after the Estonian parliament added to its domestic ratification act a historical preamble referencing the Soviet occupation and Estonia's pre-war borders under the 1920 Treaty of Tartu; Russia contends that the preamble allows Estonia to make territorial claims on Russia in the future, while Estonian officials deny that the preamble has any legal impact on the treaty text; Russia demands better treatment of the Russian-speaking population in Estonia and Latvia; Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as an EU member state with an EU external border, where strict Schengen border rules apply; preparations for the demarcation delimitation of land boundary with Ukraine have commenced; the dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and on-going expert-level discussions; Kazakhstan and Russia boundary delimitation was ratified on November 2005 and field demarcation should commence in 2007; Russian Duma has not yet ratified 1990 Bering Sea Maritime Boundary Agreement with the US; Denmark (Greenland) and Norway have made submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental shelf (CLCS) and Russia is collecting additional data to augment its 2001 CLCS submission

Illicit drugs

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

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

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Russia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for various purposes; people from Russia and other countries, including Belarus, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Russia; children are subjected to prostitution in large Russian cities and to forced begging; Russian women were reported to be victims of sex trafficking in many countries, including in Northeast Asia, Europe, and throughout the Middle East tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Russia failed to show evidence of increased efforts to combat trafficking; victim protection in Russia remains very weak, as the government allocated scant funding for victim shelters and little funding for anti-trafficking efforts by governmental or non-governmental organizations; the government did not make discernible efforts to fund a national awareness campaign, although some local efforts were assisted by local government funding (2008)

Airports

1,218 (2012) country comparison to the world: 5

Airports - with paved runways

total: 593 over 3,047 m: 54 2,438 to 3,047 m: 198 1,524 to 2,437 m: 125 914 to 1,523 m: 95 under 914 m: 121 (2012)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 625 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 14 1,524 to 2,437 m: 69 914 to 1,523 m: 85 under 914 m: 454 (2012)

Heliports

48 (2012)

Merchant marine

total: 1,143 country comparison to the world: 11 by type: bulk carrier 20, cargo 642, carrier 3, chemical tanker 57, combination ore/oil 42, container 13, passenger 15, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 244, refrigerated cargo 84, roll on/roll off 13, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 155 (Belgium 4, Cyprus 13, Estonia 1, Ireland 1, Italy 14, Latvia 2, Netherlands 2, Romania 1, South Korea 1, Switzerland 3, Turkey 101, Ukraine 12) registered in other countries: 439 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Belgium 1, Belize 30, Bulgaria 2, Cambodia 50, Comoros 12, Cook Islands 1, Cyprus 46, Dominica 3, Georgia 6, Hong Kong 1, Kiribati 1, Liberia 109, Malaysia 2, Malta 45, Marshall Islands 5, Moldova 5, Mongolia 2, Panama 49, Romania 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 13, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11, Sierra Leone 7, Singapore 2, Spain 6, Vanuatu 7, unknown 19) (2010)

Pipelines

condensate 122 km; gas 160,952 km; liquid petroleum gas 127 km; oil 77,630 km; oil/gas/water 38 km; refined products 13,658 km (2010)

Ports and terminals

Kaliningrad, Kavkaz, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, Primorsk, Saint Petersburg, Vostochnyy

Railways

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)

Roadways

total: 982,000 km country comparison to the world: 7 paved: 776,000 km (includes 30,000 km of expressways) unpaved: 206,000 km note: includes public, local, and departmental roads (2009)

Waterways

102,000 km (including 48,000 km with guaranteed depth; the 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea) (2009) country comparison to the world: 2