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. Devastating defeats and food shortages in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the ROMANOV Dynasty. 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. After defeating Germany in World War II as part of an alliance with the US (1939-1945), the USSR expanded its territory and influence in Eastern Europe and emerged as a global power. The USSR was the principal adversary of the US during the Cold War (1947-1991). The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the decades following Stalin's rule, 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 led to the dissolution of the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent states.

Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 100 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 17,098,242 km²
Land: 16,377,742 km²
Water: 720,500 km²
Rank: 1
Comparative: approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

Land boundaries
Total: 22,408 km
Border countries: (14) Azerbaijan 338 km; , Belarus 1312 km; , China (southeast) 4,133 km; , China (south) 46 km; , Estonia 324 km; , Finland 1309 km; , Georgia 894 km; , Kazakhstan 7,644 km; , North Korea 18 km; , Latvia 332 km; , Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 261 km; , Mongolia 3,452 km; , Norway 191 km; , Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 210 km; , Ukraine 1944 km

Coastline: 37,653 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm

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

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

Elevation
Mean elevation: 600 m
Lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
Highest point: Gora Elbrus (highest point in Europe) 5,642 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 13.1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 49.4% (2011 est.)
Other: 37.5% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 43,000 km² (2012)

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 Russiavolcanism: 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 (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-Kamchatsky, 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; see note 2 under 'Geography - note'

Geography
Note: note 1: 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

Population
Distribution: population is heavily concentrated in the westernmost fifth of the country extending from the Baltic Sea, south to the Caspian Sea, and eastward parallel to the Kazakh border; elsewhere, sizeable pockets are isolated and generally found in the south: 142,122,776 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 9
Growth rate: -0.11% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 205
Below poverty line: 13.3% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Russian(s)
Adjective: Russian

Ethnic groups:

Languages:

Religions:

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.21% (male 12,566,314 /female 11,896,416)
15-24 years: 9.41% (male 6,840,759 /female 6,530,991)
25-54 years: 44.21% (male 30,868,831 /female 31,960,407)
55-64 years: 14.51% (male 8,907,031 /female 11,709,921)
65 years and over: 14.66% (male 6,565,308 /female 14,276,798) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 43.5 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 24.2 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 19.4 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 5.2 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 39.8 years (2018 est.)
Male: 36.9 years
Female: 42.7 years
Rank: 52

Population growth rate: -0.11% (2018 est.)
Rank: 205

Birth rate: 10.7 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 184

Death rate: 13.4 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 8

Net migration rate: 1.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 55

Population distribution: population is heavily concentrated in the westernmost fifth of the country extending from the Baltic Sea, south to the Caspian Sea, and eastward parallel to the Kazakh border; elsewhere, sizeable pockets are isolated and generally found in the south

Urbanization
Urban population: 75.4% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.18% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 12.476 million MOSCOW (capital), 5.427 million Saint Petersburg, 1.65 million Novosibirsk, 1.493 million Yekaterinburg, 1.261 million Nizhniy Novgorod, 1.167 million Samara (2019)

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; nuclear waste disposal; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from toxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Sex ratio
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: 0.97 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.76 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 24.6 years (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.7 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 7.5 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.8 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 162

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.3 years (2018 est.)
Male: 65.6 years
Female: 77.3 years
Rank: 155

Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 179

Contraceptive prevalence rate:

Drinking water source
Urban: 1.1% of population
Rural: 8.8% of population
Total: 3.1% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure: 5.3% (2016)

Physicians density: 4.01 physicians/1000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density: 8.2 beds/1000 population (2013)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 23% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 41.3% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 27.8% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 42
People living with hivaids: 1 million (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 11
Deaths note: NA

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2016)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea (2016)
Vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 23.1% (2016)
Rank: 70

Education expenditures: 3.7% of GDP (2016)
Rank: 118

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.7%
Male: 99.7%
Female: 99.6% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 16 years (2016)

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
Etymology: Russian lands were generally referred to as Muscovy until PETER I officially declared the Russian Empire in 1721; the new name sought to invoke the patrimony of the medieval eastern European Rus state centered on Kyiv in present-day Ukraine; the Rus were a Varangian (eastern Viking) elite that imposed their rule and eventually their name on their Slavic subjects

Government type: semi-presidential federation

Capital
Name: Moscow
Geographic coordinates: 55 45 N, 37 36 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time: note: Russia has 11 time zones, the largest number of contiguous time zones of any country in the world; in 2014, two time zones were added and DST droppedetymology: named after the Moskva River; the origin of the river's name is obscure but may derive from the appellation 'Mustajoki' given to the river by the Finno-Ugric people who originally inhabited the area and whose meaning may have been 'dark' or 'turbid'

Administrative divisions:

Independence: 25 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union; Russian SFSR renamed Russian Federation); 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)

National holiday: Russia Day, 12 June (1990); note - commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR)

