The Russian Federation is the largest country on the planet. The area of the largest state is just over seventeen million square kilometers. This is approximately 11.5% of the entire earth's surface. Our country is located on the continent of Eurasia and is crossed by nine time zones. Russia has a rich history, and the year 862 marks the beginning of domestic statehood.
The population and its composition
Speaking about which state is the largest on the planet, it should be noted that gradation can also be done by such an indicator as the population. In this regard, the largest is China. As for our country, the total number of inhabitants who inhabit it is about 144 million people. Regardless of religion or nationality, all citizens of the Federation are officially called Russians. Representatives of more than two hundred nationalities living in one hundred different languages live on the territory of the state. Speaking about the national composition, it should be noted that approximately 81% of all residents are Russians, 3.87% are Tatars, 1.41% are Ukrainians, 1.15% are Bashkirs. In such an indicator as population density, the largest state is located in ninth place in the world. In terms of religion, Orthodoxy is most widespread. To a much lesser extent, the inhabitants of the country adhere to Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and also Judaism.
Largest cities
As for cities with a population of more than one million people, there are officially fourteen such in Russia. It’s not a secret for anyone that the largest of them is the capital of the country, Moscow. Based on the latest census, almost 11.5 million people live here. If we take into account unofficial (real) data, then this figure can be safely multiplied by one and a half or even two times. Other major cities include St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Vladivostok, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Yakutsk and Kaliningrad.
Equally important for the development of the economy of any country are ports. The largest state in the world was no exception. The main ports on its territory are those located in Arkhangelsk (White Sea), Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg, Baltiysk, Vyborg (Baltic Sea), Murmansk (Barents Sea), Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Pacific Ocean), Vladivostok (Sea of Japan), Astrakhan (Caspian Sea), Sochi (Black Sea), Taganrog (Sea of Azov).
Geography
Russia has the largest number of neighbors in the world. In particular, it borders four states by sea, including the USA, Japan, Turkey and Sweden. In addition, there are fourteen other countries with which we have a land border. These include Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Mongolia and North Korea.
The largest state in the world, mainly lies on the plains and lowlands. Along with this, there are many large mountain ranges. Among them are the ranges of the Sikhote-Alin and the Greater Caucasus. It should be noted that the second of them divides the mainland into European and Asian parts. In addition, in Russia there are many volcanoes, among which there are active.
Transport system
The largest state in the world has a fairly developed transport network. It includes more than 120 thousand kilometers of railways, one million kilometers of highways, about 230 thousand kilometers of pipelines (trunk), as well as over one hundred thousand kilometers of navigable river routes. Due to the harsh climate and huge size, the first of the aforementioned species is of paramount importance for the national economy. The bulk of all cargo work falls on him. Due to the short navigation period, water transport is not so important for the country's economy.
As for passenger traffic, the metro is in seven settlements. Many cities have trams and trolleybuses. Almost in every, even the smallest, settlement shuttle buses and buses run. As for long-distance trips, the railway is most often used here.
Climate
The largest state in the world has a cold continental climate, which is typical for most of its territory. Spring and autumn are quite short here. A great influence on the western and northern regions of the country are the cold air currents that form over the Antarctic. In addition, the movement of warm air masses from the Indian and Atlantic Ocean to Russia is hindered by the mountains that are located in the south and east. In this regard, harsh winters are characteristic of most regions.
Natural resources
The largest state boasts the largest freshwater reserve on the planet. On its territory is also the largest freshwater lake on Earth - Lake Baikal. Its area is 31.7 thousand square kilometers. In addition, in Russia there are about one hundred thousand rivers of various sizes, including the Volga - the longest in Europe. The bowels of the land on which the territory of the Russian Federation is located are very rich in minerals. The most valuable of them are natural gas and oil. It should be noted that in one form or another, both of these species are found in almost all regions.
Flora and fauna
Most of the plants (in our state there are more than 25 thousand species) are found in the Far East and the Caucasus. It is not surprising that the largest state is often called the "lungs of Europe", because a significant amount of forest land is concentrated here. In addition, approximately 780 species of birds and 266 species of mammals live in Russia. Most often they are found in the taiga.
About one tenth of all the arable land available on the globe is in the Russian Federation. In addition, we have concentrated almost half of all chernozems. Along with this, local farmers are constantly at risk, because the agricultural season lasts a maximum of four months, while in Europe and America - almost nine.