The basics

Russia, officially the Russian Federation, is a federal semi-presidential republic with some 142 million citizens. The state is headed by President Dmitry Medvedev, the governement is lead by Prime-Minister Vladimir Putin. The capital of Russia is Moscow, which is also the largest city of the country. Moscow is widely acknowledged for being the most expensive city to live in... worldwide! Read more about Moscow..

The history of Russia

The history of Russia is long and complicated. Generally, it is believed that the cultural foundations of modern Russia were laid down a bit over 1000 years ago. After Kyiv lost its leading position within the empire, the Grand Duchy of Moscow laid down the political foundations for what we know as the Russian Federation. Between 1300 and 1800, the Russian influence stretched out from Eastern Europe all the way to Alaska.

As for many countries, the 20th century was a difficult period in history. After a bloody Civil War, Russia and three other territories formed the Soviet Union in 1922. In 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union with the largest invasion mankind had ever seen. The Union paid a high price and millions lost their lives, but the bond of countries emerged as a superpower.

Between the 1950s and the late 1980s, the Soviet Union and the United States entered into a tentious and competitive era also known as the Cold War. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Cold War ended.

Modern Russia

The end of the Cold War also marked the foundation of the modern Russian Federation. The transition was marked by difficult economic times, but the country is quickly emerging as one of the world's leading economies. Russia also has the largest energy resources in the world and is, as one of the largest industrialized countries, member of the G8. Worldwide, there are so many people speaking Russian that it is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

Did you know..?

• Despite having a GDP of EUR 11,000 per capita, Russia has the second most billionaires in the world;
• Russia provides free education and universal health care to all its citizens;
• Maria Sharapova, the world's highest paid tennis player, is Russian;
• It is said that the Dutch flag influenced the design of the Russian flag. Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, visited the Netherlands in the 17th century to have a look at the country's shipping industry. When he returned to Russia, he assembled his own shipping fleet and designed a white, blue and red flag in honor of the Netherlands;
• One of Russia's most famous pieces of handicraft is the matryoshka doll (pictured);
• Russia has 83 so-called 'subjects'. Most of them are provinces, or oblasts, and republics. Two of them are federal cities - Moscow and St. Petersburg.