Constitution
History: several previous (during Russian Empire and Soviet era); latest drafted 12 July 1993, adopted by referendum 12 December 1993, effective 25 December 1993
Amendments: proposed by the president of the Russian Federation, by either house of the Federal Assembly, by the government of the Russian Federation, or by legislative (representative) bodies of the Federations constituent entities; proposals to amend the government’s constitutional system, human and civil rights and freedoms, and procedures for amending or drafting a new constitution require formation of a Constitutional Assembly; passage of such amendments requires two-thirds majority vote of its total membership; passage in a referendum requires participation of an absolute majority of eligible voters and an absolute majority of valid votes; approval of proposed amendments to the government structure, authorities, and procedures requires approval by the legislative bodies of at least two thirds of the Russian Federations constituent entities; amended 2008, 2014 (2017)

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Russia
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 3-5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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 Anton Germanovich SILUANOV (since 18 May 2018); Deputy Premiers Maksim Alekseyevich AKIMOV (since 18 May 2018), Yuriy Ivanovich BORISOV (since 18 May 2018), Konstantin Anatolyevich CHUYCHENKO (since 18 May 2018), Tatyana Alekseyevna GOLIKOVA (since 18 May 2018), Olga Yuryevna GOLODETS (since 21 May 2012), Aleksey Vasilevich GORDEYEV (since 18 May 2018), Dmitriy Nikolayevich KOZAK (since 14 October 2008), Vitaliy Leontyevich MUTKO (since 19 October 2016); 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
Electionsappointments: 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 18 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2024); 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 reelected president; percent of vote - Vladimir PUTIN (independent) 77.5%, Pavel GRUDININ (CPRF) 11.9%, Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY (LDPR) 5.7%, other 5.8%; Dmitriy MEDVEDEV (United Russia) reapproved as premier by Duma on 8 May 2018; vote - 374 to 56: 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

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:: note 1: the State Duma now includes 3 representatives from the 'Republic of Crimea,' while the Federation Council includes 2 each from the 'Republic of Crimea' and the 'Federal City of Sevastopol,' both regions that Russia occupied and attempted to annex from Ukraine and that the US does not recognize as part of Russianote 2: seats by party as of December 2018 - United Russia 341, CPRF 43, LDPR 39, A Just Russia 23, independent 2, vacant 2; composition as of October 2018 - men 393, women 57, percent of women 12.7%; note - total Federal Assembly percent of women 13.2%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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 is the country’s highest judicial authority for appeals, civil, criminal, administrative, and military cases, and the disciplinary judicial board, which has jurisdiction over economic disputes
Judge selection and term of office: all members of Russias 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 21 Russian Republics have court systems specified by their own constitutions

Political parties and leaders:

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 298-5,700, 5,701, 5,704, 5,708
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 298-5,735
In the us consulate: Houston, New York, Seattle
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jon M. HUNTSMAN, Jr. (since 3 October 2017)
From the us telephone: [7] (495) 728-5,000
From the us embassy: Bolshoy Deviatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121,099 Moscow
From the us mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 9,721
From the us FAX: [7] (495) 728-5,090
From the us consulate: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg

Flag description:

National symbols: bear, double-headed eagle; national colors: white, blue, red

National anthem
Name: Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii (National Anthem of the Russian Federation)
Lyricsmusic: 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

Economy overview: Russia has undergone significant changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union, moving from a centrally planned economy towards a more market-based system. Both economic growth and reform have stalled in recent years, however, and Russia remains a predominantly statist economy with a high concentration of wealth in officials' hands. Economic reforms in the 1990s privatized most industry, with notable exceptions in the energy, transportation, banking, and defense-related sectors. The protection of property rights is still weak, and the state continues to interfere in the free operation of the private sector.Russia is one of the world's leading producers of oil and natural gas, and is also a top exporter of metals such as steel and primary aluminum. Russia is heavily dependent on the movement of world commodity prices as reliance on commodity exports makes it vulnerable to boom and bust cycles that follow the volatile swings in global prices. The economy, which had averaged 7% growth during the 1998-2008 period as oil prices rose rapidly, has seen diminishing growth rates since then due to the exhaustion of Russia’s commodity-based growth model.A combination of falling oil prices, international sanctions, and structural limitations pushed Russia into a deep recession in 2015, with GDP falling by close to 2.8%. The downturn continued through 2016, with GDP contracting another 0.2%, but was reversed in 2017 as world demand picked up. Government support for import substitution has increased recently in an effort to diversify the economy away from extractive industries.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 6

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 173

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 74

Gross national saving:
Rank: 48

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 52.4% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 18% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 2.3% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 26.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -20.6% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 32.4% (2017 est.)
Services: 62.3% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk

Industries: 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

Industrial production growth rate: -1% (2017 est.)
Rank: 177

Labor force: 76.53 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 6
By occupation agriculture: 9.4%
By occupation industry: 27.6%
By occupation services: 63% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 77

Population below poverty line: 13.3% (2015 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.3%
Highest 10: 32.2% (2012 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 57

Budget
Revenues: 258.6 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 281.4 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -1.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 88

Taxes and other revenues: 16.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 181

Public debt:
Rank: 194

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 149

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 23

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 80

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 21

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 21

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 16

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 19

Current account balance:
Rank: 11

Exports:
Rank: 14
Partners: China 10.9%, Netherlands 10%, Germany 7.1%, Belarus 5.1%, Turkey 4.9% (2017)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood and wood products, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures

Imports:
Rank: 20
Commodities: machinery, vehicles, pharmaceutical products, plastic, semi-finished metal products, meat, fruits and nuts, optical and medical instruments, iron, steel
Partners: China 21.2%, Germany 10.7%, US 5.6%, Belarus 5%, Italy 4.5%, France 4.2% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 6

Debt external:
Rank: 22

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 18

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 18

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 1.031 trillion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 4
Consumption: 909.6 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 5
Exports: 13.13 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 14
Imports: 3.194 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 48
Installed generating capacity: 244.9 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 5
Generation sources fossil fuels: 68% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 115
Generation sources nuclear: 11% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 13
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 21% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 86
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 164

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 10.759 million bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 2
Crude oil exports: 4.921 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 2
Crude oil imports: 76,220 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 48
Crude oil proven reserves: 80 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 8

Refined petroleum
Products production: 6.076 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 3
Products consumption: 3.65 million bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 5
Products exports: 2.671 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 2
Products imports: 41,920 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 88

Natural gas
Production: 665.6 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 2
Consumption: 467.5 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 2
Exports: 210.2 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 1
Imports: 15.77 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 19
Proven reserves: 47.8 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 1

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.847 billion Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 4

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 31,190,855
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 8
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 227,341,873
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 160 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 6

Telephone system
General assessment: telecom sector impacted by sanctions related to the annexations in Ukraine; the estimated number of mobile subscribers jumped from fewer than 1 million in 1998 to 255 million in 2016; fixed-line service has improved but a large demand remains; Russia is one of Europes fastest growing markets for fibre-based broadband; 5G trials; FttP/FttB, DSL, cable and LTE services (2018)
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; 22 per 100 for fixed-line and mobile-cellular 160 per 100 persons (2018)
International: country code - 7; landing points for the Far East Submarine Cable System, HSCS, Sakhalin-Kuril Island Cable, RSCN, BCS North-Phase 2, Kerch Strait Cable and the Georgia-Russian submarine cable system connecting Russia, Japan, Finland, Georgia and Ukraine; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems (2019)

Broadcast media: 13 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 2 of the national channels; government-affiliated Bank Rossiya owns controlling interest in a fourth and fifth, while a sixth national channel is owned by the Moscow city administration; the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian military, respectively, own 2 additional national channels; 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

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
Users total: 108,772,470
Users percent of population: 76.4% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 6

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 30,872,788
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2017 est.)
Rank: 5

Military expenditures:
Rank: 13

Military and security forces: Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: Ground Troops (Sukhoputnyye Voyskia, SV), Navy (Voyenno-Morskoy Flot, VMF), Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily, VKS); Airborne Troops (Vozdushno-Desantnyye Voyska, VDV) and Missile Troops of Strategic Purpose (Raketnyye Voyska Strategicheskogo Naznacheniya, RVSN) referred to commonly as Strategic Rocket Forces, are independent 'combat arms,' not subordinate to any of the three branchesFederal National Guard Troops Service of the Russian Federation (National Guard, Russian Guard, or Rosgvardiya): created in 2016 as an independent agency for internal/regime security, combating terrorism and narcotics trafficking, protecting important state facilities and government personnel, and supporting border security; forces include Interior Troops that formerly belong to the Interior Ministry, special police units, rapid response units, and other air, ground, maritime, and police forcesFederal Security Service (FSB) Border Guard Service: Coast Guard (2019)

Military service age and obligation:

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 32 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 661 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 76,846,126 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 4,761,047,070
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: RA (2016)

Airports: 1218 (2013)
Rank: 5
With paved runways total: 594 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 54 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 197 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 123 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 95 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 125 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 624 (2013)
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 4 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 13 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 69 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 81 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 457 (2013)

Heliports: 49 (2013)

Pipelines: 177,700 km gas, 54,800 km oil, 19,300 km refined products (2016)

Railways
Total: 87,157 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 957 km
Note: 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified) (2014)
Broad gauge: 86,200 km: note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve industries
Rank: 3

Roadways
Total: 1,283,387 km (2012)
Paved: 927,721 km
Note: (includes 39,143 km of expressways) (2012)
Unpaved: 355,666 km (2012)
Rank: 5

Waterways: 102,000 km
Note: (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)
Rank: 2

Merchant marine
Total: 2,625
By type: bulk carrier 15, container ship 13, general cargo 879, oil tanker 411, other 1307 (2018)
Rank: 9

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Kaliningrad, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, Primorsk, Vostochnyy
Oil terminal: Kavkaz oil terminal
Container port: Saint Petersburg (1,848,700) (2017)
LNG terminal: Sakhalin Island
River port: Saint Petersburg (Neva River)

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; Russia remains involved in the conflict in eastern Ukraine while also occupying Ukraine’s territory of Crimea; 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 is suspended due to the occupation of Crimea by Russia; 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 75,941 (Ukraine) (2019)
Stateless persons: 75,679 (2018); note - Russias 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

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